Arts & Culture

Self Portrait

Y La Bamba Calls In from Mexico City

“Leaving the US has been the biggest blessing for me,” they say. “It’s like I’m in a different portal.”

04/19/2024 By Matthew Trueherz

For Kicks

Back to the Future and into the Metaverse: 100-Plus Years of Sneakers at PAM

Marty McFly’s Nikes, those Big Red Boots, and a few pairs that literally don’t exist have plenty to tell us about ourselves.

04/12/2024 By Matthew Trueherz

Awards Season

Erica Berry and Patrick deWitt Are among the 2024 Oregon Book Awards Winners

Kwame Alexander presented seven Oregon authors with new badges to add to their book covers at Monday’s ceremony.

04/10/2024 By Matthew Trueherz

Our TED Talk

The Most Anticipated Talks and Performances of TEDxPortland 2024

A Jordan executive, Y La Bamba, and two James Beard Award winners are billed for the annual event.

04/03/2024 By Matthew Trueherz

Slow Burn

How Writing Romance Helped Alison Cochrun Embrace Her Queerness

The former high school English teacher, raised and based in Vancouver, is now a full-time author of love stories.

03/29/2024 By Rebecca Jacobson

Busking for Permits

Johnny Franco Wants to Lick the City’s Wounds with His Guitar

A Brazilian immigrant campaigns for a vibrant city, by way of free concerts.

03/29/2024 By Michelle Kicherer

Self Portrait

Reyna Tropical Is in Concert with the Universe

Ahead of a new album, the guitarist and singer shares her healthy diet of ancestral dialogues, TikTok dances, and Sushi Ichiban.

03/27/2024 By Matthew Trueherz

Old School

The Portland Art Gallery Where Age Is an Asset

Geezer Gallery (yes, it’s really called that), an exhibition space and arts center, is devoted to showing seniors’ work.

03/22/2024 By Matthew Trueherz

Golden Years

Can Third-Act Careers Work Out?

We asked artists, literary agents, career coaches, and gallerists about who succeeds in midlife creative careers.

03/20/2024 By Rachel Saslow Photography by Jason Hill

420-Friendly

This Guidebook Tours the Country’s Coolest Cannabis Destinations

In Green Scenes, Portlander Lauren Yoshiko scopes out cat-themed dispensaries, consumption-friendly treehouses, and chic smoke shops.

03/12/2024 By Rebecca Jacobson

Till Death

What Separates Tattoo Connoisseurs from Art Collectors?

For many patrons of the extraordinarily tactile medium, tattoos aren't so different from paintings.

03/11/2024 By Matthew Trueherz Photography by Jason Hill

Dancing With Myself

Which Music Festival's Returning? Billy Idol, T-Pain, and Big Thief to Headline.

After a seven-year hiatus, Project Pabst is back like it never left.

03/05/2024 By Matthew Trueherz

Art Review

Janitors, Farmers, Landscapers: Invisible Work Made Visible in Labor of Love

At the Schnitzer Museum at Portland State University, eight international artists spotlight unseen workers.

03/04/2024 By Matthew Trueherz

Self Portrait

Painter Jeremy Okai Davis Doesn’t Sleep Much

Graphic designer and father to two preschoolers by day, the celebrated portrait artist rewrites Black history in his backyard by night.

02/23/2024 By Matthew Trueherz

Book Review

A Journalist Dives Behind the Scenes of the Art World

Portland native Bianca Bosker plunges headfirst into the New York City art world, attempting to see what the fuss is about.

02/09/2024 By Matthew Trueherz

No Regerts

And the Most Commonly Removed Tattoos in Portland Are...

A professional tattoo remover explains the limits of erasing body art, from finger mustaches to microbladed eyebrows.

02/08/2024 By Matthew Trueherz

Self Portrait

The Artist Who Volleys Ceramics, Papier-Mâché, Needlepoint, and Tennis?

Jessica Jackson Hutchins is chasing beauty and collecting old couches, but she’d rather be on the courts.

02/02/2024 By Matthew Trueherz Photography by Michael Raines

Art Review

Artist Pace Taylor’s Emotions Are Unmistakably Visible

In their third solo show at Nationale, the rising star plumbs new depths of desire and anxiety.

02/01/2024 By Matthew Trueherz

Fit to Print

How Helen Frankenthaler Turned Prints into Art

At the Oregon Jewish Museum, a retrospective catalogs the artist’s allergy to doing what was expected of her—mainly, making traditional art.

01/12/2024 By Matthew Trueherz

Book Biz

Portland Gets Its First-Ever Romance Bookstore, Finally

Black-owned Grand Gesture Books looks to fill a hole in Portland’s bookish heart.

01/04/2024 By Matthew Trueherz