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MONDAY

READINGS & TALKS

A Voice of the People Series: Akwaeke Emezi Past Event Like List
As part of the Voice of the People speaker series, Freshwater author and video artist Akwaeke Emezi will chat about their work—which finds its roots in "Black spirit, embodiment, legacy, and memory"—and will later be joined by T. Aisha Edwards, LMHC for a conversation on how creativity and narrative can support widespread healing. Emezi has penned two adult literary novels, two YA novels, a romance, two poetry collections, and more, so you're bound to find something from their oeuvre that you're into; I'm intrigued by the Nigerian author's 2021 memoir, Dear Senthuran. Emezi will sign books after the talk, and local BIPOC femme-led book club Prose Before Bros will host a "Happy Reading Hour" with snacks and silent reading time. LC
(Winningstad Theatre, South Park Blocks)

TUESDAY

FILM

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)

MARDI GRAS

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 handcrafted 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)

WEDNESDAY

FILM

True Romance Past Event Like List
If you're a Tarantino head, the only thing better than true romance on Valentine's Day is True Romance on Valentine's Day. The contentious auteur's 1993 cult film tells a classic story of two lovers on the run, but, in true QT fashion, pimps, cocaine, murder, and the mob are involved. It's admittedly pretty damn cool. The flick's all-star cast includes all of my drama queen faves: Christian Slater, Patricia Arquette, Dennis Hopper, Christopher Walken, and Gary Oldman. LC
(Hollywood Theatre, Hollywood District)

FOOD & DRINK

Face/Off: A Valentine's Day Pop-Up Past Event Like List
Veteran bartenders Adam Robinson and Nick Flower are inviting 11 of Portland's most celebrated mixologists to their sexy new bar Too Soon for a Valentine's Day pop-up. Teams of two, which will include names like Banjo Amberg (Pacific Standard), David Rodriguez (Scotch Lodge), Emily Mistell (Hey Love), and Alejandro de la Parra (Rum Club), will take turns behind the bar throughout the night while the kitchen slings food specials. JW
(Too Soon, Kerns)

LIVE MUSIC

Silversun Pickups Past Event Like List
Former Stranger contributor Joseph Schafer writes: "I first heard Silversun Pickups when their song “Panic Switch” was the only good thing about the trailer to the movie Sucker Punch. (Does anyone remember that movie?) After purchasing that record, Swoon, I discovered that the band had a less-than-stellar reputation in critical circles. Screw the critics, I later thought, watching the band open for Metallica in Detroit. They’re energetic and driving live, even though singer Brian Aubert has a somewhat delicate voice. Every one of their records has at least a handful of excellent chrome-plated-but-plaintive rock songs." The band will return to Portland to support their sixth album Physical Thrills with NYC alt-rock trio Hello Mary. AV
(Crystal Ballroom, West End)

The Oregon Symphony: Casablanca in Concert Past Event Like List
Play it, Sam! In honor of Valentine's Day, the Oregon Symphony will take on the romantic score of the cinematic masterpiece, Casablanca. If you've never had the pleasure of seeing the bonafide classic, get ready to see silver screen icons Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman portray lovers whose fates are complicated by the machinations of World War II. The film will play in high-definition on a massive screen as you experience Max Steine's unforgettable score like never before. AV
(Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, South Park Blocks)

PARTIES & NIGHTLIFE

Swift Me Away: A Taylor Swift Valentine’s Dance Party Past Event Like List
Is your name Scooter Braun? Because you just stole my (he)art. Enter your Lover era this Valentine's Day by dancing like you’re 22 to a continuous set of T-Swift's wistful love songs, breakup bangers, and revenge anthems.
(Holocene, Buckman)

THURSDAY

COMEDY

Secret Aardvark Past Event Like List
Over 30 of Portland's best improvisers will gather again for this who's who of Rose City comedy. Each Secret Aardvark event features an extra-special mystery guest (past guests have run the gamut from David Lynch to random high school theater students), and the show's so spicy that it's named after the organizers' fave local hot sauce, so it should warm your chilly bones at this time of year. LC
(Kickstand Comedy, Ladd's Addition)

PERFORMANCE

Jamón Jamón with Larry Yes: Ham-entine’s Day Celebration Past Event Like List
You know what's romantic? Ham, and no, I will not be explaining at this time. In fact, let young Javier Bardem and Penélope Cruz, aka two of the hottest people who have ever lived, explain it for you. This "Ham-entine's Day celebration" (hey, Tomorrow Theater came up with it, not me) includes a screening of succulent '92 romance Jamón Jamón, which follows an underwear executive and a working-class girl who fall in love before an underwear MODEL gets in the way. Where does the ham come in? You'll have to watch the film to find out!! Socially engaged singer-songwriter Larry Yes, who's performed alongside Elliott Smith and Michael Hurley, will sling some tunes, too. LC
(Tomorrow Theater, Richmond)

