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MONDAY

FILM

Beyond Walls: Five Films for Prison Industrial Complex Abolition Past Event Like List
Are you prison abolition-curious? This collection of short films should answer your pressing questions by "defining and amplifying what prison industrial complex (PIC) abolition means." Organized by Don’t Shoot Portland and Working Films, a nonprofit that "uses documentaries to advance social justice and environmental protection," the free screening also aims to empower viewers with the tools and actions needed to envision a world beyond policing. LC
(Clinton Street Theater, Hosford-Abernethy)

TUESDAY

LIVE MUSIC

Depeche Mode: Memento Mori Tour Past Event Like List
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 tragicpassing 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." AV
(Moda Center, Lloyd District)

THURSDAY

COMEDY

Anthony Jeselnik Past Event Like List
Anthony Jeselnik's Wikipedia article suggests that he's best known for his "dark comedy style, emphasize[ing] ironic misdirection, nonsequiturs, biting insults, an arrogant demeanor, and a stage persona that frequently takes amoral or psychopathic stances," which, to be honest, makes him sound completely insufferable. Crowds like this must be showing up for something, though, so if you're into suicide jokes, you've found your Thursday night plans. LC
(Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, South Park Blocks)

FILM

Fungi Film Fest Past Event Like List
Perfect for the mycologically inclined, the world's only mushroom- and mold-centered film festival will head to Portland with 20 fungusy flicks from 9 countries, including experimental cinema, documentaries, and fantasy narratives. (Opinel not included.) The November 30 premiere includes opportunities to chat mycology with filmmakers during an audience Q&A session and vote on the Audience Choice award for the year. Each film on the roster sounds more intriguing than the last, but director Anaís Córdova Páez's experimental flick Hematic Cultures, in which she coated the film itself "with menstrual blood and silver for catching light," after which it started to decompose and grow microfauna, is something I think I've gotta see. LC
(Cinema 21, Nob Hill)

Portland Latin American Film Festival Past Event Like List
Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month and support Latin cinema in one fell swoop at the Portland Latin American Film Festival, which has returned again this year with seven feature flicks that can be enjoyed by Spanish, Portuguese, and English speakers. PDXLAFF will conclude on November 30 with The Settlers, a Chilean production that premiered at this year's Cannes Film Festival and was honored with the FIPRESCI Prize. LC
(Hollywood Theatre, Hollywood District)

PERFORMANCE

Live Wire with Luke Burbank Past Event Like List
Live Wire's 2023 offerings will continue with a fresh edition of the honest and funny conversational show hosted by Luke Burbank. This time around, featured guests will include Shrill author and former Stranger film editor Lindy West and Camille T. Dungy, whose recent poetry collection Soil: The Story of a Black Mother’s Garden "recounts her seven-year odyssey to diversify her garden in the predominately white community of Fort Collins, Colorado." Oregon-raised singer-songwriter and festival favorite Margo Cilker will provide the Western-inspired tunes, which some describe as similar to Lucinda Williams and Townes Van Zandt. LC
(Patricia Reser Center for the Arts, Beaverton)

White Album Xmas Past Event Like List
The White Album Christmas variety show is surprisingly really fun. This annual show very much attracts a certain demographic: Beatles lovin', patchouli smellin', nouveau circus appreciators. But really, as long as you can stand the Beatles, it's a damned good time. There are standout performances by the Rose City Circus and their compadres, a near spot-on re-creation of the Beatles' White Album (which is a bit of mixed blessing..."Revolution 9," ugh) by the Nowhere Band. PORTLAND MERCURY CONTRIBUTOR COURTNEY FERGUSON
(Alberta Rose Theatre, Concordia)

FRIDAY

COMEDY

A John Waters Christmas Past Event Like List
John Waters, who shall henceforth be known as the "anti-Santa," will glide his perverse sleigh into Portland for some Christmas twistedness and holiday jeers. He might stomp on your perfectly wrapped presents, but this evening with the cult filmmaker seems promising for those on the holiday-averse end of the spectrum. If you've been naughty this year, Waters encourages you to lean into it—he'll pull "celebrity blow-up dolls," "yuletide diseases with booster shots that actually get you high," and "kindergarten detention drag shows in Florida" out of his big red sack. LC
(Aladdin Theater, Brooklyn)

