Author: Noah Alexander Isaac Stein

Love and art share many commonalities; into addition to originating in similar places in the human heart, the best examples of both also often share depths of passion, sensuality, and beauty.

Likewise, while we are constantly tempted and sometimes prefer to search for their greater significance, the essence of both love and art may simply lie in sensory stimulation.

Of course such analysis of either may also be misplaced; elements such as aesthetic or philosophy might be inseparable from their expression. Perhaps, they are merely components of the same self-evident expression of some ineffable truth?

Regardless, as in love and art, it is certain that the marriage of the two produces sublime results.

On this theme of esoteric synthesis then, here are some First Friday shows which will mark this lovely February through art, beauty, love, and sensory pleasure.

• Visual and olfactory cross-stimulation at My Nose Made Me Do It by Catherine Haley at Pushdot Studio
• Stephanie Chefas Projects presents All This Useless Beauty a solo show of Serena Cole
• Botanical Burlesque at Redux Gallery
• The Pink Show at Splendorporium
• East Creative Collective’s February Open Studios and Vintage Valentines Day Pop-Up

See you on Friday!

Noah Alexander Isaac Stein
First Friday PDX Director

UPCOMING OPENINGS

MY NOSE MADE ME DO IT  | PUSHDOT STUDIO

Catherine Haley Epstein is an award-winning writer, artist, designer and curator. Over the past eight years she has pioneered the incorporation of scent into her visual and conceptual art practice. The effect has been an entirely new and more abstract dynamic to her work.

Mixing scent requires chance, knowledge and courage. In this installation, “My Nose Made Me Do It,” the artist has combined visuals with which she has been obsessed for over twenty years in the same manner she has combined scent materials – with love, patience and curiosity. The installation is a weaving of philosophy, art history and multimedia where scent, visuals, text and sculpture become distilled tales of her nose journey to date.

6 pm – 8 pm @ 2505 SE 11 th Avenue, Suite 104

ALL THIS USELESS BEAUTY  | STEPHANIE CHEFAS PROJECTS

This February, Stephanie Chefas Projects is delighted to present All This Useless Beauty, a solo exhibition from Northern California based painter Serena Cole and curated by arts writer Gabe Scott. Throughout the artist’s career, the physical body has served as the framework for which to look inward, outward and through the feminine psyche. Her watercolor and pencil renderings are composed of found images and anonymous individuals, which take on new roles and identities as assigned by Cole.

The images of these nameless individuals have been harvested for appropriation based on an emotional connection to the content. In working from pre-existing images, an individual in a photograph is no longer confined to existing in the original context presented. Revelations of her own subconscious are projected and manipulated on anonymous individuals, juxtaposing emotions and intuitions on to a new model that once only existed in a perfunctory realm.

7 pm – 10 pm @ 305 SE 3rd Ave, Ste 202

BOTANICAL BURLESQUE  | REDUX GALLERY

Group show featuring Northwest artists all focusing on a common theme of florals and the female form. Botanical Burlesque will focus on the female floral portraiture work of 6 woman artists.
6 pm – 9 pm @ 811 E Burnside St, # 116

THE PINK SHOW | SPLENDORPORIUM

Join us Friday, February 1st 7-9 for the opening of the PINK show. Featured artist Isaac Yoder with so many other artists!!!!! Visit the Art4Life children’s gallery to see the magic the kids make!

7 pm – 9 pm @ 3421 SE 21st Ave

OPEN STUDIOS AND VINTAGE VALENTINES POP-UP | EAST CREATIVE COLLECTIVE

Featuring open studios by resident artists, a vintage valentines day pop-up at Frida’s Den, fire dancing by Photonica, and live music by Slim Bacon, Edad Del Pavo, and TwentyThree Suns.

6 pm – 9 pm @ 211 SE Madison St.

 

BLOG

A NEW CHANGE ON THE HORIZON | VICTORIA GLANOWSKI

“…These types of independent galleries are being brought to the forefront to instill curiosity and thought in this chaotic world. Therefore, the world is in a dawn and it is up to the owners/directors of these galleries to make a difference in society.”

