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Portland art blog + news + exhibition reviews + galleries + contemporary northwest art
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Friday 05.09.08 Something to chew on for the weekend Portland Architecture has a great post on PSU's Social
Practice classroom on Alberta. An innovative project, the structure will
be designed to be moved from site to site, interracting with the various neighborhoods
that Portland is famous for.
 Nan Curtis at Linfield (detail) It's that last weekend for The Dancer at PAM (an excellent scholarly effort) and Saturday is the last day for Nan Curtis' show at Linfield College, always worth the drive and extra fun if you work in some wine tasting in the area. Roberta Smith chimes in on the 55th Carnegie International... her complaint is its lack of teeth. Tyler Green seems to have seen a different show, partly because the Vija Celmins did something for him. (Celmins usually delivers but what about the newer names?) The elephant in the room is this question, "are all these international shows the same uninspired show created through a preapproved list of familiar names and or ideas? Has brand, inclusivity of various practices and global ubiquity trumped the shock of the new?" Look, it's a change election year and similarly I suspect many people simply want a different art world... the Carnegie is proabbly allright but when they went to Mars it looks like they brought the same old artists. All of the biennials are suffering from a fatigue of the overly familiar (brought on by a smaller world and a lot of shows). Artblog also has some nice coverage. Oh and in case you missed it Jerry Saltz wrote about a restaging of a seminal Dan Flavin show... back when real ground was being broken. Posted by Jeff Jahn on May 09, 2008 at 17:04 | Comments (0) PermalinkMonday 05.05.08 Looking around Andrew Goldstein wonders what
P.S.1 will be like without Alanna Heiss? As of late the institution has been
morphing into more of an establishment venue with the Greater New York shows
etc. and a connection to MoMA... it's the way things tend to go. Really anything
that isn't a fusty musty academic institution will tend
to fall victim to its own successes (see MoMA, Dia, Guggenheim) and it's why
Judd took to Marfa and even that outpost has become a fetish of remoteness.
Look, if Walter Hopps could somehow mellow and take on an old sage-like patina in his last
years anyone and any institution can...it's just part of the metabolism of culture.
Speaking of Judd, Tyler Green is still in the running for Judd head of the month, both bits are interesting, especially the bits on why Smithson was more favored in the academy. Kim Davenport of Rice University has 10 bits of sound advice regarding installation art. You definitely have to take a greater leap of faith and trust the atrist more for site specific projects... (more) Posted by Jeff Jahn on May 05, 2008 at 11:38 | Comments (0) PermalinkSunday 04.27.08 Exciting TBA festival visual arts lineup announced Last night PICA announced their "On Sight" visual arts lineup for
the TBA festival September 5-14. Overall,
a much stronger and more rebellious visual arts lineup than last year (there
were grumbles and bad installs) with a real vis art festival feel than just some appended element
to primarily performance oriented TBA lineup. For the first time since they
canned their year round visual arts exhibition program I'm truly excited. Overall the curatorial
arc has lots of recent Whitney Bi approved names.
Mike Kelley Day is Done ... Kelley's aesthetic can be found in a lot of the other artists here. The Yes Men Co-presented with Pacific Northwest College of Art Fritz Haeg Co-presented with Reed College... hmmm a rebel gardener in Portland, frankly I'm most excited about this. Haeg's talk last year was a highlight. Ryan Trecartin I-Be Area... seen last year at Igloo in the Everett Station Lofts. It needed more attention, so good to see again... a fantastic video artist Lizzy Fitch Residency / Commission of new work / Installation + Performance... (more) Posted by Jeff Jahn on April 27, 2008 at 13:41 | Comments (2) PermalinkThursday 04.24.08 9 years & last chance for an impressive April gallery junket 
April marks my ninth year in Portland and it is really satisfying to say that this was probably the single best month of shows I've seen since moving here. What's more there were strong offerings in every genre imaginable.(list of strong shows ending this weekend below). A lot has changed since 1999, now there really are several scenes not just one... ... (more) Posted by Jeff Jahn on April 24, 2008 at 16:36 | Comments (0) PermalinkMonday 04.21.08 Weekend developments  The West Side Railyards Project with pink cultural mystery box (lower right corner) Nicolai Ouroussoff of the NYT's had an interesting dissection of developer renderings on Sunday. In this case he was taking it to Helmut Jahn's renderings of the recently awarded West Side Rail Yards project in New York. I particularly liked the Ourousoff's "Cultural Mystery" description where, "neither the developer nor the government have any idea who would occupy the so-called cultural building." Apparently the developer Tishman Speyer has an art collection too... though it isn't like New York needs another corporate art museum. (mmm and yes HJ and I are cousins) This railyard redevelopment reminds me a bit of the South Waterfront project in Portland, which is actually bigger and more expensive than this New York Project... though SOWA doesn't even have a cultural mystery box, though to be fair they do have Linda K Johnson's AIR residencies. Of the AIR projects I think Horatio Law's "China on the Willamette" in May is gonna be a real treat because it draws a correlation between Portland's mega-development which is tiny compared to China's mega-developments (not that bigger is necessarily better from a human use standpoint). Tyler Green had a nice bit on intellectually supercilious museum shows that support contemporary gallery markets. I nominate the Paul Klee/Devendra Banhart travesty at SFMOMA as the single worst example of this "museum becomes hipster" malaise... (more) Posted by Jeff Jahn on April 21, 2008 at 0:00 | Comments (0) PermalinkSunday 04.13.08 PNCA seeks to purchase its currrent home as well 
PNCA's current main building PNCA has always wanted to buy its current home in the Pearl district, even before plans were announced to acquire the 511 building. Now the college has announced they plan to acquire the current building for an undisclosed sum (read about the details here). I'm guessing it's an undisclosed amount because air rights are valuable and real-estate valuations are currently in complicated flux. Also, Brad Cloepfil of Allied Works (the schools master planner and architect of the 511 building) will oversee some light architectural modifications. Needless to say this positions art as a major industry for Portland, one of my pet subjects. Yes, all of this capital campaign activity is great but here are a few suggestions:<br> Modify the Feldman Gallery space to make it a more coherent for showing larger scale work (it's a bit tight and the wainscoting's gotta go), also endow its sometimes awesome exhibition program with at least 2 million with fully endowed curatorial position (PSU should do similar things for its galleries). Endow department chair positions and have more full time positions with salaries in line with national standards. Overall though PNCA has become the most ambitious business/cultural enterprise in the entire state of Oregon... it makes me wonder how many places can claim that their flagship art school sits at such a pole position? Yet this makes sense Portland's high profile employers like Nike, Adidas, Ziba Design, W+K etc... all need a very serious art school. Posted by Jeff Jahn on April 13, 2008 at 21:21 | Comments (0) PermalinkThursday 04.10.08 A comprehensive Robert Irwin retrospective at MOCA and MOMA? it's about time 
