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FRIDAY

COMEDY

Swiped Out! Past Event Like List
Because nothing's less funny than the prospect of eternal singledom, loneliness, and despair, Kickstand will snatch up real audience dating profiles and lend a helping hand with a team of "professionally trained dating experts" (aka improvisers) on stage. You'd have to be the perfect blend of brave and desperate to participate in such a thing, but I mean, "I'm sending this message with the help of nine comedians" is a hell of an opener, right? LC
(Kickstand Comedy, Ladd's Addition, $15 or PWYW)

COMMUNITY

API Unity Past Event Like List
Happy ANHPI Heritage Month! Show up in celebration of Asian and Pacific Islander cultures at API Unity, a blend of art, music, cultural exchange, and story sharing at La Casita Gallery (the "only Latine-founded, led, and operated art gallery and cultural center in southwest Washington.") The event will include a display of local artwork from API perspectives, cultural tunes, community storytelling, and opportunities for expressive conversations and connections with participants. LC
(La Casita Art Gallery and Cultural Center, Vancouver, free)

LIVE MUSIC

Classical Up Close Past Event Like List
Classical Up Close is the Oregon Symphony's spring concert series that shares the tradition of chamber music with new audiences through free, casual pop-up performances. This weekend, the series will continue at Moreland Presbyterian Church with the classic works of Haydn, Beethoven, Schickele, and Brahms. AV
(Moreland Presbyterian Church, Sellwood-Moreland, free)

Gustaf Past Event Like List
Brooklyn-based five-piece Gustaf brings a fresh take to '70s post-punk with their minimal, angular, synth-infused tunes. If you're a fan of genre-bending punks like Suburban Lawns, Young Marble Giants, and Marine Girls, I promise you'll love Gustaf too. Listen to their newest release, Package Pt. 2, to get pumped for the show (I especially love their molasses-y, slow-moving track "Here Hair"). Arrive in time to catch opening sets from kindred spirits Jennifer Vanilla and Ghost Piss. AV
(Polaris Hall, Humboldt, $15)

VISUAL ART

A Berry, A Boot, A Building, A Blue Door: New Works by Mike Young Remind Like List
California-born artist Mike Young began earning money from hand-drawn greeting cards in the '70s. Young is deaf and blind in one eye, and observes images from books and magazines close up, "bringing his face close enough to nearly touch the pigment and paper." Drawn to contour, outline, architectural detail, and anatomy, Young's pictorial works feel familiar yet reorganized. "His accumulations tell fragmented stories and invent new taxonomies," PICA artistic director Kristan Kennedy explains. A Berry, A Boot, A Building, A Blue Door: New Works by Mike Young is a great opportunity to check out Elbow Room, a local arts organization providing material support, mentorship, and studio space to artists experiencing intellectual and developmental disabilities. LC
(Elbow Room, Buckman, free)

SATURDAY

COMMUNITY

Oregon Rises Above Hate Kick Off Day Past Event Like List
To help kick off Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month, Oregon Rises Above Hate is bringing communities together to celebrate their resilience and diversity. In Old Town-Chinatown, you'll be able to meander through info booths from organizations like the Immigrant Story and the Asian and Pacific Islander Community Coalitions of Oregon and check out performances by the Mulan Drum Team and the Ka ʻAha Lāhui O ʻOlekona Hawaiian Civic Club. Plus, take advantage of free admission to cultural institutions like the Japanese American Museum of Oregon, the Portland Chinatown Museum, and more. JW
(Lan Su Chinese Garden, Old Town-Chinatown, free)

FOOD & DRINK

Hoppy Two Years: Anniversary & Double Tap-Takeover Past Event Like List
Conscious Sedation, a beer garden specializing in micro- and nano-brews as well as wine and cider, will celebrate two trips around the sun with a selection of craft beers from the breweries Green Dragon and Labyrinth Forge. A live DJ will enhance the vibes of the party, which promises to welcome families and pets. JB
(Conscious Sedation Beer Garden, Vernon, free)

GEEK & GAMING

Free Comic Book Day Past Event Like List
Free Comic Book Day is like Christmas for comic enthusiasts—it's when publishers shell out special issues and deals on popular titles like Spider-Man, Doctor Who, and The Avengers, along with lesser-known indie titles. Head to local shops to take advantage of free (or otherwise cheap) finds, attend readings, and meet people who dig comics as much as you do. Six Portland stores are participating in the annual event this year, including Floating World Comics, Books with Pictures, Cosmic Monkey Comics, and Things from Another World. Get the deets on happenings at each store here. LC
(Various locations, free)