Read the full post here.

Contact Us

We love to promote art events involving our participating galleries and artists, please be sure to send your news and any feedback to: press@firstfridaypdx.org
General inquires: info@firstfridaypdx.org

Copyright © 2019 First Friday PDX, All rights reserved.

Happy New Years! The new year represent a fresh start, where the detritus of the previous year can be cleared away. Even if little immediately changes, the presence of definitive break can often help us move forward. This change however also inevitably comes with new challenges. Whether these are simply obstacles to be overcome en route, or painful detours, often comes down to perspective. On those themes, here are some openings this month we are especially excited about:

• The Field of View 2018 Artist Residency Exhibition at Wolff Gallery
• Stephanie Chefas Projects presents As Above by Jeff Sheridan. Sheridan’s work explores self-organizing symmetries in the natural world.
• Pacific Northwest Printmakers at Sidestreet Arts
• Gems and art: Sin is a Virtue and Hot Pursuit at Samora Mineral and Amber Co.
• Butters Gallery’s January Winter Exhibition

See you tomorrow!

Noah Alexander Isaac Stein
First Friday PDX Director

UPCOMING OPENINGS

FIELD OF VIEW  | WOLFF GALLERY

Field of View is an artist residency program placing visual artists with developmental disabilities in three-month-long artist residencies throughout the Portland community. The goals of this project are to help artists with disabilities gain access to spaces and communities that they have not been able to access before, provide artists with developmental disabilities with more visibility and opportunity for connection and exchange with new communities, and help them develop their professional practice and gain broader audiences for their work.

6 pm – 8 pm @ 2804 SE Ankeny Street

 

AS ABOVE  | STEPHANIE CHEFAS PROJECTS

In ‘As Above’, Jeff Sheridan moves beyond logical assumptions to ask questions such as “What is the natural mind?” and “What can be obtained from an ‘archaic’ mind?” Sheridan elucidates, “The modern technological supposition that we are the highest order of human to live on this planet is flanked by a great body of thought still influencing our lives, an ancient mind unable to separate subjective and objective, finding meaning in every great cosmic or earthly rumbling. This old mindset still holds a key to linking these realities. It’s also this archaic mind that got us in this present predicament. Which is a predicament in itself.”

7 pm – 10 pm @ 305 SE 3rd Ave, Ste 202,

PACIFIC NW PRINTMAKERS  | SIDESTREET ARTS

Sidestreet Arts is starting the new year off in print… with Pacific Northwest printmakers, that is. Our feature gallery walls will be covered with intaglio, linoleum and wood block prints, copper plate and monoprints.
Printmakers include, Greg Pharr, Katherine MacDowell, Kristin Kohl, Daniel Jasa, Rebecca Marsh McCannell, Beth Kerschen, Poppy Dully, Erik Sandgren, Steve, Wenshi Chan, & Michael Pratt.

6 pm – 9 pm @ 140 SE 28th Ave.

 

SIN IS A VIRTUE | HOT PURSUIT |
SAMORA MINERALS AND AMBER CO.

Courtney Catterton
In her new body of work, Sin is a Virtue, the artist explores the hyper-relevant and ever present clashing of what is deemed right versus wrong, and how this volatile duality assists in shaping our every move. With a devil on one shoulder and an angel on the other, we all navigate our day-to-day lives with an individualized take on what is good versus bad, right versus wrong, and sinful versus virtuous.

Liam Cliff
Liam Cliff’s art is a reflection of his life and what he holds close in his heart. With colors heavily inspired by the ocean and sky, as well as masculinity and femininity, he searches to show a balance between the two. Through the use of graphic shapes, Liam enjoys expressing the ethos of emotions and mental states we all experience. Ranging from ecstatic joy and love, to lack of fulfillment and sometimes, confusion, Liam wishes to create a map of these experiences.