Light and Space (2007) being looked over for the first time by Robert Irwin at MCASD Tyler Green and Jen Graves are still talking about Robert Irwin's awesome Primaries and Secondaries retrospective at MCASD last year. I called it the best show of the year and the fact that people are still pouring over it is a good indication of why...(more) Posted by Jeff Jahn on April 10, 2008 at 14:37 | Comments (1) PermalinkMonday 03.31.08 Cauduro scholarship for PNCA, Portland invests in the future but loses a Warhol 
Oregon's single best art collector, Ed Cauduro... and arguably the best eye north of San Francisco has given PNCA a 1 million dollar scholarship endowment. When he was active he tended to collect early and presciently and his collection has included the likes of Warhol, Judd, Schnabel, Terry Winters, Jasper Johns, Jeff Koons and Basquiat (who even did a portrait of the elusive collector). Cauduro has given many important works to PAM (like the Peter Young etc.) but none of the listed heavy hitters are currently in PAM's gap-filled collection. Cauduro also owns Short Stop, John Chamberlain's first crushed car sculpture... something every art museum on the planet is interested in (Cauduro is 81 and must be slightly annoyed with the dynamic sets up). In response he's been setting up a lot of charities, including this incredibly generous scholarship endowment for PNCA. I've known about this for a while and it's a major benefit for the college and the art community. PNCA is on a roll with its 511 building, Hallie Ford gift (FIVE program) and MK Guth in the 2008 Whitney Biennial. The Ed Cauduro Fund for Pacific Northwest College of Art of The Oregon Community Foundation (OCF) will provide up to four $10,000 annual scholarships, beginning with two scholarships for the 2008-2009 school year and one in each of the following two years. The endowment will also provide approximately $5,000 annually for students to use in purchasing art supplies and materials they would otherwise be unable to afford. Having a scholarship like this helps PNCA compete with other schools for particularly promising students... many might not realize this but it is a competitive advantage they have been lacking....(more) Posted by Jeff Jahn on March 31, 2008 at 11:49 | Comments (12) PermalinkWednesday 03.26.08 PAM acquisition: Tom LaDuke 
The latest contemporary addition to the Portland Art Museum, Tom LaDuke's Private Islands (2007), is now on display on the 4th floor of the Jubitz Center for Contemporary Art, nearby the recent Tanya Batura acquisition. LaDuke has been getting a lot of attention lately from Tyler Green and other museums and his work first appeared in Portland in PAM's New In Town exhibition back in 2002. The thing that has always struck me about LaDuke's work is how there is always a phantom presence... (more) Posted by Jeff Jahn on March 26, 2008 at 13:35 | Comments (0) PermalinkTuesday 03.25.08 It's how one lives not "in what" that is defining  Jean Nouvel's 100 11th Ave. in Chelsea Last weekend Nicolai Ouroussoff opined about the rash of preening new condos in New York. One telltale problem is how the interiors are extremely conventional... there was a time when ground breaking design actually pushed those who lived inside to reconsider how they lived (whereas this is just a surface form of avant-garde). The only project that seems truly inspired is Jean Nouvel's 100 11th ave project which sets up a generous visual rhythm externally that actually carries into the interior spaces. In contrast to most of these "surface" projects I've been photographing the Belmont Lofts building by Holst Architects in Portland a lot lately and it strikes me that that condo building doesn't turn its back to Belmont street, it is semi-permiable and urban ... it isn't a barrier, fortress or some status symbol, it's emblematic of an engaged civic lifestyle and very Portland. Also, the recent Casey project in Portland is more notable for its platinum LEED rating than its novel but slightly dull exterior. Also last week, More Ways to Waste Time did her own art tour of Portland, and managed to find way more nooks and crannies in the art scene here than say the New York times has in their frequent stalkings of Portland. She ate a lot of stuff too... (more) Posted by Jeff Jahn on March 25, 2008 at 12:13 | Comments (0) PermalinkFriday 03.21.08 Congratulations Michael Patterson-Carver 
Bush visits Portland, 2007 Congratulations to Portlander Michael Patterson-Carver who is one of the recipients of the 2008 Altoids art prize, he gets 25,000 and a joint show at the New Museum. Previous recipient Harrell Fletcher was one of the *nominators. The award is somewhat unique in contemporary art as artists select other artists for the award, hence the reason the award doesn't have the musty and necrotic smell that most art world prizes have... that and Altoids sponsors it. Carver is represented by Small A where you can see more of his work. *clarification Posted by Jeff Jahn on March 21, 2008 at 10:48 | Comments (4) PermalinkThursday 03.20.08 PAM's latest contemporary acquisition: Batura + some guests  Tanya Batura, Sourire en Bois, 2007. Clay and acrylic. 10 in x 17 in x 10 in. Portland Art Museum. The Portland Art Museum's latest contemporary acquisition, Tanya Batura's Sourire en Bois is on now display on the 4th floor of the Jubitz Center for Contemporary Art. The title translates as, "to smile out of wood." The double entendre is probably intended, but it also references how the sculpture has a wooden texture where the torso normally would start... (more) Posted by Jeff Jahn on March 20, 2008 at 17:29 | Comments (0) PermalinkWednesday 03.12.08 Rothko in Portland 
Marcus Rothkowitz, Landscape (View of Portland), ca. 1928 courtesy Michael Rosenfeld Gallery The Portland Art Museum is host to yet another distinguished guest, in fact it's a work painted in Portland by our most famous local artist, Marcus Rothkowitz (aka Mark Rothko). The painting is currently on display in the third floor of the Schnitzer Center for Northwest Art. The ca. 1928 oil painting "Landscape (View of Portland)" was made long before his signature style of the late 40's and depicts the then new Ross Island Bridge from Pill Hill, a moody grey sky and Mt Hood. Overall, it is most strongly influenced by Cezanne... (more) Posted by Jeff Jahn on March 12, 2008 at 12:08 | Comments (3) PermalinkTuesday 03.11.08 PNCA gets the 511 building 
In what will probably be the biggest Portland art news of 2008, PNCA has announced they have been given the green light to acquire the historic 511 building by the GSA and Department of Education. PORT reported in detail on this last fall (and were the first to recognize the importance of it to the local art world). PNCA is tied to both Portland's hot new design economy (Ziba, Allied Works, W+K etc)and the West Hills money that recently funded PAM's 100,000,000+ expansion and continuing endowment campaign... so yes they can do it. This is a major investment in Portland's future not just an art school realestate opportunity. What this likely means: -Big new Brad Cloepfil project in the architect's home town... we were just discussing his Clyfford Still Museum last week. Im about 99.9999999% certain Cloepfil will get the job, he's the campus' master planner. Hell his office even overlooks the 511 building a lil. -More public galleries on the North Park Blocks giving Portland an opportunity to extend the Park Plocks in the future into a world class cultural enclave.... (more) Posted by Jeff Jahn on March 11, 2008 at 10:05 | Comments (1) PermalinkWhitney Biennial Backlog 
