Fall Arts Guide 2023

The Mercury’s Fall Arts & Culture Preview doesn’t need a theme, but this year’s was obvious: Portland is building. Portland is rebuilding. Its arts and culture worlds have rolled up their sleeves and are breaking ground.

Here are some great examples: If you loved this summer’s immensely popular Comedy in the Park series, you’ll want to read about the nonprofit behind it, Kickstand, and their brick and mortar clubhouse that’s on track to open when the rains start. Portland Institute of Contemporary Art (PICA) hasn’t replaced the 10 chaotic nights and days of its Time-Based Art festival, but it’s holding a slower version this season, dubbed Time-Released, which promises to unfold its chaos in thoughtful bursts.

We also have updates on two of the most exciting arts and culture world construction projects: Portland Art Museum’s renovation of an old sex club into Tomorrow Theater is on track. By the end of September, beloved music venue Doug Fir Lounge will close its East Burnside doors and move. Plus… you aren’t imagining it: There are a ton of libraries closed right now. The Multnomah County Library system has spent 2023 in deep renovation mode. We looked into what’s happening, and why it’s all happening at once. Artists Repertory Theatre (ART) hit a devastating snag when it was forced to suspend its 2023/24 season. We looked at why its two-year tour became four, and how ART is still building. There were some inspired developments during the pandemic and one was Portland Community College’s wise idea of asking Darcelle’s Showplace host Poison Waters to teach a class on the Histories of Drag Performance in Portland. And while we fully expect Hans Zimmer stans to come

out swinging, we asked associate conductor Deanna Tham to unpack the Oregon Symphony’s take on the greatest modern film composer, John Williams.

Iconic food cart Matta planned a business pivot and landed at Lil’ Dame, where the restaurant collective’s supportive model has given Chef Richard Văn Lê freedom to lean even harder into Vietnamese flavors. Portland’s new favorite record store is actually three record stores, a bookstore, a radio station, and a music label— Beacon Sound, Musique Plastique, Super Electric, Lost Avenue, et al. haven’t figured out what the sign on their door should say—but have figured out the collaborative shop counter.

Multi-disciplinary artist Intisar Abioto curated a massive exhibit at the Portland Art Museum this fall. How is it possible that, here in 2023, it’s the first to consider the work of Black artists collectively in Oregon?

Fly a new book by Portland-born author Mitchell S. Jackson examines the profession of basketball and its intersection with fashion. And it has some of the coolest photos we’ve ever seen.

It started as a joke and then became intensely serious—we have paired Portland’s film festivals with signs from the zodiac Then we picked fall gallery shows to go with signs from the zodiac as well (kidding, but we found some good ones). And as usual, we also have some expert recommendations from Everout for events that must make it onto your fall calendar

So welcome to the Portland Mercury ’s second print guide since the pandemic. We’re rebuilding too, alongside you.

Suzette Smith

FALL ARTS GUIDE

Subin

Layout/Design: Corianton Hale

Editorial

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Wm. Steven Humphrey

NEWS EDITOR

Courtney Vaughn

ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR

Suzette Smith

NEWS REPORTER

Taylor Griggs

Art & Production

ART DIRECTOR

Anthony Keo

Cover

Subin Yang

Corianton Hale

EverOut

HEAD OF CONTENT

Jamie Reed

MANAGING EDITOR

Janey Wong

FOOD & DRINK EDITOR

Julianne Bell

MUSIC CALENDAR EDITOR

Audrey Vann

ARTS CALENDAR EDITOR

Lindsay Costello

CULTURE CALENDAR EDITOR

Shannon Lubetich

Advertising

SALES DIRECTOR

James Deeley

SALES OPERATIONS MANAGER

Evanne Hall

SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES

Anna Nelson

Katie Peifer

Business

COMPTROLLER

Katie Lake

Events & Media

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Tracey Cataldo

MARKETING DIRECTOR

Caroline Dodge

EMAIL MARKETING SPECIALIST

Tonya Ray

DIRECTOR OF VIDEO PRODUCTION

Shane Wahlund

SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER

Christian Parroco

PRODUCTION & MARKETING COORDINATOR

Taffy Marler

Savage Lovecast

Dan Savage

Nancy Hartunian

Jesse Cramer

Technology & Development

VP OF PRODUCT

Anthony Hecht

SENIOR DEVELOPERS

Nick Nelson

Michael Crowl IT MANAGER

Grant Hendrix

Bold Type Tickets

DIRECTOR OF SALES

Diana Schwartz

CUSTOMER SOLUTIONS MANAGER

PROJECT

Kevin Shurtluff

MANAGER / CLIENT SOLUTIONS

REPRESENTATIVE

Campy Draper

CUSTOMER SOLUTIONS REPRESENTATIVE

Taffy Marler

Circulation

Matt Stanger

distribution@portlandmercury.com

President & Publisher

Robert Crocker

After

BIRTH OF A COMEDY CORRIDOR

a blowout summer of Comedy in the Park, Kickstand hopes audiences will join them indoors.

BY SUZETTE SMITH

The first two years of Kickstand’s Comedy in the Park summer series were impressive, but 2023 blew them both away, with Portland Parks & Recreation staff counting approximately 4,700 people on a recent Friday in August.

That’s people-protesting-against-Donald-Trump numbers. But while anger frequently provides the motivation of our moment, Kickstand brought all those people out to make them laugh, and in doing so, to showcase and support local comedians and community.

Now, as Portlanders gaze skyward and feel the first drops of autumn rains, the comedy nonprofit faces a moment of truth. Who will follow them indoors, into their influx brick and mortar clubhouse?

Since April, Kickstand has been renting and renovating a 4,750 sq foot building at the corner of Southeast Hawthorne and Southeast 10th—the former fútbol (soccer) pub Toffee Club. Working with Harka Low Carbon Architecture, the renovations will create an 80-seat mainstage theater for shows and separate rooms for development nights and classes.

“It’s going to be a place where the opener for whoever’s headlining at Helium could have their own smaller show,” Kickstand’s artistic director and founder Dylan Reiff said, proposing a hypothetical scenario. “It’s a place where local performers can grow their ideas, build out shows, and reach au-

diences. You know, hot date night, hang out, laugh, check out a work in progress, work out your own material, work out new ideas.”

Reiff’s mention of Helium isn’t meant as competition. Kickstand’s proposal for moving into the Hosford-Abernathy neighborhood—just two blocks from Helium and 10 blocks from Funhouse Lounge—hopes to create something the organization calls a “comedy corridor.” Based on the same location idea of fast food restaurants and gas stations clustering together to draw customers to an area, Reiff said he hopes the same approach can work here.

“The actual competition is Netflix. Streaming. Staying home is the only real competition to going out to see live arts. It’s not another comedy theater,” he said.

This isn’t Kickstand’s first attempt at creating a permanent venue. The upstart improvisers started out in 2014, in the basement of a now-closed bike shop bar called Velo Cult, where they held popular improv shows in a windowless room, for four months, until fire inspectors told them to knock off the unsafe practice. The Siren Theater took them in next, renting the troupe the second floor of their former Old Town location. By 2019, Kickstand was a nonprofit—teaching classes and bringing comedians from neighboring scenes to Portland. The vibe was “DIY club brings like-minded boundary-pushing groups to play shows and make new connections,” but it was comedy. When Kickstand decid-

ed to take over the Brody Theater they were working to preserve a place of local improv comedy history, create stability for the organization, and expand. Of course, then the pandemic happened.

“We started that renovation on March 7, 2020, and we ended it on March 11,” Reiff explained wistfully. Kickstand had been awarded a $150,000 grant by Prosper Portland to pay for those renovations, but eventually gave the entire amount back. As luck would have it, the organization has been able to secure a similar grant for the new building.

“Prosper Portland has really been just so helpful,” Reiff explained. The Prosper funds, along with grants from Travel Portland and the Portland Events & Film Office, are essentially earmarked for the current renovation—getting things ready to open the doors. None of it is part of the million dollars Kickstand hopes to raise over the next five years—to purchase its building.

“The goal for fall was to make it to fall,” Reiff said. The popularity of Comedy in the Park proved good for fundraising. “God bless Venmo for finally working with nonprofits. We knew that classes would be fine. And classes have continued to sell out.”

In a move that is extremely what Kickstand Comedy would do, the organization began teaching classes in the unrenovated space as soon as they started renting it. So although Reiff says the plan is to begin holding shows there in October, it’s hard to say

how polished the place will be. Kickstand is taking over the lease for the entire lot, but local brewers Away Days have a lease for their taproom through the end of the year. Eventually, Away Days plans to move their Portland taproom to a larger space in the Brooklyn neighborhood. And while we pressed the brewery’s co-owner Niki Diamond about a brilliant community-focused future of soccer, comedy, and Fresh-Hop English Pales, she said Away Days simply needs more room. And they want a beer garden.

So Kickstand is still searching for someone to move into the Away Days space next year, but comedy fans might be able to grab a pint until the holidays—it’s not yet clear how it’ll work. Reiff calls the side of the building with Away Days’ taproom a “makerspace” because he’s trying to leave potential for what could go into it—it’s a small brewery now, but there’s room for other options.

The Kickstand side has a full kitchen, but his team has no interest in running it. “Our background is not food and drink, so we want to work with people who are passionate and excited. A goal would be to also cross pollinate audiences. I’m hopeful that the spaces can be a community where everyone’s cup gets filled.”

The last Comedy in the Park of the season was September 1, but Kickstand is still producing shows around town until its new space opens. kickstandcomedy.org ■

Kickstand Comedy is not a cult. It’s a clubhouse, not a compound.

HARKA LOW CARBON ARCHITECTURE

EIGHT FASCINATING THINGS WE LEARNED IN POISON WATERS’ DRAG HISTORY CLASS

Looking back on Portland’s history, fabulously.

BY SUZETTE SMITH

The pandemic? We hated it. But it brought about some inspired developments, such as Poison Waters (AKA Kevin Cook) learning to use Zoom. The Darcelle XV Showplace co-host really took to the medium, and now on the rare day in Portland where Poison Waters isn’t hosting an event, it might be because she’s leading a corporate remote retreat—or teaching an online class about local history.

Since 2020, she has taught a web class as part of the non-credit, community education program at Portland Community College, and for the thrifty price of $45, we sat in on a three-hour class called Histories of Drag Performance in Portland.

Though the course goes back far further than Poison Waters’ 35 years of drag performance, she conveys decades of information with humor and personal stories. We’re by no means trying to spoil the class; there’s so much there. We’re just hoping to give you a taste and encourage someone to give her a book deal.

Portland has been a stronghold for drag for far longer than people think. The class format of Histories of Drag Performance in Portland is largely a slideshow of unearthed historical images, with charming narrational instruction provided by Poison Waters. One of the early revelations is a promotional photo of drag and vaudeville performer Julian Eltinge from a Portland tour stop in 1915. “Portland was one of their most popular stops,” Poison Waters narrated. “[They performed at] the Heilig Theater, on Southwest Broadway. It later became the Fox Theater, until it was demolished and became the Fox Tower.”

The Crystal Hotel was once the home of Silverado.

In 2011, as McMenamins prepared to reveal its renovated Crystal Hotel—next door to the Crystal Ballroom—the company reached out to Poison Waters about hosting the grand opening. “They wanted to bring back a little history,” she explained. “The hotel used to be the Silverado, which was a gay mens nightclub. Upstairs was a gay men’s bathhouse. I worked at the Silverado strip club downstairs—not in the bathhouse, just to be clear—hosting events and stuff,” she clarified.

The empty block at Southwest 6th and Hoyt is where we should actually build a Darcelle XV park. One of the city’s grand romances, that of Darcelle XV (AKA Walter Cole) and Roxy Neuhardt, began in the Roaring Twenties nightclub of the Hoyt Hotel. “Roxie was a dancer in the show, and Darcelle went to see

it. They met, fell in love—their relationship has been detailed in several books, magazines, documentaries, a one-man play, etc.” she described. “It’s a big empty parking lot now, and has been my entire adult life.”