The Broke Gravy Show Past Event Like List
The Broke Gravy dudes (Chris, Leon, and Eric) have forged a unique path in improv comedy, using the off-the-cuff medium to inspire deeper conversations on their perspectives as Black Americans. (They're also funny AF.) Fresh off their sold-out shows at The Turnout and Portland Mercury’s Undisputed Geniuses of Comedy, they'll head to Kickstand for an hour of "unfiltered conversation, idiosyncratic characters, and the joy of unknown possibilities." LC
(Kickstand Comedy Space, Ladd's Addition)

LIVE MUSIC

Indigo De Souza Past Event Like List
Singer-songwriter Indigo De Souza writes intimate lyrics about her life then wraps them up in grungy indie rock riffs inspired by '90s alt-rock heroes like the Breeders and Dinosaur Jr. She will swing through town with songs from her critically acclaimed album, All of This Will End, which reflects on "childhood memories, collecting herself in parking lots, the ecstatic trips spent wandering Appalachian mountains and southern swamps with friends, and the times she had to stand up for herself." Don't miss an opening set from indie rock duo Babehoven. AV
(Revolution Hall, Buckman)

PERFORMANCE

The Siren Theater's Best Christmas Ever! Holiday Comedy and Variety Show Past Event Like List
Portland's finest funny people will stuff their merrymaking talents into one overflowing stocking, aka the theater's annual variety show, which promises music, special guests, prizes, sketch comedy, and "totally legit" holiday cheer modeled after old-school TV specials. (The lineup includes Shelley McLendon, Justin Himes, and plenty of other local laughers—The Mercury's own Wm. Steven Humphrey will make an appearance!) Grinches beware, though: "If you are looking for a show that is crabby about the holidays, look elsewhere," the promotional materials warn. LC
(Siren Theater, Boise)

SATURDAY

FILM

Black Christmas Past Event Like List
Black Christmas is an underrated holiday hunk of horror coal, and it's surprisingly freaky–just wait until you find out what's hidden in the attic. Decked out in twinkle lights, the '74 flick follows a group of sorority sisters who receive strange phone calls over winter break. (You guessed it, a serial killer is on the loose.) Black Christmas also spawned one of my favorite horror tropes: For the first time, the calls were coming from inside the house. LC
(Tomorrow Theater, Richmond)

PERFORMANCE

Black Lodge Burlesque Past Event Like List
Let's get weird: Lynch lovers (including Isaiah Esquire, Rummy Rose, Rizzo Rouge, and others) will unleash their lust for Twin Peaks, Blue Velvet, Mulholland Drive, Wild at Heart, and other cult cinema faves on stage, paying tribute to the oddball director with burlesque and drag performances that'll have you making this sound, but like, in a good way. LC
(Star Theater, Old Town-Chinatown)

SUNDAY

LIVE MUSIC

Jenny Lewis Past Event Like List
Jenny Lewis’s latest album, Joy'All, is everything I hoped it would be. It's lyrically fun, danceable, and perfectly balances classic folk with glitzy R&B. She is the queen of a self-deprecating line, and this album hasa bounty. Some of my favorite Jennyisms include "I'm not a psycho / I'm just tryna get laid" ("Psycho"), "My forties are kicking my ass and handing 'em to me in a margarita glass" ("Puppy and a Truck"), and "I fall in love too easy / too easy / with anyone who touches me / fucks with me" ("Cherry Baby"). She will support the album alongside Ishmael Butler's Afrofuturist rap project Shabazz Palaces and country troubadour Logan Ledger. AV
(Roseland Theater, Old Town-Chinatown)

PERFORMANCE

O Christmas Tea: A British Comedy Past Event Like List
Growing up, I typically watched PBS, one of the only channels that our ancient, rabbit-eared television could receive. As a result, I spent far too many of my formative years watching British sitcoms, which is how I learned that the British are hilarious. In this Christmas comedy from off-Broadway comedy duo James & Jamesy, a holiday tea party goes awry and floods the world with the UK's hot beverage of choice. The performance is a mish-mash of physical comedy, wry wordplay, and "cleverly crafted interactive elements" that you'll probably dig if, like me, you're also a Hyacinth Bucket stan. LC
(Newmark Theatre, South Park Blocks)

