---

Jump to: Comedy | Community | Film | Food & Drink | Holidays | Live Music | Performance | Readings & Talks | Visual Art | Winter

---

COMEDY

Portland Mercury Presents The 2024 Undisputable Geniuses of Comedy! Past Event Like List
It's not often that you'll find local crowd favorites like Neeraj Srinivasan, Dianna Potter, Julia Corral, Kyle Kinane, and sketch comedy masters Sisters of Mercy all smushed together, cracking funnies on the same stage. The Pacific Northwest's knee-slappin' legends will bring the laughs alongside other mirthful mainstays and up-and-comers with a night of improv and stand-up hosted by the loveably loud and silly Adam Pasi. Best part? It's presented by our pals at the Mercury—and if anyone can put together a comedy show, it's them. LC
Revolution Hall, Buckman (Fri Feb 2)

Ilana Glazer Past Event Like List
"Never has she ever read a newspaper," but batshit Broad City angel Ilana Glazer will still head to Portland to spread the good news. (What's the good news? That she still exists and she's still hilarious. Try to keep up.) Ilana has been voicing the plucky deuteragonist on Netflix's Green Eggs and Ham for the last few years, a role that feels somehow perfect for her. I'm hoping she shares the details on her toy collection and love of sandwiches. LC
Newmark Theatre, South Park Blocks (Fri Feb 9)

Some Stars of Native American Comedy Past Event Like List
With shows like Reservation Dogs and writers like Tommy Orange on the rise, Native arts and performances are getting some overdue shine. This evening of laughs spotlights Native comedy greats like Miguel Fierro, Oakland-based stand-up Jackie Keliiaa, Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma member Adrianne Chalepah, and queer trans comic Howie Echo-Hawk—expect a night of stereotype-shirking laughs and thoughts on the land back movement. LC
Winningstad Theatre, South Park Blocks (Sat Feb 17)

David Nihill: Shelf Help Tour Past Event Like List
Irish-born comic Dave Nihill draws from his vast international experiences—he's been to 70 countries, and lived in 12—to reflect on cultural norms, drinking sessions, and his life as a slightly confused US immigrant. Nihill's unconventional rise to comedy fame began when he crashed festivals and comedy clubs, pretending to be a successful comic named "Irish Dave." I'm hoping to see more of Nihill's enterprising spirit, and hear that cool accent, in this performance. LC
Helium Comedy Club, Hosford-Abernethy (Feb 29–Mar 2)

Jim Gaffigan Past Event Like List
Despite being nominated for seven Grammys, Jim Gaffigan still feels like an everyman—like, I think I could talk to him about my landlord's refusal to replace my broken dishwasher, and he'd at least attempt to understand it. I'm probably completely wrong, but you know what I mean, right? Anyway, the relatively family-friendly dude will crack some jokes about his impressive food consumption and the trials and tribulations of daily life on this tour. (Promotional materials report that he lives in Manhattan with his wife and five "loud and expensive" children, so prepare for anecdotes about their antics.) LC
Keller Auditorium, Downtown (Feb 29–Mar 3)

COMMUNITY

Elevate Unity Presents: Remembering Rosa Parks Past Event Like List
In honor of Black History Month, the nonprofit Elevate Unity remembers the brilliant life and accomplishments of Rosa Parks on her birthday, February 4, with a community celebration. Due to blatantly racist housing practices in the early 1900s, African Americans were mostly confined to inner Northeast Portland, which became a thriving hub and predominantly Black neighborhood. This event will feature music, food, and discussion on how far we've come and how far there is still left to go to achieve racial equity. SL
Alberta Abbey, King (Sun Feb 4)

Portland Diary Summit Past Event Like List
Organized by "daily videomaker" Julie Perini, this day-long summit sounds like any writer's dream: The gathering is "for anyone who considers journaling and daily life documenting to be therapeutic, sacred, liberatory, a path to the unconscious or otherwise of interest." They'd have to pay me not to show up to this thing. It'll kick off with a writing workshop led by lifelong diarist and songwriter Cynthia Nelson, followed by "diary film" screenings at the Hollywood Theatre curated by Perini, Saint Piñero, and Sage Ó Tuama, and a "diary feast" (with Kate Bingaman-Burt's art on display!) at the colorful new-ish cocktail bar Dear Sandy. LC
Various locations (Sat Feb 24)

