Storm Tharp, "Twins at a Funeral"

Storm Tharp is exhibiting ARM & ARM at PDX Contemporary. This new body of work continues his "lengthy investigation into the relationship between human nature and artfulness, form and function." Nine major works will be featured, exploring portraiture, painting, film, and one ambitious sculptural piece. Tharp, who was reviewed by PORT last year, named this exhibition such that "in all forms of its meaning, 'two' is revealed. 'Two' and what it conjures, is the basis by which the work for this exhibition was made."

Opening reception • 6-8pm • November 6
PDX Contemporary • 925 NW Flanders • 503.222.0063



Allan Maertz, "Easter Island"

Chambers is celebrating their reopening this week with Encyclopedia A - L, an alphabetical exhibition by photographer Allan Maertz. The new location is great - right in the heart of the Pearl galleries - and they already have a year of excellent programming lined up.

Opening reception • 6-8pm • November 6
Chambers • 916 NW Flanders • 503.227.9398



Pat Steir, "Simple White For Joe"

Pat Steir presents New Work at Elizabeth Leach. Steir's new paintings and monotypes transform the boundary of figuration and abstraction, subverting traditional abstraction techniques such as dripping and splashing by pushing through to figuration.

Opening reception • 6-9pm • November 6
Elizabeth Leach Gallery •417 NW 9th • 503.224.0521



LEFT: Shiva Ahmadi, "Bullets and Boots," detail; RIGHT: Baochi Zhang, untitled, detail

Shiva Ahmadi and Baochi Zhang present Looking Back at PNCA's Feldman Gallery. These two contemporary artists incorporated techniques learned while studying in their home countries - Iran and China - to develop a body of work that "infuses personal experiences into broader ethnic and political topics."

Exhibition • November 6 - December 24
PNCA • 1241 NW Johnson St. • 503.226.4391



Brian Crane, "Penland Rocks"

The Raw Oyster Project, a cooperative gallery that took over Tilt's old space, is showing Brian Crane's Idle Hands... Crane is exhibiting a series of sculptures and prints that explore improvisational building: "He combines the planned with the spontaneous, the familiar with the abstract, and the finished with the raw."

Opening reception • 5-9:30pm • November 6
Raw Oyster Project • 625 NW Everett #106 • 860.478.8427




Fontanelle, which opened in September in Chambers' old space, is delivering a little of that cozy autumn charm. Autumn Sweater is a group exhibition that evokes a semi-ironic nostalgia for "high school football games that we never attended... street crews that don't quit, family and friends cheering at the sidelines, and truly radical bro-downs everywhere!" All this is captured by the familiarity of graphite on paper, as explored by Dana Dart-McLean, Mark Delong, Hollie Dzama, Jess Fogel, Nicole Georges, Jess Hirsch, Denise Kupferschmidt, Logan Macdonald, Jason Overby, Dawn Riddle, Suzanne Sattler, Suzannah Sinclair, and Josh Slater.

Opening reception • 205 SW Pine St. • 503.274.7668



James O'Keefe

James O'Keefe offers us a little solace, with E-Z Weekend Projects (in a sub-prime world) at Gallery 114. The exhibition features sculpture and new painting about "dysfunctionality, nostalgia, economic inequality, and things you can make in a sub-prime world."

Opening reception • 6-9pm • November 6
Artist lecture • 3pm • November 8
Gallery 114 • 1100 NW Glisan • 503.243.3356



Jessica McCambly

IGLOO presents Jessica McCambly's Leave a Tender Moment Alone. McCambly utilizes minimalism and formal simplicity to explore place, sentimentality, and emotional nuance through these works on paper.

Opening reception • 6-10pm • November 6
IGLOO • 326 NW 6th #102 • 503.724.7300



Lorna Nakell, "Building Up"

Lorna Nakell will be exhibiting work from her Weir Farm Artist Residency in the back room of Beppu Wiarda. During her two week stay at Connecticut's Weir Farm Art Center (the only national park dedicated to American painting), Nakell created six works on paper. Many of the works took Nakell away from her color field landscapes to a new, stark and revealing style of portrait. You can read more about her residency on her blog.

Opening reception • 6-9pm • November 6
Beppu Wiarda • 319 NW 9th • 503.241.6460



May Juliette Barruel

It's Election Day, and we can't completely leave politics out of this. Whether you're mourning or celebrating this week's results, come to the downtown Stumptown to experience American Blur by May Juliette Barruel and Tamar Monhait: "american pie. american eagle. american football. american cars. american dream. american english. american flag. american express. american revolution. american dollar. american airlines. american literature. american independence. american idol. american frontier. american pitbull. american presidents. american blur."

Opening reception • 6-9pm • November 6
Stumptown • 128 SW 3rd AVE • 503.295.6144



Elliot Erwitt

The Basil Hallward Gallery on the third floor of Powell's will be exhibiting photographs by Elliot Erwitt. Don't miss PORT's interview of Erwitt.

Exhibition • November 6 - 30
Powell's Books • 1005 W Burnside

This is an especially strong lineup of shows for November's 1st thursday... another show that looks quite promising is Kojo Griffin at Quality Pictures. I liked his last show but this one seems to explore the ghosts that are haunting the art world these days... and it is not all financial.

Now that the election is over I think a lot of people will be coming out for the big social mixer that is 1st Thursday.