MULTI-DAY

COMEDY

Brett Goldstein: The Second Best Night of Your Life Past Event Like List
Score some brownie points with your Gen X friends by bringing them to this stand-up set by Emmy-winning Ted Lasso star Brett Goldstein, who has some thoughts on American football. LC
(Keller Auditorium, Downtown, Thursday-Saturday)

EXHIBIT

Creatures of Christmas Past Event Like List
Mysterious creatures from Nordic lore will stop by Nordic Northwest this holiday season, including the 13 Icelandic Yule Lads (don't worry, they were banned from tormenting children in 1746), a Swedish Yule goat (cute and tied to ancient Pagan festivals), Danish and Norwegian nisse (gnome-like dudes with conical caps), and the Finnish Santa, Joulupukki, who looks a lot like the American one these days. While you're there, don't miss Ole Bolle, Thomas Dambo's own mythical creature (a giant troll made of recycled materials). LC
(Nordic Northwest, Metzger, Monday-Sunday)

FILM

Dream Scenario Past Event Like List
Fans of last year's Everything Everywhere All at Once will likely dig Dream Scenario, which continues A24's recent propensity for gonzo dream sequences and madcap visuals with a fun plotline: Nicolas Cage stars as a typical dude whose life flip-flops when he begins appearing in millions of people's dreams. If that sounds familiar, you're not wrong—it seems likely that the film was inspired by This Man, who allegedly began appearing in dreams back in 2006. Does this mean we'll start to see more flicks based on old memes, guerilla marketing tactics, and internet hoaxes? I'm here for it. LC
(Hollywood Theatre, Hollywood District, Friday-Sunday)

The Holdovers Past Event Like List
It's November. It's time to watch Paul Giamatti act his little heart out as a curmudgeonly educator at a New England prep school in the '60s, where a gaggle of students have been left behind on Christmas break. Honestly, though, have you ever heard a film premise that made you want to wear wool socks and drink apple cider more than this one? Plus, and perhaps most importantly, The Holdovers was directed by Alexander Payne, aka the guy who made Election and that movie about wine. It's going to be funny and charming!!! Enjoy. LC
(Cinema 21, Nob Hill, Monday-Thursday)

May December Past Event Like List
If I’m going to watch an ouroboros, I’ll take one helmed by someone as curious and literate as Todd Haynes. Though May December doesn’t rank with the director’s top-tier achievements—it lacks the sublimity of Carol, the mad invention of I’m Not There, the elemental force of Safe—its intelligence and staying power are tough to discredit. It really is one of the thorniest, most thought-provoking movies you’ll see this year. PORTLAND MERCURY CONTRIBUTOR CONNER REED
(Hollywood Theatre, Hollywood District, Monday-Thursday)

Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé Past Event Like List
Gone are the days of desolate, post-COVID movie theaters—thanks in part to the holy trinity that is Greta Gerwig, Taylor Swift, and Beyoncé. These queens have turned going to the cinema into high-profile events full of themed costumes, dancing, and audience participation. Queen Bey is the latest to jump on board with her self-directed Renaissance concert film. The concert film/visual album features footage from her record-breaking world tour and behind-the-scenes footage (in contrast to the epic "cinematic rendering" that is The Eras Tour Film). It's finally happening y'all, the queen is unleashing the visuals!
(Various locations, Thursday-Sunday)

Saltburn Past Event Like List
Emerald Fennell's latest film is nothing if not polarizing ("Saltburn is the sort of embarrassment you’ll put up with for 75 minutes. But not for 127," says the New York Times), but as the world's preeminent Barry Keoghan stan, I have to at least entertain the idea that it has legs. Saltburn is billed as a "wicked tale of privilege and desire" (oOoOo) that sees an Oxford student attempt to infiltrate the aristocratic world of a classmate on an "eccentric family’s sprawling estate." (Has anything good ever happened at a "sprawling estate?") If you like Agatha Christie and drugs, this one might hit. LC
(Cinema 21, Nob Hill, Monday-Thursday)

