things to do

At Open Space, Dance So Close You Can Almost Touch It

Also: Tim Heidecker’s serious tunes, and other things to do in Portland this week.

01/23/2025 By Rebecca Jacobson and Matthew Trueherz

Vibe Check

Portland’s Seasonally Affected, Politically Depressed Mood

Photographer Jordan Gale attempts to capture the city’s wilted spirit as inauguration looms and seasonal depression lingers.

01/17/2025 By Matthew Trueherz Photography by Jordan Gale

things to do

Elliott Smith’s Kind and Gentle World at the Clinton Street Theater

Also: the poetics of politics with Anis Mojgani, and other things to do in Portland this week.

01/16/2025 By Matthew Trueherz

fit to print

A Magazine Shop Brings Portlanders Offline and Into Chinatown

Focused on global art and design publications, Chess Club fills a hole in Portland’s print-loving heart.

01/14/2025 By Matthew Trueherz

All of the Lights

For the 10th Portland Winter Light Festival, Artists Look Forward

Since 2016, the Portland Winter Light Festival has illuminated the city with dramatic sculptures and interactive installations. This year, it imagines the future.

01/13/2025 By Brooke Jackson-Glidden

Things to Do

Eating as Self-Care and The Taste of Things

Also: Broadway musical Kimberly Akimbo and other things to do in Portland this week.

01/09/2025 By Matthew Trueherz

things to do

In This Year: Going to the Movies

Also: Black Belt Eagle Scout at the Reser, and other things to do in Portland this week.

01/02/2025 By Matthew Trueherz

year in review

Portland Artists and Curators on their Favorite Shows from 2024

The art world moves fast. These are the shows that left their mark in the past year.

12/23/2024 By Matthew Trueherz

things to do

George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker, Minus the Racial Stereotypes

Also: major Minimalists at the Lumber Room, and other things to do in Portland this week.

12/19/2024 By Matthew Trueherz

things to do

Be One of Jerrod Carmichael’s Beloved Strangers

Also: The Dandy Warhols are 30, and other things to do in Portland this week.

12/12/2024 By Matthew Trueherz

things to do

Fashion Doyennes and Their Pets at Powell’s

Also: A John Waters Christmas, and other things to do in Portland this week.

12/05/2024 By Matthew Trueherz

things to do

Storm Large Is Home for Thanksgiving

Also: Cyndi Lauper, Lady Bunny, and other shows in town this week.

11/27/2024 By Matthew Trueherz

Arts Preview

6 Art Gallery and Museum Shows to See in Portland This Winter

The season breaks from the regular art-going schedule, with a play-themed museum show, otherworldly paintings, and a chess party.

11/21/2024 By Matthew Trueherz

things to do

Taylor Swift’s Rise to Power in a New Book

Also: Larry David, the Lines Ballet, and other things to do in town this week.

11/21/2024 By Matthew Trueherz

art review

Jeremy Okai Davis Paints the Complex Legacy of Black Performance

Past and present, vaudeville to Pryor to Kendrick, the stage has been a fraught mix of expression and oppression.

11/15/2024 By Matthew Trueherz

Things to Do

Local Photos of a Global Climate Crisis

Also: Titus Kaphar visits the Tomorrow Theater, and other things to do in town this week.

11/14/2024 By Matthew Trueherz

Books

A Guide to Loving Trash

A new memoir collects trash—as a class, artistic medium, and societal nuisance—into a manual for empathy.

11/08/2024 By Matthew Trueherz

Things to Do

Getting Lost with Chris Marker

Also: Jeremy Okai Davis paints Black performance, and other things to do in town this week.

11/07/2024 By Matthew Trueherz

Things to Do

The Portland Book Festival Turns 10

Also: Christine Sinclair plays her final match, and other things to do in town this week.

10/31/2024 By Matthew Trueherz

The Art World

Julian Gaines Is Bringing Jet Magazine to the Museum

After a nearby fire shut down the painter’s gallery show, his tribute to the influential Black magazine’s civil rights era moves to PAM.

10/21/2024 By Matthew Trueherz