FILM

BLACK ARTISTS OF OREGON // Works from Black Film Artists Past Event Like List
Curated by Intisar Abioto, this collection of short films centers works by Black artists and filmmakers who are connected to the Pacific Northwest. Planned in tandem with Black Artists of Oregon, an exhibition currently on view at the Portland Art Museum, the screening is also supported by Black Art/ists Gathering, a "Black arts family reunion and community-in-residence program" that Abioto founded in 2022. After viewing the films by Sika Stanton, ariella tai, Albina Mural Project, elijah jamal asani, Kalimah Abioto, and others, attendees can stick around for drinks and chats with the artists. LC
Tomorrow Theater, Richmond (Thurs Feb 1)

Studio Ghibli Film Festival Past Event Like List
Over the last 30 years, Studio Ghibli has become legendary for its lush visuals, emotional and affecting storytelling, and poetic, intelligent approach to nature and the more-than-human world. OMSI's Studio Ghibli Film Festival will return for its ninth presentation of audience faves like My Neighbor Totoro and Kiki's Delivery Service, as well as underrated classics like Pom Poko and The Tale of the Princess Kaguya. LC
Empirical Theater at OMSI, Hosford-Abernethy (Feb 1–25)

34th Annual Cascade Festival of African Films Past Event Like List
The "longest-running annual, non-profit, non-commercial, largely volunteer-run African film festival in the United States" features works by African directors, centering non-Western perspectives on African culture with films like Burkinabé award winner Sira. Join in on the Connection, Centerpiece, and Women Filmmakers-themed weekends, or head to a Family Fest matinée screening of the French film Hawa. The after-screening Q&A sessions with directors round out the cultural event, with virtual and in-person viewing opportunities. LC
Various locations (Feb 2–Mar 2)

9 to 5 Past Event Like List
When three female coworkers conspire to kidnap their tyrannical sexist boss, the office starts to run a lot more smoothly in his absence. (Shocker.) But how long before the jig is up?! This '80 screwball comedy might be the most enticingly cast film ever produced, starring Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, and Dolly Parton. (Yep, Dolly wrote that song specifically for the movie.) Portland humorists Elizabeth Teets and Anthony Hudson will host this screening, which also celebrates the release of Elizabeth Teet's book Isn't She Great: Writers on Women-Led Comedies from 9 to 5 to Booksmart, and LA's Ella Gale will hit the stage with some Parton-approved stand-up. LC
Hollywood Theatre, Hollywood District (Sat Feb 3)

10th Annual Fat Tuesday Celebration with Les Blank Past Event Like List
Legendary cultural documentarian Les Blank makes some of the warmest, most comforting films imaginable, yet they're still rooted in an honest, improvised, cinema verité style that offers unparalleled insight into American culture. This 10th-anniversary Fat Tuesday double feature includes two films directed by Blank—paddle down warm Louisiana bayous in Dry Wood, then indulge in some raucous merrymaking with New Orleans classic Always For Pleasure. Don't forget your beads. LC
Clinton Street Theater, Hosford-Abernethy (Tues Feb 13)

Fantasy A Gets a Mattress Past Event Like List
If you've spent any amount of time in Seattle, you may have spotted the fliers created by Fantasy A, aka Seattle's "Autistic Undisputed King of Hustle," plastered all over the city—he's become something of a local legend there, and his music was covered by The Stranger back in 2015. The creativity continues: Fantasy's major motion picture stars (who other than?) himself, and charts his challenges as he attempts to become a superstar and acquire a mattress. Relatable! Fantasy Gets A Mattress won the Best Narrative Feature award at the Seattle Black Film Festival. LC
Clinton Street Theater, Hosford-Abernethy (Fri Feb 23)

The Night of The Hunter in 35mm Past Event Like List
Night of the Hunter captures the simmering horror of an old fairy tale with an eerie sense of humor. Director Charles Laughton's psychological masterwork follows a batshit traveling preacher with knuckle tattoos who unleashes hell on a sensitive widow and her children. The expressionist flick, which stars film noir player Robert Mitchum and iconic Hollywood mainstay Lillian Gish, is a must-see for any Letterboxd member—it continued to influence cinema auteurs like the Coen brothers and Spike Lee for decades after its release. This screening will be introduced by film historian Foster Hirsch, author of Hollywood and the Movies of the Fifties. (Attendees can grab signed copies of the book in the lobby.) LC
Hollywood Theatre, Hollywood District (Sun Feb 25)