FOOD & DRINK

2nd Annual Holiday Lights Wine Walk Past Event Like List
Traipse through picturesque Abbey Road Farm at night, illuminated by dazzling holiday lights. You'll get to grab a glass of wine before touring the goat barn, vineyard overlook, poultry pasture, toolshed, silo garden, and pig pasture, all decked out in their holiday best. Fertie's BBQ will sling succulent smoked meats for dinner, and the trailer will offer warm treats and candy canes. Plus, proceeds will be donated to a different charity each weekend. JB
(Abbey Road Farm, Carlton, Friday-Sunday)

Miracle at Deadshot Past Event Like List
In 2014, New York bar owner Greg Boehm temporarily transformed his space into a kitschy Christmas wonderland replete with gewgaws and tchotchkes galore. The pop-up phenomenon has expanded to more than 100 locations all over the world, including Portland's stylish cocktail bar Deadshot. Specialty cocktails are are housed in tacky-tastic vessels and christened with names like the “Bad Santa,” the “Yippie Ki Yay Mother F**r,” and the “Jolly Koala.” JB
(Deadshot, Hosford-Abernethy, Monday-Sunday)

The Portland Mercury's Holiday Drink Week Past Event Like List
'Tis the season for warming wintry libations, from mulled wine to spiked cocoa. Ready to get your nog on? The Portland Mercury and EverOut have you covered with our Holiday Drink Week, a new annual tradition that debuted last year. And the best part? They’re only EIGHT BUCKS! For one week only, you'll find a variety of exclusive holiday-themed drink specials at participating bars and restaurants around town. Why not round up some friends, bundle up in your coziest attire, and head out on a self-guided booze tour? One thing's for certain: these won't be your ordinary cups of cheer. JB
(Various locations, Monday-Sunday)

Sippin' on Sixth Past Event Like List
This holiday-tiki-themed cocktail bar pop-up (a spinoff of the hit Miracle pop-up, which takes place at Deadshot this year) invites you to "imagine Santa on a surfboard instead of a sleigh and palm trees instead of pine." Drinks range from the "Merry Spritzmas" (Prosecco, aperitif, tawny port, cognac, lemon, falernum, fig preserves, and cardamom bitters) to the "Jingle Bird" (bourbon, pineapple rum, Campari, lime, pineapple, and "jingle mix"). JB
(Courtyard by Marriott Portland City Center, Downtown, Monday-Sunday)

Sleigh Love Past Event Like List
Sleigh the day with a menu of delightfully tacky holiday-inspired drinks and other nostalgic treats at the cocktail bar and restaurant Hey Love. The vibe is described as "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation but more, and located in a cocktail-soaked indoor jungle." Sample offerings include "Noggy by Nature" (an eggnog slushie) to "Toboggan Time" (Hey Love's signature frozen spin on Irish coffee, made with a Rumplemintz float, whipped cream, and candy cane sprinkles). DJs will add to the chaotic merriment starting at 9 pm on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. JB
(Hey Love, Buckman, Tuesday-Sunday)

Veganizer: World Vegan Month 2023 Past Event Like List
In celebration of World Vegan Month, Veganizer PDX is collaborating with over 20 plant-based restaurants and food carts across the city to offer exclusive food and drink specials. A portion of sales from each business's special will be donated to their selected nonprofit. Some of our favorite spots in town are getting in on the philanthropic fun: Speed-o Cappuccino is raising funds for the PDX Sex Worker Resource Project, Ice Queen is contributing to Native American Youth and Family Center, Mis Tacones will donate to Meals On Us...the list goes on. It's a great chance to contribute to some magnanimous causes while partaking in some magnificent meatless meals. JB
(Various locations, Monday-Sunday)

LIVE MUSIC

Portland's Singing Christmas Tree Past Event Like List
In a state flush with forests, it's only fitting that we would have a tradition called the Singing Christmas Tree. The ultimate Christmas carolers return with new showstopping numbers, special guest artists Georgene Rice, Timothy Greenidge, Erin Tamblyn, Courtney Temple, and an appearance from Ol' Saint Nick himself. Performing traditional and contemporary carols, the youth and adult choirs will fill you with an abundance of holiday cheer. AV
(Sunset Church, Oak Hills, Friday-Sunday)

