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Category Archives: Arts & Culture

He assembles items to represent his worldview

Posted on June 9, 2019 by Web Manager Posted in Arts & Culture, Concordia News

By Joel Dippold | CNA Media Team

Dan Pillers, Concordian and celebrated artist, uses artifacts and curiosities as the building blocks of his work. Photo by Ryan-Michael Riel
Dan Pillers, Concordian and celebrated artist, uses artifacts and curiosities as the building blocks of his work. Photo by Ryan-Michael Riel.

A thought slowly comes over you as you stand in a room full of Dan Pillers’ exquisite works of art: “The inside of this guy’s studio must be pretty amazing.”

Dan practices bricolage, assembling found objects into elaborate representations of his worldview, and his identity. His perspective is one of a gay man born in the Eisenhower administration who survived the AIDS epidemic in San Francisco and has lived a quiet life in Concordia for the past dozen years.

The basement studio of his Ainsworth bungalow is crammed with cabinets full of artifacts and curiosities, the building blocks of his art. The artifacts and woodwork come from thrift shops, yard sale free boxes and sometimes gifts left on his porch by mysterious benefactors.

His art is a mix of memoir, history, politics and popular culture. His pieces often take the shape of a glass case with elaborate woodwork – sometimes Victorian, sometimes mid-century modern. Etched onto the glass are ornamental designs or provocative bits of text.

And in the center of this space, often suspended in midair, is a central object of contemplation – some small thing of singular beauty, of wonderment, evocative of lost time or an emotion you can’t quite pin down.

Dan’s training as an artist includes a bachelor of fine arts degree from the San Francisco Art Institute, residencies in France, and gallery shows up and down the West Coast.

But, as he excitedly shows a visitor some of the truly singular artifacts he’s collected, he repeatedly mentions his residency with a Metro program called “Glean.” Each year it gives a handful of local artists unlimited access to the local dump.

Next up for Dan is a joint show in June at the Guardino Gallery, 2939 N.E. Alberta St. There, you can see nearly a dozen of his pieces. In addition to the show through June 25, he is booked for an opening reception Thursday, May 30, 6-9 p.m., and an artist talk Saturday, June 15, 2 p.m.

Before you go, visit DanPillers.com or watch a three-minute video portrait at Vimeo.com/51840518.

Joel Dippold is a freelance writer and editor who has lived in Concordia since 2000.

Artist leaves her touch all across the continent

Posted on May 2, 2019 by Web Manager Posted in Arts & Culture, Concordia News, Local Businesses

By Marsha Sandman | CNA Media Team

Residing in Jan Coleman’s home are her business Red Caviar Planning and Design LLC, an array of her creations, supplies of colorful yarns, a painter’s easel, slender lengths of exotic wood and a large loom. Photo by Marsha Sandman.

When touring a museum, zoo, botanic garden, interpretive center or historic site, your visit is often enhanced by the physical manifestation of storytelling, exhibit design and interactive opportunities that intensify your experience.

Concordian Jan Coleman, sole member of Red Caviar Planning and Design LLC, has dedicated her career to planning and designing museums, zoos, botanic gardens, etc. with environmental, historical and cultural messages.

Her original ideas can be seen throughout North America. In Oregon, her efforts are at the “Great Northwest” exhibits at Oregon Zoo and at the National Oregon Trail Interpretive Center in Baker City.

Before semi-retirement a year ago, Jan was involved from the inception of many projects. She provided exhibit research, led planning workshops and developed goals, concepts and construction documents.

She is currently offering her services pro bono for the proposed McKenzie River Discovery Park.

Jan started her journey in Eugene, where she was raised, attended the University of Oregon and taught interior architecture for six years.

Her expertise was noticed by various design firms throughout the country, she moved east to farther east, and then back again. She worked on large projects that often took two to three years.

For more than 35 years, she drew on her formal background of interior architecture, knowledge of the arts, anthropology, sociology, landscape.

“Extraordinarily creative, Jan’s vast experience and keen sense of how people learn are a terrific addition to any planning team,” reported Scot Medbury, Brooklyn Botanic Garden director.

Since Jan is also an artist, she continues to pursue her interest in loom and non-loom woven structures. She seeks what she called, “engaging ways to connect environmental education and the role of fungi in the health of ecosystems.”

Her home – filled with colorful yarns, a painter’s easel, slender lengths of exotic wood and a large loom – is testament to her abundant creative energy.