Darcelle XV received inspiration (and wardrobe) from Gracie Hansen. On the night Darcelle / Walter Cole met Roxy, Gracie Hansen was the person he was actually there to see. “He said that she was the first female drag queen he ever met,” Poison Waters said. “He just loved her overthe-top persona. When Gracie was moving back to Seattle, she gifted Darcelle a lot of her gowns and jewelry.”

In the late ‘40s, Mayor Dorothy McCall promised to clean up Portland— then promptly lost her next election.

Poison Waters referenced Darcelle’s memoir Just Call Me Darcelle when relating the tale of Portland’s Mayor Dorothy McCall: “Portland had a thriving gay community in the ‘40s until Mayor Dorothy McCall started a campaign to rid Portland of sin.” McCall pushed for raids on gay establishments and anything else she deemed de -

linquent. She didn’t win her second term election. Food for thought for our current city hall.

The historic philanthropy of Oregon’s Rose Court is connected to a ‘70s-era gambling law.

The history of Oregon’s longstanding, philanthropic Imperial Sovereign Rose Court can be cavernous and conflicting. “Back then, queens didn’t have to have a pageant; you could just decide ‘I’m queen of Hooha Damn Damn,’ and no one was going to argue with you,” Poison Waters explained. In 1970, the Oregon Legislature passed a law allowing gambling at nonprofit organizations and Dahl & Penne Card Room—a gay bar in the same neighborhood as Darcelle’s (still Dima’s Tavern at the time)—received one of three gambling licenses. “So the house, you know, the bar couldn’t take any profit; all the proceeds went directly to [charity]. That’s really where all of that started,” Poison Waters said. As the queer court and pageant movement was becoming popular in Portland, at the same time, they adopted the practice and never stopped.

The story behind the number that took LaWanda Jackson to Las Vegas. This might already be common knowledge, but it was news to us. We knew Portland-born performer Lawanda Jackson worked at Darcelle’s during her pre-Vegas career. However, we didn’t know that she first gained recognition via a show-stopping duet, where she performed as both Diana Ross and Lionel Richie. “She put it together herself.” Poison Waters said. “It was her concept and costume. It was so unique and so fabulous, that when somebody saw her do it here in Portland, they booked her to come to Las Vegas.”

Darcelle XV Showplace holds the Guinness World Record for longest drag performance. Okay, if you read the Mercury regularly, you already know this, but the tremendous and glamorous effort deserves repeat mentions. On July 12, 2023, Darcelle XV Showplace set a new world record for longest drag artist stage show. “I think I’m still sleep deprived from it,” Poison Waters said. “It was rough, but it was so fun. It was so Portland.” ■

Poison Waters onstage at Darcelle XV Showplace.

SUZETTE SMITH

MAKING MATTA MOVES

Chef Richard Văn Lê closed his cart, and moved into restaurant collective Lil’ Dame.

BY ANDREA DAMEWOOD

Owning a food cart in the year of our lord 2023 requires more footwork and power moves than a breakdancer.

Chef Richard Văn Lê should know: Until recently, he was behind the iconic Matta food cart, which he opened to immediate success in 2019. Critics, myself included, fawned over Lê’s interpretations of family dishes he learned growing up in California.

Lê always wanted to open a restaurant, a dream that faded as the realities of the industry—escalating food, rent, and labor costs among them—grew more stark during the pandemic. The next idea was a catering and event planning business, focused on breakdancing and other hip hop culture facets that Lê loves. That was the plan when Lê announced the cart was closing. But then came another pivot: an opportunity to cook at Lil’ Dame in Northeast Portland, where Lê can incorporate more seasonal vegetables and craft more intricate dishes.

“The theme this year is: Go with the flow,” Lê said. “Like you can’t really stop momentum, especially since I’ve been lucky to win a James Beard [for his work with All The Homies Network] and a StarChefs award. If I continue to lean into the wave and ride it as long as I can, it will eventually play out in a really cool way.”

-Weekly classes, almost unlimited clay and ongoing rolling enrollment.

Early on at Matta, Lê focused on Viêt Kiêu cooking, representing the Vietnamese diaspora and directly drawing dishes from his family members. His recipe for thit kho—pork belly braised with coconut water, chilis, and caramel—came straight from his aunt. A delectable omelet packed with shrimp, fresh herbs, tomato, and onions was inspired by his late mother, who is also the namesake of the cart.

But as Lê refined and responded to customers, Matta’s signatures turned more casual, including burgers and breakfast sandwiches encased in a signature shamrock green pandan bun.

“The cart has been great for us to launch the brand, and get all of our ideas and stuff out, but it’s also been a creative block,” Lê explained. “It’s been seen as street food.”

So in the middle of an August heat wave, Lê and his co-owner and wife, Sophia, closed down Matta by closing down the block, hosting a barbecue and DJ, and bidding farewell to Matta the cart.

And starting August 21, Lê takes the helm at Lil’ Dame, an intimate restaurant space at the corner of Northeast 30th and Killingsworth. He’ll be the latest of a line of accomplished chefs to join the rotation at the Dame collective, where his menu will run every Monday through Wednesday. As part of the shuffle, Clandestino moved from Lil’ Dame into the larger 

-Located in the Concordia Neighborhood, blocks from the Kennedy School and Fernhill Park. -Instruction from a Master Ceramicist with over 25 years working with clay. thewrightclay.com

the.wright.clay.studio.

OCTOBER 4 + 5, 7:30 PM CURIOUS COMEDY THEATER

Tôm trúng

RICHARD VĂN LÊ

Dame space after Chef Luna Contreras’ Chelo vacated.

“With this residency—with the model they’ve created—we get to share the business with other businesses, so you offload the pressure of making the rent yourself,” he said. “To alleviate that pressure is really dope to see. We’re sharing that space together, and making it work together.”

Lê said he’ll be working closely with local growers Mora Mora Farms, and he’ll be incorporating more dishes like Cha cá Lã Vong, rich turmeric marinated fish that’s a speciality in Hanoi.

“I’m definitely excited to use more shrimp paste, that’s not seen a lot in the inner city,” he said. “The idea is just to obviously lean very hard into Vietnamese flavors, use as much local produce as I can, and shrimp paste, fish sauce, random herbs.”

While working in the cart, Lê said he was always listening to music, but it’s been difficult to share that with diners. He’s been working on playlists “for years,”

anticipating a time when he could play to a crowd. Boom bap hip hop, Nas, Wu Tang Clan, Pharcyde, “eclectic funk from over the years, stuff I break to or just listen to,” will all be in the mix, he said.

“Also that old G-funk shit that I listened to in Cali,” he said. “It will showcase the musical background of my experience growing up, and be a fun way for people to step into my world based on the stuff I listen to.”

Dame’s program allows chefs to stay as long as they want, and Lê said that he wants to use his time there to host future block parties and breakdancing events, with food and merch, naturally.

“We’ll make the space lively and fun, keeping people coming through the door,” he said. “I think (collaborative restaurant spaces) are going to be the future for a lot of places—not everyone has a million dollars in the bank account.”

Matta is at Lil’ Dame, 5425 NE 30th, Mondays-Wednesdays, mattapdx.com ■

Su’ò’n nu’ó’ng

Chef Richard Văn Lê in the kitchen at Lil’ Dame.

RICHARD VĂN LÊ

ALL THE HOMIES NETWORK

THERE WILL BE BLACK ART

Intisar Abioto Brings First-of-Its Kind Exhibit Black Artists of Oregon to the Portland Art Museum.

BY JENNI MOORE

Long before Portland-based multidisciplinary-artist Intisar Abioto took on guest curation of Black Artists of Oregon —a massive exhibit at the Portland Art Museum (PAM) that opens this fall—she was just looking to connect with older Black artists in her community.

“I wasn’t initially approaching this as a curator at all,” Abioto told the Mercury. “I was approaching it as an artist in the Black arts community. And then it was almost like I shape-shifted roles into being able to tell,

and be a part of telling, this story.”

Abioto interviewed textile artist Adriene Cruz, performer and painter Bobby Fouther, and activist-painter Isaka Shamsud-Din, and thumbed through the archives of publications like the Oregonian, the Oregon Journal, and the Advocate. She searched through collections in the city’s archives, as well as archives found out of state.

Over and over, Abioto found that there were no good records of the artists she wanted to find.

“The knowledge is really with Black el-

ders and it wasn’t anywhere else,” she said.

“It wasn’t at the art museum, it wasn’t in these institutions, it just wasn’t there.”

In Fall 2019, Abioto contributed photo portraits to An Altar to Alter, a pop-up collaboration that showed alongside Hank Willis Thomas’ exhibit All Things Being Equal…. Abioto made sure to look through the PAM’s collection for other Black artists.

“I saw maybe 10, and maybe two Black women: Carrie Mae Weems and Thema Johnson Streat,” she recounted. “And if I‘m honest, it’s embarrassing. It isn’t enough.”

Works by the Black artists Abioto admired weren’t in public collections—they weren’t accessible. As she continued to interview people in her community she realized the Black elders themselves had kept a record of other Black artist works.

“Black elders had works… of their friends, of their contemporaries, of Black artists who had passed,” she said. “And it was just so deeply moving, and pressing, and timely because, even in the scope of time that I started, there were elders who passed. And what happened to their works?”

“Dem Golden Slippers,” Arvie Smith

Abioto began collecting works herself, she explained: “I started with an eye towards what was needed. Where was this history, where were these people’s artwork, and what were their names?”

That practice directly led to Black Artists of Oregon, a PAM exhibition of more than 200 works from 67 artists—many of the pieces borrowed from Black elders, artists, and other people in the Black community. The selection runs a generational gamut, presenting contemporary artists like sidony o’neal, Christine Miller, Samantha Wall, and ebin lee alongside artists like Grafton Tyler Brown, who was one of the first known Black artists on the West Coast. Literature for the exhibition has described it as “the first of its kind to consider the work of Black artists collectively in Oregon,” which is a bit shocking. However, when asked about this, Abioto replied with a beautiful outlook: “Sometimes you get to moments where Black people have not been, and have been purposefully excluded from—as well as other people of color and Indigenous people. And you get to these places that have been framed as the pinnacle, as the height of where we should be. I don’t want to frame it that way. I want it to be framed that it’s an honor to this place to even have anything by Black people here.”

Abioto says Black Artists of Oregon offers a different way of talking about Black Port-

land life. “Through the art, you get a sense of what people were thinking and experiencing,” she explained.

Through many artistic modes, the exhibit provides much-needed perspective, and important historical context—helping audiences learn more about the complexities and diversity of Black life in Portland, over the last century and further.

“There’s so many [narratives] that, painfully, want to offer amnesia to Black life here, or that Black art and the Black artists here are new. ‘It’s a new thing.’ But honey, we’ve been here all the time,” Abioto said, her Southern accent popping out. “Always, wherever Black people are, there will be Black art.”

As part of the exhibition, Abioto has recorded a Black Artists of Oregon podcast with the Numberz.fm—an all-Black radio station that transmits from and records in the PAM—that features further interviews between Abioto and Black artists whose work is featured. Through it, her research continues.

Her goal, she says, is for others to continue researching stories like these. “I don’t want to be the only one. I wanted [Black Artists of Oregon] to be more of a question than a definitive statement.”

Black Artists of Oregon opens at the Portland Art Museum, 1219 SW Park, Sat Sept 9 and is on view through Sun March 17, 2024, portlandartmuseum.org. ■

“Wabi Sabi: Imperfect Beauty,” Bill Rutherford

COURTESY OF PORTLAND ART MUSEUM

Season40 focuses on youth, family, mental health and social justice for the Latino community.

Worry Dolls

by Maya Malan-Gonzalez

Sept 15 – 24, 2023

Luz and Sonia feel bombarded by the anxieties that come with being 11 years old! When they face their worries, they don’t seem as big or scary.

Milagro’s 27th Annual Dia de Los Muertos Festival: Las Adelitas

Oct 13 – Nov 5, 2023

Las Adelitas will share the history of las soldaderas who fought in the Mexican revolution, through stories, dances and songs.

iHUELGA!

by Maya Malan-Gonzalez

Jan 12 – 27, 2024

This “Super Acto”, inspired by Teatro Campesino, will travel back in time to 1962 with Dolores Huerta to the farmworker’s movement and share her co-founding of the UFW with Cesar Chavez.