PERFORMANCE

A Christmas Carol Past Event Like List
If the impending holiday season elicits your well-deserved "Bah, humbug," I recommend taking this dependable Yuletide delight for a spin. After all, what's more Christmassy than a bunch of intrusive ghosts and a notably grumpy old dude? Portland Playhouse's A Christmas Carol is a Dickensian feast of holiday theatrics that offers a contemporary interpretation of Ebenezer Scrooge's ghostly journey, adapted with original lyrics by award-winning playwright and director Rick Lombardo. LC
(Portland Playhouse, King, Wednesday-Sunday)

Black Nativity Past Event Like List
Written by innovative playwright, poet, and social activist Langston Hughes, Black Nativity first premiered in 1961 and was one of the first off-Broadway plays composed by an African American person. This interpretation of the gospel play will be presented by PassinArt, an African American theater company that interpreted the bluesy, Pulitzer-nominated play Seven Guitars earlier this year. The production will blend nativity storytelling, dance, and traditional Christmas carols with brand-new songs, and it's directed by Jerry Foster, who has previously helped direct the Juneteenth and Kwanzaa Celebrations for the North Portland library and the Peace Festival for Black Women for Peace. LC
(Brunish Hall, South Park Blocks, Thursday–Sunday)

Dracula: A Feminist Revenge Fantasy, Really Past Event Like List
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? LC
(Portland Center Stage, Pearl District, Wednesday-Sunday)

Home for the Holidays Past Event Like List
In this cheery musical revue, a bus full of passengers headed home for the holidays find themselves stranded in Iowa, where they wrangle up some Yuletide spirit with stories and songs to ward off the snow storm. LC
(Broadway Rose New Stage Theatre, Tigard, Thursday–Sunday)

Liberace & Liza Holiday at the Mansion (A Tribute) Past Event Like List
It's November, which means the holidays are in full swing, whether you like it or not!! Get into it with this sequined holiday tribute, in which classically trained pianist David Saffert and singer/actor Jillian Snow Harris will charm the crowd as showstoppers Liberace and Liza Minnelli. Liberace's real-life music director Bo Ayars will conduct the musical performance; expect foot-tapping piano medleys and jazzy tribute songs. LC
(Portland Center Stage, Pearl District, Wednesday–Sunday)

READINGS & TALKS

Horizons Northwest Past Event Like List
Research on the healing potential of psilocybin is becoming broader and more well-respected, Goop staffers are popping mushrooms on Netflix, and scientists are spouting ideas that Indigenous peoples have understood for generations. Whether you're ready to hop aboard the trip train or you've been microdosing for years, you're bound to learn something stimulating at this three-day conference, where research leaders will come together again to explore the many dimensions of psychedelics. LC
(Portland Art Museum, South Park Blocks, Friday-Sunday)

SHOPPING

The Makers Fair Holiday Market Past Event Like List
This 11-week market will feature 140 local craftspeople all under one roof, so consider your gift-giving list trounced. Vanquished. Utterly defeated. If you are the type of person who starts stressing about "the holidays" long before they're here (aka me), never fear: You'll find pretty much everything under Santa's sun, from woodturned decor to vintage goods, candles, and holiday treats, at the gargantuan pop-up. LC
(Rejuvenation, Buckman, Monday–Sunday)

VISUAL ART

A Question of Hu: The Narrative Art of Hung Liu Past Event Like List
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. PORTLAND MERCURY ASHLEY GIFFORD
(Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, South Park Blocks, Tuesday-Saturday; closing)

Converge 45 Contemporary Arts Biennial Past Event Like List
The free, citywide art exhibition Converge 45 is in full swing, with artists showcased across over 15 venues in Portland, including college campuses, the Portland Japanese Garden, and Pioneer Square. The biennial's theme, Social Forms: Art as Global Citizenship, takes on topics of Amazon deforestation, indigeneity, citizenship, and immigration, and aims to amplify the voices and experiences of people of color, so you're bound to find a cause you can get behind. I'm looking forward to local textile legend and Seneca Nation member Marie Watt's Chords to Other Chords (Relative) and Yishai Jusidman's history-driven cyanotypes in Prussian Blue. LC
(Various locations, Monday-Sunday)