6 pm – 9 pm @ 79 SE Taylor St

WINTER GROUP EXHIBITION  | BUTTERS GALLERY

The January edition of the Winter Group Exhibition including recent work by Andrea Schwartz-Feit, Jeffrey Butters, Marlana Stoddard-Hayes, Mark Rediske, Kathleen Waterloo and many more.

6 pm – 8 pm @ 157 NE Grand Avenue

Contact Us

We love to promote art events involving our participating galleries and artists, please be sure to send your news and any feedback to: press@firstfridaypdx.org
General inquires: info@firstfridaypdx.org

Copyright © 2019 First Friday PDX, All rights reserved.

First Friday is welcoming the holiday season in with several festive group shows perfect for gift giving, and several exciting solo shows equally perfect for reflecting on the joy that is inherently present in both human creation and the natural world. Here are some Dec. openings were especially excited to see:

• The Artistic and Eclectic Will Martin: Selected Works, 1957-1985 at Architectural Heritage Center
• Winterfest holiday celebration and small works show at The East Creative Collective
• An exhibition of hand built ceramics and illustrations by Christopher St. John. My Left, You’re Right at the Gallery at the Jupiter
• A Gifted Offering at Eutectic Gallery
• A Very Merry Cash & Carry Show at Sidestreet Arts
• The Island of Misfit Artists at Brassworks

See you on Friday!

Noah Alexander Isaac Stein
First Friday PDX Director

UPCOMING OPENINGS

THE ARTISTIC AND ECLECTIC WILL MARTIN: SELECTED WORKS 1957 -1985
@ THE ARCHITECTURAL HERITAGE CENTER

This original exhibition about the Portland and Oregon architect Will Martin (1930-1985), best known as the lead designer of Pioneer Courthouse Square, captures the full range of Martin’s creative and unconventional work as an architect, artist, and imaginative thinker. The exhibition demonstrates the vibrant fusion between art and architecture as it played out in Martin’s built and unbuilt work across the eras…

6 pm – 8 pm @ 701 SE Grand Ave.

WINTERFEST @ EAST CREATIVE COLLECTIVE

This holiday celebration, art and craft show is in collaboration with First Friday PDX. Multiple artists and vendors participating. Featuring a cash and carry art show with items $100 and less, a raffle, live music, fire dancing and more. Come check out our open studios, and celebrate with us! A magical holiday evening of fun, and creativity awaits.

6 pm – 9 pm @ 211 SE Madison St.

MY LEFT, YOU’RE RIGHT @ GALLERY AT THE JUPITER

Christopher St John is an artist, illustrator, and curator living in Eugene, Oregon. His work touches on the the incredible luck we have in living on a planet with a biosphere, the joy of form, and the importance of listening.6 pm – 8 pm  @ 800 E Burnside St

A GIFTED OFFERING @ EUTECTIC GALLERY

Our end of the year review and sneak peak at what’s in store for 2019. We’ll also have an expanded Pot Shop and discounted treasures in The Back Room for all your gift giving needs.

6 pm – 9 pm @ 1930 NE Oregon St. (entrance on NE 20th)

A VERY MERRY CASH AND CARRY SHOW @ SIDESTREET ARTS

Sidestreet Arts is helping you with your holiday shopping. We’ve asked our represented artists to deck our halls with art! Come December, our featured gallery will be chock full of artworks that can be purchased on the spot. We’re calling it “A Very Merry Cash & Carry Show”  And come visit our Christmas tree loaded with little artistic ornament treasures!

6 pm – 9 pm @ 140 SE 28th Ave.

ISLAND OF MISFIT ARTISTS AND BIZARRE BAZAAR @ BRASSWORKS GALLERY

The 2nd Annual Holiday Bizarre Bazaar group with exceptional and affordable art curated by Undergroundrobin!
6 pm – 10 pm @ 1127 SE 10th Ave

Contact Us

We love to promote art events involving our participating galleries and artists, please be sure to send your news and any feedback to: press@firstfridaypdx.org
General inquires: info@firstfridaypdx.org

Copyright © 2018 First Friday PDX – Portland’s Eastside Artwalk, All rights reserved.