Ok, the typical Whitney rigmarole has given New York something to talk about again (though it seems quieter and less engaging than usual, the Whitney needs to radically change the show to increase its relevance). Frankly it doesn't excite me at all, but so far Ben Davis on Artnet has done the best job of capturing the issue at hand. His best summary, "the whole thing does seem to represent an interest in homeopathic medicine! That is, it offers to simulate a negative effect to cure the larger disease; as if to fend off harsh critical attacks, the show embraces a defensive self-abasement. It is willfully half-baked." Though his Neo-Hippie tag isn't quite news...truth be told the last 4 (including 2008) have all been Neo-Hippie late 60's and early 70's fests. One could point to the adoption of Devendra Banhart into the art world as making it rather official (and therefore dead). That nostalgia also underscores why people aren't that whipped up over this Biennial show, there is no real shift at work here. Despite that, Portland's own MK Guth is racking up all sorts of critical notice doing the important thing in any group show, standing out (Davis and the New York Times single her out as a favorite). Though Holland Cotter's Times piece labeling of her work as "new agey" seems like a New Yorker projecting funny expectations on a Portlander. Truth is MK pisses a lot of Portlanders off because she isn't very dippy-hippy newagey, she's often hard core but romantic with an eye for entropy and not new agey at all.... (more) Posted by Jeff Jahn on March 11, 2008 at 9:30 | Comments (0) PermalinkWednesday 03.05.08 More Cloepfil/Still and More of everything else  Brad Cloepfil's latest Clifford Still Museum design Portland's top starchitect Brad Cloepfil has unveiled a more finalized design of his Clyfford Still Museum. We saw an early model of it here and it looks like the heavy basalt-like look has been retained. There are two Cloepfil's, heavy Brad (Weiden + Kennedy HQ) and dematerializing light Brad (1 Columbus Circle). Heavy Cloepfil is way better and after spending some time at Kahn's Salk Institute last Fall... I understand why... (more) Posted by Jeff Jahn on March 05, 2008 at 8:14 | Comments (3) PermalinkMonday 03.03.08 Whitney Time - Yawn, Guth Time - Yeah! It's Whitney
Biennial time again... and Portland has had someone in 3 of the last 4.
The 2008 show opens Thursday and even PNCA is doing an event in New York.
This year the Portlander is MK Guth, whom PORT interviewed in depth earlier this year. Joseph Gallivan just did a nice piece on Guth for the Tribune...we will surely miss Gallivan's contributions to that paper. His accessible but engaging arts writing made most of the other newsprint in town look tragic. It's true some worship the WB as some sort of art career Deus ex Machina while the show's overall importance has waned as of late. Still, some 2-5 artists seem to emerge from each iteration and artists like David Altmejd, Forcefield, Chris Johanson and Harrell Fletcher have all gone on to make more serious contributions after the show. My point is the Whitney B in itself isn't as important as the follow through after. In many ways Portlanders are simply over being excited about The Whitney but we love the fact that MK gets to do her thing. I also keep thinking that a west of the Mississippi Biennial might be in order some day as well. Posted by Jeff Jahn on March 03, 2008 at 12:30 | Comments (1) PermalinkThursday 02.21.08 Jupiter Hotel Fair, resurrected?  Ok, I knew this wasnt going to just die, Portland is just too ambitious and organized. Besides the fair itself was solid, one senses the organizers themselves just ran out of steam for a big side project. According to Jupiter hotel owners The AFFAIR @ the Jupiter Hotel art fair may not retain the same organizers, name or look, but there is a momentum in the Portland art community for continuing the popular art fair headquartered at the Jupiter Hotel since 2004. According to Jupiter Hotel co-owner Kelsey Bunker, "While it is true that Stuart Horodner and Laurel Gitlen will not be running the AFFAIR @ the Jupiter Hotel, we are excited about the new opportunities this allows us to support the art communities both locally and nationally... (more) Posted by Jeff Jahn on February 21, 2008 at 9:44 | Comments (36) PermalinkWednesday 02.20.08 Considering Johns in Gray  Jasper Johns Between the Clock and the Bed, 1982-83 Encaustic on canvas (three panels) Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond © Jasper Johns/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY Photo: Jamie M. Stukenberg/Professional Graphics Inc., Rockford, Illinois Jasper Johns is one of my all-time favorite artists and unlike Richard Prince he tells jokes so great they become poetry before they become punchlines (Prince starts with the punchline and then tries to reverse engineer them). Sadly, Im not all that convinced by Johns' later work but I consider paintings like "Between the Clock and the Bed" to be great art. It is a cypher of space and a semipermiable abstraction... like the sea it doesnt give up its secrets or it's dead. Im not afraid to utter the dreaded term "great" in the presence of a body of work like this. In Portland we are intimately acquainted with the color gray so the Jasper Johns: Gray show at the Met is of special interest... that and we still have tons of encaustic painters here. Jerry Saltz has a wonderful wonderful take on the Met's current Johns show. Donald Kuspit's take is dense and possibly a tad turgid on Artnet (with some great show photos worth checking out). Roberta Smith's take on Johns is worthwhile too (as always) . PORT's own Arcy Douglass wrote on Johns last year here. Carol Vogel generally leaves me disappointed and her personal look at Johns is no exception... where is Kimmelman (the Times chief hagiographer) when you need him?... Europe! Hagiography has its place (though it isn't a replacement for critique). Posted by Jeff Jahn on February 20, 2008 at 10:59 | Comments (0) PermalinkMonday 02.18.08 Affair at the Jupiter Hotel, RIP  White Columns @ Affair at the Jupiter Hotel 2007, Photo by Sarah Henderson Well, everybody on the inside of the Portland art scene has known for months that there wasn't going to be an Affair at the Jupiter Hotel Art Fair in 2008. I could have pressed the organizers on this but hoped it might be given over to other hands. Now it is officially over. Most dealers were upset with 2007, which seemed to be an afterthought compared to 2006 and many key players simply weren't going to... (more) Posted by Jeff Jahn on February 18, 2008 at 18:19 | Comments (12) PermalinkFriday 02.15.08 Weekendings  Turrell @ Roden crater, photo Florian Holzherr Tomorrow (Feb 16th), James Turrell will speak at PNCA's huge Swigert Commons space to kick off their Idea Studio talks. Reservations are sold out but a limited # of standing room only slots will be available, doors open at 3:00 first come first served. Talk is at 4:00 (reservation holders need to be seated by 3:50 to retain their seats). While you are at it read PORT's in-depth review of James Turrell's Pomona College show to prepare. Also, it's the general opening of the BCAM at LACMA and the New York Times smells blood. Neither Ouroussoff nor Roberta Smith were that impressed and one senses that an unmitigated triumph at LACMA would have forced New York Museums to step up...(more) Posted by Jeff Jahn on February 15, 2008 at 11:51 | Comments (6) PermalinkThursday 02.07.08 Some New Hypocrisy, same as it ever was The Mercury has penned a story about Rererato's
zoning problems and looming closure by the city. I notified Sam Adam's office
of this last week (Commissioner Sam show us your your arts muscle? You wanna be Mayor...
as Mayor Vera saved a fake horse on NW 23rd, as Arts Comissioner why not save a good art venue?)... look
something needs to be done. This is the type of scrappy art venue that makes
Portland great and they have been doing good things. Don't let the letter of
the law usurp the intent. As an arts city its hypocritical for the city of Portland
to shut down Rererato. So readers please email: chamberlainj@ci.portland.or.us and let the city know what you think.