Danny Aros-Aguilar: Sandunga Nunca Muere Past Event Like List
Colombian American non-binary artist Danny Aros-Aguilar reflects on cultural complexities and their gender queerness in Sandunga Nunca Muere, which spotlights the artist's commitment to "celebrating, highlighting, and leaving a print of brown queerness in history." The works in the exhibition were created in collaboration with Aros-Aguilar's Oaxaca-based friends, reflecting upon their conversations on Muxe culture and the marginalization of queer people in Oaxaca. I love Machete al Machote, in which Aros-Aguilar's subject wields a massive machete. LC
(Blue Sky Gallery, Pearl District, Wednesday–Saturday; closing)

Jesse Murry: Rising Past Event Like List
One of Converge 45's more somber and uniquely thought-provoking shows is Jesse Murry's Rising, a series of paintings accompanied by a video remembrance and a letterpress edition of his 1993 10-page poem Aphorisms, penned in the artist's last days before his death due to AIDS-related illness. Curated by Murry's friend and Yale classmate Lisa Yuskavage, the subtle abstract oil paintings showcased in Rising speak to his "lifelong belief in the capacity of painting to hold the complexity of human meaning," a hard-held conviction that carried Murry's practice through his final years. LC
(Cooley Gallery at Reed College, Reed, Thursday–Sunday; closing)

Orlando Almanza: Love Letter from A Shapeshifter Past Event Like List
Drawing from ethereal memories and myths, Froelick Gallery's newly signed painter Orlando Almanza constructs natural worlds in his works, with embedded narratives that feel pulled from his own mysterious folklore. Earlier this year, the gallery paved for the way for his first official solo show with a display of lithographs printed in Havana, Cuba. For this show, Almanza continues to showcase his "deep dedication to nature, and the unique way it connects with myths and storytelling across cultures" with portraits and vivid oil works overflowing with flora and fauna. LC
(Froelick Gallery, Pearl District, Tuesday–Saturday; closing)

Ralph Pugay Past Event Like List
The last time I wrote about Ralph Pugay's work was at the end of 2020, when his delightfully cartoonish cat posters (referencing '70s-era motivational posters) positioned humor and anxiety side-by-side. Pugay's simplified imagery and imaginative, open-ended statements felt like the perfect response to a year of pandemic isolation, and I expect that this solo show will feel similarly therapeutic. Adams and Ollman describes Pugay's new work as "absurdist and biting," so I wouldn't expect motivational cat posters this time around, but a collection of works that still feels playful and poignant. LC
(Adams and Ollman, Northwest Portland, Wednesday–Saturday, closing)

Secret Room Work•Shop Pop-Up Past Event Like List
Risograph print studio and comics and art publisher Secret Room Press has joined the other lovably artsy weirdos at Lloyd Center and opened a sparkly new pop-up art gallery and print shop. The Secret Room Work•Shop home to Life on Earth: A RISO Art Show, "a RISO art show showcasing over 25 cartoonists from the Pacific Northwest and beyond," plusweekly events and workshops and a curated selection of books, cassettes, vinyl, and VHS. Drop by the next time you're headed to Floating World Comics. LC
(Lloyd Center, Lloyd District, Wednesday–Sunday)

Takahiro Iwasaki: Nature of Perception Past Event Like List
Japan Institute artist-in-residence Takahiro Iwasaki (who represented Japan at the 2017 Venice Biennale, aka the Olympics of the art world) will debut his new art exhibition, Takahiro Iwasaki: Nature of Perception, at Portland Japanese Garden. The Hiroshima-based artist's work includes "architecturally accurate models of historic Japanese sites," which are manipulated into large-scale installations of suspended sculptures and duplicates. In this way, Iwasaki "plays with our sense of the familiar" and subverts viewer expectations. Stop by the garden to view the exhibition and get some nature time as the leaves start to change colors. LC
(Portland Japanese Garden, Washington Park, Monday/Wednesday-Sunday)

WINTER HOLIDAYS

Zoo Lights Past Event Like List
Lions, tigers, and bears will have you saying "oh my!" in childlike wonder at the Oregon Zoo's immersive holiday lights experience. Be mesmerized as you walk through tunnels of sparkling lights, take a ride on the zoo train, and enjoy treats like elephant ears and hot cocoa. SL
(Oregon Zoo, Washington Park)