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)

READINGS & TALKS

Oregon’s Black History: York, The Man Past Event Like List
You might have first heard York's name when a bust of his likeness was installed on Mt. Tabor, replacing a toppled statue of longtime Oregonian editor Harvey W. Scott that was created by a Klan-affiliated sculptor. On July 28, 2021, the statue of York was destroyed in an act of white supremacist violence. At this event co-organized by the Oregon Historical Society, 1803 Fund, and the City of Portland, Zachary Stocks of Oregon Black Pioneers will share more about York's legacy, his journey on the Lewis and Clark expedition, and his life before and after the famous trek. LC
(Alberta Abbey, King)

FRIDAY

LIVE MUSIC

DeVotchKa Past Event Like List
The Denver-based orchestral-pop quartet DeVotchKa gets its sound from a unique blend of influences such as cabaret, spaghetti western soundtracks, norteño, punk, and Eastern European dance music. They will return to Portland with their cinematic tunes, which have soundtracked films including Crazy Stupid Love, Whiskey Tango Foxtrot,and Paddington. The Portland-based, genre- and culture-blending project Mbrascatu will open. AV
(Revolution Hall, Buckman)

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)

Maddie Zahm Past Event Like List
As you may imagine from its title, Now That I've Been Honest, Idaho-born pop sensation Maddie Zahm gets real in her sophomore release. The album documents her grappling with identity through tales of religious trauma and queer relationships. Although Zahm is best known for tearful piano ballads, the new album tackles the other side of the pop coin. "Eightball Girl" is a light, celebratory electro-pop anthem about a queer crush with poignant lyrics like "while the boys at the bar are buying us drinks / I'm undressing you inside my head." She will support the album after an opening set from kindred pop gem Leanna Firestone. AV
(Hawthorne Theatre, Hawthorne District)

Priscilla Block Past Event Like List
Priscilla Block is the latest country music-turned-pop girlie to follow in the footsteps of our lord and savior, Taylor Swift. After a chance encounter with Swift, who stopped her on the street to compliment her RED tour shirt, Block took it as a sign to quit her job and pursue music full-time. Her debut album, Welcome to the Block Party, blends country-pop songwriting with Southern rock grit for relatable songs like "Thick Thighs" and "Peaked in High School." Don't miss the rising star at the beginning of her career alongside country singer-songwriter Ryan Larkins. AV
(Wonder Ballroom, Eliot)

SATURDAY

COMEDY

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)

FOOD & DRINK

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)

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)

Zwickelmania 2024 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)

LIVE MUSIC

Dropkick Murphys St. Patricks Day Tour 2024 Past Event Like List
While St. Patrick's Day might not seem like an obvious holiday to celebrate a month early, the Celtic punk band Dropkick Murphys begs to differ. They will bring their St. Patrick's Day tour to Portland to support their latest release, Okemah Rising. The album pays tribute to folk icon Woody Guthrie by adapting his unrecorded lyrics to their signature jig-shred sound. Skate punk quartet Pennywise and Irish metalheads the Scratch will open. AV
(Theater of the Clouds, Lloyd District)

LUNAR NEW YEAR

8th Annual Lunar New Year Dragon Dance and Celebration Past Event Like List
Clanging cymbals will cue the colorfully costumed dancers of local troupes International Lion Dance, White Lotus Dragon and Lion Dance, Portland Lee Association's Dragon And Lion Dance, and the Portland Trail Blazers Rip City Crew at this raucous celebration. The party will take over a block in the heart of Chinatown and Lunar New Year revelers will receive lucky red envelopes before going on the move as Portland Chinatown History Foundation’s 150-foot dragon leads a parade to the Oregon Historical Society’s Park Plaza. JW
(Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association, Old Town-Chinatown)

PERFORMANCE

Crystal Methyd Presents Inside The Enchanted Forest Past Event Like List
Checkers, anyone? RuPaul's Drag Race season 12 runner-up and candy-sweet glamour clown Crystal Methyd will venture out of her Missouri home and invite us ordinary folks into her enchanted forest, which appears to pull together her signature blend of psychedelia, whimsy, and mild spookiness. (If you told me she'd drawn inspiration from the weirdness of our own Enchanted Forest theme park, I wouldn't be surprised.) LC
(Hawthorne Theatre, Hawthorne District)