Jan’s impressive work combines geometric patterns of woven elements with coil-wrapped yarn and wood.

“There is a long line of weavers stretching behind me to the horizon and beyond until, like a tail, the line traces a route to every locale on the globe,” she said.

“This line of weavers exists across time, emerging from the most distant past and, moving through me, continues on.”

To learn more about Jan and some of her many projects visit RedCaviarStudio.com.

After living east, south, north and west, Marsha Sandman is home at last. And she wants to hear your story. Contact her at MarshaJSandman@ gmail.com.

There may be more ‘free walls’ in future

Posted on May 1, 2019 by Web Manager Posted in Arts & Culture, Concordia News

By Nancy Varekamp | CNews Editor

Street and graffiti artists are currently welcome to express themselves any time on two free walls in Portland. This one is in Concordia. Photo by Lloyd Kimeldorf.

Free wall. Legal wall. Rotating wall. You name it, but there are only two in Portland, and one is in an alley intersecting with the south side of Alberta Street between 27th and 28th avenues.

The Portland Street Art Alliance (PSAA) and a group of Portland State University students are collaborating to convince the city to allow more. They’d like your opinion in an online survey posted in April at PDXStreetArt.org/articles-all.

A proposal to the city this summer will seek permission for building owners to allow street and graffiti artists to express themselves any time on walls that are painted over completely on a regular basis. The wall off Alberta Street is covered once a year.

The PSAA website reported the objective is “for the collective empowerment of Portland’s street artist community to achieve city-wide district revitalization goals and use art as a means to include the voices and perspectives of historically marginalized communities.

“The proposal will combine research, original data collection and analysis to present policy alternatives allowing Portland to better leverage its thriving street arts culture and solidify the city’s identity as a haven for creatives.”

The effort includes analysis of similar policies throughout the Northwest and around the world. Plans call for submitting the proposal to the city this summer.

Nancy Varekamp is semiretired from her career in journalism, p u bli c r e l a t i on s and – her favorite work engagement – writing and editing targeted newsletters.

Creativity springs from Coltrane ‘coliseum’

Posted on February 12, 2019 by Web Manager Posted in Arts & Culture, Concordia News

By Dan Werle | CNA Media Team

Ralph Barton credits the spirit of the informally-named Alice Coltrane Memorial Coliseum for inspiring his creativity. It’s where he bases his portfolio career of improvisational comedian, electronic dance music DJ and modular synthesizer builder. Photo by Chris Baker

Portland has long been a destination for creative people looking to make and share their work. The city landscape is dotted with gathering spaces where artists live, work and/ or perform.

One such space in Concordia has withstood shifting demographics and rising housing costs. The Alice Coltrane Memorial Coliseum functions as a practice spot and gathering center for musicians and other artists.

The building sits on the eastern-most edge of Concordia, at the southwest intersection of 42nd Avenue and Sumner Street. Like many neighboring houses, it was built in the late 1920s. Since then, it has seen a number of different occupants, owners and purposes.

A former resident of the building informally named it for Alice Coltrane. Also known as Turiyasangitananda or Turiya Alice Coltrane, she was a jazz pianist, harpist, composer, bandleader and, later in her life, a swamini. Her husband, John Coltrane, was another prominent jazz musician until his death in 1967. She died in 2007.

The building’s name honors her musical and spiritual legacy. So does her photograph, surrounded by flowers, displayed prominently inside one of the rooms.

Throughout the years, former Apple CEO Steve Jobs is rumored to have visited there while studying at Reed College. For a few years, it reportedly served as a gathering center for Hare Krishna worshipers.

Chris Radcliffe owned it from 2006 until last August. He’s a member of the Cacophony Society, a counter-culture network of people based in San Francisco with “lodges” throughout the world.

In 2008, a container home he built on the lot was featured in Portland’s Build It Green Home Tour. The 1920s structure has also housed performances by:

  • Joey Casio, an electronic artist known for his ahead-of-the-curve mixes and infectious friendliness – who died in the 2016 Oakland Ghost Ship Fire
  • The long-running Portland-based creative music group Million Brazilians
  • Rainbow in the Dark, a queer and transgender group that traveled across the United States in a school bus

That building is now occupied by Heterodox Records and also used for rehearsing and recording by such artists as Soup Purse, Grease Envelope, Production Unit Xero and Ralph Barton. The latter is an electronic dance music DJ, improvisational comedian and modular synthesizer builder.

