Literary Arts Presents the Portland Book Festival Portland Oregon
May 2023

June DanceWatch: Unity in Diversity

Jamuna Chiarini takes a deep dive into Indian dance this month with a look at a performance of the epic “Ganga to Kaveri,” plus productions from NW Dance Project, Oregon Ballet Theatre, Danielle Ross, and more.

In memoriam: George Johanson

Remembering an artistic life well and truly lived: The Northwest artist died in October of 2022; his memorial service is June 11 at the World Forestry Center.

(Mis)remembering: VizArts Monthly

June’s art offerings explore the phenomena of memory in a variety of media including paint, performance, and piñata paper.

The vital art of reflecting on disease

Ruth Ross and others carry on a centuries-old tradition of depicting the realities and reflections of cancer and other diseases in their art.

DramaWatch: At PSU, a Kabuki farewell

The premiere of a fresh Kabuki adaptation of a 1685 Japanese puppet play is Laurence Kominz’ swan song. Plus “Afropolitical Movement,” openings, closings.

Gaming Euphoria

In the latest installment of ArtsWatch’s Gender Deconstruction series, game designer and self-described “science communicator” Olive Marion Gabriel Joseph Wick Perry talks passion projects, day jobs, and making it all work.

PICA: Out of the pandemic, into the future

Retiring Portland Institute for Contemporary Art executive director Victoria Frey and her successor, Reuben Roqueñi, discuss the venerable avant-garde arts institution’s coming transformation.

DramaWatch: Beyond grit in ‘Mary Jane’

Endurance, warmth and strength in Amy Herzog’s play; clawing the walls at Shaking the Tree; the casting controversy; is “who wrote Shakespeare” the wrong question?

News & Notes: Vanport Flood at 75

The eighth annual Vanport Mosaic Festival, remembering the flood and its legacy, begins. Also: Schnitzer Hall gets too hot to handle; Carlos Kalmar is investigated.

Bonnie Lucas at ILY2

The retrospective “Bonnie Lucas 1978-2023” is the first show in ILY2’s new Pearl gallery space. Hannah Krafcik considers the coded meanings of the bejeweled and bedecked compositions.

Photo: A Portland Journal, Part 4

Remembrance of things not so very past: As Portland crawls back from the crises of the past three years, K.B. Dixon’s urban portraits capture the everyday beauty of the city that was.

Robert Shaw (the conductor) and Robert Shaw (the actor) as Quint in 'Jaws'

PuzzleWatch: Not THAT Robert Shaw

Two Robert Shaws (Roberts Shaw?) are at the center of this month’s crossword puzzle. One was an actor, known for his roles in films such as ‘Jaws’ and ‘The Sting’; the other was a conductor, famous for his pristine interpretations of great choral works.

Eva Lake shakes the tree

After a tumultuous few years, a recent self-curated show in her new home gave this venerable, multitalented artist a sense of agency and renewal.

Review: MOMIX goes through the looking glass

A colorful rendition of Lewis Carroll’s ‘Through the Looking Glass’ and ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’ brings illusion to the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall.

Four chords and a dark mirror

Leslie Peterson Sapp’s vivid collage-paintings reflecting the moods of Film Noir echo a long creative history of borrowing and revising in music and art.

Nataki Garrett and OSF part ways

The artistic director of the embattled Oregon Shakespeare Festival departs as the company is in the midst of an emergency fund drive to keep its season going.

DramaWatch: Profile and the playwrights

At Profile, a gathering of contemporary voices. Plus: Clowning around at Milagro, Corrib’s gritty solo show, last days for “Come From Away,” Portland Playhouse’s new season and more.

VizArts Monthly: Vibrancy in May

Warmer weather is here – at least for now! Celebrate by heading out to take in some art at any of these enticing offerings.

All Classical On the Move

Portland’s ambitious, forward-looking classical music radio station is expanding its scope, creating space for live performances, and relocating to downtown Portland.

Review: Oregon Ballet Theatre’s ‘Firebird’ takes flight

Yuri Possokhov’s highly acclaimed rendition of the Russian folktale was accompanied by “Indigo,” Stanton Welch’s one-act contemporary octet, and the world premiere of “Eco” by Paul Taylor Company resident choreographer, Lauren Lovette.

City of Hillsboro Walters Cultural Arts Center Raye Zaragoza Hillsboro Oregon
Sherwood Center for the Arts Chopin and Liszt with Pianist Darin Niebuhr Sherwood Oregon
Kalakendra Performing Arts A Tribute to Pt. Rajan Mishra First Congregational Church Portland Oregon
Portland Opera The Marriage of Figaro Keller Auditorium Portland Oregon
Corrib Theatre Woman and Scarecrow Portland Oregon
City of Hillsboro Community Mural Dedication M&M Marketplace Hillsboro Oregon
Local 14 Art Show and Sale World Forestry Center Portland Oregon
Oregon Repertory Singers All-Night Vigil Portland Oregon
Chamber Music Northwest Orion Quartet The Old Church Portland Oregon
Seattle Opera, Alcina, Handel's Story of Sorcery, McCaw Hall, Seattle Washington
Hallie Ford Museum of Art, Crow's Shadow Institute of the Arts Biennial, Willamette University, Salem Oregon
Hallie Ford Museum of Art at 25, Highlights from the permanent collection, Willamette University, Salem Oregon
Portland Playhouse Roald Dahl Matilda the Musical Portland Oregon
Literary Arts Presents the Portland Book Festival Portland Oregon
NW Dance Project Sharing Stories Newmark Theatre Portland Oregon
Maryhill Museum of Art Columbia Gorge Washington
Portland State University College of the Arts
Oregon Cultural Trust tax credit donate
Gender Deconstruction Series
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