Verónica Princesa

by Alicia Dogliotti & Federico Roca

Feb 16 – Mar 2, 2024

Verónica, a pre-adolescent, faced with traditional tales, questions the roles of different “princesses” as she learns to put herself in the shoes of others and especially those of her mother.

Borderline

by Andrew Siañez-De La O May 3 – 18, 2024

Set in the old cotton fields of Socorro, Texas, where four Latino teens, threatened by a mysterious creature, will have to rely on each other to escape the desert alive.

APPRECIATING THE MUSICAL GENIUS OF JOHN WILLIAMS

We asked associate conductor Deanna Tham to unpack the Oregon Symphony’s take on the greatest modern film composer.

BY MARK LORE

It’s incredible to think John Williams’ music is still finding its way into moviegoer ears, here in 2023. The legendary composer-conductor scored The Fablemans for his longtime film partner Stephen Spielberg in 2022. This year, Williams returned to the franchise that sealed his place in history as the greatest modern film composer: Indiana Jones.

No matter what people think of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (it’s good!), you cannot deny that its score is just as stunning as the one Williams originally brought to life 42 years ago for Raiders of the Lost Ark Williams–who turned 91 earlier this year, and composed his first film score for 1958’s Daddy-O–is still the master of drawing emotion from viewers. Spielberg, whose relationship with the conductor goes back five decades, explained in a recent Forbes interview: “I’ve always said, I can always get the audience to the brink of crying, but Johnny’s music makes the tears fall.”

The Oregon Symphony has taken on Williams’ works frequently over the past few years, presenting evocative selections from the likes of Jurassic Park, Schindler’s List, and (of course) Star Wars. A few times a season, the symphony provides the live score for an entire film as it plays on a screen above—quite a feat if you stop to consider it. The 2019 presentation of Empire Strikes Back was particularly impressive. This fall, they’ll perform the score for Raiders along with the film, as part of the symphony’s Popcorn Series.

Conducting these performances is associate conductor Deanna Tham. She’s no stranger to conducting scores along to the films, having conducted the Raiders score in 2018 with the Jacksonville Symphony Youth Orchestra. And, as with any conductor from the last half a century, Tham knows what makes John Williams so brilliant and unique.

“We’re always being told what to expect by John Williams,” Tham told the Mercury. “His music has a lot of hero moves–this grandeur and strength and release of sound.”

These “hero moves” are referred to in symphonic terms as leitmotiv: recurring phrases of music attached to a character or situation in a film. Williams is the master of it. Look no further than the main theme from Jaws . Using only two notes, Williams created a powerful sense of dread. You know the shark is lurking beneath the dark water. And as the pace quickens, the shark moves closer—the tension heightens. Almost 50 years later, the refrain is

still synonymous with impending danger. Williams continued his brilliant use of leitmotiv in the Star Wars films, most effectively with the “Imperial March,” which pops up in various forms when Darth Vader and his space baddies enter the screen.

But let’s talk about Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark is Williams’ most diverse soundtrack—delivering playful bits, nods to the films that inspired Spielberg and George Lucas, and some of the darkest music in the composer’s oeuvre. Even without the movie rolling, the music is powerful and immersive. It also best demonstrates Williams’ ability to bring us closer to the characters. We know when we hear the “Raiders March,” Indy is about to escape danger or—better yet—punch a Nazi. “Marion’s Theme” gently calls attention to Indy’s tough-as-nails partner Marion Ravenwood (played to perfection by Karen Allen). The softer piece is classically romantic, but it also snaps Jones from his drive for treasure and focuses him

on what’s really at stake.

Williams’ best use of leitmotiv in Raiders occurs when he’s warning viewers about the divine power of the film’s McGuffin–the Ark of the Covenant. On the soundtrack itself, this is established on the track “The Map Room: Dawn,” opening with a sinister collage of woodwinds before building to a haunting chorus. It’s heavier and darker than most black metal. In the film, the piece is sprinkled throughout, offering us clues that things aren’t going to end well.

There are great standalone pieces in Raiders, too. The opening scene, as Jones makes his way to the booby-trapped Peruvian temple, employs silence and plucked strings. While the music during the truck chase scene—in which Indy is dragged behind a moving vehicle—moves… well, like a speeding truck.

Tham said the truck chase scene is the most challenging piece to perform. With a chuckle, she mentioned she’s not entirely convinced it wasn’t sped up in post. And

while performing a score live with a film seems daunting, the orchestra and Tham use various cues—called punches and streamers—on small monitors to guide them through.

“The scariest part for me is, I don’t want the orchestra to be taken by surprise,” Tham said, adding that an orchestra is like a big machine that’s difficult to start again once it stops or slows.

But for Tham and the Oregon Symphony, these performances are becoming old (fedora) hat, as past ones have been impressive. In that time Tham has learned to tweak her approach. “It’s a vision larger than myself,” she explained. “It’s in service of another composer’s vision.”

Oregon Symphony, conducted by Deanna Tham, performs Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark in Concert at Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, 1037 SW Broadway, Sat Sept 23, 7 pm & Sun Sept 24, 2 pm, $46 - $138, all ages ■

Oregon Symphony will provide a live score for Raiders of the Lost Ark

OREGON SYMPHONY

PORTLAND’S COOLEST NEW RECORD SHOP IS ALSO A CULTURAL HUB

Beacon Sound, Musique Plastique, Super Electric, Lost Avenue, et al—the signage

is going to be intense.

BY BEN SALMON

Andrew Neerman had just moved his Beacon Sound record store and label HQ from one space to another when the COVID-19 pandemic arrived and significantly complicated running a retail operation.

Almost immediately, Neerman shuttered the shop, even before the state of Oregon mandated the closure of many retail businesses. When he talks about it now, it’s clear that, while the timing may not have been ideal, the whole situation came as something of a relief.

“I was burning out on retail already, and I was actually planning on selling the retail portion of Beacon Sound… and moving toward being a community space and show space,” Neerman said. “Luckily, I had not. So I just shut down and went full label.” This allowed the respected experimental music label to enter a highly productive period—

putting out over 30 releases in the three years that followed.

Across town, a similar shutdown scenario played out at Musique Plastique, except owner Tony Remple wasn’t tired of retail. He moved his business online for a time, but then, in mid-2022, reopened a physical space in the Lloyd Center, as part of the mall’s well-publicized rebirth.

Throughout the pandemic, Remple said, the two checked in with each other in an effort to figure out a future course of action.

“Both of us were quite on the same page as far as our compassion for the community and closing our shops to the public,” he said, “but also about keeping in touch as things changed to see if there was maybe some way we could collaborate and help each other out moving forward.”

Fast forward a few years. Neerman and Remple are both part of a small collective

Nate Wey, proprietor of Lost Avenue Books.

ROBERT HAM

of like-minded folks that have turned a 1,000-square foot storefront on Northeast Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard into a cultural hub—part record shop, part bookstore, and part community space.

Also involved in the venture are local writer (and Mercury contributor) Robert Ham, who sells vinyl under the name Super Electric Records , and Nate Wey, proprietor of Lost Avenue Books. A DIY internet radio station, Intro To Rhythm will also operate out of the space, as will Megalith, an event production partnership between Neerman and Ham.

For clarity’s sake: The shop is not operating under one name, and the exterior will likely feature some sort of non-branded “books and records” signage, said Ham. That aligns with the collaborative nature of the venture, said Neerman, who says he’s more excited about partnering with Wey to fill out the shop’s bookshelves than he currently is about selling records.

The new shop is the result not just of Neerman and Remple’s discussions, but also a yearslong effort on the part of Neerman and Ham to establish a venue for concerts and community events. After other options fell through, they contacted the owner of their current Northeast Portland space after simply noticing there were workers inside renovating it.

“They were just the nicest people, and it was relatively affordable,” Ham said. “The landlord is awesome. The reason he owns this building is because he didn’t want developers swooping in.”

Excited about the possibilities of the

space, the two began looking for partners. They went straight to Remple who—while grateful to the Lloyd Center for easing him back into physical retail—was nearing the end of his lease and interested in being part of a collective of independent businesses.

Neerman also reached out to Wey, whom he knew as a guy who always talked about interesting books on social media. Wey had no experience running a bookshop, but he recognized that he was being presented with a “golden opportunity,” he said, to not only realize a longstanding dream, but to do so alongside supportive partners that he likes on a personal level.

“I’ve always wanted to [open a shop] and keep, like, really weird hours, but that would be years away,” Wey said. “I was half on the fence for a while, but I knew this was a chance to do it. This was not going to present itself to me again.”

The arrangement meant Neerman could dip his feet back into retail without losing focus on Beacon Sound’s record label. He’ll be “feeding” records to Remple and Ham, he said, and enjoying the casual conversations with customers he’s missed over the past three years, but he won’t have to deal with all of the administrative worries and sleepless nights that drove him away from retail in the first place.

“It wasn’t the selling stuff that I missed. I like sharing stuff with people,” Neerman said. “I’m just really tired of money in general.”

Neerman, Remple, Ham, and Wey all have bills to pay, of course, and just weeks into their venture together, the financial re-

turns of their partnership are still coming into focus. But when they talk about their goals for the store, they don’t talk about money. They discuss complementing each others’ tastes and the connections that exist between their individual specialties.

They brainstorm bringing people together, developing relationships, conversation as currency, and becoming a vital resource for the community. They talk about creating a place where discovery is naturally woven into the fabric of their shared space.

“I carry obscure music, not to be obscure for the sake of it or anything like that,” Rem-

ple said, “But I just know my own excitement about finding new zones that exist out there, and I hope we have a space that really encourages people to dig in and find something exciting.”

Beacon Sound, Musique Plastique, Super Electric, Lost Avenue, et al., 2730-32 NE MLK, Tuesdays-Sundays, noon-6 pm, no sign of a single website to unite them. Our best guess is follow them all on Instagram: @beaconsound, @musiqueplastique, @superelectric_records, @lostavenuebooks, @ introtorythm, @megalithpdx ■

Julian Perkins Artistic Director

ROBERT HAM

The current signage.

WORKS IN PROGRESS

Checking in with two of Portland’s most important art projects: the Doug Fir and Tomorrow Theater.

BY ROBERT HAM

Lament, if you must, the many local arts spaces that have come and gone in our fair city. There’s a long list of names and places to choose from.

But the better move might be to celebrate the number of local galleries, clubs, and theaters that are still here—survivors of a global pandemic that shuttered so many other spaces of their kind. And look to the very near future when a new addition to the arts landscape—and an exciting relocation of a beloved venue—will be ready to open their doors to Portlanders.

Tomorrow Theater Is Not a Movie Theater

The Portland Art Museum (PAM) has gone through its fair share of expansion over the years. In the ’90s, the organization purchased the neighboring Masonic Temple, turning it into the Mark Building: a massive, multi-floor space it used to showcase modern art and host grand events. More recently, the PAM has worked to launch a remodel of its Rothko Pavilion, which will better unite the Mark and the main museum.

Until this year, all of that growth has taken place in and around PAM’s complex on SW Park. Soon, the museum will take its first major steps outside of downtown Portland.

In November, its Center for an Untold Tomorrow (known as PAM CUT), will open a new creative space located on

We have been assured that Tomorrow Theater is not a movie theater—and yet.

Southeast Division, dubbed Tomorrow Theater. And while the new theater is in many ways another incarnation of the museum’s Northwest Film Center, PAM CUT director Amy Dotson vehemently stated the new building is “not a movie theater.”

“It’s really a theater for cinema unbound,” she continued, referencing the annual awards ceremony PAM CUT has

held for the past four years. “In everything that we do, there will be at least two artforms represented. It might be a movie, but there might also be a dance element. It might be a music-based show, but there might be comedy before. We want two different audiences and hopefully a couple of different artists to band together and make something new every night.”

