Books & Talks

Tyler Thrasher

2–7 p.m. Sat, Paxton Gate, FREE
Modern-day alchemist and artist Tyler Thrasher transforms everyday found objects—like shells, insects, and bones—into crystals. This afternoon, Thrasher will showcase and sell his unusual pieces, many of which are photographed in his new book, Wisdom of the Furnace (which will also be on sale). While you browse, sip on custom cocktails from Bull Run Distillery—made with fresh herbs from Thrasher’s garden, of course.

Comedy

Jamie Lee

8 p.m. Thu, 7:30 and 10 p.m. Fri–Sat, Helium Comedy Club, $17–25
Since making it to the semifinals on Last Comic Standing, Jamie Lee has made a name for herself with her irreverent sense of humor, both as a star on MTV’s Girl Code and on the late-night circuit. She’s also penned a satirical wedding planning guide, Weddiculous, and currently writes for and performs in HBO’s Crashing.

Steve Martin & Martin Short

6:30 p.m. Sun, McMenamins Edgefield, $89–228
Two of the most recognizable Martins in comedy join the long list of entertainers who’ve performed on Edgefield’s sprawling green lawn. The showbiz vets present their new joint stand-up show, “An Evening You Will Forget for the Rest of Your Life,” which was also released as a Netflix special in May. The vaudevillian act incorporates storytelling, Steve Martin’s impressive banjo-picking skills, Short’s singing, and, of course, plenty of quips and verbal jabs.

Music

Waterfront Blues Festival

All day Thu–Sat, Tom McCall Waterfront Park, $15+
The Portland summer staple has been impressing audiences with blues, soul, and roots musicians for more than three decades. This year’s headliners include Grammy-nominated blues singer-songwriter Beth Hart, “bayou soul” singer Marc Broussard, and roots-rock band the Revivalists. As always, proceeds benefit the Oregon Food Bank.

Karma Rivera

9 p.m. Fri, Doug Fir Lounge, $10–13
With her clever, rapid-fire lyrics, the Portland hip-hop artist has risen to star status in the local rap scene. Rivera got her big break in 2015 when she was featured in rapper Vinnie Dewayne’s Portland Female Cypher short film, and she’s since performed at venues across town, and at local music festivals such as Girl Fest NW and PDX Pop Now.

Theater

CoHo Summerfest

7:30 p.m. Thu–Sun, CoHo Theater, $20
Need an escape from the summer heat? Consider this fest your retreat, with four new productions over as many weeks. Up this weekend: Finding Soul, a "multimedia dance narrative" featuring three local dancers.

Visual Art

OPENING R. Keaney Rathbun

11 a.m.–5:30 p.m. Thu–Sat, 11 a.m.–4 p.m. Sun, Waterstone Gallery, FREE
The local multimedia artist returns to Waterstone with a highly personal new exhibit. Regeneration features autobiographical bas relief paintings that Rathbun created both during and after a battle with an incapacitating illness, with scenes from his own tropical garden and from travels through French Polynesia, Easter Island, Costa Rica, and Oregon.

OPENING Alia Ali

Noon–5 p.m. Thu–Sun, Blue Sky Gallery, FREE
The figures are swathed in lushly patterned fabric, their faces obscured by the folds of cloth. These are the unconventional portraits of Borderland, Ali’s beautiful yet unsettling photo series of textile artisans and collectors from around the world, Yemen to Indonesia to New Orleans.

Julie Green

11 a.m.–6 p.m. Thu–Sat, Upfor Gallery, FREE
The Oregon artist, known for her “Last Supper” series illustrating the meal requests of death row inmates, visits similar themes in her newest exhibit, In Food, Fashion and Capital Punishment. This time, the plates are disposable Chinet covered in plaster, the painting delicately reminiscent of antique china.