This Is A Bottle Of Wine. We Drank It. It's Art.

Everybody who's anybody in Portland's art scene has been buzzing over YU Contemporary, and doubtless they'll be even more abuzz after the final show of the inaugural season, Tom Marioni's The Act of Drinking Beer With Friends Is the Highest Form of Art. 

The title is somewhat misleading: Marioni in fact will be hosting three evening parties for invited guests, and then on Saturday, July 30, he will invite the public to look at displays of the empty beer bottles from those parties. Admission is a donation to YU starting at $5, for which bartenders will serve more beer. So, technically, it is not the act of drinking beer that is the highest form of art so much as the act of showing people that you were drinking beer without them, which is an even higher form of art if you charge $5 to drink in the same room as the chosen friends who were drinking the beer previously. Marioni first debuted this installation in Oakland, Calif., in 1970, which means he has been charging people to see the beer bottles he drank from for 40 years, which means that he has reached the undisputed highest level of something.

We probably shouldn't try to compete with that. But you see that bottle above? We drank that bottle. And that's not just beer. That's motherfucking sparkling wine. Yes. It costs $12, and we did not pay for it. Bar raised, Tom Marioni. We are artists. We have friends. We are high. We are buzzing.

GO: The Act of Drinking Beer With Friends Is the Highest Form of Art, YU Contemporary, 800 SE 10th Ave., 236-7996. 4-7 pm Saturday, July 30. Donations begin at $5. 21+. Beer provided by Pacifico, Ninkasi and Trumer Pils.

Headout Picks

WEDNESDAY, JULY 27

[MUSIC] ETERNAL TAPESTRY, BARN OWL

lt's not often one gets to catch two excellent psychedelic/experimental acts (both signed to Thrill Jockey) at such an intimate (yes, we called The Know intimate) venue. Do it. The Know, 2026 NE Alberta. 8 pm. Cover. 21+.

THURSDAY, JULY 28

[BEER] OREGON BREWERS FESTIVAL

The sudsy celebration that started Portland's obsession with gathering to slurp tiny tasters of the country's finest craft brews is back for its 24th year. Tom McCall Waterfront Park, Southwest Naito Parkway between Southwest Harrison and Glisan streets. Noon-9 pm Thursday-Saturday, noon-7 pm Sunday, July 28-31. Free entry. $6 souvenir mug required to drink; taster tokens $1. Info at oregonbrewfest.com.

[MOVIES] TOP DOWN: FEMALE

Michael Curtiz's sharp little number about slutting around was released in 1933, a year before the MPAA prudes began enforcing the Hays Code. Hotel deLuxe garage, Southwest 15th Avenue and Yamhill Street. 8 pm. $9.

FRIDAY, JULY 29

[DANCE] FARM DANCES

Degenerate Art Ensemble co-founder Haruko Nishimura takes dance farther afield—literally—with Farm Dances, an evening of site-specific performance using the local landscape as both stage and creative springboard. Prior Day Farm, 9233 N Bristol Ave. 7 pm. $10-$15. 

[MOVIES] THE ARBOR

This prismatic docudrama-cum-oral-history delves into the short and sad life of playwright Andrea Dunbar and the fractured family she left in her wake. Living Room Theaters, 341 SW 10th Ave., 222-2010. Multiple showtimes. $5-$9.

SATURDAY, JULY 30

[MUSIC] MULTIPLE PERSONALITIES MUSIC FESTIVAL

Missed PDX Pop Now!? Why not catch And And And, World's Greatest Ghosts and more of Portland's best indie rock acts for free this weekend? There's a beer garden! PALS Clubhouse, 2334 SE 8th Ave. All day. Free. All ages.

SUNDAY, JULY 31

[MMMPIE] PORTLAND PIE OFF

Laurelhurst Park hosts the fifth Portland Pie Off, where local bakers vie for flaky-crust bragging rights—often bolstered by beer, detailed pie-related costumes and pastry-themed bands. Laurelhurst Park, Southeast 39th Avenue and Stark Street. Free. Email portlandpieoff2011@gmail.com or call 313-5692 or 709-9223 for details.

WWeek 2015