 

The term chiaroscuro refers to the contrast between light and darkness in a work of art. As in any duality, there exists a central oppositional principle between light and darkness that defines the spectrum, and whose interplay draws our interest and creates depth.In celebration of shows this month that highlight themes of darkness and illumination, we are excited to embrace the central characteristic of light: the revealing of information. In addition to revealing some exciting art, we will also be drawing back the curtains on one of the largest changes that has been developing behind the scenes of First Friday PDX.

• FIrst Friday PDX is incorporating as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit
• Illuminations at Wolff Gallery: a selection of intaglio prints and wood sculptures by Tara Murino-Brault,
• Pull back the skin on the unseen with The Specral Divide by Mako Miyamoto at Stephanie Chefas Projects
• Light Revealed: Artist’s talk with Debra Van Tuinen at Butters Gallery
• The East Creative Collective reveals a sneak peak into its new gallery and event space Frida’s Den

See you tonight!

Noah Alexander Isaac Stein
First Friday PDX Co-DirectorFIRST FRIDAY PDX NEWS

FIRST FIRDAY PDX: NOT FOR PROFIT

We are excited to announce that First Friday PDX has begun the process of incorporating as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. By doing so we look forward to being able to better serve the art community of Portland, and expanding the ways in which we are able to support participating artists and galleries. Expect more news soon!

ILLUMINATIONS @ WOLFF GALLERY

Wolff Gallery is pleased to present Illuminations by Tara Murino-Brault, a selection of intaglio prints and wood sculptures in which the artist’s unique symbolism communicates themes of cultural power and powerlessness, spiritualism, mortality, and rebirth. Murino-Brault’s illustrative and layered treatment of bones, fungi, animals, hands, and religious icons brings into focus the tension between light and dark, reason and folly, and good and evil, and the interdependence of each to define the other. With these iconic etchings, Murino-Brault moves us beyond the inviting surfaces of ink and wood to illuminate profoundly personal yet accessible underlying narratives.

6 pm – 8 pm @ 2804 SE Ankeny St.

THE SPECTRAL DIVIDE @ STEPHANIE CHEFAS PROJECTS

This November, Mako Miyamoto makes his highly anticipated return to Stephanie Chefas Projects with a new collection of work entitled ‘The Spectral Divide’. Inspired by the infrared light that exists just beyond the scope of one’s naked eye, the show pulls back the skin on a previously unseen world. It’s here in this desolate realm of infrared radiation–where colors like red and violet emanate with newfound warmth–that Miyamoto’s fully-realized figures roam. As the artist brings us deeper into this seemingly alien terrain, the adjoining sensations of fear, danger, bewilderment, and curiosity remain utterly palpable. Meanwhile, the familiarity of each landscape provides a jarring reminder that this world is indeed just one step removed from our own, brushing past us like waves in the dark.

7 pm – 10 pm  @ 305 SE 3rd Ave., Ste 202

LIGHT REVEALED @ BUTTERS GALLERY

Join us for a special reception with comments by featured artist Debra Van Tuinen.  Van Tuinen’s exhibit is titled “Light Revealed” and highlights her most recent body of work.

“Light Revealed” is the organic evolution of my previous work into a new flowing form. In these pieces, I have opened up my relationship with paint and canvas, allowing myself a greater freedom to explore the movement and the sensual aspects of my work.

6 pm – 8 pm @ 3225 NE 65th Ave.
Artist’s talk at 6:30 pm

SNEAK PEAK OF FRIDA’S DEN @ EAST CREATIVE

East Creative is excited to offer a preview of our new event and gallery space Frida’s Den. Featuring live music, art, craft vendors and open studios, see the future of East Creative. Free kombucha too! Join us and come meet the artists of East Creative. Start your holiday shopping early with our 12 x 12 and under show, all art under $100! .

6 pm – 9 pm @ 211 SE Madison St.