SUNDAY

LIVE MUSIC

Sunday Sessions: Bocha & Covi. Past Event Like List
We recently raved about an installment of Sunday Sessions that headlined neo-soul singer and multi-talented extraordinaire Blossom, but let’s face it, we don’t really need an excuse to attend one of Rontoms’ free weekly shows. During the summer, you’ll find the lounge’s patio packed with music minglers, but the sessions are cozy and charming this time of year too—held inside the dimly lit hipster bar. This week we’re jazzed to see a more rap-happy lineup, showcasing the respective talents of Portland-based emcees Bocha and Covi. Produce Organics-affiliated rapper Bocha will no-doubt be spitting rhymes from his project Everything Must Go, from September, and Covi. also released a new album recently—Just Have Fun!, a fun project that’s fully produced by Drae Slapz. And pssst! Don’t be surprised if either artist brings a special guest for their set, as Bocha has strong connections to Donte Thomas and other Produce Organics artists such as R&B singer Scooty, while Covi. is in a romantic relationship with rising singer/songwriter/DJ extraordinaire Zyah Belle. PORTLAND MERCURY CONTRIBUTOR JENNI MOORE
(Rontoms, Buckman)

MULTI-DAY

COMEDY

NW Black Comedy Festival Past Event Like List
Aiming to upstage its previous years' offerings, the eighth annual NW Black Comedy Festival will return with 10 "bigger, Blacker, and funnier" showcases and over 60 comics hailing from all over the country, including Niles Abston and Ken Hamlett. The funny folks will head to Curious Comedy Theater for one jam-packed weekend of laughs—we're stoked for the up-and-coming comedian showcase Young Guns and the raunchy Red Light Special. LC
(Curious Comedy Theater, King, Thursday-Sunday)

FILM

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, Thursday-Saturday)

Cemetery Man Past Event Like List
This fresh, flesh-eating restoration of Michele Soavi's '94 black comedy follows a cemetery groundskeeper who's forced to kill the dead a second time after they all start rising from their graves. Naturally, the local politicians won't listen to him about this very serious issue, and after he falls for a woman whose husband is recently deceased, things get even more gory and complicated. You'll get a kick out of Cemetery Man if you're into film noir and Italian giallo weirdness. LC
(Hollywood Theatre, Hollywood District, Saturday-Sunday)

Poor Things Past Event Like List
Real Lanthimos heads know that he doesn't direct anything without dystopic, black comedy underpinnings and plotlines that make audiences ponder why they're on the planet at all. He is weird, as directors should be, and you're either in or you're out. This time around, he's adapted a '92 Scottish novel for the screen, painting the picture of a young woman (played by Emma Stone, who is raven-haired and looks charmingly bananas) brought back to life by an unorthodox scientist (played by my famous dad, Willem Dafoe). Best part? Poor Things "saved" my other dad, Mark Ruffalo, from "depressed dad typecasting." Praise be. LC
(Hollywood Theatre, Hollywood District, Monday-Thursday)

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, Tuesday-Sunday)

The Zone of Interest Past Event Like List
If you've been keeping up with A24's films by international directors lately, including solid entries like After Yang and Dream Scenario, you're probably already jazzed for The Zone of Interest, which is a co-production between the US, the UK, and Poland. Filmmaker Jonathan Glazer (who directed the Scarlett Johansson-as-an-extraterrestrial flick Under the Skin) tells the story of a Nazi commandant and his family, who attempt to build a happy life near the Auschwitz concentration camp. Call me presumptuous, but uh, I'm not rooting for them. The film has been shortlisted for Best International Feature at this year's Oscars. LC
(Hollywood Theatre, Hollywood District, Monday-Thursday)

LIVE MUSIC

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, Friday-Sunday)

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! AV
(Wonder Ballroom, Eliot, Saturday-Sunday)

LUNAR NEW YEAR

Lunar New Year Lantern Viewing Evenings Past Event Like List
Hello, Year of the Dragon! Lan Su's Lunar New Year celebration (inspired by the Lantern Festival, or Yuan Xian Jie) pulls out all the stops with its glowy hanging red lanterns—the garden's sweeping rooflines cast warm shadows, and floating lanterns glide across Lake Zither, including "four never-before-seen installations of the Four Gentlemen Floral Lanterns from China." This year, Lan Su is offering two ways to celebrate; visitors can take part in the Chinese dragon dance procession, or be among the first to explore the newly reopened Lan Su teahouse, which will serve a special tasting menu on select evenings. LC
(Lan Su Chinese Garden, Old Town-Chinatown, Thursday-Sunday)

PERFORMANCE

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, Saturday-Sunday)

S P A C E: The Drag Show - URANUS Past Event Like List
Guided by cosmic host Max Little and featuring performances by intergalactic drag stars, this sliding-scale experience blends DIY energy with stellar vibes to play around with Uranus. (Sorry, I had to.) Head to Black Water before the show starts to meet with local astrologers and peruse heavenly wares by local makers. LC
(Black Water Bar, Irvington, Friday-Saturday)

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, Wednesday–Sunday)

