Not typically the type to check out gallery shows? Consider stretching your self-image this week. Lumber room will exhibit organic works by Louise Bourgeois (of gigantic spider sculpture fame), and Emily Counts' gleaming ceramic moth flutters into the city. Plus, Portland Institute for Contemporary Art will open their first post-Time-Based Art Festival show, and it looks like a banger. But if somehow none of that has enticed you, no worries—you've still got plant-inspired ambient, mushroom identification, and Ron Funches' chops to look forward to.
Monday, October 13
Emily Counts: Tender Echoes and Laura Camila Medina: Ceremony for the Winged
Emily Counts' ceramic style is always a little otherworldly, reflecting on nature and the fragility of life through surreal sculptural busts and curious wall pieces lit from within. In her last show at Oregon Contemporary, Sea of Vapors, Counts cast her gaze toward growth, decomposition, aging, and transformation, telling a story of seafaring travelers through imagery of wilting flowers and rotting fruit. Expect more of that ultra-sensory exploration this time, but with glittery spiderwebs and opalescent moths. Laura Camila Medina's Ceremony for the Winged is a strong pairing in Nationale's project room, which transformed into a "whimsical cave" of her pastel-hued, new media pieces. (Nationale, 15 SE 22nd, 12-6 pm Thurs-Mon through Nov 23, free, more info, all ages) LINDSAY COSTELLO
Tuesday, October 14
Omni Gardens / Isaac Sherman / Britton Judd
Portland’s Steve Rosborough not only runs prolific ambient label Moon Glyph Records, he also shares his own music under the Omni Gardens moniker; it’s new age for the plant age. Rosborough has several albums in the garden, all of which bloom around field recordings and repetitive synth dalliances—the music carries with it a simple lushness, a fern frond unfurling into mountain pose. Similarly, the music of LA’s Isaac Sherman cascades forth in arpeggiated synthwork, albeit with a bit more drive than Omni Gardens. Local composer Britton Judd opens the evening of meditative ambient reflections. (Turn! Turn! Turn!, 8 NE Killingsworth, 8 pm, $10-$20, more info, 21+) NOLAN PARKER
Also worth it:
Household Apparitions: Rachel Warkentin, Fine Art Fruit, more info
Local artist Rachel Warkentin's work blurs divides between fashion, sculpture, and painting in this show at a cool Nob Hill boutique.
Wednesday, October 15
Robby Hoffman
There’s a reason comedian Robby Hoffman is currently one of the most sought after actors in Hollywood—her dry, offbeat demeanor and delivery allows her to steal every scene she’s in, whether as a talent agency assistant in HBO’s Hacks or portraying a dom spirit guide in Hulu’s Dying for Sex. Hoffman’s wholly unique worldview is informed by being a queer, ex-Hasidic Jew who grew up in near poverty, sharing space with nine other siblings. Her stand-up routine is equally original, hitting on topics such as growing up in the aforementioned Jewish household, homophobia, and the futility of dreams, before diving deep into the eternal question: What are dried apricots… really? While this show is unsurprisingly sold out, stay alert for the chance of Hoffman adding an extra show… or if we were unbelievably blessed, maybe moving to Portland? Fingers crossed. (Aladdin Theater, 3017 SE Milwaukie, 8 pm, SOLD OUT, more info, all ages) WM. STEVEN HUMPHREY
@netflixisajoke Cops are on their way #RobbyHoffman #standup #comedy #netflix #netflixisajoke #dreams #men #women #life #tips ♬ original sound - Netflix Is A Joke
Paradise Blue
For fans of noir stories, femme fatales, and sharply dressed jazz men, Portland Playhouse's Paradise Blue gives us all that and also captures fleeting moments before a highway paved over a place people called home. The second piece of Dominique Morisseau's trilogy about Detroit, the playwright sets up a decision about the jazz club as the story's main conflict—then turns everything we thought on its head. Read our full review. (Portland Playhouse, 602 NE Prescott, through Nov 2, $25-59.95, more info, recommended for ages 13+) SUZETTE SMITH
Also worth it:
Church of Film: Spider, Clinton Street Theater, more info
A 1992 Latvian horror sees an artist's model slowly lose her sanity, complete with goo and psychosexual urges.
Thursday, October 16
Intermission / Battlesex / Conspire / American Spectrum / Body Double
There’s been a steady deluge of wall-of-sound post-punk moving west from Europe these last years that isn’t egg punk, nor is it chain punk. It’s smart yet primitive, addressing the horrors of 2025 that have been dogging the punks, the queers, and people of color for decades. San Diego’s Intermission and Portland’s Conspire lead this charge on the West Coast, pummeling us with their respective 2025 releases. Spokane’s Battlesex pull up with a little more snarl, craze in their eyes, and foam at the corners of their mouths. Get angry, prowl the pit, do something about it. (Mother Foucault's Bookstore, 715 SE Grand, 7 pm, $10, more info, all ages) NP
UPDATE: This show has been moved from The Six to Mother Foucault's Bookstore, American Spectrum and Body Double have also been added to the bill.
Also worth it:
The Cinema of Ingmar Bergman: Wild Strawberries, Nordic Northwest, more info
Portland State University instructor Thomas Birnie leads this course and screening series on director Ingmar Bergman, which continues this week with what might be his best drama.