 

 

First Friday is here again! The subject of this months First Friday Newsletter is Exuviae, or the shell an insect leaves behind as it grows.

Just as the vibrant colors of fall mark the cyclical progression of the seasons, so too do our own personal transformations contain beauty despite the difficulties of change.

Festivals of fall often revel in morbidity for good reason. In many ways change and death can be regarded as two perspectives of the same event; one from the viewpoint of the new, and one from that of the discarded shell. For this October First Friday, we are basking in the spirit of the season, and highlighting festive shows that explore and celebrate autumn themes of change, exuvia, and our constant exodus towards transformation.

• The October Street Exhibition and Harvest Festival at East Creative Collective
• Repose: A special benefit show for The ALS Association of OR/WA at Redux Gallery
• A celebration of Profusion at Eutectic Gallery
• Tarot card readings and awesome art at the Tarot and Day of the Dead Show at Splendorporium
• A new member joins the First Friday PDX team

See you tomorrow!

Noah Alexander Isaac Stein
First Friday PDX Co-Director

UPCOMING OPENINGS

OCTOBER STREET EXHIBITION AND HARVEST SHOW

The Harvest show will explore how we personally confront or embrace change, and the ways in which the shades of our past either haunt us or fertilize new growth. Artists will showcase work on the themes of transformation, death, new growth, and the lingering ghosts of the past.

“Autumn is a season of change, marked in both nature and agriculture by processes of harvest, feasting, and preparation for the cool interim before new growth. Even though it is necessary for a tree to shed its leaves in preparation for the new spring, we often struggle to shed our own dead skin. How do prepare for transformation? What happens to the old when we don’t move on?”

6 pm – 9 pm @ 211 SE Madison St.

“REPOSE” @ REDUX GALLERY

1a : a state of resting after exertion or strain; especially : rest in sleep
b : eternal or heavenly rest
2a : a place of rest
b : peace, tranquility
c : a harmony in the arrangement of parts and colors that is restful to the eye
3a : lack of activity : quiescence
b : cessation or absence of activity, movement, or animation
4: composure of manner : poise

This fall, Redux Gallery is pleased to present a very special group show, with a portion of the proceeds to benefit The ALS Association of OR/WA.
We are asking invited artists to face their mortality and express thoughts on different ways that cultures and people grieve and think about death. It’s about celebrating a life well lived, but also about rejecting the notion that these are negative or taboo topics to be avoided. We all deserve a “Good Death” and encourage others within this public forum to actively discuss the nature of grief, estate planning, ritualistic and commemorative celebration, traditions and burial practices popularized by both cultural norms and by the death industry as well as socially responsible alternative practices, and the importance of educating yourself about the options for you and your family when it’s time.

6 pm – 9 pm @ 811 East Burnside St. #116

“PROFUSION” AT EUTECTIC GALLERY

Profusion features the sculptures of Carol Gouthro and Kate Maury, celebrating all that is lush in life. And in the back room we have local artist and long-time educator, Jan Edwards with Stumbling into the Narrative: Morning Drawings & Other Small Tales. Join us, along with Jan and Carol for our monthly opening celebration

6 pm – 9 pm @ 1930 NE Oregon St.

TAROT AND DAY OF THE DEAD SHOW @ SPLENDORPORIUM

Special Tarot and Day of the Dead show. Ophelia Darkly will be here reading Tarot cards with her haunted dolls.

7 pm – 9 pm @ 3421 SE 21 Ave.

FIRST FIRDAY PDX NEWS

We are excited to introduce new First Friday PDX team member Victoria Glanowski.

“Victoria is a writer who dabbles in painting and drawing. She’s originally from New York State. You can occasionally find here people watching at either a tea or coffee shop.”

Victoria will taking over the First Friday Blog, expect to hear more from her soon!

Summer is coming to an end, but First Friday is going strong! After some awesome group shows and anniversaries of last month, we are looking forward to equally great solo shows in September. We are also excited to continue the First Friday Street Exhibition for our second to last month of the season.