Dotson and her team dreamed up the new space, in part, as a result of the ongoing construction at the Rothko Pavilion, which rendered PAM CUT’s regular space for film screenings and events, the Whitsell Auditorium, inaccessible. And while the idea of finding a location to flesh out the concept of joining two artistic disciplines was daunting, the actual search for a physical space proved to be incredibly easy. All Dotson had to do was look in her own neighborhood.

Nearby her home was the Oregon Theater, a former vaudeville house that, for two decades prior to its closing in early 2020, was a porn theater / sex club. New owner Kevin Cavenaugh, the developer behind the Fair-Haired Dumbbell building on East Burnside, initially intended to turn the space back into a regular movie theater with a design based on its original incarnation. But in talking with Dotson and the museum, they all realized the potential of elevating the nearly 9,000-square foot location into something that paid homage to the past while embracing the future in its design and programming with a new look dreamed up by local design house Osmose.

“It really has a kind of Vivienne Westwood punk vibe in there,” says Dotson. “We didn’t want it to be shiny and fancy because that really wasn’t what the intention of this space was. It’s a space for artists to come and experiment and try new things. So there’s a lot of details and fun things that we kept but without as much of the ick factor.”

Tomorrow Team, L to R: Ambre Kelly, Amy Dotson, Erica Freyberger, Andrew Gori, Andee Hess

COURTESY OF PORTLAND ART MUSEUM

Live the Doug Fir.

When Mike Quinn, owner of Doug Fir Lounge, signed the lease on the former home of Le Bistro Montage in inner Southeast Portland, the plan wasn’t to move the beloved woodsy venue from its current home on East Burnside to this new location. The idea was to open an entirely new club in the cavernous space below the Morrison Bridge.

But when lease negotiations with the Jupiter Hotel stalled out, the decision was

pretty much made for Quinn: by the end of September, Doug Fir Lounge will close its doors and its top-notch soundsystem and faux wood cabin interior will make the half-mile trek to its eventual new home. Just in time to celebrate the club’s 20th birthday.

“I think my message is going to be, ‘Doug Fir is dead. Long live Doug Fir,’” Quinn says, with no small amount of exhaustion in his voice.

As tough as it’s going to be for the local music community to wait for the new space

to open, at the beginning of 2024, what will come of this relocation is a much improved experience for musicians and fans.

Quinn is a little cagey with the details, as he waits to be free of his lease agreement with the Jupiter. What he does reveal, on the record, is that the capacity for the new Doug Fir will be a comfortable increase from just under 300 to closer to 400, with a much improved green room for the artists performing there. He hopes to have a rotating cast of food trucks on site to feed attendees. And, perhaps more importantly, since Quinn and his team will have a lot

more control over the space, they plan to hold more all-ages shows.

At present, all Quinn can see are the many steps that he will need to take before he can get to start hosting shows in the Doug Fir Lounge once more.

“I must be fucking crazy for trying to do this again,” he says. “We’re closing down the old space on September 30, then [using] the month of October to move out. We’re going to get some renderings going soon and get the layout done. I’ve got a lot of ideas. I’m bringing the name, but it won’t be the same type of place at all.” ■

Doug Fir Lounge Is Dead. Long

One day, you may selfie inside a hall that looks very much like this.

Cate Le Bon at the Doug Fir in 2019.

OSMOSE DESIGN

MERCURY STAFF

AN ASTROLOGICAL GUIDE TO PORTLAND’S FILM FESTIVAL SCENE

Let the stars in the sky be your guide to the screen.

BY BEN COLEMAN, ILLUSTRATIONS BY ARATEHORTUA

While I do not believe astrology is real, I believe that astrology is usually right. Holding these two ideas in constant tension is how I get through any given Portland dinner party. And I know that there are at least 12 zodiac signs, which pairs well with the dozen or so local film festivals scattered throughout the year. And as film festivals are the focus, we’ve listed them more or less chronologically—but we imagine you can find your zodiac sign below:

Sagittarius

Godzillathon

Godzilla, as far as I know, has never battled a giant centaur, but I also wouldn’t put it past the dude. Plus “sag season” sounds like what would happen to the suspension bridges of Tokyo during a Godzilla attack. The Hollywood Theater’s Godzillathon triumphantly returns in September after a few years on hiatus. It’s a great opportunity to see some golden-age kaiju fisticuffs on the big screen, and this time round the focus is on his swinging ‘60s oeuvre, including his battle with the much-maligned—yet still iconic—smog monster Hedorah. Sat Sept 16 & Sun Sept 17, Hollywood Theater, hollywoodtheatre.org/events/godzillathon

Cancer HUMP!

Cancer the crab is master of two domains: the mighty ocean and the orgy buffet table, and it is in that second realm that the HUMP! festival resides [ and full disclosure, HUMP! is a creation of this very publication’s company-eds]. The fest’s homemade porn and porn-adjacent short films have been vying for your hearts and minds (and other important organs) since 2005, which means it’s theoretically old enough to participate in one. This year’s festival was in March at Revolution Hall, but you can catch a repeat screening this September, or get started shooting your own salacious submission for 2024 (entries due by December 8th). Thurs Sept 14-Sat Sept 16, Clinton Street Theater, www.humpfilmfest.com

Leo Portland Film Festival

The Portland Film Festival is for people who really love the festival part of the film fest equation. Expect red carpets, velvet ropes, indie auteurs, and slick-haired marketing flacks slamming top-shelf vodka Red Bulls in nearby fancy hotel bars. Like a lot of Leos, PFF

comes on strong and never downshifts, but there’s no denying that the organizers love indie cinema. Maybe they love the industry stuff more, but there’s a strong subset of Sundance-y cinephiles in the mix. Art and commerce have always been uneasy allies in the world of film, and never more so than at festivals like PFF. It’s unclear how this year’s fest is going to shake out in October, but hopefully the focus will drift in the direction of exciting new talent. Thurs Oct 12-Mon Oct 16, various locations, portlandfilm.org

Scorpio Guignolfest

The scorpion is objectively the scariest critter in the zodiac, and her stingy domain conveniently includes the objectively scariest month, October. Given how hard Portland loves Halloween, there will be a fair number of frightening films on offer—from vaporwave VHS mayhem at Cinemagic to an intriguing haunted video store installation at Movie Madness—but allow me to direct your attention to Guignolfest: a 72-hour filmmaking challenge that traditionally culminates in a raucous gore-splattered screening night at the Clinton Street Theater. It’s impossible to say if there will be any actual scorpions on screen, but expect gallon after gallon of bloodred cornstarch slurry on every available surface and Tom Savini-esque attempts to simulate intestines on a microbudget. Filming Fri Oct 13-Mon Oct 16, awards Sat Oct 21, Clinton Street Theater, guignolfest.com

Gemini

Mt. Hood Film Festival

Ah Gemini… the famous mythological creature best described as “two of a kind.” And you know what else you need two of to have a good time? Skis! If you’re one of those sick freaks who enjoys watching hour after hour of extreme athletes defy the laws of God and nature—to twisted EDM riffs and B-roll of majestic snow-capped pine trees—Mt. Hood Film Festival is for you. Details are sparse at the moment, but thanks to the fest’s connection with outdoor gear convention Snowvana, we’ll be inundated with info as the time to rock goggle tan lines grows closer. Fri Nov 3-Sun Nov 5, Portland Expo Center, snowvana.com/film-fest

Virgo

Portland Queer

Documentary Film Festival

Virgo—I’m reliably informed by Virgos—is the star sign for people who print out physical itineraries when they go on vacation. If that’s

true, then the Virgos reading this already know about QDoc, one of a very few festivals anywhere dedicated entirely to queer documentary filmmaking. The festival gathers films and filmmakers from all over the world, and casts a welcome spotlight on work that might not receive much attention elsewhere on the festival circuit. Fri Nov 3-Sun Nov 5, Hollywood Theater, qdocfilmfest.org

Aquarius

Oregon Short Film Festival

Aquarius is known as the “water bearer” in the Western astrological tradition, and my assumption is that the members of this august house moisturize regularly and exist in a constant state of hydration. I’m assuming they need regular bathroom breaks, which makes the Oregon Short Film Festival such a good fit for this sign. The festival screens a number of times throughout the year, spotlighting a wide variety of indie and international short films, as well as animation and documentary subjects. Sun Nov 12, Clinton Street Theater, 5th Ave Cinema, filmfestivalcircuit.com/festival/oregon-short-film-festival

Aries Filmed by Bike

Aries’ ram is the zodiac sign of war, and what is cycling but a war declared upon one’s own calves? Filmed by Bike is a long-running… excuse me… long-pedaling festival that does exactly what it says on the tin: Folks who like bikes make movies about bikes for other people who like bikes, and then everyone rides bikes afterwards. Much like a bicycle, this fest gets around— screening a best-of slate of films nationally, so there are some additional opportunities to catch some bespoked cinema outside the festival’s traditional dates in May. May 2024, Hollywood Theatre, filmedbybike.org

Capricorn Fungi Film Fest

I like to imagine Capricorn as a happy little goat munching underbrush in a secluded glade somewhere, and that seems like the kind of energy the Fungi Film Fest also brings into the world. This is somehow the fourth year of this festival entirely devoted to short, medium, and feature length films about mushrooms and—you know what? Good for them. Since Fungi Film Fest doesn’t “fruit” until late November/early December, you may read this and may still find the submissions page open. I say good hunting. Cinema 21, fungifilmfest.com

Pisces

Portland Queer Film Festival

It’s currently unclear if the Portland Queer Film Festival (PQFF) will hold a dedicated festival this year, and to that I say, “how like a Pisces to keep us in suspense.” PQFF has been uniting our city’s queer and film communities for more than two decades (with a couple years off for COVID), and represents an important mix of feature and documentary films from a shimmering constellation of queer themes. The fest presented a couple one-off screenings in June and July this year, and that may be what we get for 2023. Far be it from me to predict the movements of the oceans or a water sign. Pdxqueerfilm.com

Taurus Kanopy, 24/7, online

I’m a Taurus—always have been, always will be—so I can speak with authority on this one. Most of your modern respectable film fests require you to leave the comfort of your favorite section of the couch not just once, but potentially several times in sequence. Skip that cosmopolitan nonsense and sign up for Kanopy with your library card, if you haven’t already. (I’m speaking to the non-Taurses here.) Kanopy is completely free, pleasingly designed, and most importantly contains a wealth of the kinds of indie, arthouse, and documentary cinema you often can’t see outside the festival circuit. You don’t have to leave the house (nice) and you get to think about libraries while you’re doing it (also nice). kanopy.com

Libra PAM CUT

The Northwest Film Center was once a center for film in the Northwest, and it used to put on the Portland International Film Festival, which was a festival of international film. The organization has since rebranded under the somewhat inexplicable moniker PAM CUT, which I’m told it stands for Portland Art Museum’s Center for an Untold Tomorrow—but I don’t know what those words mean in that order. When I asked if they were bringing back PIFF, or indeed any film festival of any kind, PAM CUT directed me to a press release detailing their plan to turn Portland’s last porn theater into “a creative hub for artists and audiences not content to be contained to a single medium or art form.” Promises of a “playful and creative” food program, potential gaming and “XR” space, and selfie-worthy lobby decor followed. Libras, I dare you to tell me I’m wrong assigning this festival to your team. pamcut.org ■

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9/14 RABBITHOLE X GLOOMHOUSE PRESENT A BENEFIT FOR LGBTQI+ YOUTH

9/15 LATIN INDEPENDENCE DAY F/ SON DE CUBA AND PURA VIDA ORQUESTA

9/16 TOWNHALL SENATOR FREDERICK, REP. SANCHEZ AND RE P. NELSON

9 /16 LOCARNO

9/19 A TRIBUTE TO WAR AND SANTANA BY THE BAND KNOWN AS "WELCOME"

9/22 EARTH, WIND & FIRE TRIBUTE KALIMBA SOUL OF SEPTEMBER COMMUNITY CONCERT

9/23 ANIRUDH VARMA COLLECTIVE

9 /27 ALICE WALLACE WITH RONNIE CARRIER & HAYLEY LYNN

9 /30 ART ABRAMS SWING MACHINE BIG BAND PRESENTS THE KING MACHINE

WHY WERE SO MANY LIBRARIES

CLOSED THIS SUMMER?

