Books & Talks

David Wolman and Julian Smith

7:30 p.m. Thu, Powell's City of Books, FREE
Portlanders (and occasional Portland Monthly contributors) David Wolman and Julian Smith have dusted off a crackerjack—and entirely true—story of three Hawaiian cowboys who showed up in Cheyenne, Wyoming, in 1908 for one of the largest rodeos in the West. They recount the tale in Aloha Rodeo.

Music

Billie Eilish

7:30 p.m. Fri, Moda Center, $63–550
The 17-year-old phenom (recently named "Teenager of the Year" by Rolling Stone) brings her brooding, glitchy pop to the Moda, right on the heels of her debut album, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?

Pure Bathing Culture

9 p.m. Sat, Mississippi Studios, $15
It’s been four long years since the Portland duo’s last studio release, but Night Pass was worth the wait: 10 tracks that merge melodic pop joy, ethereal synths, and just the right pluck of twang. 

Theater

OPENING Into the Woods

7:30 p.m. Thu–Sat, 2 p.m. Sun, Broadway Rose New Stage, $20–48
The Stephen Sondheim-scored, fairy tale-inspired classic comes to Portland (well, Tigard) via Broadway Rose Theatre Company. “Into the woods / but not too fast,” go the words to the musical’s finale, but if you want tickets you may have to reject that warning—a number of shows are already sold out.

OPENING Arlington [a love story]

7:30 p.m. Fri–Sat, 2 p.m. Sun, CoHo Theatre, $25–45
Irish playwright Enda Walsh is a singular force. In addition to penning a mountain of plays, he’s worked in opera and film and devised haunting theatrical installations (another notable credit: adapting Roald Dahl’s The Twits for the stage). Third Rail takes on his 2017 play Arlington, a dreamlike, dystopian tale of solitary confinement that also features a wordless, movement-filled second act.

OPENING Going Down in Flames

7:30 p.m. Thu–Sat, 2 p.m. Sun, Headwaters Theatre, $20–28
Danny Mankin’s play, based on the life of his late sister, the renowned clown Joan Mankin (clown persona: Queenie Moon), makes its world premiere at the Headwaters Theatre. Angela Van Epps directs this blend of tragedy and comedy, with Joan Schirle in the lead role.

CLOSING Escaped Alone

7:30 p.m. Thu–Sat, Shaking the Tree, $10–30
Caryl Churchill is one of the most inventive playwrights working today, and her latest work, according to the Guardian, is “an intricate, elliptical, acutely female view of the apocalypse.” Shaking the Tree, which did a bang-up job with Churchill’s Far Away back in 2012, presents the play’s West Coast premiere. 

Visual Art

CLOSING Susan Seubert

10:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m. Thu–Sat, Froelick Gallery, FREE
The award-winning Portland photographer turns her lens on grief in A Typology of Lament, a series of photographs of delicate lace handkerchiefs—for wiping tears, perhaps?—that the artist says “tend towards stereotypes of femininity.” They’ve all been rendered using the 19th-century technique of wet plate collodion, a process that produces a negative image on glass from which prints are made.

CLOSING An Inward Gaze

Noon–5 p.m. Thu–Sun, Blue Sky Gallery, FREE
This joint exhibit features the work of two photographers who challenge the male gaze: New York City’s Arielle Bobb-Willis, whose boldly hued images transform bodies into disjointed sculptures, and Portland’s Brittney Cathey-Adams, whose black-and-white self-portraits claim her right to take up space as a person of size. 

CLOSING Jo Hamilton

11 a.m.–5:30 p.m. Thu–Fri, 11 a.m.–5 p.m. Sat, Russo Lee Gallery, FREE
In The Matriarchs, the Masked and the Naked Man, the Scotland-born Portland crochet artist turns her remarkable technique—intricate works made of yarn that blast apart any perceptions of the craft as dowdy—to portraits that explore the superficial judgments we pass on others. 

The Artistic and Eclectic Will Martin: Selected Works, 1957-1985

10 a.m.–5 p.m. Thu–Sat, Architectural Heritage Center, $7
Architect Will Martin, who died in 1985, might be best known as the lead designer of Pioneer Courthouse Square. But he was more than just the mastermind of Portland’s living room—he was a sculptor, painter, and furniture designer, with interests that roved from the natural environment to Pop Art and Postmodernism. This exhibit collects hand sketches of his work (which also included homes, banks, offices, and a quirky pizza parlor), architectural models, paintings, and sculptures.

Barry Johnson

11 a.m.–5:30 p.m. Thu–Fri, 11 a.m.–5 p.m. Sat, Russo Lee Gallery, FREE
The Seattle-based, self-taught artist makes use of a wide range of forms—from painting to sculpture to photography—as a means of exploring race, identity, and culture. As part of the gallery’s “In The Office” series, Russo Lee hosts hosting a collection of Johnson’s work, largely consisting of his vibrantly colored mixed-media portraits.

Special Events

South Waterfront Street Fair

4–7 p.m. Thu, SW River Parkway between SW Gaines & SW Lane, FREE
Memorial Day has passed, which means street fair season is here. Head to the South Waterfront for tacos, churros, live swing music, Napoleon the alpaca (yes, you can give him all the pets), and a doggie costume contest.

Pedalpalooza

Begins Sat, various locations, FREE
There is perhaps no better time to ride a bike in Portland than June. Among the reasons why: Pedalpalooza, a monthlong velostravaganza featuring hundreds of rambles for riders of all propensities, from the festival’s blowout kickoff (June 1) to the flesh frenzy that is the World Naked Bike Ride (June 29). Overwhelmed by the options? We've got five picks right here.