*Update: PORT has assurances from Comissioner Sam's office, "We're working on it. Promise."  BCAM Gallery Section, © Renzo Piano Building Workshop As Tyler notes it's definitely LACMA's Broad Contemporary Art Museum day, and the LA Times piece is an interesting exercise in revealing the greatness and faults of three of my favorite things on the West Coast; LACMA's crazy (with its own woolly mammoth engulfing tar pit) campus , super collector Eli Broad and critic Christopher Knight. All three are forgivably contradictory in ways only the truly talented are... (more) Posted by Jeff Jahn on February 07, 2008 at 11:41 | Comments (3) PermalinkWednesday 02.06.08 Loosely related links 
Robert Rauschenberg (American, b. 1925), Retroactive I, 1963, oil on canvas, 83 7/8 x 59 7/8 inches, Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, © Robert Rauschenberg Art and politics link up more often than I find interesting but Artnet's list of Obama, McCain and Clinton contributors is interesting (though totally irrelevant to anybody but art geeks). Sure, artists like Cecily Brown and Chuck Close might support Obama and Matthew Marks might have supported Clinton but ultimately it says more about the donors than the candidates...(more) Posted by Jeff Jahn on February 06, 2008 at 13:20 | Comments (0) PermalinkFriday 02.01.08 News bits  Unimpressive street art creates impressive waste of tax dollars A portland artist, Ryan Birkland, has been arrested for putting up guerilla style art on telephone poles. It seems pretty ridiculous.... how about taking on the meth pushers that ride the NoPo max lines instead? This could have a chilling effect on street art like Scott Wayne Indiana's horses and this selective enforcement seems poorly defined. Jerry Saltz has reviewed Guy Ben-Ner's latest "Ikea based" video Reed's latest show Working History is now definitely open, go see it. Laura Fritz's Caseworks 13 (in the same building) has been extended to Feb 17th. Last but not least there are (solidly sourced *update confirmed) rumors that the Portland Art Museum has recieved a pledge from Gordon D. Sondland and Katherine J. Durant for a 1 million dollar gift to allow Children 17 and under to visit the museum for free. It is part of a larger endowment campaign to provide free days for everyone. Mayor Potter may have avoided funding those free days but the museum is moving forward with results. See, Portland's patrons do write checks but it is tied to the seriousness and focus of the organization's mission. If you are just showing your friends in a big warehouse (and if they aren't very good) don't expect to be entitled to that much. Seriousness + focus = funding. Posted by Jeff Jahn on February 01, 2008 at 10:59 | Comments (5) PermalinkWednesday 01.30.08 Spiral Jetty Threatened 
Important, Robert Smithson's Spiral Jetty is threatened by an oil development. Check out Tyler Green's post to contact the people in Utah doing this TODAY before 7:00 PM ET. I went to grad school in Logan a couple of hundred miles away and as anyone who has ever visited the site knows the isolation of the place is important. People in Utah often don't appreciate this and plunk flame spewing oil refineries in some of the most scenic areas imaginable so this is a very real threat. Hell, I even got Chas Bowie this show at Chambers a few years ago because I though his photos of the site were important. Definitely stay tuned... Ill have PORT's 2008 curatorial roundup posted later today. Also, yes I'll post the results of PORT's bridge design contest early next week. Sorry about the backlog, Ive been very busy. Posted by Jeff Jahn on January 30, 2008 at 10:45 | Comments (1) PermalinkMonday 01.28.08 Brian Ferriso checkup: 1 year as director of the Portland Art Museum  PAM's Executive Director Brian Ferriso This January marks the one year anniversary for the Portland Art Museum's new director, Brian Ferriso. As arguably holding the most important cultural position in Oregon, Ferriso's actions have far reaching implications and set expectations both within the museum and the rest of the state's philanthropic/artistic community. It is time for an annual checkup. (disclosure: Im VP of the Contemporary Art Council at PAM and PAM is a PORT sponsor) The Ferriso effect: For contrast, John Buchannan, Ferriso's predecessor was a successful and aggressive entrepreneurial promoter (but questionable as a connoisseur), and for years many other organizations followed his lead, putting hype ahead of content. Lately, Portlanders have grown tired of the "constant PR" type leaders as purveyors of empty cultural calories. [*Note to our so-called journalists, coverage should focus on qualifications of leaders and the quality of shows (aka the only results that matter) not grandiose promises and PR glosses over inferior programming simply designed to produce attendance.] In fact, the first thing Ferriso did was cool down the board who wanted to build on the new property PAM had acquired so he could focus on solidifying the museum's fundamentals like its; endowment, collections and programming tuned to Portland's needs (more contemporary with a bustling arts scene). He's also empowered his curators and that's good for deeping PAM's intellectual relevance... (more) Posted by Jeff Jahn on January 28, 2008 at 16:26 | Comments (4) PermalinkThursday 01.24.08 Comprehension The Guardian covers a much touted show of paintings
from Russian collections at the Royal Academy (some of the Matisses are
among the most important in art history), there is even a slide show.
A group called the Atomic Age Alliance has come forward to save the wonderful Crown Motel sign. Even the TV news is tracking the story. Hopefully (if it is saved) it will stay on Interstate... (more) Posted by Jeff Jahn on January 24, 2008 at 10:47 | Comments (0) PermalinkSunday 01.20.08 What the Portland Art Center Closing Means to Me  Director Gavin Shettler in 2005 at the Portland Art Center's then new home in Chinatown For the two readers that have not heard, Gavin Shettler sent out an email yesterday announcing that the Portland Art Center is closing. D.K. Row wrote an article about it here. As an artist who showed at the Portland Art Center as they were transitioning from their old space on Belmont to their new space in the Pearl, I was happy that an institution like PAC existed in Portland... (more) Posted by Arcy Douglass on January 20, 2008 at 14:31 | Comments (4) PermalinkFriday 01.18.08 Hadid gets a university museum... so where is Portland's university museum? 
