Luisa and Rene talk theater and life
May 2, 2023
Actor Luisa Sermol and novelist Rene Denfeld sit down for a chat about drama, stories, sexism, making the invisible seen, and working together on the play “Myra’s Story.”
Actor Luisa Sermol and novelist Rene Denfeld sit down for a chat about drama, stories, sexism, making the invisible seen, and working together on the play “Myra’s Story.”
From Frida Kahlo to Banksy to Arvie Smith to Elizabeth Leach’s 40 years to Michelangelo vs. the dinosaurs, a year of invigorating things to see.
From the glories of Movie Madness to a flock of festivals to the tale of Will Vinton’s lost dreams, it was a very good film year in Oregon.
Oregon’s theater scene took the year literally in stages, from Covid caution to something resembling (but not quite) full speed ahead.
From Putin’s invasion of Ukraine to vaccine wars to street protests and racial reckonings, the art world responds to the world at large.
Students are using non-recyclable debris to create a tidal-rock sculpture that will grace the new Lincoln City Cultural Center Plaza.
The holiday tradition returns Dec. 17 and 18 after the theater company went dark for nearly two years due to COVID.
Niki Price of the Lincoln City Cultural Center is hiking the Coast to raise money for the center and awareness of public art.
On view at the JSMA in Eugene: Belkis Ayón’s collagraphs explore the mythology of an all-male secret society that she could never join.
Once a flight attendant, Sora O’Doherty soars with her large-scale calligraphic performance art.
Priti Gandhi, who comes from Minnesota Opera, will be one of the few top woman artistic leaders in the opera world.
Sue Taylor considers the work of Dennis Cunningham, whose deft linocuts of Oregon fishing reflect the fabric of life in the state. Cunningham died last week.
The music fest, which lost its 20th season last year to the pandemic, plans to start again in ’21 – if restrictions are eased in time.
Veteran Portland actor Tobias Andersen remembers talking with Plummer about how to play Prospero.
Rian Dundon has been photographing Oregon protests since 2019. Blake Andrews gets the lowdown on his busy year.
The images of the insurrectionists invading the Capitol were complicated by the backdrop: the art on the walls.
Two arts “lifers” drop a debut record in the midst of the 2020 debacle. The hard questions began to drop, too.
“The arts are undergoing a catastrophe. The performing arts sector, specifically, has been squashed. And, as with any tragedy, I think there are also revelations.”
Businesses boarded up against Covid and protests. Artists saw blank canvases. A look at very public art projects.
A Portland artist and his iPhone camera create a complex portrait of a city in flux.
Sue Taylor reviews Rose Dickson’s exhibition “Giantess” on view at Melanie Flood Projects through September 27th.
Venice VR Expanded brings virtual reality to the Portland Art Museum. Two ArtsWatch writers tried it out.
Andrew D. Jankowski and Safiyah Maurice give an inside view of the visual art and culture components of the Black Lives Matter protests in Portland.
Amid difficult times, the Portland opera singer Onry raises his voice for inclusion.
The state’s cultural sector gets a much-need lift as part of a $200 million Covid-19 economic lifeline.
The last class of OCAC’s MFA in Craft program has a show – in person- at Upfor Gallery for one week in July. Briana Miller reviews.
The Oregon artist helped create Toledo’s arts colony, and has a show at Newberg’s Chehalem Cultural Center.
Briana Miller reports on the digital and virtual exhibitions of work from the graduating classes of 2020.
In an open letter, more than 1,000 individuals and 100 groups in PDX voice demands for racial justice.
Portland Opera’s ex-chief: Precarious arts funding, “small is better” ethos imperil the city’s major arts groups.
How you hear Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata can depend on the instrument it’s played on.
A conversation on a train takes a ride into Portland racial history and one woman’s life of beauty and elegance.
The new design magazine Joon celebrates Portland, from funeral homes to food carts.
Even without a pandemic, middle school can be stressful. Create More, Fear Less channels that anxiety into art.
In Eugene, the legendary Russian pianist Lazar Berman made his choice. Now you can decide for yourself.
As theaters go dim, playwright Rachael Carnes tries video-conference plays – and leaves a light on for good luck.
“He doesn’t belong anywhere”: At Portland Playhouse, a tale of Black identity comes to searing life.
Rachel Rosenfield Lafo considers the artist’s meditative fiber sculptures made from deconstructed canvases
Metropolitan Youth Symphony director talks full STEAM ahead about the links among science, education, and the arts.
Sue Taylor reviews Kerry Skarbakka’s recent exhibition at Northview Gallery, PCC Sylvania
The “Human Involved: The Fifth Annual Sex Workers’ Art Show” turns the tables on a dehumanizing term and allows very human sex worker artists to speak.
The Art of Space: Shop La Familia was started by Swiggle Mandela as an outpost for hip hop in a hostile city.
Sebastian Zinn considers Hare’s work, approach to portraiture, and award in the prestigious Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition.
Nexus Vocal Ensemble brings impressive technique and spiritual power to Shaw, Buxtehude, and Barnwell.
Evan Lewis considers OJMCHE’s exhibition of artifacts from the career of a musical legend
Katie Taylor previews this edition of Saturday’s Portland Book Festival, with its nine stages and more than 100 authors.
Gawdafful National Theater visited Yale Union for ‘The Dope Elf,’ a play about white supremacy that kept the audience in motion.
Anne Sofie von Otter and Kristian Bezuidenhout show Portland how it’s done.
Sebastian Zinn discusses Jo Hamilton’s new mural at SE 56th and Foster.
Linda Wysong dives deep into Eiko Otake’s TBA offerings and a show of her work at PNCA through Oct. 24.
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