Here is a list of some Friday openings we are especially excited to see:

• The First Friday Street Exhibition, with 5 new artists in September and live music by James Gardner and MED
• Susan Thayer’s Korean folk art inspired ceramics in About Water at Eutectic Gallery
• Hirsute youth culture interpretations of L.A. artist Erik Mark Sandberg’s Interlude at Stephanie Chefas Projects
• Grocery: Felt sculptures by LeBrie Rich’s at Wolff Gallery

See you on Friday!

The First Friday Team

UPCOMING NEWS
SEPTEMBER STREET EXHIBITION AND OPEN STUDIOS

Featuring the work of more than 20 artists and open studios, the street exhibition showcases artists of the South East Industrial Arts District and the East Creative Collective. Also featuring live music by James Gardner and MED. For a a full list of artists visit http://firstfridaypdx.org/streetexhibit/.

6 pm – 9 pm @ 211 SE Madison St.
SUSAN THAYER “ABOUT WATER” AT EUTECTIC GALLERY

About Water marks Susan Thayer’s returns to the art world after an eight year hiatus, during which time she traveled extensively throughout South Korea studying Korean art and Korean folk art in particular. The exhibition comprises works from 2008 through 2018, united thematically and conceptually through references to water. The diverse assembly of ceramic vessels range from oversized terra-cotta amphora, classically inspired vases, and the narrative porcelain teapots for which Thayer has become known.

6 pm – 9 pm @ 1930 NE Oregon St.
ERIK MARK SANDBERG “INTERLUDE” @ STEPHANIE CHEFAS PROJECTS
This September, Stephanie Chefas Projects is delighted to present ‘Interlude’, a solo exhibition of new work from L.A. based artist Erik Mark Sandberg. Drawing from contemporary consumer culture and the relentless bombardment of mass marketing, Sandberg’s paintings and sculptures create an uncanny portrait gallery of hairy adolescents. In addition to serving as a metaphor for the perversion and exploitation inherent in the consumer experience, the hirsutism of Sandberg’s subjects furthermore signifies the double-edged promise of overnight fame epitomized by Los Angeles.

7 pm – 10 pm @ 305 SE 3rd Avenue on the second floor of the Urban Row building
LEBRIE RICH “GROCERY” AT WOLFF GALLERY

Grocery, LeBrie Rich’s series of life-size branded food products, such as Fritos, Ritz Crackers, and Reese’s, are lovingly felted and stitched with painstaking attention to detail. The almost irresistibly soft texture of wool felt and the many hours of labor clearly spent on each piece invite us to slow down and (re)consider our connection to these familiar products. This work is both a tribute to and a critique of not only the foods that have shaped our lives and our memories, but also their branding. Through Rich’s careful rendering, each piece becomes a precious, tactile totem of our throwaway culture and an opportunity to reflect on our relationship to it.

6 pm – 8 pm @ 2804 SE Ankeny Street

It’s been a great summer for art so far, and the weather has cooled down just in time for First Friday!

Two galleries are celebrating anniversary openings on Friday, and after a great first First Friday Street Exhibition last month, we are looking forward to doing it again. Here is a list of some highlights to check out:

• The second summer First Friday Street Exhibition, featuring more than 27 local artists, musicians, and more…
• The Small Talk Photography Collective presents Heart Break City at Redux Boutique and Gallery
• Midnight night fun with The Sex Show at Afru Gallery.
• A group exhibition of artists celebrating the 30th Anniversary of Butters Gallery.
• Live painting at the One Year Anniversary of Wolff Gallery

AUGUST STREET EXHIBITION AND OPEN STUDIOS AT EAST CREATIVE

Featuring the work of 16 independent artists in August, as well as 11 open studios, the street exhibition will showcase artists of the South East Industrial Arts District. Also featuring live music by The Groove Birds, and Slim Bacon. For a a full list of artists visit http://firstfridaypdx.org/streetexhibit/.

