* 23+ on 9th
See review this issue. Elizabeth Leach Gallery, 417 NW 9th Ave., 224-0521, Through Jan. 29

Debra Beers
Portland realist Debra Beers returns with new paintings of Portland's fringe residents, including fresh images of anti-war protesters. Mark Woolley Gallery, 120 NW 9th Suite 210, 224-5475, Through Jan. 29

The Word on the Street
Next time you're out on SE 122nd, pop by the library for some pretty smart-looking street photography by Rosemary Hammer (cool name). The Storyroom, Midland Branch MultCo Library, 805 SE 122nd, Through Jan. 11

Lucian Freud Etchings
While Mom and Pop are in town dropping oodles of money on you, have them swing you by the museum by telling them that Sigmund Freud's grandson is having a show of etchings. While they're doing the audio tour, slip away and hang out in the sublime galleries of arts and crafts from the Native Americans of the Pacific Northwest. Portland Art Museum, 1219 SW Park Ave, 226-2811, Through Jan 23, $6-10

Martina Mullaney
Several years ago, a gallery director told me that he wanted to curate an exhibition of nothing but photographs of empty beds, and put the whole subject matter to rest (so to speak). Looks like he never got around to it, because Martina Mullaney's show, Turn, features exactly that--empty beds from shelters and hostels around the world. Blue Sky Photography Gallery, 1231 NW Hoyt St, 225-0210, Through Jan. 1

* SinTax
I approached SinTax--a Pop art collaboration between Belinki & DuPrey and Gallery 500--with marked hesitance. Promises of a contemporary take on Pop art and consumerism had me picturing silkscreen prints of starving African children and cans of Pepsi. But there were also some pleasant surprises. Mona Superhero's colorful utility tape "painting" gives her hometown the surprisingly rare opportunity to see what the buzz from Seattle and New York is all about. And Daniel Kaven provides an untitled triptych about surveillance cameras, convenience stores, and watching people watch other people while they talk on the phone. RD Belinki & DuPrey, 1224 SW Broadway, Through Dec. 28

* Newcountry
One of the best works in town right now is Charles Goldman's spouting fountain of oil drums at the Feldman Gallery. The low-tech sculpture touches on the work of Christo, rococo fountainry, and the nature of consumption itself. Philip Feldman Gallery, PNCA, 1241 NW Johnson, 226-4391, Through Feb 19

Up and Coming Atcha!
RC Gallery has assembled a show of "up and coming" artists who include Scott Patt and Amy Ruppel (both in the 2003 Oregon Biennial) and Trish Grantham, whose insanely repetitive paintings are ubiquitous on boutique sandwich boards. RC Gallery, 1314 NW Glisan, 229-1860, Through Dec.