Rake is yet another arts collective in Portland, adding to a list which starts with the internationally active Red 76 arts group, but also includes Telegraph Arts and The Most etc... Yes, Portland is a close knit place and PORT supports these endeavors. It represents yet another wave of young artists in a crowded scene but the question of their seriousness needs to be raised?

Will Rake amount to something more than a party? That said there will be a party and you can check them out at Palla (a new fashion, music, lounge venue) June 30th at NW 3rd and Couch. I like their snappy diamond logo with various aircraft but I've yet to see anything really serious in terms of art. Sometimes, these groups need to do a few events to get it together and this is event #2.

These fine fresh fellows took over a house last month and there is also talk of a loft show in July. Good luck.

I'm glad to see someone creating an underground arts culture. Ever since Alphabet Dress peetered off, there's been a gaping hole. Alphabet Dress was so successful because it merged art and music with socializing and and geniunely created a culture (which helped develop a number of up-and-comers in their early careers). Even if it does revolve around parties, this doesn't seem to be such a big deal. that's how friendships and communities form. So, as to the comment of questioning their seriousness, I like that they don't have to be terribly serious. They have the freedom to take risks, evade the constraints of a formal gallery and provide some much needed fun. I look forward to see what develops with Rake.

Jenn, of course expecting more is part of the evil critic in me but in this case my expectations come from Rake themselves. Early on Rake made it clear to me to that their intent was to be more serious than alphabet dress was. Question is do they have the chops to pull it off? Art is about a manifestation of acuity, parties are usually about something else.

Out of curiosity, what do you think of Assume Vivid Astro Focus' work?
I saw/experienced a piece they (he?) did at Rosa de la Cruz's (big shot contemporary ary collector in miami) house last year during ArtBasel which was basically a very swanky backdrop for a party for the beautiful people.
What do you think of work that manifests as a blurred distinction between the acuity of art and a simple party/event....
(note: i'm not a fan of AVAF...)
Also, what happened to the Skylab collective? Did they suffer from the typical art collective doomed fate? Right before I moved away from Portland they were having fundraising parties for a film, etc, and then they just seemed to fade away..

I like the aspect of Assume Astro Vivid Focus which allows the editioned wallpapers to be installed in various configurations according to client's homes. I like things that arent so precious.

The actual effect isn't as good as the idea though and Tobas Meyer's Time Warner Tower place looks pretty awful (it is dominated by AAVF's wallpaper). He does have a John Currin on top of the wall paper though, so it might not be AAVF's fault entirely. Overall AAVF seems like an easy way to start an art riot, and I like the more difficult route. ...also FYI AAVF is a he.

As for skylab collective in Portland, I believe they still exist (but havnt been high profile compared to other groups). Jack Dingo Ryan recently had a PDX window project show. URL: http://skylab.org/about