Hadid's winning entry for the Broad Art Museum I'm certain a lot of you already know Zaha Hadid has won the commission for Eli Broad's art museum at his alma mater, Michigan State University. It's a gutsy choice and I like its italicized character a lot more than her Cincinnati CAC project or any of the other contestants like Coop Himmelb(l)au and Morphosis etc. Still it seems pretty tame for Hadid, despite the fact it uses lots of triangular forms (a personal obsession). She also recently completed this interesting transit project the Hungerburgbahn (don't you just love German). It also brings up the issue of university art museum's and Portland is really underdeveloped in that department. Seattle has the Henry, the University of Wisconsin Madison has the Chazen (nee Elvejehm), Berkeley Art Museum, Eccles (Logan Utah), Jordan Schnitzer Museum in Eugene, Hallie Ford Museum in Salem etc... (more) Posted by Jeff Jahn on January 18, 2008 at 10:56 | Comments (2) PermalinkTuesday 01.15.08 PNCA Launches FIVE Idea Studios  James Turrell will speak at PNCA Feb 16 PNCA has launched a new visiting luminary series called FIVE Idea Studios. The first two visitors being: MacArthur Fellow James Turrell on Feb 16th, (PORT's Arcy Douglass reviewed Turrell's latest Pomona College project here in depth just last week) and French philosopher Jacques Rancière on Feb 29th... (he's the art world's favorite rockstar theoretician these days and between these two the college is hitting exemplars of the twin poles in art today, aesthetic experience [Turrell] and the search for new forms of social dynamic theory [Rancière]. According to PNCA (a PORT sponsor): "Idea Studios will be an ongoing and portable series of conversations, lectures and performances on the inner workings of the creative process. The series will feature internationally acclaimed practitioners from a range of fields and cultures as part of a broader PNCA + FIVE effort to highlight the importance of creativity in fostering innovation and civic imagination. Venues for Idea Studios will at times shift from the PNCA Portland campus to other locales across Oregon, the U.S. and the globe...(more) Posted by Jeff Jahn on January 15, 2008 at 0:00 | Comments (1) PermalinkThursday 01.10.08 Portland Spaces magazine unveiled Randy Gragg and I have a long history but his history with the city of Portland's
aesthetics goes back much farther than that. Though he wasn't the first to write
about me here, he was the first to pen a review on a show I put together way back in 2001. I remember he asked me, "so who is the ringleader?" My half-idiotic
response was, "I suppose that would be me?" Undoubtedly he thought
I was a yutz but wrote the review anyway (bet he wishes he could have that one
back eh?). Still, some of the art was good and that's all he cared about. Now after
leaving the Oregonian Gragg's the ring leader of the brand new Portland
Spaces magazine a kind of Dwell magazine for Portland. Fist Gragg was an
art critic, then an architecture critic and now he's an editor in a city that
is rapidly reimagining itself. If there was ever a time for such a thing it's
now.
Sure Gragg's departure from the O did prompt some major civic leaders to query if the O will just abdicate architectural and design criticism altogether but I suspect they will need to do something to compete with Portland Spaces for relevance sake. Though Randy and I don't always see eye to eye (mostly because we differ on important minutiae) I've always respected the guy and like the fact we offer eachother the opportunity to disagree (critics live for this). Also, Randy has an excellent nose for news and always seems to know where the action is... which makes his new Portland Spaces magazine tantalizing. The inaugural issue of the bimonthly has an interesting modern home by rising architect Jeff Kovel built for Karen and John Hoke (Nike VP) on the cover...(more) Posted by Jeff Jahn on January 10, 2008 at 23:01 | Comments (0) PermalinkWednesday 01.09.08 More on Broad and the Portland connection  Eli Broad's big news in the New York Times yesterday still has everybody talking. Is forming an independent art lending institution a form of Teddy Roosevelt style cultural trust-busting (museum as monopolizer) or does it short circuit the opportunities and dialog of the works joining a larger collection? For example, curators build museum collections around acquisitions, not available loans. Also, loans aren't likely to become museum favorites that people can visit for 10+ year stretches of time (my favorite part of museum going). Still LACMA's new Broad building will have a strong presence of Broad Art Foundation loans. Interestingly enough, Portland has a stake in this story as Broad has been very active with the Portland Art Museum and by not giving the collection wholesale to LACMA it leaves the door open for further engagement with Portland's art starved but rapidly developing cultural ecosystem. Portland has been the beneficiary of the Broad Foundation quite regularly including the Damien Hirst and Camouflage shows at the Portland Art Museum in 2007. Sure we have some good collectors in the Northwest but no collection North of California on the West Coast can compete with Broad's, it really helps as a resource. By creating a lending institution and not mothballing... (more) Posted by Jeff Jahn on January 09, 2008 at 14:30 | Comments (2) PermalinkMonday 01.07.08 Think links PORT has a ton of thought provoking interviews and reviews this week but let's
kick things off with some fresh links:
Portland's Daniel Peterson posts his first image of 2008 and it is fantastic. This guy needs a solo show, best new photographer I've seen in years. Also, the New York Times had nice things about video art and snow globes. Art Ltd. a newish West Coast art mag did a nice bit on Julius Shulman. Posted by Jeff Jahn on January 07, 2008 at 12:43 | Comments (0) PermalinkFriday 01.04.08 David Lynch at Northwest Film Center this weekend  DAVID LYNCH IN DIRECTOR blackANDwhite'S LYNCH. COURTESY ABSURDA. JAN 4, 5, 6 FRI 7 PM, SAT 7 PM, SUN 5:30 PM LYNCH US/DENMARK 2007 DIRECTOR: BLACKANDWHITE This fascinating, indeed "Lynchian," portrait offers a rare glimpse into the enigmatic mind and creative process of the famed director of ERASERHEAD, THE ELEPHANT MAN, BLUE VELVET, and MULHOLLAND DRIVE, to name just a few of his surreal and seminal works. Filmed over a period of two years (by mysterious producers) it follows David Lynch at home and at work on the set of his recent INLAND EMPIRE with Laura Dern and Jeremy Irons... (more) Posted by Jeff Jahn on January 04, 2008 at 12:35 | Comments (0) PermalinkThursday 01.03.08 Last day for Yeon architecture exhibition 
Please forgive me (and the bum rush of the holidays + Miami) for not posting on this earlier but today is the last day to see the inaugural exhibit at the American Institute of Architects new Portland HQ's in the Pearl District (the old SK Josephsberg Gallery building). The show is John Yeon: in the land of influence, curated by Randy Gragg (whose Portland Spaces magazine launches next week). Brian Libby at Portland Architecture had a nice post on Yeon's Swan house a while back too. To me Yeon looks a lot like a more practical Frank Lloyd Wright without all the hubris... and his work remind's me of my parent's house in Wisconsin. Posted by Jeff Jahn on January 03, 2008 at 10:29 | Comments (0) PermalinkTuesday 01.01.08 Best of 2007 It's done now but 2007 was a big year and here is how PORT's Ryan Pierce, ex-PORTer
and new Beaverton Arts Comission board member Melia Donovan, Matt McCormick, Micah Malone, Jesse
Hayward and my own dull self rated the year... (more)
Posted by Jeff Jahn on January 01, 2008 at 13:26 | Comments (5) PermalinkFriday 12.28.07 2007 Recap PORT and Portland's art scene had a particularly good year in 2007 with a general
expansion of interesting new venues, artists and greater national exposure all around.
