Portland Center Stage at the Armory Nassim Portland Oregon
Media
Jon Franklin, who died last month at 82, taught a generation of journalists – including ArtsWatch’s Brett Campbell -- to apply the power of storytelling to news reporting. Franklin is pictured in 1985 in his University of Maryland office. Photo by: Edwin Remsberg/The Diamondback/University of Maryland University Archives

Jon Franklin and the art of nonfiction

A former student recalls how the one-time University of Oregon and Oregon State professor taught generations of writers to use the techniques of drama to tell true stories.

Tyler Crook (right), chair of the Willamina Public Library board, leads a Saturday drawing workshop. Crook, a professional comics artist, says, “We live in some pretty challenging times and libraries are uniquely suited to provide the things that our community needs." Photo by: David Bates

Willamina Public Library: The little library that could

The library has weathered budget and staff cuts, an unwieldy inventory, and the pandemic to deliver everything from books to workshops, games, and homeless outreach to the Yamhill County community of 2,200.

Theresa McCracken works in the upstairs loft of her home studio on another monthly cartoon for The Drift Inn. Among other endeavors, the Waldport resident has made a living creating cartoons for a wide variety of publications and clients. Photo by: Quinton Smith/YachatsNews.com

Theresa McCracken: A zigzag life

The Waldport cartoonist has been a cartographer, written a book about an Oregon cult, and traveled the world.

Zooming into a new theater

As the pandemic shuts down in-person shows, director Patrick Nims blazes a trail in live video theater.

Theater for the Ears

Portland theaters, shut off from the stage, find a future from the past: radio theater, updated for the digital age.

Stage frights and podcasts

As theaters go dark, actors’ tales on “The Actor’s Nightmare” of real-life stage disasters seem a perfect antidote.

Solidarity through song

Voices from the front: Anton Belov brings a community of singers together through Facebook Karaoke.

Vision 2020: Brenna Crotty

The CALYX editor says “men would benefit a lot from reading female-centered narratives.”

A Deadly Wind by John Dodge

Remembering the Big Blow

Book author John Dodge will speak in Cannon Beach about the 1962 Columbus Day Storm.

“The happiness of the Ken Martin family is reflected in their smiles” notes the caption of an AP Wirephoto published in May 1959, the day after the body of 11-year-old Susan (far right) was found in a Camas Slough. Other family members are (from left): Virginia, 13; son Donald (no age given); parents Barbara and Ken; and Barbara, 14 (seated on floor). Except for Donald, the family disappeared in December 1958 on a Christmas-tree outing. Photo courtesy: JB Fisher

The family that vanished

Author JB Fisher discusses the 61-year-old mystery of what happened to the Martin family of Portland.

Ed Asner, who says a real Democrat is a euphemism for socialist, characterizes the current political environment as “like the monkeys escaped the zoo.” Photo by: Tim Leyes

Ed Asner: On politics and performing

In about 10 days, Ed Asner will take the stage at the Newport Performing Arts Center in the play God Help Us!  The 90-minute show is described as “a political comedy for our times, and centers on two opposite-leaning pundits who are

McMinnville’s gallery scene primed to expand

There’s a buzz in McMinnville concerning an 84-year-old house on the corner of Baker and Northeast Seventh Streets, which marks almost the exact center of town. In the last decade or so, it’s functioned as a florist, a salon and a home-goods

Have an old-fashioned Dia de Muertos — with Aztec dancing

When Jose Carlos came to Oregon in the mid-1990s, he didn’t see much of his own Mexican culture in the community. Other Latinos attended his Woodburn high school, but public displays of culture from south of the border? No. “I didn’t see

Hispanic Heritage Month, Russian theater and music, and more

Hispanic Heritage Month, Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, is designated as a time to celebrate the contributions — not just in arts and culture, but in all human endeavors — of Hispanic and Latino Americans. It started as Hispanic Heritage Week in

Fragmentation in motion: An interview with Jaleesa Johnston

This past April, I had the pleasure of interviewing artists kiki nicole (they/them) and ariella tai (they/them) about their work through the first and the last—an experimental film/video and new media arts project. This endeavor offers a platform to amplify and support

A safe space for deep criticism of art

In a recent discussion with manuel arturo abreu (they/them) the co-founder of a Portland-based pop-up art school called home school, a fundamental question surfaced—a question that directly relates to the relevance of this very platform: Why would someone hate art? For abreu, a

“Tesla” lab report

Introduction Harmonic Laboratory’s most recent experiment investigated the question: Can a creative cooperative based in digital media, dance, and music successfully add a new theatrical element to its existing compound to produce an integrative, immersive multimedia experience? This lab report examines the

Bonnie Bronson 2024 Fellow Wendy Red Star Reed College Reception Kaul Auditorium Foyer Portland Oregon
Kalakendra Indian Classical Instrumental Music First Congregational Church Portland Oregon
Portland Center Stage at the Armory Nassim Portland Oregon
City of Hillsboro Walters Cultural Arts Center Tony Furtado Hillsboro Oregon
Maryhill Museum of Art Goldendale Washington
Portland State University College of the Arts
Portland Chamber Orchestra A Feast of Beethoven Kaul Auditorium Reed College Portland Oregon
PassinArt Theatre and Portland Playhouse present Yohen Brunish Theatre Portland Oregon
Golden Road Arts Grey Raven Gallery Near the Reser Beaverton Oregon
Triangle Productions presents Eleanor starring Margie Boule Portland Oregon
Pacific Maritime Heritage Center Prosperity of the Sea Lincoln County Historical Society Newport Oregon Coast
Newport Performance and Visual Arts Centers Newport Oregon Coast
Portland Area Theatre Alliance Fertile Ground Portland Oregon
Northwest Dance Project Sarah Slipper Newmark Theatre Portland Oregon
Portland Art Museum Virtual Sneakers to Cutting Edge Kicks Portland Oregon
High Desert Museum Sasquatch Central Oregon
Oregon Cultural Trust donate
We do this work for you.

Give to our GROW FUND.