Friday, October 17
The Wandering Womb: Louise Bourgeois and Isabelle Albuquerque
Rarely will you have the chance to see works by the contemporary great Louise Bourgeois and Isabelle Albuquerque, a sculptor of mytho-feminist, post-humanist figures, shown side by side. Reader, this is your opportunity. Lumber room's latest combines several of Bourgeois' organic forms from the Miller Meigs collection with Albuquerque's newly commissioned large scale steel piece, "Mother and Child," among other works. While Bourgeois' dualistic sensibilities reference psychoanalysis, Albuquerque thinks about female agency—her work was a central inspiration for Miranda July's 2024 novel All Fours. (lumber room, 419 NW 9th, 12-5 pm Fri-Sat through Jan 31, 2026, free, more info, all ages) LC
Ron Funches
Hometown hero/comedian Ron Funches is returning to Portland for three big dates at Helium, and we couldn’t be more pleased. After honing his comedy chops here in PDX, Funches took off for Los Angeles in 2012—and thanks to his adorable, quirky demeanor, quickly nabbed guest spots and supporting roles on several comedy series, including New Girl and Undateable. (Let’s not forget his hilarious voice work as King Shark in the HBO animated series Harley Quinn, either.) All that aside, Funches just finished shooting his latest one-hour comedy special in Chicago last week, so rest assured that he will be bringing his A-game and best jokes to share with his former (and most beloved) homies. That’s us, if I was unclear. (Helium Comedy Club, 1510 SE 9th, Oct 17-19, various times, $36.99-$48.99, more info, 21+) WSH
Cacophony
Portland artist Erika Rier unveils her latest ceramic work with Cacophony, a show about "the daily noise which surrounds us," the artist writes. "Some noise is trivial, some is funny, some is deadly serious, some is important, and some we wish we could ignore." Like we saw in our recent "Anatomy of a Sculpture" piece about Rier's work, each of her ceramic creatures has its own story, and most of them are at least a little unsettling. (Purple Door Gallery, 3557 SE Division, Oct 17-Nov 23; opening reception Fri Oct 17, 6-9 pm, more info) SS
Also worth it:
Flowerworks, p:ear, more info
Nonprofit p:ear's new flower farm supports youth with hands-on farming, design, and sales training; support the cause with coffee specials, Babcia Bread pastries, and (natch) fresh-cut flowers in Old Town.
Oregon Black Pioneers: York Fest, various locations, more info
October 17 kicks off a week-long festival celebrating the legacy of York, an enslaved explorer on the Lewis and Clark Expedition; activities include a screening, a Columbia River boat trip, and a world premiere of the folk opera York the Explorer.
Jess Feury, Maven Collective, more info
Feury's textiles add dreamy color and texture to a Montavilla arts space and vintage shop.
The Risible Rise & Fall: Douglas Allen and Tracy Broyles, Performance Works Northwest, more info
Artists Allen and Broyles pull inspiration from Mary Oliver's poetry, butoh, and Jungian archetypes for this multidisciplinary performance.
Saturday, October 18
Body on Me
PICA's post-Time-Based Art Festival (TBA) exhibition draws from a broad conceptual starting point—the human body and its "many negotiations." The show's open-ended thesis clears space for some interesting investigations by artists Cameron Clayborn, Compost Cooperative (which includes TBA artist Tabitha Nikolai, Myra Lilith Day, and garima thakur, among others), and Vishal Jugdeo. I'm particularly drawn by Compost Co-op's "The Alembic Hotel," which artist Nikolai describes as "loosely about trying to sift all the horrifying internet garbage to invent a language to talk to God." The opening night performance by Clayborn on October 18 is worth seeing, too. (Portland Institute for Contemporary Art (PICA), 15 NE Hancock, Thurs-Sat through Dec 20, free, more info, all ages) LC
Also worth it:
Salmon Homecoming, Oxbow Regional Park, more info
Celebrate the Chinook salmon's return to the scenic Sandy River with plant walks, Native games, traditional baked salmon samples, and other treats.
₍^. .^₎⟆ ~&~ /|\ ^._.^ /|\: Anna Fidler, Michael E. Stephen, John Whitten, Well Well Projects, more info
Billed as "part séance, part pet portrait, [and] part garage-sale coven," this exhibition explores curious cat and bat imagery in two- and three-dimensional mediums.
Portland Textile Month: Past Threads, Future Fits, PLACE, more info
Explore African diaspora textile practices and construct a cloth piece using upcycled fabrics at this lecture and workshop highlighting Black artistry, part of Portland Textile Month's October programming.
Sunday, October 19
Mushroom Mania
Fungi fanatics, this one's for you. It's peak mushroom season in the Pacific Northwest, and this Mushroom Mania event is celebrating accordingly. Explore the mossy forests of Tryon Creek, where you can go hunting for a ceramic mushroom, take a guided hike, or stop by a hands-on display that showcases edible species. If you're looking to go on your own mushroom quests this fall, don't miss the 11 am presentation, where a guest ranger will discuss foraging safety, identifying shrooms, and more pro tips. Folks who aren't brand new will be prepared with good shoes and rain gear (if needed). (Tryon Creek State Natural Area, 11321 S Terwilliger, 9 am-2 pm, free; parking pass required, more info, all ages) JANEY WONG
Also worth it:
2025 Portland Retro Gaming Expo (PRGE), Oregon Convention Center, more info
PRGE has grown from its humble beginnings in an old hotel conference room in 2006 to a massive affair with three days of geekery and old-school vidya games.
The Craft: BYO-Crafternoon with Ritual Dyes, PAM CUT's Tomorrow Theater, more info
Snag your coven and your fiber arts projects to stitch away during this screening of The Craft—the angsty '90s-era cult film, not its limp 2020 reboot.
JJJJJerome Ellis, The Old Church, more info
Ellis' textural ambient jazz blends saxophone, organ, hammered dulcimer, and electronic elements. They'll perform atmospheric soundscapes from new album Vesper Sparrow.
Looking for even more events happening this week? Head on over to EverOut!