FOOD & DRINK

SAVØR: Rose City's Zero Proof Week Past Event Like List
The app BuzzCutt aims to make it easy to pursue a "sober-curious" lifestyle by displaying nearby bars, restaurants, markets, and grocery stores serving non-alcoholic options. On the heels of Dry January, they're throwing a week-long zero-proof extravaganza in partnership with the Portland Mercury, Dhōs Spirits, and The Sports Bra, with non-alcoholic craft cocktails for $8 at all participating locations.
Various locations (Feb 5–10)

Oregon Distilled 2024 Past Event Like List
This spirited event will gather more than 120 spirits from over 30 of Oregon's top distillers in one place, along with six chefs, various food vendors, and plenty of cocktails. Sip all the whiskey, gin, vodka, rum, and aquavit you can handle, brush up on your cocktail-making skills, and savor small plates. JB
The Redd on Salmon, Buckman (Sat Feb 17)

The Original Dark Brews Fest 2024 Past Event Like List
Sample a selection of 10 dark beers, from barleywines to stouts and from dark lagers to dark sours. While you're at it, round up some friends and grab nosh from the neighboring food carts. JB
John's Marketplace, Creston-Kenilworth (Sat Feb 17)

Zwickelmania Past Event Like List
Prime your liver for Zwickelmania, the annual event where breweries open their doors for your drinking pleasure, with free samples, tastings, meet-the-brewer events, pairings, tours, and beer releases. (What's a zwickel, you ask? According to the official website, it's "the valve or sample port mounted at the outside of a cask or tank," which "allows the brewer to take samples for assessing the brew's progress during fermentation." You learn something new every day.) JB
Various locations (Sat Feb 17)

HOLIDAYS

Chinese New Year Cultural Fair 2024 Past Event Like List
Fun fact: the dragon is the only mythical creature in the Chinese zodiac. Celebrate this symbol of strength, health, and good luck at the Chinese New Year Cultural Fair, an event presented by the Portland Chinese Times that draws thousands of attendees every year. You can check out lion, dragon, and other Chinese folk dances, as well as music, martial arts demonstrations, children's games, and more. The digitalization of the modern age means handwriting skills have degraded (we know ours has), so brush up and try your hand at a calligraphy class. SL
Oregon Convention Center, Lloyd District (Sat Feb 3)

Gnar Is For Lovers Past Event Like List
Whether you're a hopeless romantic or a bitter cynic, this Valentine's Day-themed market purports to have something for everyone: drinks from Swan Dive, vegan comfort food from GNARLYS, a cathartic-sounding emo/pop punk music video dance party, and even a kissing booth with GNARLYS mascot Dang the Gorilla. Plus, skip the cheesy Hallmark cards and heart-shaped Russell Stover boxes in favor of cool gifts from small business vendors like vegan treat purveyor Kitty Eat World, small-batch fudge producer Mudge Fudge, watercolor artist Tatiana L. Phelan, watercolor and pressed flower artist Little Leaf Ink, jewelry maker Antsy Products, DIYer Living Life Crafty, and plant-based cheesemaker Fru Fru Terra. JB
Swan Dive, Buckman (Sat Feb 10)

2024 Portland Mardi Gras Parade Past Event Like List
In 2010, transplants missing their Louisiana roots and locals with a love of the Bayou State came together to form the Mysti Krewe of Nimbus, a group dedicated to bringing the color and enthusiasm of the South to the Northwest. To celebrate the last indulgence before Lent, the Krewe leads the Mardi Gras parade down Mississippi Avenue every year, passing out their hand-crafted signature mini-umbrellas (nimbus, get it) to merrymakers. Everyone is invited to dress up and dance in the streets; venues along the way typically have food and drink specials to mark the occasion and the revelry often extends post-parade into the night. SL
N Mississippi & N Humboldt, Humboldt (Tues Feb 13)

