Portland Theater Reviews and News

Despite a Pandemic and Wildfires, One of Portland’s Biggest Arts Festivals Is Still Happening This Month

TBA organizers Erin Boberg and Kristan Kennedy discuss the logistics of putting on a festival in a time of multiple crises.

Shannon Gormley
2 days ago

Photographer Linneas Boland-Godbey Hosts Art Therapy for Activists

After months of protesting and dealing with drama within the activist scene, Linneas Boland-Godbey realized he needed a change of pace. He figured other protesters did, too.

Shannon Gormley September 2

Photographer Intisar Abioto Has Added “Muralist” to Her Résumé With a Work That Pays Tribute to Black Women and Girls

“I put my art first and I put my community work through art first, but I’m learning and have learned that I need to take better care of myself,” says Abioto. “Not just so that I can be able to do the work but because I’m valuable and important.”

Cervante Pope September 2

Emma Berger’s Mural of George Floyd Sparked a Massive Community Art Project Downtown

Over the past three months, the Apple Store at Pioneer Place has transformed into a mourning ground for the lives lost to police brutality.

Jordan Montero September 2

Two Artist-Run Projects Have Teamed Up to Create an Emergency Relief Fund for BIPOC Artists

Amid the demand for Black art that’s followed the worldwide protests against police brutality, it’s often painfully apparent what’s still missing for Portland artists—a respect for Black art and the artists who make it.

Cervante Pope September 2

Portland Architecture Blog Visits the Elk Statue in Storage, Confirms It Wasn’t Actually Destroyed by Protesters

Before its removal in early July after protesters lit fires around its base, the statue was a gathering point for protesters, who climbed on top of and gratified the sculpture. The elk’s fan club has only become more apparent after its removal. Protesters have replaced the statue with another artificial elk and showed up to the nightly Justice Center demonstrations with antlers attached to helmets.

Shannon Gormley August 25

Photographer Ebenezer Galluzzo Was Already Living in Isolation When the Pandemic Hit. That Hasn’t Made Things Any Easier.

With galleries closed or only open in a limited sense, Galluzzo has mainly been putting his self-portraits out in the world through virtual shows, Instagram takeovers and live streamed artists talks. That’s meant dealing with social media censorship—Instagram recently took down one of Galluzzo’s nude portraits three times in one day, including his attempt to self-censor with kitten and rooster emojis—and missing out on the real time artist-to-audience interactions that often come with gallery shows.

Shannon Gormley August 22

St. Helens Residents Successfully Fundraised an Anti-Trump Billboard Inspired by a Cult Classic Sci-Fi Movie

The founder of Progressive Alliance of Columbia County has successfully raised the funds to put up a satirical anti-Trump billboard along Highway 30 inspired by John Carpenter’s They Live.

Shannon Gormley August 12

Someone Tagged “Black Lives Matter” Outside a Church in Southeast Portland. Staff Decided to Keep It—and Turn It Into a Mural

Heidie Ambrose, a staff member and artist by trade, began the process of expanding the graffiti into a sprawling mural. Each brick is marked with the name of a Black man or woman who has died at the hands of systemic racism, and painted bricks are reserved for those who have died in the Portland area.

Scout Brobst August 6

Willamette Week

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