PARTIES & NIGHTLIFE

Flame! Vintage Vinyl Dance Party: Spring Shingaling Edition Past Event Like List
Beloved all-vinyl DJ Action Slacks will welcome the changing season with a vintage mix of multi-genre tunes to make you "swing towards spring." Put a little spring in your step with a bouquet of '50s, '60s, and '70s R&B, Latin, Caribbean, and pop grooves. Don't forget to dress to impress in seasonally themed attire like pastels, elaborate hats, and florals (For spring? Groundbreaking.) AV
(The World Famous Kenton Club, Kenton, Sliding Scale $10-$20)

SHOPPING

St. Johns Farmers Market Remind Like List
Lovers of local produce rejoice, it's farmers market season! Stalls are returning around the intersection of N Charleston Avenue and N Central Street this weekend, boasting spring blossoms, organic vegetables, handmade crafts, and more. New to the vendor list this year: Tiny Acre (your new quail egg plug), Poblano Pepper Mexican Food (breakfast burritos), and Poppy Shop (plant-based pastries). Take a peek at the interactive map if you want to know who's there each weekend, and don't forget your reusable bags! SL
(St Johns Farmers Market, St. Johns, free)

VISUAL ART

MODULATIONS: Nathan Paul Rice and Ellen Robinette Past Event Like List
Art can be fun—just ask Nathan Paul Rice and Ellen Robinette, who tag-teamed this exhibition on the subject. Avoiding preciousness, the duo emphasized improvised, textural mark-making that "explores the tension between play and peril" and "roams along ombre lines and rests in flowered fields of pattern." While Rice's works include pattern and color pops, Robinette's Merge Visible collages past work to mirror the experience of memory. For MODULATIONS, they'll present a collaborative mural, plus wooden forms and sculptures. LC
(SATOR Projects, Central Eastside, free; closing)

SUNDAY

FILM

Godzilla (1954) // 70TH ANNIVERSARY Past Event Like List
You know the drill: When an atomic bomb awakens a gargantuan reptilian monster from centuries of sleep, utter mayhem is unleashed on Japan. Ishirō Honda's original telling of the classic monster tale became a cult phenomenon, inspiring over thirty sequels. This 70th-anniversary screening celebrates the big lizard that started it all with a pre-show talk by local VFX supervisor and production designer Joshua Cox. LC
(Tomorrow Theater, Richmond, $15)

LIVE MUSIC

Kara Jackson Past Event Like List
Kara Jackson has made a name for herself in the literary and music spaces, earning accolades like 2019 National Youth Poet Laureate, 2018 Youth Poet Laureate of Chicago, and Best New Music on Pitchfork (for her debut album Why Does the Earth Give Us People to Love?) As the album's title suggests, Jackson's songs explore relationships and self-reflection with sparse folk guitars and candid, honest lyricism. She will support the album alongside Vancouver-based singer-songwriter Kaleah Lee.
(Mississippi Studios, Boise, $15)

Micheal Hurley & Merle Law Past Event Like List
Michael Hurley is a legendary PNW folk musician and illustrator who has consistently released music for six decades. Through his catalog of songs, paintings, and comics, he has crafted a vivid imaginary world that includes talking dogs, made-up words, and phrases like "have moicy!" (which is regularly used in my household). He will play whatever songs he feels like playing (if you've seen him live, then you know what I mean) alongside the angelic Portland-based singer-songwriter Merle Law. AV
(The Showdown, Hosford-Abernethy, $12)

Soft Blue Shimmer Past Event Like List
LA-based rock trio Soft Blue Shimmer sounds just as dreamy as their band name. Taking inspiration from classic shoegaze bands like Slowdive, Asobi Seksu, and Lush, the band plays up the pop side of the genre with catchy riffs and blended harmonies. They will play songs from their sophomore album, Love Lives in the Body, which includes enchanting titles like "Prism of Feeling," "Strawberry Cool," and "A Brighter Summer Day." Arrive in time to catch opening sets from Virginia-based indie rockers Keep and alt-rock project Trembler. AV
(Show Bar, Buckman, $12)

READINGS & TALKS

Ivan McClellan Past Event Like List
When photographer Ivan McClellan attended the country's longest-running Black rodeo back in 2015, he described it as "like going to Oz — there was all this color and energy." The experience led McClellan on a trek across the US to discover all things Black rodeo culture, from Texan stables to LA ranches. In Eight Seconds: Black Rodeo Culture, he compiles highlights of the long-form documentary project, centering "intimate photographs that preserve the deep-rooted connections between people and land." McClellan will be joined in conversation by Leon Anderson, president of Portland's multimedia creative agency Instrument. LC
(Powell's City of Books, Pearl District, free)