LIVE MUSIC

Jamila Woods Past Event Like List
Jamila Woods' latest album, Water Made Us, opens with heavenly plucked harps followed by the lines: "You smoke a lotta weed, like a lot / You said you feelin' me, like a lot / I can't stand the smell of it / I breathe it in, it makes me sick." This type of prosaic lyricism shouldn't work, yet it does. Woods has a gift for translating mundane (and sometimes humorous) anecdotes into insightful life lessons—like the aforementioned opening track "Bugs," which resolves into a lush, poetic R&B bop about finding pleasure and lowering unrealistic standards for the sake of love. She will support the album alongside indie folk gem Kara Jackson (she's amazing too, don't miss it!) AV
Wonder Ballroom, Eliot (Fri Feb 2)

Portland's Folk Festival Past Event Like List
More than a dozen folk, Americana, blues, and bluegrass acts will set up shop at the historic ballroom for an all-day affair. Festival highlights include California-born jam band ALO (Animal Liberation Orchestra), local folk-pop duo Shook Twins, indie folk band Glitterfox, and acoustic rock troubadour Greg Holden. AV
Crystal Ballroom, West End (Sun Feb 4)

The Kills Past Event Like List
With the Cold War Kids Past Event Like List , Grouplove Past Event Like List , Silversun Pickups Past Event Like List , and now the Kills touring, it's shaping up to be a big month for indie sleaze. Throw on any song by the Kills, new or old, and be transported to a grimy underground club circa 2008 with glitter particles floating through the air and American Apparel disco pants abound. The duo will play songs from their first album in six years, God Games, which guitarist Jamie Hince described as "godless spirituals." AV
Revolution Hall, Buckman (Mon Feb 5)

The Temptations & The Four Tops Past Event Like List
My cat Whisper loves the oldies station. Every night, I tune into KIXI (880 AM) and observe his reaction to solid gold classics. Some of his favorites include Otis Redding's "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay," Henry Mancini's "Moon River," the Temptations' "My Girl," and the Four Tops' "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)." For that reason, I like to imagine an alternate universe where cats are allowed to attend concerts. In that fantasy, Whisper is joined by fellow kitties who share his affinity for Motown. Alas, I may have to attend this concert in his honor. Be grateful that you're not a feline so that you can witness iconic vocal groups the Temptations and the Four Tops, both of which still have at least one founding member several decades into their careers. AV
Keller Auditorium, Downtown (Thurs Feb 8)

Jon Batiste Past Event Like List
In 2022, Jon Batiste won the coveted Grammy for Album of the Year, beating out pop radio heavies like Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo, Lil Nas X, Billie Eilish, and Doja Cat—and for good reason! On his award-winning album WE ARE, Batiste is credited for playing over two dozen instruments along with self-producing, writing, arranging, and composing. He will support his newest output, World Music Radio, which is more radio-ready than ever with pop hooks, hip-hop beats, and A-list features like Lana Del Rey, Lil Wayne, and Kenny G.
Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, South Park Blocks (Fri Feb 16)

2024 Biamp Portland Jazz Festival Past Event Like List
Biamp PDX Jazz Festival is back for its 21st annual celebration of jazz music. The stacked lineup features a jaw-dropping mix of award-winning masters and a new wave of musicians who are innovating the genre, including Grammy-winning multi-instrumentalist Jon Batiste, veteran jazz keyboardist Bob James, neo-soul gem Sudan Archives, experimental jazz saxophonist Shabaka Hutchings, and improvisational guitarist Mary Halvorson. AV
Various locations (Feb 16–Mar 2)

Feist Past Event Like List
Most of us know Leslie Feist for her 2007 twee hit "1234," which was used to market iPod Nanos to the masses back in the day. But, the Canadian singer-songwriter is so much more than that. In my opinion, her best work came in 2019 with Pleasure. The album showed her range with angsty PJ Harvey-esque wails and delicate harmonies—to this day, it's my favorite album to listen to while taking a bath (if you're a bath person, then you know that this is high praise). Last year, Feist returned with her sixth album, Multitudes, which leans into avant-folk with plucked guitars and ethereal layered vocals. Yet another immaculate bath-time record—props to her!
Wonder Ballroom, Eliot (Feb 17–18)

Blackstar Symphony: The Music Of David Bowie with John Cameron Mitchell Past Event Like List
Celebrate the Thin White Duke's "golden years" with the Oregon Symphony, which will perform a unique interpretation of David Bowie's emotionally intense final album, Blackstar. The lyrics will be sung by actor/writer/director John Cameron Mitchell, who is best known for creating the cult-classic film and Broadway musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch. If you've seen his cover of "Moonage Daydream" in the TV adaptation of Lindy West's Shrill, then you probably saw this coming. AV
Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, South Park Blocks (Thurs Feb 22)