Seven of 19 Multnomah County libraries are currently closed for renovation—here’s why.

BY TAYLOR GRIGGS

It can be easy to take public libraries for granted. The free (tax-funded) service allows anyone with a library card to skim through books, access resources like computers and public archives, or just chill out in a climate-controlled space.

“It’s a real anti-capitalist move to utilize the library,” said Katie O’Dell, a Multnomah County Library director who has been managing the capital project. “Libraries are as punk and as radical as anything else.”

But right now many Multnomah County libraries are closed for construction. Currently, seven out of 19 public libraries are out of commission, and undergoing extensive renovations. So library-goers across the Portland area have had to relocate.

Library boosters would be quick to point out that many Multnomah County libraries are outdated and small. Thanks to a 2020 county bond measure, the library system had $387 million in general bond funds to spend on expanding, modernizing, and building new library facilities.

"One of the conditions of the bond was that we spend a significant amount by December 2023," O'Dell explained. "And so we have an aggressive timeline."

Closing in on the end of its second refresh, downtown Portland's Central Library will reopen in late winter with fresh paint and carpet, expanded rooms, and comfortable seating among other updates. Midland, Albina, North Portland, Belmont, and St.

Johns will expand—the new Albina library space will grow to be one of the largest in the county while maintaining its historic building. Holgate and East County libraries will have completely new buildings.

O’Dell said staff have done their best to make the closure and transition periods as smooth as possible. But she acknowledges it’s a tricky time.

“It’s less about guarding books, or CDs, or DVDs. It’s about creating space for people.” — Multnomah County Library director Katie O’Dell

“It's really hard to have libraries close, it’s not awesome,” she said. “But we’re going to get it done.”

Staff have been rotated around to different branches in order to accommodate spillover regulars from libraries currently closed.

"It’s not the same,” Samantha Prehn told the Mercury. Her library of choice used to be Central Library—which has been closed for renovations since March—so Prehn said

she now visits the Sellwood and Northwest branches to hang out and read.

“They don’t have resources like historical maps, microfiche, news index cards, or large magazine collections,” Prehn said. “All of the branches [nearby] seem to be the same layout, a charming but cramped space, usually without an empty seat anywhere.”

For other people, the disruption of their typical library routine has allowed them to explore some of the county’s other options—and maybe even discover a new favorite spot.

“I’ve learned that the Kenton Library rocks,” Portlander Nic Cota told the Mercury. “[When North Portland] opens back up, I may still go to Kenton for the atmosphere and ability to just stumble into a weed shop / liquor store / pizza joint / bike shop / taqueria / record store / thrift shop / 50-foot statue of Paul Bunyan after.”

Prehn also mentioned she’d “like the branches to be more of destinations.” Once construction is complete, Multnomah County Library leaders hope this will be the case.

“It really is about increasing square footage, which then increases the amount of amenities and space for people at libraries,” O’Dell said. “It's less about guarding books, or CDs, or DVDs. It’s about creating space for people.”

The North Portland Library renovation will create a Black Cultural Center, which

fits with the neighborhood's history as a stronghold of Black culture and with its ongoing struggles against gentrification. The planned, Afrofuturism interior design concept came from a popular vote on the library's website.

Additionally, Central, Albina, and Midland libraries will all have dedicated spaces for teens. O’Dell said she’s particularly excited to see that idea come to fruition.

“We’ve never had the teen space that we’re going to have, with dedicated space that is built in consultation with teens and for teens,” O’Dell explained. “Adults take over all our spaces in the library… [these spaces] will be so attractive for all different kinds of teens to have a place to be and a place they feel welcome.”

To O’Dell, the new facilities are an opportunity to cater to both the current die-hard library fans and reach out to newbies, too. The semi-professional recording studio planned for East County could represent a big draw. "I can finally record my ukulele album,” O’Dell quipped.

“I really think anyone’s life can be enhanced by the public library,” O’Dell said. “And if you don’t see it for yourself, think about the young or older people in your life—those folks who are isolated in our communities. [The library] is a place where connections can be made. Even if you’re not the one who feels a direct benefit, people in your life will.” ■

The new Albina Library will be one of the largest in the county.

LITERARY ARTS PRESENTS

Thursday, Sept. 7, 2023, at 7:30 p.m.

Arlene Schnitzer

Concert Hall

Tickets start at $30

Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2023, at 7:30 p.m.

Keller Auditorium

Tickets start at $30

Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2023, at 7:30 p.m.

Arlene Schnitzer

Concert Hall

Tickets start at $25

Thursday, April 4, 2024, at 7:30

Arlene Schnitzer

Concert Hall

Tickets start at $21

WHAT DOES BASKETBALL FASHION HAVE TO DO WITH BASKETBALL?

Not a lot, but in Mitchell S. Jackson’s new book, it sure is fun to look at.

BY CORBIN SMITH

How much does the profession of basketball intersect with the art of dressing? According to gritty NBA forward and notable fashion plate PJ Tucker, only so much.

“They don’t even correlate to me,” says Tucker in an interview that appears in Fly: The Big Book of Basketball Fashion , a new coffee table-style book by Portland-born author Mitchell S. Jackson ( Survival Math ). “The way I play and the way I dress. Like night and day. I guess it’s kind of impossible to dress like I play, ‘cause, you know, I’d probably look like a homeless person.”

NBA players are tall, in excellent shape, young, rich, and famous: This gives them everything they need to operate as models for bespoke clothing. Who cares if dressing well has little to do with the actual playing of the game of basketball? A survey of the style of NBA players from the post-war era until now still functions as a survey of

fashionable-yet-highly-wearable clothing that might be otherwise overlooked and thus forgotten.

Jackson broke up his catalog decade by decade and the results track with whatever emergent youth culture was ascendant and with whatever men—Black men, especially—were trying to project at the time.

In the '60s, we see a lot of suits and ties, a reflection of the Civil Rights movement and Black struggle for acceptance in white America. In the '70s, the seriousness of that moment recedes and color blossoms across the page. See Kareem Abdul-Jabbar draped in a dashiki, Bill Walton sporting overalls, Wilt Chamberlain in a silk top, three buttons undone, sporting a massive medallion. No one in history got more and wilder fits off than Knicks guard Walt Frazier during this era. He appears in these pages sporting a turtleneck, a gold medallion, a Spanish-style wide brim hat, and an honest to god cape, and, somehow, it

all works. For more of Frazier’s work in the aesthetic space, check out his 1974 book Rockin' Steady: A Guide to Basketball & Cool , where Frazier tells the reader exactly how to rock a cape, and also how to defend every NBA starting guard from the 1973 season.

The ‘90s and the early aughts ushered in a series of baggier and baggier fits. Michael Jordan’s gigantic, nearly Byrne-esque, suits really stick out at first, until Iverson comes along and inspires the entire league with hip-hop aesthetics. In the wake of the Malice at the Palace—a massive brawl during a Pistons-Pacers game that spilled out into the stands—NBA Commissioner David Stern, in a paternalistic and also pretty-racist move to improve the per -

ception of the league in the eyes of white America, employed a strict dress code on players’ game day fits.

And so, NBA fashion as we know it has returned to the well-kempt style of the ‘60s: suits are back, sporting slim cuts which emphasize the players’ height and wide shoulders. It’s a weird space to enter intellectually, because while it does mark a hard return of respectability politics to Black fashion— like so many others in Mitchell’s fascinating and entertaining book—LeBron James wears it so well.

Mitchell S. Jackson appears in conversation with Tra’Renee Chambers at Powell’s City of Books, 1005 W Burnside, Tues Sept 20, 7 pm, FREE ■

100+ authors. 11 stages. 70+ book fair & food truck vendors. One incredible day.

Passes start at just $15 advance, $25 day of event (on sale Sept. 12). Kids 17 & under get in free!

Illustration

Earvin “Magic” Johnson shows up to the 1988 NBA All-Star Game in style.

ANDREW D. BERNSTEIN / GETTY IMAGES

PICA’S NEW ARTS FESTIVAL TAKES ITS TIME

Stepping in for the Time-Based Art festival, Time-Released promises chaotic good performance art in bursts.

BY MARTHA DAGHLIAN

The more things change, the more they stay the same—especially for a contemporary arts festival founded to highlight the most cutting-edge innovations in art. The Time-Based Art Festival—PICA’s flagship event for the past 20 years, known to most of us as TBA—is going through some changes this year.

As an experiment, Portland Institute for Contemporary Art (PICA) has modified the 10-day whirlwind format of past years, opting instead for a more leisurely timeline of performances and exhibitions, thoughtfully scheduled from late August through November.

Dubbed Time-Released, the format is not guaranteed to be a new, permanent version of TBA, just something the arts organization is trying on. Brand new Executive Director Reuben Roqueñi described it as “an exploratory exercise in which PICA considers its presenting formats.”

That level of changeability may make Time-Released the most “TBA” version of TBA to date. It’s a truly experimental event, allowing artists and organizers to try out more ambitious projects and making space for even more of the unexpected moments of absurdity and deep connection we have come to expect from the festival.

As of now, the lineup includes THE ACHE , the third installment in Allie Hankins and Hannah Krafcik’s five-part performance series, which will include workshops and contributions from a crew of local artists; Make Banana Cry ,

“That’s one of the things I appreciate about these artists—their ability to process the times that all of us have been through in the past few years, [and ask] ‘how do you make sense of what’s going on?’”— PICA’s Co-Artistic Director Erin Boberg Doughton

a performance and and complementary “fake museum exhibition” that critiques stereotypes of “Asianness” (with incredible costumes) by Andrew Tay, Stephen Thompson, and Dominique Petrin; and a

new work titled [siccer] by choreographer and artist Will Rawls, which combines green screens and stop-motion animation to unpack the way Black bodies are captured and distorted in the media.

Time-Released has no official curatorial theme, though that doesn’t exclude the audience from noticing connections across the works being presented. It just means nobody is going to spoon feed talking points, so you can impress your friends during postTime-Released drinks.

“We want audiences to make those connections themselves, over time, rather than imposing or suggesting [specific meanings],” PICA’s Artistic Director Roya Amirsoleymani told the Mercury. Amirsoleymani organized Time-Released, with co-Artistic Directors Erin Boberg Doughton and Kristan Kennedy.

Part of the impetus for the multi-month schedule was to give audiences more time to process and appreciate the art. To that end, PICA is also offering panel discussions, artist-led workshops, and multiple showings of individual works—aiming for depth rather than density in its programming.

“The sense of release is important,”

Boberg Doughton said, emphasizing the second part of the festival’s name. She explained that the structure of this year’s festival released artists from an “expectation that things would happen really quickly,” as was often necessary in the old 10-day format.

Many of the works being presented at this year’s festival are the result of long term conversations and collaborative efforts, Amirsoleymani explained. PICA helped the artists bring their visions to life and to Portland.

“I first saw [ Make Banana Cry ] performed in the UK in 2019,” she said, adding that the work has evolved and taken on new meaning in light of the Stop Asian Hate movement and renewed efforts to support AAPI communities.

In Amirsoleymani’s view, Time-Released celebrates survival over time—survival of art and the individuals who make it, and also of arts organizations like PICA itself. “Think about these works surviving through an economy in despair and a pandemic, and still persisting despite it,” she said, “and coming out the other side and finding a home like PICA.”

If that sounds heavy, rest assured that Time-Released will bring plenty of weirdness and fun, too. Even the festival preparations have been rife with creative silliness— Amirsoleymani described a dinner held for artist Will Rawls that featured green foods (think pandan cakes, green-wrapped vegan cheese snacks, and cucumber-mint infused beverages) in homage to the green screens used in his performance [siccer]. It was just one example of the ways that the complex works in Time-Released simultaneously inspire both lightness and depth.

In Boberg Doughton’s mind, performance art is a balm for our nonsensical world. “For 60 minutes or 90 minutes, [you’re in] kind of a temporary, alternate reality,” she said. “That’s one of the things I appreciate about these artists— their ability to process the times that, I think, all of us have been through in the past few years, [and ask] ‘how do you make sense of what’s going on?’ Sometimes making something that is absurd can be a response to that.”