In fact, weve had so much exposure outside of the city that Portlander's have
begun to refer the national media as stalkers. Even PORT
ended up in Art in America.
PORT Scoops.. here are just some major stories where we were the first Portland publication to break the news: The New American Art Union's stipend shows, which were later dubbed Couture when the final selectee's were announced PNCA makes it's bid for the 511 building, possibly the most important growth opportunity for art in Portland in the past 60 years. Other media have been playing catch up to what could be the biggest story of 2008 as well. MK Guth selected for the 2008 Whitney Biennial Portland Art Museum acquired several nice contemporary objects including a fine Judy Chicago and a really nice Gene Davis (we were the only Portland publication to mention these... but then again we are focused purely on art... so there you have it) Here are some of my favorite articles from the past year:... (more) Posted by Jeff Jahn on December 28, 2007 at 10:39 | Comments (4) PermalinkMonday 12.24.07 Holiday reading Most of PORT's staff have the week off so posts will be somewhat sporadic,
so here are some things to yule-tide you over (I know, I know, both the pagans
and the baby Jesus would disapprove of that pun):
Yesterday Roberta Smith took a shot at the word "Practice" as over-used by contemporary artists in 2007. I'm with her on this one, one has to have a receptionist and a lobby to have a practice... maybe it's all the college loans that drive artists to consider it a practice? It's probably just a nonsensical shortening of the term studio practice that gets all frothy with other pretensions (most artists are not particularly good wordsmiths so it is Roberta's job to point this sort of silliness out). It all reminds me of the original ending of Robert Hughes The Shock Of The New where he complained that art had become a vocation not an avocation... later Hughes wussed out and changed that ending. Still, he had it right the first time, even if he was wrong as could be about Basquiat (right about Schnabel though). My greatest annoyance is with the art world's meaningless use of the word "Authentic." To me its like the yuppie approved packaging on overpriced ethnic dishes one can find at high end grocery stores. It almost guarantees it isn't the real thing but it's overpriced status intends to mitigate guilt while giving it a patina of legitimacy. To use Greenberg's term it's very middlebrow. Portland Public art has a hilarious post on what won't save hipsters(?) in Portland... great stuff. Posted by Jeff Jahn on December 24, 2007 at 17:00 | Comments (2) PermalinkWednesday 12.19.07 Space is the place (externalizing the internal & its inverse) 
Joel Shapiro's current show at Pace Wildenstein Art Info has a nice interview with Joel Shapiro, whose work seems to becoming increasingly relevant and central to the age old (some would say pointless) distinction between representation and abstraction in sculpture. I love how his later work seems to activate space through inhabitation. This has always been a key element of his work but in the last few years he's developed that Picasso-like sureness and energy about his efforts. I like it much better than David Smith's Cubi series which I feel were a bit forced (though important). There is nothing forced about this work, Shapiro is the new Giacometti (as our leading existential sculptor). The New York Times had a bit on starchitects... Is it just me or are the architects today way more progressive and experimental than the artists? Theoretically, artists aren't saddled with the same kinds of compromises and restrictions... so why does someone like Julie Mehretu seem like a side dish compared to the main courses in Gehry, Koolhaas, Hadid, HdM and Libeskind's work? ...(more) Posted by Jeff Jahn on December 19, 2007 at 9:48 | Comments (0) PermalinkMonday 12.17.07 Report: A NW Thang at Gallery Homeland  a knitted cadavar stood out So how was Gallery Homeland's A NW Thang opening at the Ford Building on Friday night? Maybe the more important question is how was the art? Answer: pretty solid. Sure, spatially it was a ramble of large finished hallway spaces and an enormous unfinished commercial space but the art itself was what I've been hoping for over the last few years when I've gone to locally focused upstart institutional shows. Most everything I saw was well done, post MFA quality work. Of particular note was Cynthia Starr's group project where an entire human cadaver was created out of knit elements, guts and all. Yes, it's absolutely stereotypical of Portland and our surplus of knitters (and group activities) but it had an intellectual reflexiveness I often don't see in other group projects which seem to invite a lot of participants so a large crowd will show up. Karl Lind's video selections were... (more) Posted by Jeff Jahn on December 17, 2007 at 11:33 | Comments (0) PermalinkFriday 12.14.07 More thoughts on last week: Motel & the art fairs Overall, the art production for Miami 2007 seemed less fresh and daring than I remember it in 2005 (going to Miami every year isn't necessary) and maybe the art world is too sated. So why not ask... was 2007 in general a lackluster vintage or is it just a fair problem? Also, Jen Graves (who sat this one out) had a good "just that facts" take on Miami
this year from a Seattle perspective. Portland galleries mostly avoided
Aqua and did ok to great this year. Also, after talking to a few Portland gallerists the fairs most of them want to be in are Pulse
or Art Miami.
Overall, Art fair experiences really vary, for example Pulliam Deffenbaugh was at the somewhat lackluster Red Dot fair and yet did really well so it's difficult to characterize. The Aquas have some really good elements but need to up the ante the way Pulse and Nada have since theyve first appeared. Schwanky events, more diverse galleries and something that differentiates and makes the fair a destination. Portland's own Affair at the Jupiter Hotel needs to do the same things just to bring people to Portland. Which brings us to the question, will there be another affair?... OK I know more than Ill discuss here but many Portland dealers really want them to step up and make the event more of a destination or have a completely different fair under different management. Pairing with TBA doesn't really work, two different crowds. If it were paired with a vis-arts festival that would be more effective. 
a Motel installtion from July 2005 On the news of Motel's closing last week... Im sad of course, but this wasn't a surprise for me as Jenn and I have a rapport (As PORT's co-founder and former buisiness partner she's like the sister I never had). She wanted to concentrate purely on the gallery when her planned exodus from PORT happened earlier this year (in the works for about a year actually). There are some things Portland needs to learn from this... (more) Posted by Jeff Jahn on December 14, 2007 at 12:17 | Comments (5) PermalinkWednesday 12.12.07 It had to be done Tyler
Green has pointed out a great charitable giving vehicle that funds
art projects in schools, check it out. Portland's art programs are woefully
underfunded so here is an opportunity for our teachers. PORT generally avoids
posts on charities but here are some of the worthy Portland projects you can help fund.
Art Critical has a nice look at the Miami fairs including the two I never got around to seeing, Art Miami and Pulse. Art Miami looks like a serious contender for ABMB's top spot. Artblog.net takes a look at how the fairs have effected the indigenous art scene in Miami... reminds me of the Sundance film festival and how it turns Park City a bit upside down. 