Otoboke Beaver Past Event Like List
Mosh along to Kyoto-based punk quartet Otoboke Beaver's fast and ferocious anti-love songs from their album Super Champion. The album soars on seething rage and masterful riffs with feminist anthems like "i am not maternal," "You’re No Hero Shut Up Fuck You Man-Whore," and "Dirty Old Fart Is Waiting for My Reaction." They get an A+ for song title creativity. AV
Wonder Ballroom, Eliot (Thurs Feb 22)

Trixie Mattel's Solid Pink Disco Past Event Like List
On Wednesdays we wear pink...but we also wear pink to Trixie's disco parties, where mother herself DJs (although she'll be supported by DJ Mateo Segade for this set). Listen, Trix may have grown up using an outhouse, but this performance tilts toward her more glamorous side, and yes, all guests are asked to adhere to a strict pink dress code in honor of the gay world's It Girl. LC
Crystal Ballroom, West End (Fri Feb 23)

Dorian Electra Past Event Like List
Pop sensation Dorian Electra gained a queer cult following and critical acclaim after the release of their 2019 '80s-tinged hyperpop debut, Flamboyant. Their newest release, Fanfare, sounds like an absolutely bananas version of Charli XCX's Vroom Vroom era with elements of metal, hip-hop, and baroque. My favorite lyric on the album? "Fuck it, put it up me like puppet /  Love it, fill me to the brim like bucket / Shove it, Miss Piggy squeal like Muppet" from the track "Puppet." I'll let that poetry marinate with you for a moment. Electra will be joined by the electropop duo Frost Children and indie rock project atlgrandma. AV
Wonder Ballroom, Eliot (Sat Feb 24)

Helado Negro Past Event Like List
Former Portland Mercury contributor Daniela Serna writes: "As Helado Negro, Roberto Carlos Lange creates shimmering and effervescent synth-pop that inhabits the twilight spaces between cultures. Born in South Florida to Ecuadorian parents and currently based in New York, Lange imbues his music with the heat and bright party sounds of Latin America, and often switches between Spanish and English. It’s crafted with musical dexterity—record samples, loops, synths, and a myriad of live instruments are the building blocks of Lange’s electro-psych-pop dreams." He will return to Portland with songs from his new album, PHASOR (out February 9). Written and recorded during lockdown, he describes the album as "an homage to going outside again." AV
Revolution Hall, Buckman (Mon Feb 26)

Fall Out Boy Past Event Like List
Pop-punk fans, rejoice! Fall Out Boy is bringing their skinny jeans, power chords, and swooped fringe (just kidding, Pete Wentz weirdly has long blonde middle-parted hair atm) back to Portland on their So Much For (Tour) Dust tour. They will support their new album, So Much (for) Stardust, which is their first new music since their critically disparaged 2018 album Mania. Need more nostalgia? JIMMY EAT WORLD is opening. Yeah, that's right, the guys that sing "The Middle. AV
Moda Center, Lloyd District (Wed Feb 28)

PERFORMANCE

What the Constitution Means to Me Past Event Like List
How might the Constitution impact generations to come? Playwright Heidi Schreck, who won debate competitions defending the Constitution across the country as a teen, digs into it in this funny, insightful play. What the Constitution Means to Me traces the relationship between four generations of women, was a finalist for a Pulitzer Prize, and "culminates in a live debate with an actual teen," so brace yourself to get told what's really up. LC
Portland Center Stage, Pearl District (Feb 1–18)

Imposter/Switch #5 Past Event Like List
Marissa Rae Niederhauser and newly appointed co-curator liz HOWLS will present the first 2024 edition of this quarterly showcase, which spotlights six artists working in randomly assigned disciplines outside of their typical practices. Experimenting for two weeks, each artist's new work is then spotlit in a public exhibition to "celebrate imposter syndrome" and poke fun at the whole notion of artistic mastery. This time around, participating artists Hannah Krafcik, Sarah Eaton, Stephanie Leet, The Bone Goddess, Yaara Valey, and Joe John Sanchez III will share their new pieces in contemporary dance, painting, stand-up comedy, and more. LC
Performance Works NorthWest, Foster-Powell (Sat Feb 10)