Time-Released unfolds through November 2023, schedules and tickets can be found at pica.org/time-released ■

Choreographer and artist Will Rawls’ production of [siccer].

JARED SORRELLS / NOVO STUDIO

ARTISTS REPERTORY THEATRE WILL KEEP BUILDING

Four years into its two-year tour, the company faces another setback.

BY TJ ACENA

The end of 2019 saw Artists Repertory Theatre poised for some huge changes. After a generous gift of $7.1 million from an anonymous donor and the sale of the north half of its Goose Hollow property, the company embarked upon a much-needed remodel—a massive, multiyear project that involved a partial demolition of its building, and stripping and retrofitting the remaining structure with seismic upgrades.

Artists Rep envisioned a season on tour, dubbed ART on Tour, wherein it moved a season of performances through venues around Portland, while the construction left the theater without a home. And then 2020 happened.

Like the rest of the theater community across the country, the company found itself unable to produce live shows, so Artists Rep experimented with digital content, and when lockdown lifted, it continued to produce works in other venues.

2023 was poised to be a fresh start for the company. Despite booming construction costs, Artists Rep announced in April that it was finally moving into a second phase of the building project, with goals that seemed streamlined to get performances back into the SW Morrison building. The building’s lobby would function as the initial performance space, seating around 150. Mainstage and studio theater additions would be part of “subsequent phases.”

Additionally, after a nation-wide search, the board announced Jeanette Harrison as the new artistic director in late January, and in June, it selected Aiyana Cunningham as the company’s new managing director. A modest plan for a 2023/24 season followed,

and pre-production began for the first show, Pueblo Revolt by Dillon Chitto.

And then on August 15, Artists Rep announced it would need to suspend its 2023 season. The reason they gave: Oregon House Bill 2549 didn’t make it out of the House Ways and Means Committee before the state legislature’s last session ended on June 25.

Artists Rep explained that the bill would have appropriated money to the Oregon Business Development Department to distribute to Oregon cultural organizations who had been negatively financially impacted by COVID-19. Half of the proposed $50 million would have gone to the Oregon Arts Commission, which had planned on distributing $250,000 to Artists Rep.

In her previous position as development director at Portland Playhouse, Cunningham had stewarded a one million dollar campaign to secure the purchase of the Playhouse’s space. Now she’s focused on chasing grants and donations to do what she can.

“Our challenge is being more strategic, because if we’re also raising money for operations and producing plays, we need to be careful about those decisions and making sure that they’re being asked to accomplish our long-term goals too,” Cunningham told the Mercury Nonprofits often earmark distinct buckets of funding for specific projects, so while the season is on hold, money earmarked to complete the renovation of the building means that construction can continue.

Artists Rep received $684,000 through state allocated Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act and American Rescue Plan Act combined. Both acts created grants to be distributed through local county coalitions, similar to

how HB 2459 would have worked. However, even with government funding, many theaters have shuttered over the last few years across the country, and most that managed to stay open still haven’t recovered to levels of attendance pre-COVID.

“Theatre is an industry like so many others, I’m sure that we’re looking at many years of recovery,” Cunningham said. “Just because audiences can be vaccinated, and we can be together, does not mean that we are immediately capable of returning to our pre-pandemic levels of community participation.”

As state and local policy consider the pandemic over, relief money for the arts has slipped as a priority. “Government funding really helped all performing arts organizations make it through COVID and it’s disappointing not to have their continued support,” Cunningham said.

While Artists Rep’s season is paused, Cunningham encourages folks to support other local theaters, saying: “There are huge exciting dockets all over the performing arts world this season. We need people to come out and show up. When I see my friends I tell them, ‘I don’t care where you go, just get out there and support the work that’s happening because theaters are back’.”

For Harrison, the news of the postponed season hit hard. “This was going to be my first season as artistic director and the first season I programmed. So, the shows that we announced are full of my hopes and dreams,” Harrison said.

Harrison was content as the artistic director of AlterTheater, which she had co-founded down in the San Francisco Bay area, but was intrigued by the job posting. “I had people calling me up say -

ing, ‘have you seen this job? Because you would be a great match’.” However she felt on the fence about the position throughout the interview process, until she finally visited Portland.

“Every single person that I met was just so wonderful,” Harrison said. “They were people who were inspiring, who were exciting to me, who were kind, who had a lot of care for one another, and there was this incredible connection to community.”

The season’s first production, Pueblo Revolt, was supposed to be the beginning of a focus on Indigenous theater-makers. The theater’s release described its deep regrets at being forced to postpone a production so in keeping with its mission of producing works by diverse and underrepresented artists.

“We are working very hard to make sure that we could share at least one of these shows with the public this year.” Harrison said. “And our commitment to these artists will continue regardless of whether we’re able to produce shows this season or not. I’ve been humbled by the expressions of support from various members of the Native community here.”

While the future of the 2023 season remains unknown, Harrison tried to find optimism. “I am just grateful to be working with Aiyana right now,” she said. “I am incredibly fortunate and blessed to have a leader with her level of care and commitment and her experience in this community. And I think that the two of us really balanced each other very well. I can’t think of anybody else, I would rather be in the trenches, having horrible days with. And I look forward to when we can begin implementing dreams and fulfilling our commitments and our promises, while holding true to our core values.”■

A dream deferred: Artists Rep suspended its 2023/24 season, but construction will continue.

LEVER ARCHITECTURE

GET THEE TO A GALLERY

Our picks for Converge 45 and other Portland gallery shows you must not miss this fall.

BY ASHLEY GIFFORD PETERSON

With the perceived hiatus of summer—and all its art fairs and group shows—it falls to galleries, museums, and unconventional art spaces to keep our cultural blood pumping. This year’s biggest art party is likely the Converge 45 Contemporary Arts Biennial, which takes place throughout the city at multiple venues. Even as you check out those interconnected events (we recommend quite a few) don’t overlook the new, earnest restaurant with good taste and / or the hole in the wall gallery that you’re not sure if you’re allowed inside. The art keeps growing indoors.

Auxiliary Routes

In 2023, Old Pal launched a thoughtful artist series to adorn the walls of the Southeast Portland restaurant. The restaurant itself is also fairly new, launched last spring by Jeremy Larter and Emily Bixler. Old Pal boasts selections from both land and sea, with fresh Oregon produce and wines at the forefront of the menu. Good food doesn’t

need beautiful art to go along with it, but it sure doesn’t hurt. This season’s artistic creations are Nicole Neu’s abstracted fibrous wall-hung sculptures, the forms of which play in the space between organic and ridged. (Old Pal, 3350 SE Morrison, through Sat Sept 30, oldpalpdx.com)

Between Two Points

Nestled on Division Street, inside the Ellen Browning Building, is an unassuming art space known as the Lobby. It’s kind of like a museum—in that the work shown is curated by Sima Familant from building owner Molly McCabe’s private art collection. Exhibitions rotate out every four to six months, giving ample time for visitors and passersby to admire the artwork. Between Two Points ruminates on what a line can do and how artists use this easily recognized visual form in different permutations, materials, and arrangements.” The show features work by Carmen Herrera, Maya Lin, Daniel Buren, Tsai Yin-Ju, Mary Weatherford, Jenny Holzer, Leon Polk Smith, and

John Mason. (The Lobby, 2871 SE Division, through October 15, ellenbrowningbuilding. com/the-lobby)

The Rose

Curated by photographer Justine Kurland, The Rose showcases forty-four artists working with collage, assemblage, or a related technique in varied mediums like photography, textiles, and ceramics. Drawing works from the ‘60s through to the present, Kurland proposes The Rose conveys “a circular genealogy of collage,” and an homage to the flower itself, nature’s collage. Artists include Ruth Asawa, Natalie Ball, Lee Bontecou, Vanessa German, Jessica Jackson Hutchins, Wangechi Mutu, and Lorna Simpson, to name a few. (lumber room, 419 NW 9th, through Sat Oct 28, lumberroom.com)

Innerbloom

A new exhibition of paintings centered on transitions made during an intense period of grief fit surely into Nationale’s front room. In his signature loose and adaptive

approach, Ty Ennis moves through this new series of portraits and still lifes with hues of pewter, steel, and charcoal alongside blushy rose quartz pinks, and pops of scarlet, azure, and mossy greens. (Nationale, 15 SE 22nd, Sat Sep 9–Sun Oct 29, nationale.us)

Converge 45 Contemporary Arts Biennial The intermittent citywide art event returns, drawing 50+ local, national, and international artists to more than 15 Portland arts venues, beneath the theme of Social Forms: Art as Global Citizenship. Here are our picks!

Te Moana Meridian; One Hundred More Fires

Here you will find two works shown alongside one another, both proposing a reenvisioning: Te Moana Meridian is an opera on a multi-channel video by Aotearoa / New Zealand-born / Portland-based artist 

David Hockney’s “Lithograph of Water Made of Lines and Green Wash” is part of Between Two Points, on view in the Lobby.

COURTESY

Sam Hamilton / Sam Tam Ham, wherein the artist presents ideas about a new center of the world. Then, in neon sculptural work, Bahamian-born, New York Citybased artist Tavares Strachan brings to light the story of young Cuban Revolution revolutionary Camilo Cienfuegos. (Oregon Contemporary, 8371 N Interstate, through October 8, oregoncontemporary.org)

Occidental

Celebrated photographer Richard Mosse will display a series of photographs documenting oil spills from an abandoned pipeline in the Kichwa Indigenous Territory in the forested area of northwest Peru. The poignant images depict the devastating effects of human development on Indigenous lands and communities. (Blue Sky Gallery, 122 NW 8th, through October 22, blueskygallery.org)

ICE TIME

This new body of work by Amanda RossHo pulls from her experience as a competitive and theatrical figure skater, while also creating space for considerations surrounding anthropology, sentimentality, and forensics. Works focus on repetition and the exploration of the innate muscle memory that develops as a result of it.

(ILY2, 925 NE Flanders, through October 28, ily2online.com )

A Question of Hu:

The Narrative Art of Hung Liu Hung Liu (1948–2021) grew up during one of the most tumultuous periods in Chinese history and her work provides a personal point of view of that time, even as it remains outside the lens of propaganda and official narratives. Her narrative portrait and prints of immigrants, refugees, and soldiers

weave and intertwine traditional Chinese and Western artistic methods, earning the description of “weeping realism” by her art critic husband. Curated by Christian Viveros-Fauné, this exhibition draws entirely from the collections of Jordan D.

