BOOKS AND TALKS

William Stafford Centennial Celebration
Feb 7, Newmark Theatre
The yearlong celebration of Oregon’s heralded poet has an early finale in this night of readings with some of the city’s most important living poets, including Paulann Peterson, Kim Stafford, and the only other Oregon poet to win the National Book Award, Mary Szybist, whom we asked about Stafford's legacy.

THEATER

Opening: Bo-Nita
Feb 1–Mar 16, Gerding Theater at the Armory
“You got your hyphen because: one, they’re British and totally sexy. And two, hyphens are all about hanging on and keeping things together,” says Bo-Nita’s mother in this one-woman hit from the 2012 JAW playwrights festival. Who knew a black comedy about a precocious 13-year-old, a floozy of a mother, abuse, step-patricide, and being poor in the Midwest could be so damn funny?

Closing weekend: Chinglish
Jan 11–Feb 9, Gerding Theater at the Armory
"An American businessman tries to land a deal in China, makes a fool of himself, becomes involved with a woman; hilarity ensues. Chinglish is enjoyable enough while it lasts, but it leaves you feeling underwhelmed once the curtain falls." Read our full review.  

New Review: The Monster-Builder
Jan 28–Mar 2, Artists Repertory Theatre
"It quickly becomes clear that The Monster-Builder isn’t really about architecture so much as it is about the cult of personality, the vacuousness of ambition and acclaim, and the uncomfortable marriage of form and function in high-concept art. In other words, it’s a play about the very idea of “being in the know”—about whether and to whom it’s important. In that sense, feeling left out heightens the audience’s appreciation for the ridiculousness of the artistic pretensions being skewered. This works in the play’s favor—at least for a bit..." Read our full review.

Music 

Doug Fir Gospel Brunch
Feb 9, 23, Doug Fir Lounge
When you think of the Doug Fir Lounge, you likely think late nights, indie bands, a drink or three, and a crowd of chatty music-lovers. You likely don’t think gospel and soul food. But that’s what the Doug Fir wants you to picture with its new “Gospel Brunch” series, which pairs a buffet of southern-fried staples with a performance from arguably our city’s leading gospel singer, Linda Hornbuckle. As you can read here, we struggle over the tastefulness of an event that basically looks like “white hipster bar dresses up as black church.” 

Classical

Beethoven's Symphony no. 7, Oregon Symphony
Feb 9–10, Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall
The composer himself is said to have regarded this symphony as his finest work, and at its premiere in Vienna in 1812 the second movement was so well received that it had to be immediately encored. This performance, featuring British conductor Mark Wigglesworth, will also include German-Canadian cellist Johannes Moser’s take on Schumann’s Cello Concerto in A minor.

Third Angle: Riffs
Feb 5–6, Jimmy Mak's
Who says classical music can’t be spontaneous? This improvisational performance operates in the nexus between classical music and jazz, and features the Concerto for Improvising Soloists by composer, author, and Reed College professor David Schiff.   

visual art - many first Thursday events will be closed due to snow

Portraitlandia
Feb 7–Mar 2, Newspace Center for Photography
Last summer, photographer Kirk Crippens’s online series Portraitlandia—images of Portlanders both eccentric and not—ignited a buzz fire across the Internet, from Wired to the UK’s Daily Mail. (His photo of mail carrier Mary Kozlov, pictured, has been hanging in an exhibition in London’s prestigious National Portrait Gallery since November.) Now, Portlanders themselves will get to see several of the works for the first time as part of a group show of Newspace’s artists in residence, cleverly titled Fresh A.i.R. Read our story about Crippens and his portraits.

Terry Toedtemeier: Skies
Feb 4–Mar 1
PDX Contemporary presents selected photographs of the late photographer and beloved Portland art scene icon Terry Toedtemeier in the exhibit Skies, showcasing views captured above the horizon. In addition to his influential work creating and bolstering Portland art institutions, Toedtemeier co–authored Wild Beauty and served as the Curator of Photography for the Portland Art Museum from 1985 to 2008. (Read our coverage of the life and death of Toedtemeier.)

Mel Katz & Henk Pander
Feb 6–Mar 1, Laura Russo Gallery
Acclaimed Portland art vets sculptor Mel Katz and painter Henk Pander show their latest work: the exuberant shapes and bold colors of Katz’s anodized aluminum wall sculptures and the lush colors and vibrant details of Henk Pander’s watercolor paintings focused on the Oregon landscapes.

Christopher Rauschenberg & Group Show
Jan 21–Mar 1, Elizabeth Leach Gallery 
For his latest work, the globe-trotting local photographer ventures into the studios of some of the greatest living artists, including Robert Rauschenberg, Chuck Close, and Robert Frank. In the other room, a number of the gallery’s artists undress the human body for Unveiled.

Qalam, Calligraphy and Islam from the Middle Ages to the Present 
Feb 4–Apr 27, Cooley Art Gallery
Reviving its focus on calligraphy (Steve Jobs said his study there led to Mac’s revolutionizing use of fonts), Reed College welcomes renowned Iranian calligrapher Hamidreza Ghelichkhani. He will cocurate an exhibition of ninth- to 20th-century Arabic and Persian calligraphy. 

Film

Disjecta: The Deflowering of Ariella Von
Feb 9, Clinton Street Theater
Disjecta curator-in-residence Summer Guthery screens Marianna Ellenberg and David Louis Zuckerman's The Deflowering of Ariella Von, a film that funnels post-millenial angst through '90s punk and feminist subcultures. 

Rock and Roll Trailer Show
Feb 7–8, Hollywood Theatre
Celebrate the glory days of music in film, as Jackpot Records and the Academy Film Archive present a collection of some of the most outrageous pre-film entertainment to grace the big screen. Classic rock royalty, overblown prog-rock productions, and hip-hop blacksploitation come together on 35mm film for a rambunctious movie-going experience.