Ralph, credits much of the spirit of the building to its previous owner. “It wouldn’t be this kind of building without Chris. This was his lab. This was his project.”

Dan Werle lives in Concordia with his wife, Anna, and their dogs.

Shamsud-Din’s murals remain on display

Posted on December 19, 2018 by Web Manager Posted in Arts & Culture, Concordia News

By Karen Wells | CNA Media Team

This Isaka Shamsud-Din 1998 self portrait with his wife is on permanent display at McMenamins Kennedy School as part of a pre-renovation
window covering beautification project. Photo by Chris Baker.

Three six-pane doors capped with three seven-pane half moon windows signal the formal entrance to McMenamins Kennedy School. Late afternoon western sunlight illuminates the lobby.

These windows weren’t always bright with sunlight. When the school closed in 1975, the windows were boarded up and fell into disrepair. The building became an eyesore.

Isaka Shamsud-Din, (pronounced E sa ka Shem sue Deen) a former Concordian – along with his wife, son and a team of artists – took charge. They created a beautification project for the school building windows prior to the building’s renovation.

Led by Isaka, they created vibrant designs on the boards with bold colors and sweeping strokes. Each painted wood panel was unique and kept the windows safe from vandalism. This project launched a 15-year working relationship between Mike McMenamin and Isaka.

The Kennedy School project wasn’t the first time Isaka used his skills for the greater good of his community. A story teller, historian, educator, muralist and activist, his work has chronicled the African-American experience in the Northwest for more than 50 years.

Each of his pieces highlights the importance of perseverance, hope, education, remembering African-American history and contributions to the fabric of the American experience.

His current projects include launching a Go Fund Me campaign: “Juneteeth Calendar – Celebrating the Black Experience,” an 18-month engagement and history calendar. Isaka is collaborating with Pacific Northwest College of Art and Don’t Shoot Portland to host a night of social justice art and auction Dec. 1 from 6 to 9 p.m. at Pacific Northwest College of Art. He is also actively gathering community support for the restoration and preservation of his 1989 mural, “Now is the Time, the Time is Now.”

Editors note: If you’d like to know more about this mural and/or artist, Karen shares her resources online. Visit ConcordiaPDX.org/ KennedySchoolMurals.

Karen Wells is a retired early childhood community educator, health and safety trainer.

Concordia Murals: ‘Still We Rise’ mural is history and art

Posted on September 19, 2018 by Web Manager Posted in Arts & Culture, Concordia News

By Karen Wells | CNA Media Team

Photo by Karen Wells

The last link of chain, broken, dangles from the arm of central male figure as he cradles a brown child. Arm and index finger point to Pan-African flag embellished with “Still We Rise.”

This is the title of Arvie Smith’s 2018 mural facing Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK) Boulevard at Alberta Commons Natural Grocers, 5055 N.E. MLK Blvd. The 10-by-17-foot porcelain enamel panel is a permanent installation of the Alberta Commons building.

The mural is one of two murals to be installed. The other mural, “Until We Get There” by artist Mehran Heard, will be of the same dimensions and will face Alberta Street.

“Still We Rise” is a nod to Maya Angelou’s 1978, 240-word poem “Still I Rise.” Arvie’s multi-paneled mural is a narrative of Portland African-American history from last century to the present.

Icons embedded in the mural’s field provide clues to the forces and elements that shaped, negatively or positively, the Portland black experience. Reading the mural, starting at the lower left corner and progressing clockwise, several main themes emerge.

The central figure stands on a roadway posted as “I-5.” Scenes of flood waters and home destruction morph to a nightclub band scene. The flute guy in the band, clad in yellow, is Arvie Smith.

The 11 o’clock position, offers scenes of occupations and police brutality. The 1 o’clock area tells the story of the impact the Emanuel Hospital expansion on the community’s viability. A broad red line dominates the 5 o’clock space.

Arvie is a long-time northeast neighbor and, in 1984, became the first African-American graduate of Pacific Northwest College of Art, where he earned a bachelor’s of fine art. He received his master’s in fine art from Maryland Institute of Art in 1992.

His work has been featured in numerous Baltimore and Portland galleries, including the Portland Art Museum.

Editor’s note: If you’d like to know more about Arvie Smith and Maya Angelou, their lives and their art, Karen shares her resources online. Visit ConcordiaPDX.org/still-we-rise.