6 pm – 9 pm at 211 SE Madison St.
SMALL TALK PRESENTS “HEARTBREAK CITY” AT REDUX BOUTIQUE AND GALLERY

Small Talk is a photography collective formed in Portland, Oregon in 2015. As a group, we explore the nature of what it means to be a visual storyteller, pool resources, provide support and critique, and facilitate community events and discussions. We engage in the best kind of “small talk,” that which binds us together both as a collective and within a larger community of women and minority artists, fostering stronger work and collaboration. Our first book, We’re Always Touching by Underground Wires, was published in April 2018.

Heartbreak City evokes the nostalgic feeling of warm summer nights, seedy motels, female desire, and being young and free.

6 pm – 9 pm at 811 East Burnside St. #116
THE SEX SHOW AT AFRU GALLERY
An unusual group show of adult themed artwork. Also featuring live music by DIG DEEP and a potluck.

6 pm – 12 am at 534 SE Oak Street
30th ANNIVERSARY EXHIBITION AT BUTTERS

We present our group exhibition of gallery artists celebrating our 30th anniversary. This will be the first of a two month changing group exhibition showcasing our current roster
of artists we represent including several of whom we’ve worked with for the entire 30 years. Our August presentation will focus mostly on artists from the Pacific Northwest and
our September presentation will focus more on those artists we work with from outside the region.

6 pm – 8 pm 157 NE Grand Ave.3rd
ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY AT WOLFF GALLERY

Can you believe it? It’s been a year since we moved into our space in SE Portland. Come celebrate with us!

There will be live painting by our exhibiting artist, Lorena Guerra Matteucci, aka M3AT, and refreshments. Join us!

6 pm – 12 am at 2804 SE Ankeny St.

 

Between the kickoff of the First Friday Street Exhibition, and some exciting openings, we’re looking forward to seeing some especially amazing art this Friday.  Here are a few highlights:

FIRST FRIDAY JULY STREET EXHIBITION

Featuring the work of 14 local artists, the July street exhibition is excited to showcase independent artists of the South East Industrial Arts District, as well as fire dancing, and live music by Twenty Three Suns and solo harpist Annette Pritchard.

6-9 pm at 211 SE Madison St.

BUTTERS GALLERY PRESENTS: “IN AVOIDANCE OF BEAUTY” BY BERND HAUSSMANN

“Beyond the aesthetics of commerce, culture and convention, beauty is what we find.
It is in us, a default setting in the evolution of our brains. Like greed, envy, hate, and love.”
–Bernd Haussmann

6-8 pm at 157 NE Grand Ave

MERYL PATAKY AT STEPHANIE CHEFAS PROJECTS

Stephanie Chefas Projects is delighted to welcome Oakland-based artist Meryl Pataky back to the gallery for a stunning collection of new work. Breaking new ground while fortifying her devotion to light, Pataky continues to explore her aesthetic to mind-blowing effect. Flexing her experimental muscles for this exhibit, she adds a quick cast of resin and black pigment to the neon tubes, simulating the leak of a transformer.

7-10 pm at 305 SE 3rd Avenue, Suite 202

POETRY AND BRAD WINTER AT ROLL-UP PHOTO STUDIO AND GALLERY

Brad Winter’s recent drawings are abstract and immediate, the result of process turned loose in an automatic/free manner—creating space/s made new with each successive adventure. He has worked in painting, drawing, collage and a variety of print disciplines. Involved in Portland’s music, art and poetry scenes since the late 1970’s, Winter has shown throughout the Pacific Northwest, including the Oregon Biennial at the Portland Art Museum.

5–9 PM at 1715 SE Spokane St.
Reception + Poetry Reading
7–8 PM
Readings by Portland poets: Casey Bush, Anatoly Molotkov, Dan Raphael, John Sibley Williams, Brad Winter and Laura Winter.