MULTI-DAY

COMMUNITY

Portland Cinco de Mayo Fiesta Past Event Like List
Celebrate Cinco de Mayo over three days at this sprawling street fiesta put on by the Portland Guadalajara Sister City Association (PGSCA). The internationally acclaimed Mariachi Ciudad de Guadalajara will be joined by local Mariachi students on Saturday night and will perform during Mass on Sunday, but you can expect top-of-the-line music and entertainment all weekend. The popular plaza de niños is even bigger this year, featuring free face painting, lotería games, cultural crafts, and access to Oregon’s International Reptile Rescue exhibit where you can find iguanas, tortoises, tarantulas, and a Gila monster (!!) I can't wait to get my hands on some aguas frescas and tamales. SL
(Tom McCall Waterfront Park, Downtown, $0-$25, Friday-Sunday)

FILM

Challengers Remind Like List
Italian auteur Luca Guadagnino's latest follows Zendaya as Tashi, a prodigy tennis player-turned-coach whose training transformed her husband into a national champion. Things get weird and maybe horny when she forces him to play a pro-tournament "Challenger" event alongside her former boyfriend. Do I care about tennis? No, of course not!! But I don't ask for much—Zendaya and a psychosexual plotline are enough for me. LC
(Cinema 21, Nob Hill, $9-$11, Friday-Sunday)

Civil War Past Event Like List
Alex Garland's latest, Civil War, is A24's most expensive in-house production to date, following a group of military-embedded journos headed to DC "before rebel factions descend upon the White House." Honestly, I'm wary of how he'll handle this one, although Garland's work does tend to thrive in dystopian settings. But Kristen Dunst stars as a photojournalist, which is reason enough to watch. Also, Garland may or may not be retiring from directing ("I’m going to take a break for the foreseeable future," he clarified recently), so if you're a fan of the filmmaker behind Annihilation and Men, you should plan to let his new one marinate. LC
(Hollywood Theatre, Hollywood District, $10-$12, Friday-Sunday)

Sasquatch Sunset Past Event Like List
If you aren't riveted by the prospect of this film, well, we're two very different people. David and Nathan Zellner's Sasquatch Sunset follows a family of Bigfoots (Bigfeet?) over the course of one year, as they wander, grunt, and munch mushrooms in North America's foggy forests. Riley Keough and Jesse Eisenberg star, and they look like this. We owe it to them to go see this film as payment for the zillion hours they spent having prosthetics applied. LC
(Cinema 21, Nob Hill, Friday-Sunday)

SHOPPING

Crafty Wonderland Spring Art + Craft Market Past Event Like List
Whozits and whatzits galore are to be found at the largest handmade craft show in the Northwest (and one of Portland's OG indie markets). Now boasting over 200 vendors, the event has shifted to requiring timed tickets in an effort to control the clamoring hordes. If you want ample time to explore the treasures, you can spend a little more to get first access (and a complimentary drink) at the Friday night pre-show party. I'm already overwhelmed with joy at the prospect of acquiring locally-brewed non-alcoholic beer, clay snake earrings, '70s-inspired punch needle décor, and yes, even a ceramic bloody tampon. SL
(Oregon Convention Center, Lloyd District, $4-$25, Friday-Saturday)

VISUAL ART

All We’ve Got Is Each Other Remind Like List
Portland-based and apocalypse-interested artist Anthony Roberto will share a "multi-year body of 3D modeling work" in All We’ve Got Is Each Other, a solo exhibition of uncanny Blender-modeled, 3D-printed sculptures and sleek prints on aluminum. Object/Model, Figure/Form meditates on human experience by "using the stage as a space without place," and gets curious about how identities engage and commingle. LC
(Well Well, Kenton, free, Saturday-Sunday; opening)

Ceasefire: Aaron Hankins Past Event Like List
Self-taught artist Aaron Hankins will present an "endurance and protest art installation" in Ceasefire, which tracks each day of the ongoing genocide in Gaza through daily paintings of watermelons, a symbol of Palestinian solidarity. Hankins's paintings (created on the backs of USPS mailers) are full of symbolism—the watermelon seeds "denote numerical order and serve as a physical log of the days at unrest." The paintings are stitched together in a growing banner. Hankins will lead ceasefire demonstrations in the gallery for the exhibition's duration. LC
(One Grand Gallery, Buckman, free, Friday-Sunday)