Concordia Murals – Like Robinson, mural is larger than life

Posted on July 10, 2018 by Web Manager Posted in Arts & Culture, Concordia News

By Karen Wells

Jackie Robinson mural on NE 42nd Ave.
Jackie Robinson – even his player number, 42 – has plenty in common with Our 42nd Avenue. The organization’s primary goal is to support equity and inclusion of all who live, work, play and do business in Cully and along 42nd Avenue. Photo courtesy of John Vance

A larger than life portrait mural of Jack “Jackie” Roosevelt Robinson is a fitting representation of the “larger-than-life” Major League Baseball (MLB) player who stepped up to bat for the Brooklyn Dodgers April 15, 1947.

A month into the season, his first swing broke the color line of the segregation policy of the MLB. Robinson’s player number was 42. Collaboration between Michael DeMarco, Our 42nd Avenue executive director; Dennis Karas, Cully Neighborhood News advertising manager; and local painter/art teacher John Vance brought the image of the legendary baseball social justice activist to life on the north-facing wall of 5140A N.E. 42nd Ave. two years ago.

In 2016, John asked Dennis if there was any opportunity to install a mural within the Cully neighborhood. During a negotiation meeting, Michael shared a photo of Robinson wearing his No. 42 jersey.

The number was a good fit for the Our 42nd Avenue, and the organization’s primary goal of supporting equity and inclusion of all who live, work, play and do business in Cully and along 42nd Avenue.

John used interlocking geometric shapes painted warm colors of red, yellow and orange – interspersed with cooler ones of blue, green and violet against a black background.

Together they create visual illusions of blocks, diamonds or mountains. Robinson’s image is emblazoned against this background of color. The sense of agency – his innate ability to exert power – is palpable to the viewer. He is positioned to take flight toward the next goal, the future.

John earned his bachelor of fine arts degree in 2004 from Parsons School of Design, New York City, and the following year he moved to Portland. He loves the physicality of producing murals, and the abundant trees, natural beauty of the Pacific Northwest. John’s work can be seen at JohnnyTerrific.com/muralsgallery/.

Editor’s note: If you’d like to know more about Jackie Robinson, his life, and his influence on American culture, Karen shares her resources online. Visit ConcordiaPDX.org/jackierobinson

Karen Wells is a retired early childhood communit y educator, health and safety trainer.

Music (and a movie) due at Fernhill

Posted on July 4, 2018 by Web Manager Posted in Arts & Culture, Concordia News, Events

Summer has arrived and, with it, the Fernhill Concert Series and National Night Out. Pack your blanket, picnic basket, the kids and the dog. Head for Fernhill Park Friday, July 6 and return the following four Fridays.

That final Friday, Aug. 3, celebrates National Night Out with a concert and a movie. Children’s activities are part of the evening’s fare and free popcorn is available during the movie.

Each Friday’s activities are on the west side of Fernhill Park, beginning at 6:30 p.m. Food vendors are available.

The concerts are among 61 this summer in 42 Portland parks, and this is the second Year Concordia Neighborhood Association (CNA) has screened a movie at the National Night Out gathering. Here’s the line up:

Friday, July 6: Portland Interfaith Gospel Choir
This community-based interfaith choir and nonprofit aims to inspire joy and unity through traditional black gospel traditions that foster crosscultural and cross-racial understanding and connection.

Friday, July 13: Sonny Hess and Lady Kat
Veteran guitarist and vocalist Sonny Hess teams with Lady Kat who, for the past six years, has performed at the Waterfront Blues Festival. At Fernhill Park, they’ll offer modern blues and soulful rhythm and blues

Friday, July 20: Trujillo
A congregation of like-minded musicians and family come together and create a rock & roll ode to Chicano identity

Friday, July 27: The Slants
This all-Asian-American dance-rock band made headlines last year thanks to a landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling that supported the group’s name. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office had refused a trademark to the group, citing the name as an offensive slur to people of Asian descent. The band’s representatives argued the meaning instead refers to their perspective and is an attempt to repurpose the term.

Friday, Aug. 3: National Night Out
Concert: Eric John Kaiser is known as the French Troubadour. Born in Paris, the singer-songwriter moved to Portland 10 years ago and continues to reimagine Americana music by applying his French heritage.

Movie: “Isle of Dogs” – 2018, rated PG, Spanish subtitles – is a stop-motion animated film about a boy who searches for his dog after its species is banished to an island following a canine-flu outbreak.