Schnitzer and his Family Foundation. (Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art at PSU,1855 SW Broadway, through Sat Dec 2, pdx.edu/ museum-of-art)

Rising

Throughout autumn, the Cooley Gallery at Reed College showcases the work of painter and poet Jesse Murry (1948–1993), as curated by Lisa Yuskavage and Jarrett Earnest. Murray was active in the ‘80s, enrolling in Yale’s MFA program at thirty-five after teaching and curating earlier in his life. The series of paintings in Rising were made in the last five years of the artist’s life, while he lived with AIDS-related illness. In them, we find subtle color dynamics that reference mood, weather, and light, and a focus on the horizon as a central motif of his work. (Cooley Gallery, 3203 SE Woodstock, thorough Sun Dec 3, reed.edu/cooley) ■

“Untitled (Rising/Abyss Study),” Jesse Murry

“(Untitled) Mother and Child,” Hung Liu

JORDAN SCHNITZER FAMILY FOUNDATION

JESSE MURRY FOUNDATION

Fall Calendar Preview: What to Do This Season

BY LINDSAY COSTELLO AND AUDREY VANN

LITERARY PICKS

Zadie Smith

Even if you haven’t read anything by Zadie Smith, you’ve probably seen her name splashed in gigantic letters across one of her brightly hued book covers. She’s one of those authors who can hawk a tome based on her name alone, and it’s for good reason— her debut novel White Teeth won several awards, and she’s since cemented herself as a major literary voice with a snappy, eccentric, and game-changing treatment of race, religion, and cultural identity. Smith’s also a tenured creative writing professor at NYU and has twice been named one of Granta’s 20 Best of Young British Novelists, so, ya know, maybe us lit nerds should listen to her. Her sixth novel, The Fraud, was released on September 5; I’m excited to hear more about the “kaleidoscopic work” based on a historic trial that divided Victorian England. Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall (Thurs Sept 21) LC

Ross Gay

How often are you delighted? Occasionally? Never?! Sounds like a job for Ross Gay. The spirit lifter, lauded poet, and author of The Book of Delights will visit Portland on the heels of a new publication—The Book of (More) Delights. The fresh collection of genre-defying pieces, written over the course of a single year, is a sweet addition to the writer’s feel-good oeuvre; he chats all things delightful, from tiny dogs to fig trees to nostalgic

song-blasting to rejecting scannable QR code menus. It’s only corny if you say it is. We say: Get into it. Powell’s City of Books (Sun Oct 8) LC

Amy Schneider in Conversation with Kim Malek

Amy Schneider’s knowledge base is no joke: She won 40 games of Jeopardy!, walked away with over a million dollars, and blazed a trail for other openly queer and transgender smarties. As the most successful woman and most successful transgender contestant ever to compete on the show, I’m hoping Schneider answers some important queries in her new memoir, In the Form of a Question—namely, how’d she answer Daily Doubles about Benazir Bhutto and The Man in the Iron Mask off the cuff?! Schneider will be joined in conversation by ice cream mogul Kim Malek, the co-founder of Salt & Straw. I hope she comes prepared with niche ice cream trivia. Powell’s City of Books (Wed Oct 11) LC

Portland Book Festival

Throngs of book lovers will flock to the South Park Blocks on November 4 for the Portland Book Festival, which will be held on 11 stages at seven partner venues, including the Judy, the new home of the Northwest Children’s Theater. The fest always promises an unmatched lineup of buzzy wordsmiths; last year’s roster included Esmé Weijun Wang, Karen Russell, Andrew Sean Greer, Silvia Moreno-Garcia, and Selma Blair (!) sharing their writing secrets, plus lots of folks with cool tote bags, so I’m predicting a similar vibe of literary excellence for this year’s shindig. (Check our website after September 12 to see the lineup announcement!) The festival will include pop-up readings with local writers, discussions with over 80 authors, and a book fair. Why not stop by to snag a book you’re actually excited to read? LC South Park Blocks (Sat Nov 4)

Barbara Kingsolver

If there’s such a thing as a household-name author, Barbara Kingsolver might be one example—she’s been famous ever since the ‘98 release of her epistolary novel The Poisonwood Bible. Her latest work, 2022’s Demon Copperhead an angry, compassionate retelling of David Copperfield set in the midst of the Appalachian opioid epidemic, won the 2023 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. It’s a bestseller (natch), was named one of the top 10 books of the year by the New York Times and the Washington Post, and serves as a reminder that Kingsolver’s talent ain’t going anywhere. Keller Auditorium (Tues Oct 17) LC

OTHER LITERARY HIGHLIGHTS

Ann Patchett

Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall (Thurs Sept 7)

Mona Awad

Powell’s City of Books (Thurs Sept 21)

Mary Beard

Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall (Thurs Oct 26)

PERFORMANCE PICKS

Nicole Byer

Things are looking up for Nicole Byer, who, as she talks about in her recent Netflix stand-up special, spent at least one of her pandemic days going to a drive-by funeral for a cat. You most certainly know the actress, comedian, writer, author, and podcaster from Nailed It! for which she’s been nominated for four Emmys, but she also has a hit podcast, Why Won’t You Date Me?, in which she interviews comedians and fellow glamazons about their love lives. Byer will head to the Newmark stage to regale us with the details of her own sexy, fabulous life. Newmark Theatre (Fri Sept 29) LC

Roald Dahl’s ‘Matilda: The Musical’

If Danny DeVito’s ‘96 fantastical comedy Matilda is one of your core childhood memories (or maybe you’re slightly more old school and prefer the ‘88 Roald Dahl book—I’ll go to bat for either), levitate yourself over to Portland Playhouse for this musical adaptation. You know the story already: A big-brained, precocious misfit who’s stuck with an anti-intellectual family and a straight-up psychotic principal, Miss Trunchbull, learns to navigate the mess with her teacher, Miss Honey, and a certain magical ability on her side. I’m hoping to see chalk fly through the air. Portland Playhouse (Oct 4–Nov 5) LC

‘Les Misérables’

Take a trip to the tumultuous era of 19th-century France with this fresh staging of Les Misérables, a Tony-winning testament to love and survival. Former theater kids shouldn’t miss Cameron Mackintosh’s musical adaptation of Victor Hugo’s 1862 novel, and Gen Zers might find it tolerable, too—the production was hailed as “Les Mis for the 21st century” by the Huffington Post. Don’t worry, it’ll maintain the same spirit as the original. Attendees can expect renditions of “I Dreamed a Dream,” “On My Own,” “Bring Him Home,” “One Day More,” and “Master of the House.” Keller Auditorium (Nov 7–12) LC

‘Giselle’

David Biespiel

Powell’s City of Books (Wed Nov 1)

David Sedaris

Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall (Fri Nov 10)

Henry Winkler Revolution Hall (Tues Dec 12)

World-class dancers from the National Opera and Ballet of Ukraine will bring this performance of the 19th-century French ballet Giselle to the stage, sharing the story of a peasant girl who falls in love with a nobleman, Albrecht, who is disguised as a commoner. Tragedy ensues, and the ghost-filled tale evokes the deadly sisterhood of the Wilis, a spectral group of women from Slavic myth who died after romantic betrayal. As they attempt revenge on Albrecht, Giselle finds a way to save him and herself. It’s the kind of ethereally beautiful production that’ll make you feel fancy and cultured just by showing up. Newmark Theatre (Nov 24–25) LC

‘Dracula: A Feminist Revenge Fantasy, Really’

Look, I love Dracula as much as the next person, but he definitely has what I’d describe as a misogyny

issue—I mean, who kidnaps women and sucks their blood?? Couldn’t be me! Anywho, playwright Kate Hamill’s adaptation of Bram Stoker’s sanguinary novel “bounces between horror and humor,” challenging gothic tropes and twisting the vampire tale on its gory head to create something cool and feminist, but still scary. After all, isn’t it about time we drive a stake through the heart of the patriarchy?

Portland Center Stage (Nov 25–Dec 24) LC

OTHER PERFORMANCE HIGHLIGHTS

John Oliver

Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall (Fri Sept 8)

HAIR

Portland Center Stage (Sept 30–Nov 5)

Taylor Tomlinson

Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall (Oct 5–6)

Swan Lake

Oregon Ballet Theatre at Keller Auditorium (Oct 6–14)

The Marriage of Figaro

Portland Opera at Keller Auditorium (Oct 28–Nov 5)

Chelsea Handler

Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall (November 2–3)

Gabriel Iglesias

Moda Center (Sat Nov 4)

A Christmas Carol

Portland Playhouse (Nov 21–Dec 30)

Anthony Jeselnik

Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall (Thurs Nov 30)

The Nutcracker

Oregon Ballet Theatre at Keller Auditorium (Dec 8–24)

VISUAL ART PICKS

‘A Sense of Place: The Art of George Tsutakawa’

One of George Tsutakawa’s gargantuan fountains once graced the Lloyd Center, and others still stand in several places in Seattle. Seattle-born but educated in Japan, the sculptor’s public works blend Pacific Northwestern and Japanese aesthetic sensibilities; they also seem to draw inspiration from Abstract Expressionism, feeling both ambitious and personally expressive. Tsutakawa, who passed in ‘97, created over 70 bronze fountain sculptures in the US, Japan, and Canada, and his artistic process was complex, spanning a wide variety of mediums like sumi ink and woodblock printing. (I highly recommend looking him up on YouTube and watching a documentary or two.) A Sense of Place: The Art of George Tsutakawa is the first Oregon exhibition of his work. Japanese American Museum of Oregon (Sept 7–Dec 31) LC

‘Throughlines: Connections in the Collection’

Pulling directly from the museum’s collections, Throughlines: Connections in the Collection explores “a range of artistic innovation” from across different geographies, cultures, and time periods. Sound vague? Maybe a little bit! But PAM’s curators have arranged the exhibition’s artworks into playful process- and material-based groupings organized under a few loose themes: portraiture and representation, views of the land and environment, and unexpected uses of imagery, ephemeral materials, and color. The format should serve as a jumping-off point for some fun convos about the artistic process. I’m excited to see Dinh Q. Lê’s high-definition chromogenic prints and a rare sculpture from Kehinde Wiley’s The World Stage series. The exhibition should also get visitors jazzed for the museum’s forthcoming Mark Rothko Pavilion, which will offer “an elegant and fluid connection between [the museum’s] two buildings.” (They’re currently connected underground via stairs and elevators.) The multi-year expansion and renovation project will make the museum more accessible and inclusive. Cool! Portland Art Museum (Oct 28, 2023–Nov 1, 2024) LC 

BEN BAILEY-SMITH

NATASHA KOMODA

MATTHEW MURPHY & EVAN ZIMMERMAN FOR MURPHYMADE

Anya Roberts-Toney: ‘Water Witch Moon Mother’

Anya Roberts-Toney’s last solo exhibition at Nationale, Summer’s Eve, imagined a matriarchal realm with an edge, with euphoric, yet complexseeming female figures framed against backdrops of luminous flora. It’s safe to say I’m stoked to see her return to the gallery for another exhibition of jewel-toned compositions, which typically contain equal parts feminine revelry and illusive unease. Sneak peeks on her Instagram reveal a move toward bolder, more color-forward compositions in oil-on-linen, but Roberts-Toney maintains a dreamy sensibility that always reminds me of that one episode of Wishbone where he travels to the Eloi’s futuristic, pink-tinged fruit garden from The Time Machine in the best possible way. (If you have no idea what I’m referencing, why not remedy that by spending some time with Water Witch Moon Mother?) Nationale (Nov 4–Dec 24) LC

‘Africa Fashion’

London’s Victoria and Albert Museum curated this major exhibition, which will bring dozens of welldressed mannequins to the Portland Art Museum this fall and winter for an exploration of African fashion culture and history from the mid-20th century to the present. Africa Fashion includes “garments, textiles, adornments, personal testimonies, photographs, film, and catwalk footage,” with artifacts pulled straight from the archives of legendary African designers like Shade Thomas-Fahm, Chris Seydou, Kofi Ansah, Naïma Bennis, and Alphadi and contemporary creatives Imane Ayissi, IAMISIGO, Moshions, Thebe Magugu, and Maison Art. Not sold? The exhibition was featured in Vogue, Forbes and CNN, which deemed the show “an archive of achievement.” Portland Art Museum (Nov 18–Feb 18) LC

Time-Released

PICA’s Time-Released, a new series of performance artworks for 2023, reimagines the institution’s iconique Time-Based Art Festival. (The New York Times lauded TBA as “the best contemporary summer festival in the country” back in 2012, and the fest’s experimental programming is an excellent annual reminder to question everything.) The series will expand on TBA’s typical 10-consecutive-day runtime with a more spread-out format, offering “space to artists and audiences to make deeper connections with each program.” Basically, we’re getting TBA programming over a longer period of time—we’ll take it! Local and international artists like Anthony Hudson, Pepper Pepper, and Seba

Calfuqueo have already shared their work, but Time-Released runs until November, so there’s still plenty of opportunity to thrill your eyeballs. I’m looking forward to Make Banana Cry Andrew Tay and Stephen Thompson’s upcoming (November 17–18) “durational parade,” which subverts clichés of “Asianness” within the container of a fake museum exhibition created by visual artist Dominique Petrin. PICA (through Nov 18) LC

OTHER VISUAL ART HIGHLIGHTS

Black Artists of Oregon

Portland Art Museum (Sept 9–March 17)

You Ni Chae and Brad Mildrexler

Adams and Ollman (Sept 22–Oct 21)

of quasi-genocidal serial killings that impacted Oklahoma’s Osage tribal community in the ‘20s. The film takes a “show, don’t tell” approach to illustrating the epidemic of violence against Native people in the United States. Calling it now: Based on the trailer alone, Killers of the Flower Moon blends Western sensibilities, true crime, and the macabre in an enthralling way that’ll land each and every butt in a theater seat. Cinema 21 (opening Fri Oct 20) LC