When We Were Ocean Past Event Like List
ProLab Dance will bring a cavalcade of live dancers and musicians to the Kendall Planetarium dome for a show that sounds like a very trippy time. When We Were Ocean will include virtual reality elements and screenings of 360-degree films by Fernanda D’Agostino and Hungry Mantis that "expand what we can and can’t see in the living world around us." (I don't know quite what that means, but I'm on board!) "We don't just want to give [our audience] something to look at, we want to give them something to feel," ProLab Dance artistic director Laura Cannon explains. LC
(Kendall Planetarium at OMSI, Hosford-Abernethy, Wednesday-Thursday/Sunday)

VISUAL ART

Africa Fashion Past Event Like List
London's Victoria and Albert Museum curated this major exhibition, bringing dozens of well-dressed mannequins to the Portland Art Museum 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." LC
(Portland Art Museum, South Park Blocks, Wednesday–Sunday; closing)

AIDS Memorial Quilt Past Event Like List
Conceived in 1985 by human rights activist Cleve Jones, the AIDS Memorial Quilt aimed to honor those who died of AIDS and document the lives of those living with the devastating impacts of the disease. Today, it's a 54-ton tapestry and a living symbol of a lost generation. "As we have recently experienced, science communication, information sharing, and awareness building are crucial in combating pandemics," says OMSI in this exhibit's promotional materials. Selected panels from the AIDS Memorial Quilt will be on display at OMSI; the quilt can also be viewed in its entirety online. (Before you head to OMSI, I suggest reading Duane Puryear's powerful quilt panel.) LC
(OMSI, Central Eastside, Monday-Sunday)

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, Wednesday–Sunday)

Kelda Van Patten: If I had a flower for every time I think of you Past Event Like List
Kelda Van Pattern's still-life photography explores "species loneliness," which the botanist and author Robin Wall Kimmerer describes as "a deep unnamed sadness stemming from estrangement from the rest of creation, from the loss of relationship." In If I had a flower for every time I think of you, Van Patten includes compositions photographed during residencies in diverse landscapes, including the northern plains of Wyoming and San Francisco. The artist's layered collage approach shifts notions of reality, artifice, discord, and dissonance to achieve playful, curious results. LC
(Well Well, Kenton, Saturday-Sunday)

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, Wednesday–Saturday; closing)

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, Wednesday–Saturday)

Nona Faustine: She was a culmination of all things in Heaven and Earth Past Event Like List
Brooklyn-based photographer Nona Faustine's She was a culmination of all things in Heaven and Earth encompasses a decade of her explorations into "the perseverance and strength of Black life," including selections from her lauded self-portrait series White Shoes and the new domestic life series Mitochondria. Of the fresh series, Faustine explains: "I wanted to show the quiet, normal moments of this family of African-American women: our everyday life, our happy moments, our down moments. Mitochondria is a family album, a visual diary of our intimate lives." LC
(lumber room, Pearl District, Friday-Saturday)

Pace Taylor: Before the Doors Open Past Event Like List
In Pace Taylor's 2022 Nationale exhibition Breathe when you need to, the painter developed a warm-hued dialogue with the surrealist gender-nonconforming artist Claude Cahun, exploring the mask as an identity-driven self-preservation tool and domestic spaces as sites for unmasking. Now, in Before the Doors Open, Taylor draws from references to Joan Didion(!) and Shirley Jackson(!!!), reckoning with "self-imposed isolation, agoraphobia, and their cyclical impact on the creative process." The series of framed paintings and smaller watercolors is lush and smooth—previous fans of Taylor's work won't be disappointed. LC
(Nationale, Buckman, Monday/Thursday-Sunday; closing)

Ruined Windows: Jessica Jackson Hutchins with Marley Freeman Past Event Like List
Jessica Jackson Hutchins's tactile works transform everyday objects into art forms that are both intimately familiar and reverently heightened, and her ambitious, raw, playful style, which runs the gamut from massive sculptural installations to clothing pieces, is easily recognizable. The artist often employs castoff household objects to create her earth-toned, figurative, and vessel-like forms. Her process has expanded since 2016 to include collage-like window pieces in fused glass, and in Ruined Windows, Adams and Ollman showcases glass sculptures created in collaboration with painter Marley Freeman. The exhibition's pièce de résistance is Presence, a 2017 sculpture that blends fused glass with ceramics to create a "rich assemblage of texture, color, light and imagery." LC
(Adams and Ollman, Northwest Portland, Wednesday–Saturday; closing)

Scrapbook Past Event Like List
In last year's Pathways at Seattle's Winston Wächter Fine Art, Joe Rudko focused on "hyper-specific abstraction" through found photo collages that created curious networks of memory. In Scrapbook, the Washington-based artist continues to pull at the threads of collective memory through Bauhaus-influenced photo collages and sculptures that reference textiles, mosaics, and paintings. I'm intrigued by Rudko's use of found photographs collected from shops, which he layers with scraps of his personal ephemera. LC
(PDX CONTEMPORARY ART, Slabtown, Tuesday–Saturday)