Sewing, fashion are inside and out

Posted on February 28, 2018 by Web Manager Posted in Arts & Culture, Concordia News, Local Businesses

By Karen Wells | CNA Media Team

The art of fashion – and the practice of it – are the specialty of Silhouette Design, Tailoring and Dressmaking in nearby Beaumont-Wilshire. Photo by Karen Wells

A mural inspired by signature fashions of the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s momentarily transports the viewer back in time. It’s no coincidence that it adorns a wall of Silhouette Design, Tailoring and Dressmaking.

Julia GaRey, women’s tailor and dressmaker, had been wanting a mural painted on the side of the building for years. She wanted a mural that captured the art of vintage sewing patterns, despite the limited space of the 12-foot eastside wall. Hers is the smallest shop on the block.

Building owner and 30-year Beaumont-Wilshire resident Georjean Melonas was very supportive of the project. She was instrumental in guiding Julia through the permit process with the city and with the Beaumont-Wilshire Neighborhood Association.

Location: Silhouette, 4225 N.E. Fremont St., at the opening to parking behind the building.
Artist: Raziah Roushan has lived in Portland for about seven years. San Diego is her hometown and where she got her start as a muralist. She received her bachelor’s degree in painting from Pacific Northwest College of Art and has more than 20 large-scale murals in her portfolio.

She recently finished three murals for the Cedar Hills Crossing Mall renovation. To see more of her murals visit: RaziahRoushan.com/galleries/murals.

Raziah loves working with clients during the creative process and receiving positive responses from the community. While working on this mural, a 90-yearold resident stopped to watch her work and commented, “I’ve never seen a muralist in action. Fascinating.”

What the mural represents: The art of sewing and signature vintage fashion styles using the mannequin form
Installation: 2016 If you have an off-the-rack garment in need of special attention to make it fabulous, Julia may be able to help. See her work at SilhouetteTailoringStudio.com.

Karen is a retired early childhood community educator, health and safety trainer. Reach her at 619.244.7892.

Red Door Project

Posted on November 10, 2016 by Web Manager Posted in Arts & Culture, Events

THE AUGUST WILSON RED DOOR PROJECT GIVES PORTLAND STUDENTS A SHOT AT BROADWAY

The August Wilson Red Door Project

The August Wilson Red Door Project is thrilled to announce the re-launch of the August Wilson Monologue Competition, which gives Portland-area high school students, grades 10-12, the opportunity to perform monologues from African-American playwright August Wilson’s plays and compete for a chance to win an all-expenses paid trip to New York City for the National Finals. So much more than an acting competition, the AWMC is a transformational journey of self-discovery and an opportunity to engage directly with the most urgent and fundamental issues in our society. As a playwright, August Wilson gave voice and value to populations who were previously absent from American stages. Wilson, the first person to put the African-American vernacular down on paper, put forth the idea that this way of speaking should be celebrated and exalted, instead of ignored, corrected or cleaned up. In the words of Red Door’s founder, Kevin Jones, “What’s unique about the AWMC program is it meets students where they are with powerful stories straight out of African American culture and history.”

Applying for the competition is the first step of a six-month journey that will push students to discover their own talents and gifts and hold them accountable for their own success. The August Wilson Red Door Project team will be there to support students at every stop of the process, from selecting a monologue from Wilson’s catalogue, working on memorization, script analysis and character building. At the heart of completion is a series of six weekly intensive masterclasses, where students selected for the competition work on their pieces with help from leading professional theater artists from Portland and beyond. For two finalists, this journey will culminate with a trip to NYC and the opportunity to perform in the August Wilson Theater on Broadway.

There is no cost to apply for or participate in the AWMC. If you are a teacher or work with youth, we are offering an in-class recruitment presentation through Nov. 30, which gives a bigger picture of August Wilson’s work, his impact on American theater and contemporary society, and how his work directly connects to themes of gentrification, incarceration and social justice that are so alive in our current times. While we are actively looking for students of color, we encourage students from all ethnicities, backgrounds and experience to apply online by November 30 at reddoorproject.org.

Key upcoming dates for the Monologue Competition

Application Deadline: NOVEMBER 30, 2016

Orientation: DECEMBER 30, 2016
Preliminary Auditions: JANUARY 7, 2017
Callbacks: JANUARY 8, 2017
Master Classes: JANUARY 14, 21, 28 and FEBRUARY 4, 11, 18 2017

Regional Finals: FEBRUARY 27, 2017
National Finals: APRIL 28-MAY 2 2017

For more information, please visit http://reddoorproject.org/awmc.

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