Mortified Past Event Like List
A valiant roundup of Portlanders will air out their most shameful moments on stage for this edition of Mortified, a podcast and live event series that celebrates the utter embarrassment of childhood. As it turns out, those awkward moments you've shoved to the back of your mind might actually be clout-worthy—Newsweek deemed the show a "cultural phenomenon” that's "better and cheaper than therapy." I'll be hanging on to my therapist, thank you very much, but Mortified is certainly a rare opportunity for catharsis. LC
Alberta Rose Theatre, Concordia (Sat Feb 10)

Live Wire with Luke Burbank Past Event Like List
Live Wire's spring offerings will kick off with another edition of the honest and funny conversational show hosted by Luke Burbank. This time around, featured guests will include spectacled stand-up and The Endless Honeymoon podcast co-host Moshe Kasher and New York Times bestselling essayist Sloane Crosley, who'll chat about her disarmingly funny and fresh off the press memoir Grief Is For People. Portland-based indie folk outfit Glitterfox will sling the indie rock tunes that earned them high acclaim—they won the High Sierra Music Festival Band Competition in 2023. LC
Alberta Rose Theatre, Concordia (Thurs Feb 15)

Peter Pan Past Event Like List
Trey McIntyre's interpretation of J.M. Barrie's 1911 novella maintains its magic, no "Clocks" required. The production boasts "spectacular flying sequences, swashbuckling sword fights, and giant puppets," all of which sounds cool as hell, and founding OBT orchestra music director Niel DePonte arranged the soaring score, so prepare yourself for a heavy dose of enchantment. I'm intrigued by Peter Pan's emphasis on punk fashions, which were inspired by the legendary Broadway costume designer Jeanne Button. LC
Keller Auditorium, Downtown (Feb 17–25)

READINGS & TALKS

Kaveh Akbar and Karen Russell Past Event Like List
I credit the Iranian American Pushcart Prize winner and poet Kaveh Akbar for sparking my initial interest in poetry—his confessional collection Calling a Wolf a Wolf is totally extraordinary, especially if you or someone you love has lived with addiction. Suffice it to say I'm excited about Akbar's debut novel, excellently titled Martyr!, which tells the story of a martyr-obsessed, "newly sober orphaned son of Iranian immigrants" who meets a terminally ill painter living at the Brooklyn Museum. He'll discuss the book with Karen Russell, whose award-winning fiction works are tinged with magical realism. LC
Powell's City of Books, Pearl District (Fri Feb 2)

Kelly Lytle Hernández: 2024 Hatfield Lecture Past Event Like List
Kelly Lytle Hernández, a UCLA history professor, director of the Ralph J. Bunche Center for African American Studies, and major voice of authority on race, immigration, and mass incarceration, will head to Portland for a Hatfield lecture on her book Bad Mexicans: Race, Empire, and Revolution in the Borderlands. The book details the rise of magonistas, the migrant rebels who inspired the 1910 Mexican Revolution and "gave birth to the Mexican American population," but have been largely bypassed in textbooks. Head to this talk to learn more about our borders and the forces that have shaped modern American identity. LC
Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, South Park Blocks (Tues Feb 6)

Charles Yu Past Event Like List
Charles Yu, who was one of the key writers behind the visionary universe of HBO’s Westworld, is also a fiction author; his 2020 National Book Award-winning novel Interior Chinatown investigated race, social roles, Asian stereotyping, and pop culture. (Vanity Fair called it "a shattering and darkly comic send-up of racial stereotyping in Hollywood"—add it to your TBR list if you haven't.) Yu will head to Portland and hopefully offer us a few tips on "how to live safely in a science fictional universe." LC
Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, South Park Blocks (Thurs Feb 29)

VISUAL ART

Kenji Ide: American Friend Past Event Like List
If you caught Kenji Ide's first Portland exhibition (A Poem of Perception at the Portland Japanese Garden) back in 2022, you're in luck—the Japanese artist will return to the city to showcase new wood and found object sculptures that "theatrically weave a narrative based on both the artist’s imagined and real-life experiences." American Friend takes its title from the '77 Wim Wenders film, which Ide had heard of growing up in Japan, but never seen, only imagining what the film might be about. Paralleling his experience of creating an alternate storyline for an unseen film, Ide's sculptures create space for the viewer to project their own narratives within the frameworks of puzzles, built environments, and poetic abstractions. The result is a "stylized landscape" that's both meditative and brain-tickling. LC
Adams and Ollman, Northwest Portland (Feb 1–17)