LIVE MUSIC PICKS

Joe Feddersen

Adams and Ollman (Oct 27–Nov 25)

Yishai Jusidman: Prussian Blue Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education (through Nov 26)

FILM PICKS

‘Finding Her Beat’ Benefit Screening and Live Taiko Performance

Those who bump along to the beat of their own drum should show up to this screening in support of Portland Taiko, a local performance group that drums throughout the Pacific Northwest, offers classes and workshops, and conducts team-building workshops. They’ll screen the 2022 documentary Finding Her Beat, which centers an all-female, boundary-breaking taiko troupe (the Japanese drumming art was off-limits to women for centuries). The world-famous taiko player Tiffany Tamaribuchi, who recently moved to Portland to take on the artistic director role at Portland Taiko, will also perform live before the film. Hollywood Theatre (Sat Sept 30) LC

H. P. Lovecraft Film Festival and CthulhuCon

Hold on to your Shoggoth! The 28th annual H. P. Lovecraft Film Festival and CthulhuCon will return to the Hollywood’s shadowy screens with “freshly minted cinematic horrors from all the dark corners of the earth.” This year’s festival will showcase more than 50 short and feature-length freak fests, including Suitable Flesh based on Lovecraft’s “The Thing on the Doorstep” and starring Heather Graham, and the world premiere of Gods of the Deep, a deep sea submarine horror (gulp). Three days of macabre mayhem will also include author readings and Q&A sessions, guests of honor Clay McLeod Chapman and Rebekah McKendry, and a “Mall of Cthulhu.” Hollywood Theatre (Oct 6–8) LC

‘Killers of the Flower Moon’

The calendar is inching closer to Oscar season, and with it will come a film that already rivals the chatter of this summer’s Barbie and Oppenheimer, if that’s even possible. Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon, which the Guardian described as an “epic of creeping, existential horror about the birth of the American century,” follows the true story

Claudio Simonetti’s Goblin with ‘Demons’

The record label, film series, and “guerrilla action group” Wyrd War will drag out their cinema cauldron again for two screenings of Lamberto Bava’s ‘85 horror epic Demons just in time for All Hallows’ Eve. Italian prog-rock ghouls Goblin, led by keyboardist Claudio Simonetti, will provide a live score for the lurid, bloody masterpiece. The flick is equal parts sinister, supernatural, and slick, checking off all my ideal horror film boxes, like “isolated Berlin movie theater,” “Nostradamus’s grave,” and “getaway motorcycle.” Plus, Portland-born scream queen Geretta Geretta makes an appearance in the film. Sick! Stick around afterwards for a full-length concert of haunting tunes spanning Goblin’s whole catalog. Hollywood Theatre (Oct 24–25) LC

QDoc Film Festival

The only festival in the US devoted exclusively to queer documentaries, QDoc will return to the historic Hollywood Theatre this year for further engagement with diverse queer perspectives on politics, diversity, sexuality, family, and more. (Expect “award-winning films fresh from Sundance, Berlin, Hot Docs, Tribeca...and other top-tier festivals.”) Along with three days of screenings and community connection, the fest will also bring in directors and subjects from across the world to offer intimate Q&A sessions. Hollywood Theatre (Nov 3–5) LC

OTHER FILM HIGHLIGHTS

2023 HUMP! Film Festival Encore Screening Clinton Street Theater (Sept 14–16)

Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark with the Oregon Symphony Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall (Sept 23–24)

PDX Recovery Film Festival Revolution Hall (Sun Oct 1)

Portland Film Festival (Oct 12–16)

Dirty Dancing in Concert Keller Auditorium (Sun Nov 19)

Legendary Worlds of John Williams with the Oregon Symphony Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall (Nov 25–26)

Herbie Hancock

Throughout his six-decade-plus career, Herbie Hancock has reached all corners of the expansive jazz genre, along with pioneering electronic music and modern R&B. His trailblazing 1973 album Head Hunters has been such an inspiration to funk, soul, and hip-hop that the Library of Congress added it to the National Recording Registry (an archive of the most significant recordings of the 20th century). But all fancy accolades aside, Head Hunters is a delightfully timeless album that I keep in my back pocket for when I’m feeling musically fatigued. Plus, Hancock’s 47th (!) studio album is currently in the works, which will reportedly include features from music royalty like Wayne Shorter, Kendrick Lamar, Kamasi Washington, Thundercat, Flying Lotus, Snoop Dogg, and more. McMenamins Grand Lodge (Tues Sept 19) AV

Love in Exile: Arooj Aftab, Vijay Iyer & Shahzad Ismaily Trio

New York-based Pakistani singer-songwriter Arooj Aftab blends traditional Sufi devotional poetry with gentle folk guitar and ambient elements that perfectly cradle her ethereal voice. On her newest project, Love in Exile Aftab collaborated with multi-instrumentalists Vijay Iyer and Shahzad Ismaily for a haunting meditation about “self-exile, and the search for freedom and identity, and finding it through love and music” (per press materials). With the album’s atmospheric electronics, neo-classical piano melodies, and heavenly vocals, it will surely sound just as magical live. Patricia Reser Center for the Arts (Fri Sept 22) AV

Stay On It: Minimalism Past, Present & Future

The Oregon Symphony will be joined by a group of young musicians for a performance of pioneering minimalist works with the intention of inspiring the next generation. Highlights of the program include Meredith Monk’s voice-based, avant-garde compositions Early Morning Melody and Ellis Island, along with Julius Eastman’s experimental baroque piece Stay On It. Other works include Shelley Washington’s Middleground selections from Steve Reich’s Electric Counterpoint, Julia Wolfe’s A Wild Furze, Andy Akiho’s Three Shades, Foreshadows and Karakurenai, Reena Esmail’s Darshan, and Sam Adams’ Movements (for Us and Them). Whether you’re a scholar of the innovative genre, or new to it, prepare to be inspired. Oregon Symphony at Patricia Reser Center for the Arts (Fri Oct 6) AV

Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis

Trumpeter Wynton Marsalis mastered the works of classic jazz legends like Duke Ellington and John Coltrane before carving out a unique voice and becoming one of the biggest names in contemporary jazz. Marsalis will lead a 15-piece band for an 

COURTESY IAMISIGO. PHOTO: MAGANGA MWAGOGO

JEREMY SAFFER

DOUGLAS KIRKLAND

unforgettable evening of music including originals as well as those definitive standards that started his career. Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall (Sat Oct 7) AV

Cypress Hill with the Oregon Symphony

This year not only marks the 50th anniversary of hip-hop, but also the 30th anniversary of Cypress Hill’s iconic sophomore album Black Sunday. In honor of the album, the rap trio will be joined by the Oregon Symphony for orchestral renditions of the classic stoner bops. While this might not seem like an obvious pairing, imagine the guitar sample on “I Wanna Get High” played pizzicato on a cello. Making sense? Plus, I am eager to hear which classical instrument will mimic the bubbling sounds on “Hits from the Bong.” Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall (Wed Oct 18) AV

Angel Olsen

While it’s often hard for me to emotionally connect with contemporary indie rock, Angel Olsen’s heartwrenching vocals bring me to tears almost every time I hear them. Her voice, which has been compared to artists like Emmylou Harris and Mildred Bailey, seesaws from deep restraint to freeflowing belts, sometimes in a single breath. Olsen will return to Portland for two nights with tracks from her new stripped-down EP Forever Means and country-tinged 2022 album Big Time. Don’t miss opening sets from acclaimed folk artist/poet Kara Jackson (night one) and singer-songwriter Allegra Krieger (night two). Revolution Hall (Oct 24–25) AV

Kim Petras: Feed The Beast World Tour

Kim Petras is the pop girlie for all of us who grew up idolizing Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie on The Simple Life. Her 2022 single “Coconuts” is something you could imagine Malibu Barbie listening to in her hot pink convertible, except for sexually explicit and not appropriate for children whatsoever (see lyrics: “look at these margarit-ta-tas”). Her music evokes sticky lip gloss, bedazzled thongs, and Juicy Couture tracksuits with shades of Y2K Eurodance. She’s been making music for a while now (I first heard her featured on Charli XCX’s banger “Unlock It”), but she really blew up with Sam Smith’s viral smash “Unholy,” which won her a Grammy earlier this year. Riding this wave of success, Petras will kick off your Halloweekend with songs from her debut album, Feed the Beast. Veterans Memorial Coliseum (Fri Oct 27)

Devo: The Farewell Tour

Okay, here it is: your last chance to see your favorite post-punk weirdos! Ease that uncontrollable urge to scream/sing “Whip It” amongst hundreds of spuds at Devo’s 50th anniversary Farewell Tour. Founding members Mark Mothersbaugh, Gerald Casale, and Bob Mothersbaugh will plop on their energy domes for a last hurrah ahead of their forthcoming documentary (directed by Tiger King documentarian Chris Smith). My fingers are crossed that they’ll play songs from their debut album Q. Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! Revolution Hall (Nov 8–9) AV

Liz Phair: Guyville Tour

Liz Phair’s presence in my life is like a cool aunt who has been there through my purest joys and

roughest patches. I was seven years old when her self-titled pop album was released. Fueled by a cocktail of Fruit Roll-Ups and Sprite, I danced around my room to “Why Can’t I?” on repeat until I collapsed into bed. As a teen, I found my dad’s copy of Exile in Guyville and cried in my car to “Fuck and Run” and “Divorce Song.” In college, I dug deeper into the archives. I downloaded her Girly-Sound demo tapes from a questionable online forum and became obsessed with deep cuts like “Ant in Alaska” and “Batmobile.” I’ve had phases with every single one of her albums, but Guyville is her magnum opus—it captures the nuances of womanhood in a way that no other album can (or will). She will celebrate its 30th anniversary by playing the album front to back, along with some additional hits. Revolution Hall (Mon Nov 13) AV

Depeche Mode: Memento Mori Tour

Goth pop princes Depeche Mode will bring their Memento Mori Tour to Portland in support of their 15th studio album of the same name. Both the album and tour are Dave Gahan and Martin Gore’s first as a duo since the tragic passing of Andy Fletcher last spring. The album features co-writing credits from the Psychedelic Furs’ Richard Butler, which gives the album an irresistible pop sweetness, reminiscent of their earlier hits like “Just Can’t Get Enough” and “Enjoy the Silence.” Moda Center (Tues Nov 28) AV ■

OTHER LIVE MUSIC HIGHLIGHTS

Common with the Oregon Symphony

Arlene Schnitzer Concert

Hall (Thurs Sept 14)

Arctic Monkeys

Moda Center (Sun Sept 24)

Sting

Moda Center (Tues Sept 26)

Macklemore

Roseland Theater (Oct 7–8)

Annelies: The Voice of Anne Frank Choral Arts Ensemble of Portland at Patricia Reser Center for the Arts (Oct 14–15)

Wilco

Keller Auditorium (Mon Oct 16)

Wu-Tang Clan & Nas Moda Center (Tues Oct 17)

Hozier

Moda Center (Wed Oct 25)

Lyric & Spirit: An International Celebration of Women’s Voices Patricia Reser Center for the Arts (Wed Oct 25)

Faye Webster

Crystal Ballroom (Sat Nov 4)

Jonas Brothers Moda Center (Thurs Nov 9)

The Music of Selena with the Oregon Symphony

Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall (Thurs Nov 9)

Nathaniel Rateliff

Keller Auditorium (Fri Nov 17)

Aerosmith

Moda Center (Sat Nov 25)

The 1975 Moda Center (Fri Dec 1) alt-J

Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall (Tues Dec 5)

Kristin Chenoweth with the Oregon Symphony

Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall (Thurs Dec 14)

Portland Gay Men’s Chorus: Make the Yuletide Gay Newmark Theatre (Dec 8–10)

Pink Martini: Home(town) for the Holidays with the Oregon Symphony

Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall (Dec 20–21)

LUKE ROGERS