Changing the Narrative: Epilogue Past Event Like List
Featuring new works by Arantza Peña Popo, Christina Tran, Daniela Ortiz Mendez, Jai Milx, Kacy McKinney, Kimberléa Ruffu, Liz Yerby, and many others, Changing the Narrative: Epilogue explores homelessness research through multimedia. Comics, textiles, ceramics, installations, and collage works will be exhibited alongside the original 10 comics from Changing the Narrative. Best part? "Sales of the exhibition book will benefit the Independent Resource Center, and sales of the third edition of Changing the Narrative (with new content from Street Roots vendors) will benefit Street Roots," ILY2 explains. LC
(ILY2 too, Lloyd District, free, Friday-Sunday)

Cuts Across: Artists Respond to Lived Intersections Remind Like List
Carnation Contemporary members Quinha Faria, Pamela Hadley, Marcelo Fontana, and Michael Espinoza curated the gallery's latest exhibition, which probes a layered question: How do you identify? Attempting to "mine the rich layers of identity to uncover how artists respond to the pressure to perform isolated aspects of whole selves," Cuts Across: Artists Respond to Lived Intersections will also build community around intersecting identities, spotlight Oregon's artistic diversity, and feature works by 22 artists, including Yuyang Zhang, Francis Dot, and Ahuva S. Zaslavsky. LC
(Carnation Contemporary, Kenton, free, Saturday-Sunday; opening)

Holly Osborne: Gardens Past Event Like List
As a devotee of Holly Osborne's Instagram page, I'm thrilled to see the Oregon-born artist and teacher continue to draw from the natural world as inspiration. In this ethereal solo exhibition, the acrylic and oil artist's fluid compositions (drawn from the "wild countryside of Portugal, the formal vistas of France, and the spontaneous arrangements encountered during walks in North Portland") elicit peace with a dash of the unexpected. Lush, candy-colored landscapes encourage the eye to roam and daydream. LC
(Chefas Projects, Central Eastside, free, Friday-Saturday; closing)

Kinke Kooi: The Male Part of the Flower Past Event Like List
I last wrote about Kinke Kooi's squishy bodily compositions in 2021, when her exhibition The Grotesk of Raising interrupted my pandemic isolation with "a non-hierarchical Eden, where curving pearl-forms and intestine-like masses intertwined, becoming body and beyond-body." Praise be. Kooi returns to Adams and Ollman with The Male Part of the Flower, in which the artist remains true to her fleshy forms, oceanic realms, and collaged elements. LC
(Adams and Ollman, Northwest Portland, free, Friday-Saturday; closing)

Nicole Williford: Madonna Madonna Past Event Like List
Portland-based painter Nicole Williford's Madonna, Madonna pulls from seemingly discordant visual languages—expect traditional portraiture and realist exactitude combined with surprising moments of abstraction and surreality. Drawing from family photographs, Williford's compositions function as a meditative practice for the artist, and follow subjects "from girlhood into matriarchy." The results emphasize all of the monotony, grief, and beauty that occurs in a life. LC
(Chefas Projects, Central Eastside, free, Friday-Saturday; closing)

Peter Gronquist: Light Record Remind Like List
In Peter Gronquist: Manifest, the Portland-based multimedia artist's large-scale sculptural paintings spotlit his interest in excavating personal narratives through found material manipulation. While his previous exhibition at Elizabeth Leach included bone fragments, dyed wasp paper, wool, lace, rose quartz, and "fossilized" event posters as materials, his new show takes a completely different tactic. Peter Gronquist: Light Record displays a body of abstracted works inspired by both photographic and painting processes; the result is "a near-perfect fusion of painting's signature autographic "stroke" and the more anonymous, almost mechanic registration associated with the bulk of photographic reproduction and its myriad effects." LC
(Elizabeth Leach Gallery, Pearl District, free, Friday-Saturday)

Re:Generation – Manifesting at the Peach Blossom Spring Past Event Like List
Artists Lark Pien, Josh Sin, and Yuyang Zhang blend their own stories with Chinese immigrant history in the Pacific Northwest to reflect on the "complex and nuanced psychological landscape of being ethnic Chinese living in America." Re:Generation – Manifesting at the Peach Blossom Spring pulls from a fifth-century Chinese fable of utopian discovery to describe how the artists are pursuing "personal utopias" through their provocative work, which varies from conceptual world-building to political satire. The exhibition is a great opportunity to check out the Portland Chinatown Museum if you haven't yet—you can also catch Beyond the Gate: A Tale of Portland’s Historic Chinatowns, the museum's permanent exhibition. LC
(Portland Chinatown Museum, Old Town-Chinatown, $0-$8, Friday-Saturday; closing)