Modern Folk Past Event Like List
This group exhibition spotlights eight West Coast artists whose work aims to modernize and complexify folk art traditions, from paintings of everyday objects to "whimsical ceramics," self-portraiture, and mixed-media works. I'm excited to see Portland-based fave Lisa Congdon's snazzy visual language of luminous color and patterning with a folk art twist, as well as Justin Morrison's "raw" sculptures and Godeleine de Rosamel's clay pieces. LC
Chefas Projects, Central Eastside (Feb 1–24)

Black Artists of Oregon Past Event Like List
The first of its kind to "consider the work of Black artists collectively in Oregon," PAM's fresh exhibition will showcase Black artists in and outside its collection, with special attention paid to underrepresented regional artists. Black Artists of Oregon thinks carefully about the African American experience in the Pacific Northwest, with pieces spanning the last 100 years by heavy hitters like Carrie Mae Weems and professional puppeteer Ralph Chessé. I'm particularly stoked for the exhibition because it was guest curated by Portland-based artist Intisar Abioto, whose own practice fills gaps in our region's history with critical context on lived Black experience. LC 
Portland Art Museum, South Park Blocks (Feb 1–Mar 17)

Policing Justice Past Event Like List
Guest curated by University of Oregon associate professor Nina Amstutz and local social design artist Cleo Davis, Policing Justice probes Portland's policing practices and their relationship to "longer local and national histories of oppression." The exhibition centers Portland artists who have seen and documented police brutality, including the George Floyd protests, and includes commissioned installations by Don't Shoot Portland, Michael Bernard Stevenson Jr., Cleo Davis, Kayin Talton Davis, and others. Works on loan by Alfredo Jaar, Sandy Rodriguez, and Carrie Mae Weems lend a wider scope to the exhibition, and Forensic Architecture's video installation details an investigation into PPB's use of tear gas during the 2020 protests. Show up for abolition and take part in one of the exhibition's several accompanying programs, including a community conversation symposium, a series of film screenings at the Clinton Street Theater, and an ethical visual storytelling workshop. LC
PICA, Eliot (Feb 23–May 29)

WINTER

Woodsy Winter Village and Ice Rink Past Event Like List
Channel your inner Tonya Harding (minus the knee-bashing tendencies) and take to the ice at Portland's open-air skating rink this winter. Après-skate, warm up in the cozy winter village with hot bevvies and snacks from local vendors like Momo Cocoa, Where's Coffee Girl, La Casa de Mamá, and more. Pro tip: spend at least $20 at a central city business (peep the map to see what qualifies), bring your receipt, and receive a $5 discount on your skate ticket. JW
Morrison Bridgehead, Downtown (Feb 1–11)

Portland Winter Light Festival: What Glows Under Pressure Past Event Like List
The Portland Winter Light Festival is an after-holiday reminder that the best lights of the year aren’t illuminated until February. Brighten up from the winter blues with the ninth edition of the fully lit fest, which includes various free art installations on either side of the Willamette on a deep sea, bioluminescent theme this year. (You'll find art pieces inspired by coral, jellyfish, and more.) The "Glowing Under Pressure" theme encourages attendees to "explore the wonders and dangers of the deep," which "reminds us of our own insignificance in the face of nature's forces." Sound, like, kinda scary? Never fear. Just head to the disco fungus, or Tomorrow Theater's celebratory screening of TRON, which will include an electro-luminescent performance of Rainbow Dance Theatre's iLUMiDance. LC
Various locations (Feb 2–10)

Polar Plunge + Polar 5K Past Event Like List
Maybe you missed the polar plunge on January 1st for reasons, or maybe you loved it so much you want to do it again! Either way, take a chilly dip in the Willamette to help raise money in support of Special Olympics Oregon athletes. There's a 5K fun run (to get you all warmed up), a costume contest (to lull you into a sense of humorous security), and then the icy plunge itself (for Type II fun). SL
Willamette Park, Johns Landing (Sat Feb 24)