#CYBORGS AT SHOUT HOUSE

#cyborgs brings together artwork from across disciplinary divides for a multi-platformed art experience focused on Donna Haraway’s concept of the cyborg as a queer political body. #cyborgs connects photography, digital images, video, score based performance, digital avatars, social media residencies, and potent fusions of them all.

6:30 – 9:30 pm at 210 SE Madison St.

We are looking forward to an especially exciting First Friday this month, with some fantastic shows and opportunities to get involved. Here are a few highlights:

APPLICATIONS FOR THE FIRST FRIDAY STREET EXHIBITION NOW OPEN

Open to all artists and creators based in Portland, the Street Exhibition is located at SE Madison and SE 2nd Avenue. We especially encourage galleries and artists based in the SE Arts District to join us. For more information visit FirstFridayPDX.org/apply or email Info@FirstFirdayPDX.org

EMERGENCE GROUP SHOW AT REDUX GALLERY

As if our thoughts and ideas could be worn like a headdress, this show explores what it would be like if our ideas were visible visual narratives.
Emoting both ones personal identity and cultural heritage, here we see a variety of magical portraits which convey the complex inner workings of ones mind as if they were literally Emerging from within.
Marlana Stoddard-Hayes “Aequanimatas” at Butters Gallery

We present our fourth solo exhibition of paintings by Portland-based Stoddard-Hayes. Notably, each of her paintings begin with the application of fungi (from her garden) directly onto the surface, leaving imagery that guides the composition.

The artist posits regarding this body of work:
Over time I have developed a following by staying true to what my body has told me to make, and not only my mind. This exhibition traces a path through the entire garden year, as I found great solace and calm by living on and tending to an acre of land near the Willamette, in a time of great personal challenge

PORTLAND ROOTED AT EAST CREATIVE COLLECTIVE

East Creative in cooperation with The Portland Rose Festival is proud to host Portland Rooted. Portland Rooted will showcase local artists whose work celebrates Portland as the “City of Roses.”
KARUNA CONTEMPORARY LIVING ANNIVERSARY SHOW

“Karuna is turning 3 years old! Please celebrate with us ~ Artist Lubosh Cech will be showing his artwork and we will collectively cultivate and contemplate an environment of warmth and inclusion at Portland’s own “Boutique For The Mindfully-Minded.”

It’s been a busy Spring, and we are excited to welcome the addition of 7 new galleries to the First Friday map since our last update. Be sure to check out our updated listing for the latest details! There are too many interesting shows this month to list everything here,  but a few highlights to check out this Friday include:

Fur and Feather
Brassworks Gallery presents a 14 artist habitat of Animalgamation. We are celebrating the animal kingdom this month, so if it walks, crawls, flies or burrows our artists will include them in our amalgamation of creatures.
East Creative and Photonica

In addition to a all new works by resident artists, including two new artists, East Creative Collective is excited to announce our May opening will feature live fire dancing by Isabel Platten of Photonica. Join us for a night of art, food, wine, and flame!

Alyson Provax “you I everything else”

In her solo exhibition, you I everything else, Alyson Provax highlights this phenomenon of inherited memories and behaviors, and particularly how it manifests in the language used by current and past contestants in the reality television series, The Bachelor. The artist’s letterpress prints, light boxes, animations, and mirrors isolate words and phrases participants on the show often repeat from season to season, revealing a shared vernacular that helps to reinforce a particular experience of love and what “authentic” connection looks like. However, as Provax points out, “loneliness exists not in solitude but in concealment. The idea that we should be a consistent and watchable self is a form of this loneliness. We are all inconsistent, the individual self is neither static nor true.”

Shop People Joins First Friday

“Shop People LLC was established in 2005 as the first members based makerspace in the Portland. Over the years, there have been almost five hundred members who have honed their crafts, skills and relationships within these old walls. Many were hobbyist, who became artists, who become business people and then grew to larger facilities. Some just liked to tinker DIY style and learn from experts. Regardless of their goal, all appreciated the low overhead, managed tools and space as well as community. ”

Be sure to check out their opening this month, featuring work by 11 artists and live music by Josie Lisette.