DK Row continues to expound upon his seriously flawed understanding of non profits and Portland's current situation and this time out he's heckling Gallery Homeland. In a city where arts patronage is underdeveloped it takes an armada of small scrappy, completely underfunded institutions to lay the difficult groundwork for better patronage. It isn't about the money stupid, it's making headway in the education department. Spaces don't educate, personalities dont educate, fundraising tallies dont educate... the only thing that educates is doing good shows for over 3 years (which is the minimum amount of time it takes to develop a true track record). So with all due respect, give Gallery Homeland a break from the hackneyed misdirected analysis and pay attention to the critical worth of their efforts, that is the measure that matters (and part of why Row's coverage is hurting the development of a better patronage base). Also, Row's desire for one institution to be "the place" is totally misguided and too convenient. Portland is too busy an art city to have one central hub, you only get that in smaller scenes or when giant city governments undertake something like Yerba Buena. Portland's government and patrons just aren't there yet, it's still in the hands of scrappy individuals and volunteers. It's actually a good thing and more interesting than having everyone suck up to 5-10 extremely wealthy patrons with dubious taste. It's actually a magic moment of art organization experimentation in Portland. David, your fundamental assumptions are seriously flawed, smaller more specialized institutions dont seek to dominate, this isnt sports (want to duke it out in a game of ping pong, tennis or dodgeball, Ill whup yer ass there too). Personally, I'd rather see 10 150k a year art organizations than one stale bureaucracy with a budget of 1.5 million... so to that end I suggest everyone go out and see what Paul and Gallery Homeland can do at their opening on Dec 14. Posted by Jeff Jahn on December 12, 2007 at 10:43 | Comments (2) PermalinkTuesday 12.04.07 Guide to Portland In Miami 2007  Vanessa Renwick's Trojan #2 at ABMB Portland's art scene will be well represented during this week's Miami Art Fair madness with greater visibility than ever before. Portland galleries and artists are seeminly everwhere this time. Sure, Portland artists, curators and galleries are already veterans of such fairs but after years being stalked by the media in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, CNN, Art Forum, Modern Painters and Art in America etc. it now seems Portland has buzz for being different and it shows in the art. In fact, art is central to Portland, no other large metropolitan West Coast city can claim that... (more) Posted by Jeff Jahn on December 04, 2007 at 13:34 | Comments (0) PermalinkFriday 11.30.07 Dave Time Ok you probably read the transcript last month but here's a
podcast of Dave Hickey's keynote address for the Frieze art fair. Good to
take in just before the massive Miami clusterf%#@ that will be happening next
week.
Posted by Jeff Jahn on November 30, 2007 at 12:05 | Comments (0) PermalinkFor your consideration Tyler
Green has been doing some great posts on one of my favorite artists Martin Puryear,
a sculptor who has done as much with a curved line as anyone in art history.
The O indicates the Portland Art Center might have found a way out of its current financial crisis if they can sell enough panels. Also, the word "restructuring" has been used... time will tell what that means but it's a time to really address some of the concerns already raised on PORT in the past. The Guardian has an intriguing review of Hans-Peter Feldman's latest show in Bristol. Portland Architecture takes on possible Sellwood bridge designs and the U of O's White Stag block in Oldtown Portland. Also, this organic extension of a building seems like something that might be great for Portland. The WWeek ran a story on Milepost 5, an innovative new creative colony for Portland's ambitions to take root in. Lastly, The New Museum of Contemporary Art in New York has a new building and the New York Times takes a look. As always I found Ouroussoff's critique of culture in New York important and healthy but will the contents of the museum live up to the box? Roberta Smith has her say on that issue here too, it's a must read (partly for all of its paradoxes, which befits the show). Posted by Jeff Jahn on November 30, 2007 at 10:40 | Comments (0) PermalinkTuesday 11.20.07 More parlor games and MoMA 
H.C. Westerman Tyler Green has been playing a parlor game centered around reimagining MoMA's galleries. My take is that Americans pretty much needed Alfred Barr to simplify the polyglot that was avant-garde art for Yankee consumption. Barr's brilliant solution was Picasso and since he had helped MoMA to acquire Les Demoiselles d' Avignon the museum was in a good position to make that case. Following curators like Rubin and Varnadoe picked a different hero artist to key the installation to; Jackson Pollock. The thing is I believe Americans are now ready for a more complex worldview and MoMA needs to accept that challenge to avoid becoming not only just a museum of 20th century art but a museum of 20th century ideology. Personally I agree that Pollock is a lynch pin argument but I also agree with Tyler that by foregrounding another giant like Clyfford Still and lesser lights like John McLaughlin it could really shake things up. Hell, I'd throw in an Andrew Wyeth and lots of H.C. Westerman's just to flay the monogenic discussion away from just one artist. Westerman isn't talked about enough, he's actually way more influential than is typically recognized. I'm all for an allout assault on monogenic thought in America... (more) Posted by Jeff Jahn on November 20, 2007 at 11:44 | Comments (0) PermalinkMonday 11.19.07 Building... with balls? The print media in Portland is finally starting to catch up with PORT on the very
exciting 511 building project for PNCA. Here's our initial take, and a tiny
bit from the
O this past Saturday (they've lost a lot by not having full-time architecture
columnist like Randy Gragg). To reiterate, the 511 project effectively creates a high profile arts
boulevard on Portland's North Park blocks (consolidating gains with the Desoto
Building and the Everett
Station Lofts) and if the Post Office moves out by the airport as expected
the additional 13 acres could be developed into an urban cultural boulevard...
a little bit like the Benjamin
Franklin Parkway but with the park blocks instead of the old imperial style.
Also, Brad Cloepfil did the campus' master plan and would almost certainly be
the top choice as architect for this building. Net result, a world-class art
institution effort in the Pearl District. I was at the PDC meeting (there was really no contest between the market and PNCA, the Federal Government controls the building
not PDC and thus only PNCA qualifies to apply). Hopefully, the GSA will see the wisdom
in giving PNCA the building and Portland a boost... let's just say PNCA is pulling out all the stops,
they really want this and it's the biggest news for Portland's cultural
community since I've lived here (8.5 years).
UPDATE* DK Row has chimed in as well now with a pleasantly matter of fact piece... the recent vacation must have quelled his typical need for snark, or maybe it's because this is such an important issue. Still this article doesnt really convey how this is a potentially paradigm changing opportunity. 
