Vanessa Renwick, still from "Britton, South Dakota"

In October, Blue Sky will be screening Vanessa Renwick's Britton, South Dakota. The short film features found 16mm footage of children standing in front of a Strand movie theater shot by local theater manager Ivan Besse. Renwick writes: "The children had no idea what a movie camera was. The lack of narrative invites dressing these cinematic dolls with futures, now histories. The melancholic drone of the accompanying organ music tends to lead them into sad tragic finery."

Opening reception • 6-9pm • October 1
Blue Sky Gallery • 122 NW 8th • 503.225.0210



Thomas Michael Alleman, "West Hollywood November 2001"

Blue Sky is also featuring the photography of Thomas Michael Allen. In Sunshine and Noir, Alleman uses a medium format Holga to explore "the hackneyed visual mythos of LA."

Opening reception • 6-9pm • October 1
Blue Sky Gallery • 122 NW 8th • 503.225.0210



Ryan Pierce at Elizabeth Leach (photo Jahn)

PORTstar Ryan Pierce is exhibiting Written from Exile, his debut at Elizabeth Leach. The large-scale acrylic paintings "examine our world after the end of the industrial era, projected human migration patterns, and the remains of civilization. Pierce poses the questions: Who will be displaced by climate change and where will they go? How will they get there and how will they be accepted? What will happen to the things they've left behind?"

Opening reception • 6-9pm • October 1
Elizabeth Leach Gallery • 417 NW 9th • 503.224.0521



Signal Fire residency trailer

IGLOO is exhibiting The Soft Shovel: Signal Fire Residents 2009. The show presents the inaugural residents of the Signal Fire Outpost residency, including new photography, drawing, and mixed-media sculpture, alongside collaborative video and sound work. Featured artists include Katy Asher (and collaborators), Tom Colligan, Bruce Conkle, Ryan Jeffery, Marne Lucas, Jenn Rawling, Vanessa Renwick and Ethan Rose, as well as a self-published essay by husband/wife team Ryan Pierce and Amy Harwood about establishing Mt. Hood's first artist residency.

Opening reception • 6-10pm • October 1
IGLOO • 325 NW 6th #102 • iglooarts@gmail.com




Tractor presents Blue Thrust, an exhibition by proprietor Charles Marshall Olson. Picking up from Tractor's very first show, Orange Crush, in Blue Thrust "a few rules have been applied but the sense of emergence through construction remains. Scale, Pattern, and Form have all been give a bit of forethought, but let's not think too hard, just make."

Opening reception • 6-9pm • October 1
Tractor • 328 NW Broadway #114 • charles@tractorpdx.com



Tom Cramer, "Proportionless"

Tom Cramer presents new work at Laura Russo this month. Cramer's painted wood carvings and wood burnings are "dynamic explorations of semi-abstract line and energetic color" drawing from Cramer's frequent travels. Russo will also be featuring work by PNCA alumni in conjunction with the school's centennial.

Opening reception • 5-8pm • October 1
Artist talk • 11am • October 17
Laura Russo • 805 NW 21st • 503.226.2754




PSU is launching a new video gallery. Their first exhibition will be Some Random Videos by Art and Social Practice Professor Harrell Fletcher. The video gallery will also be featuring night projections on the art building from dusk to dawn.

Opening reception • 5-6pm • October 1
PSU Video Gallery • 2000 SW 5th AVE • Lobby PSU Art Building



Stuart Cornell, "Composition 61"

As you may have noticed, PNCA is celebrating their centennial, and with the start of the school year, so is everyone else. Mark Woolley is coming back out of semi-retirement to curate a PNCA at 100 tie-in at Anka Gallery, in the former Rake space. All in the Family celebrates a range of PNCA-connected artists with whom Woolley has worked over the years, including: Rachael Allen, Diane Avio-Augee, Stuart Cornell, Rachel Denny, Brigitte Dortmund, Tamara English, Nancy Franzino, Michael T Hensley, Emery Hinkley, Edward C. H. King. Alison O'Donoghue, Julia Stoops, and Melinda Thorsnes.

Opening reception • 6-9:30pm • October 1
Anka Gallery • 325 NW 6th • 503.224.5721



At Fourteen30

Across the river, Fourteen30 is having a special First Thursday opening for their October exhibition. Nan Curtis and Nicolaii Dornstauder will be exhibiting work - also in conjunction with PNCA's centennial. Curtis is PNCA faculty, Dornstauder is a 2009 graduate of the school's first MFA class.

Opening reception • 6-9pm • October 1
Fourteen 30 Contemporary • 1430 SE 3rd • 503.236.1430



This October, OCAC unveils work created by the nine visiting artists during their 2008-09 residencies: Karl Burkheimer , Tracey Cockrell, Anna Kristina Goransson, Julie Kamlesh Kumar, Ann Marie Kennedy, Myungjin Kim, Julie McNiel, Toby Millman, and Michelle Ross . The Artist-in-Residence Program is supported by a generous grant from The Collins Foundation.

Opening reception • 4-7pm • October 1
OCAC • 8245 SW Barnes Road • 503.297.5544
Gallery Talk: Karl Burkheimer and Michelle Ross Wednesday, October 14 at 1:00pm

Not to pimp for a Portster but Ryan's is the single most convincing major Pearl District gallery debut for a Portland painter in the decade I've lived here... probably because it isn't his first solo. Still it's completely impressive, the squash being a really nice touch.

Tom Cramer's show is his best to date... the new wood burnings are a major new development for him and overall his show is a major test for Portland's collector community. Cramer is easily the city's best-selling artist so this really is a barometer for the next 6 months or so for all of the galleries.

Joe Macca's show looks great too as well as Chambers... overall a nice 1st thursday to head out, wear your scarf and heavier jackets. Suddenly it is fall.