Portland Spoke – The Official Blog of Travel Portland

Fall visual art exhibitions in Portland are highlighted by celebrations surrounding the legacy of the late Bonnie Bronson, for whom the important Bonnie Bronson Fellowship award is named, and the 30-year track record of dealer Elizabeth Leach. The Portland Art Dealers Association also celebrates the 25th anniversary of the First Thursday art walk, which has grown from a quiet event at a handful of galleries to a lively monthly celebration of the arts.

Nikki McClure, Source, 2010, Paper, 11 x 11 inches. Photo by: Dan Kvitka.

Nikki McClure: Cutting Her Own Path, 1996-2011 - Aug. 18-Oct. 29
Museum of Contemporary Craft, 724 N.W. Davis St.

This retrospective features the X-acto blade artist’s intricate paper-cuts, which have been a visual hallmark of Northwest illustration since her work with Olympia-based record labels K and Kill Rock Stars in the Riot Grrrl era.

Carrie Iverson: Correspondence – Aug. 31-Nov. 19
Bullseye Gallery, 300 N.W. 13th Ave.

A series of ethereal installations by this printmaker and glass artist elegantly reflects on the loss of language and memory.

Frank A. Rinehart: Photographs – Aug. 31-Oct. 1
Charles A. Hartman Fine Art, 134 N.W. Eighth Ave.

Vintage platinum print portraits of Native Americans made during the Indian Congress of 1898 in Omaha, Nebraska, as part of the Trans-Mississippi and International Exposition.

Bonnie Bronson: Works 1960-1990 – Sept. 1-Oct. 9
Pacific Northwest College of Art, 1241 N.W. Johnson St.

This retrospective represents the first major showing of Bronson’s work in nearly two decades, since the Portland Art Museum’s posthumous survey in 1993, and includes some never-shown wall sculptures and works on paper. (more…)

Travel Portland is working with Oregon Arts Watch, a new, nonprofit journalism enterprise, to cover upcoming art exhibits, performances and events in the city.

During summer in Portland, the arts take on the attitude of the city as a whole: casual and celebratory. The full experience of the first-rate Chamber Music Northwest festival, for example, involves a pre-concert picnic, and the monthly gallery walks feel even more like street parties when it’s warm out. Amid these less formal and more adventurous offerings, the art experiences can still be profound.

Here are some of the visual arts highlights (see music and theater highlights):

Chris Antemann, Feast of Impropriety, 2010, 3-section centerpiece, dining table with 16 figures; porcelain with decals, luster and china paint

The Contemporary Northwest Art Awards
Portland Art Museum
June 11-Sept. 11

A replacement for the Oregon Biennial, the CNAA showcases the work of seven Northwest artists in greater depth than the museum’s previous survey show of state artists, and it awards one the $10,000 Arlene Schnitzer Prize. From figurative porcelain vignettes to large-scale sculpture, video installation and glass, works by Chris Antemann, John Buck, John Grade, Jerry Iverson, Susie Lee, Megan Murphy and Michelle Ross demonstrate the broad spectrum of work being done by the region’s artists. (more…)

One of my favorite things about Portland is all the public art. The sculptures, murals and installations can turn a pleasant walk through downtown into a treasure hunt. When the Transit Mall was renovated in 2009, I was blown away by the great new pieces (mixed with plenty of classics, like the statue made famous in the “Expose yourself to art” poster).

So I was thrilled to get to work on a new guide to public art in the central city, which Travel Portland produced in partnership with the Regional Arts & Culture Council.

Free copies are available at the Visitor Information Center in Pioneer Courthouse Square, or you can download the PDF. The guide includes a map to more than 100 artworks, including all 36 pieces on the Transit Mall.

Check it out, and take yourself on a treasure hunt through the streets of Portland!

A creature from Travis Pond’s “Totem”

On the streets of Lake Oswego, animals carry messages, birds are made of engine parts, and things are not as they seem. I’m talking about the surprisingly poignant and beautiful pieces of art that are placed among the streets and gardens there.

The Lake Oswego Arts Council’s “Gallery Without Walls” is an incredible display of artwork, varying in style from towering flowers to seemingly playful pieces with political messages. It is an awe-inspiring collection if you take some time to walk around and look at it. There is an online brochure and self-guided walking tour with a photo and name of each sculpture which you can download here. Guides are also available by appointment to lead you, your family or group around the artwork.

My favorite piece was “Totem” by Portland sculptor Travis Pond. Appearing as a stack of creatures, a closer look reveals that they were fashioned out of old parts from motorcycles, engines and guns. The plaque at the bottom reads, “This totem represents not what we should worship but what we do.”

A great time to check out the Gallery Without Walls is during Lake Oswego’s annual Festival of the Arts, which runs from June 25-27. Enjoy!