Nouvel's proposed tower next to MoMA Jean Nouvel is designing a new tower next to MoMA. Actually, it will give a much needed expansion to MoMA's exhibition space by devoting 3 floors to the museum. This question from the Times' Ouroussoff is key, "Yet the building raises a question: How did a profit-driven developer become more adventurous architecturally than MoMA, which has tended to make cautious choices in recent years?" The Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego has acquired 6 of the works it did not already own from their superb Robert Irwin retrospective (aka the best show of 2007)... this show has balls and their aquisitions do too. Last but not least Jerry Saltz is asking important questions about MoMA's lack of female artists. The Portland Art Museum actually does a good job of this currently highlighting Lee Krasner, Judy Chicago, Agnes Martin, Helen Frankenthaler, Lynda Benglis, Hilla Von Rebay, Dorothea Rockburn, Anne Truitt, Kiki Smith and Suen Wong, etc. For once PAM can claim bragging rights over MoMA (and it's something MoMA can easilly correct). Also, when will MoMA do a long overdue Benglis retro? Needless to say balls aren't everything... Posted by Jeff Jahn on November 19, 2007 at 10:37 | Comments (4) PermalinkFriday 11.16.07 MK in the WiBi  MK's portrait by Marne Lucas Congratulations to MK Guth who made the cut for the upcoming 2008 Whitney Biennial. MK is the director of PNCA's brand spank'n new MFA program and a longtime stalwart of the Portland art scene. Here's a short but recent PORT review of MK's work. Posted by Jeff Jahn on November 16, 2007 at 10:58 | Comments (0) PermalinkTuesday 11.13.07 Contemporary Northwest Art Awards: 5 finalists announced (PORT Scoop) Today, the Portland Art Museum announced the 2008 Contemporary Northwest Art Awards exhibition recipients:
Dan Attoe Cat Clifford Jeffry Mitchell Whiting Tennis Marie Watt My general reaction to this list is it's... solid, somewhat conservative (except for Clifford whom I was rooting for as an underdog) and very Northwest art-ish (aka lots of wood, craft, animals and tree references). For context, more agressively contemporary and less regionally placeable artists like Alex Schweder, Sean Healy, Jack Daws and Chandra Bocci (list goes on forever) were not of the 28 finalists from which these 5 were chosen so this list isn't really a surprise and curator Jennifer Gately has a very tricky balancing act to do. Her statement that she decided on, "works that resonate on distinctively regional yet universal levels," explains things rather well... to me that means a show which big time donor/collectors can be both challenged by and yet find familiar. A completely respectable list, but not bleeding edge... (more) Posted by Jeff Jahn on November 13, 2007 at 16:30 | Comments (2) PermalinkMore-akami  Takeshi Murakami, Homage to Francis Bacon (Study of Isabel ...), 2002 © 2006 Takashi Murakami/Kaikai Kiki Co. Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Private collection. On Artnet, Hunter Drohojowska-Philp has taken on the Murkami show at MOCA with lots of nice pictures. I'm a big fan but it is odd how Ive seen most of this work in other places (I first saw My Lonesome Cowboy and Hiropon at The Portland Art Museum in 2000 even). Murakami still matters but somehow I wanted him to do something more radical than a museum show, maybe something in a mall instead of moving the mall into the museum? My favorites will always be the Francis Bacon works, DOB inflatables, toothed mushroom paintings and the wallpapers. Also,Christopher Knight of the LA times also gives his take on Murakami ...all this is well and good but the best museum show of 2007 is Robert Irwin's retrospective in San Diego. Sure Serra was real good too but there is always something problematic about Richard Serra in a museum retro. Posted by Jeff Jahn on November 13, 2007 at 9:51 | Comments (1) PermalinkTuesday 11.06.07 Establishing an anti-establishment, comparing Rinder and Hickey  So far, the two most influential art shows of the 21st century have been the2002 Whitney Biennial curated by Larry Rinder and Beau Monde: towards a redeemed cosmopolitianism curated by Dave Hickey in 2001. The art-insider-unpopular WB was a fetished kind of amatuerism that was quickly co-opted by the arts system as a style (yet ironically got Rinder exiled), whereas conversely Beau Monde was simply too perfect as an ideal, hyper intelligent yet entertaining art show that sported grafitti art and foregrounded experience (most of the art was also big ticket). Together they signified the death knell of postmodernism (which was all about disassociation and alienation) and the reassertion of both craft and street culture as more important than the academy. Yet, it is funny how both Hickey and Rinder are anti-establishment and yet so firmly of it. Though considering the fact that Rinder is now a Dean at CCA is more of a true institutionalist, whereas Hickey seems to enjoy the material for writing that the paradox generates. Rinder has a former CCA student show at Liz Leach right now and Hickey has a similar but bigger production show about his UNLV days at the LVAM. At one time they seemed like polar opposites but now they seem like omnipresent sides of the same coin. For example, Paul Schimmel's Ecstacy show at MOCA seemed like a followup to both Beau Monde and the 2002 Whitney Bi. Now, there is more from Hickey and Rinder as they look back: Tyler Green pointed out that Dave Hickey's interview in The Believer is a great read, including some provocative gems like... (more) Posted by Jeff Jahn on November 06, 2007 at 10:16 | Comments (3) PermalinkThursday 11.01.07 Portland Art Center at a crossroads Director Gavin Shettler in 2005 at the Portland Art Center's then new home in Chinatown The Portland Art Center has been attempting to fill an important role in the Portland arts community over the past five years, as a non-profit supporting the development of young artists while bridging the worlds of galleries, museums, and educational institutions. Now they're looking back to the community for support to cover a $40,000 budget shortfall. Although PAC has achieved some success with grants (a $50,000 grant from the Meyer Memorial Trust and $25,000 from the Lehmann Foundation) they have been unable to meet their sustaining private fund raising goals in Portland's difficult philanthropic environment. They're currently inhabiting an ambitious 10,000 square foot space, but the rent, although below market value, has become a heavy financial burden at $5,000 per month. As the Goldsmith building's lead tenant, it creates market pressures for developer David Gold and his bank, requiring PAC to scale up financially. PAC currently needs to raise $27,000 for back rent and $13,000 to cover salaries for its two staff members by December 1st. That isn't a lot of money considering the Portland Art Museum raised 40 million dollars back in 2005, but those people have been completely absent as major patrons ($2,000+) for PAC. Shettler describes the situation as, "at a critical point." For more information, please contact executive director Gavin Shettler at gavin.shettler@portlandart.org. Posted by Megan Driscoll on November 01, 2007 at 12:32 | Comments (7) PermalinkFriday 10.26.07 Last Chance Shows There are a large # of good shows that have gotten reviews that will be coming
down soon.
Here's a list and most (except where noted) end Saturday October 27th;  Scott Peterman, Fryes Leap (2002) C-print Charles A. Hartmann Fine Art though new is probably the tightest curated gallery space in Portland and his show of Scott Peterman's ice houses is a stunner. A very well received exhibition Brian Libby wrote on it for the O as did Chas Bowie at the Mercury. The work is haunting, desolate, funny, perfectly executed and sublime. Just blocks away Jesse Rose Vala's show at |