1. I’m back in Portland after 10 mind-numbing days of meditating. Hurrah!
2. Dara Greenwald and Josh Macphee have an incredible exhibition of activist art at PNCA (pictured above) that opens tonight, Feb. 4th. I had a chance to preview it; it’s mind blowing! The show is sprawling, staggering and looks something like a student occupation of the commons. Highly recommend.
3. Excited to check out Museum of Contemporary Craft’s Gestures of Resistance tonight. The exhibition “examines work by contemporary artists who focus on craft actions and create works that use craft to agitate for change”. It should be interesting to see how the show evolves over the course of its run, as the Museum will host seven artist residencies between now and June.
3. I’m giving a short presentation on a new T-shirt project this Sunday, Feb 7th @ Research Club. The event meets @ the Tribute Gallery (328 NW Broadway #117) at 1PM. The brunch intends “to create a context where active and interesting people can meet each other and talk about what they’re doing while having a little something to eat.” More on the T-shirt project in a bit…
4. Missed Ivy Lin’s film on the first Chinese burial ground and her search for missing remains of Chinese Laborers? There’s another one happening next Tuesday, Feb. 9th at UO White Stag Building (70 NW Couch St). 5:30PM reception, 6:00PM screening.
Portland will celebrate International Worker’s Day with a protest for economic justice and immigration reform, Friday, May 1st, beginning at 4PM on the South Park Blocks. The rally is being organized by a wide coalition of groups, including grassroots community organizations, labor unions, faith communities and individuals. While working in coalition fashion allows for broad participation, one must also consider the effectiveness of these large demonstrations. For instance, last year’s rally included people carrying signs advocating to end the War in Iraq, protect the environment, legalize gay marriage, impeach President George W. Bush, as well as make trade fair and expand immigrant rights. At a certain point, I forgot what I was protesting.
To clarify any confusion, let us turn to Wikipedia to remind us of the true origins of this tradition:
May Day can refer to various labour celebrations conducted on May 1 that commemorate the fight for the eight hour day. May Day in this regard is called International Workers’ Day, or Labour Day. The idea for a “workers holiday” began in Australia in 1856. With the idea having spread around the world, the choice of May 1st became a commemoration by the Second International for the people involved in the 1886 Haymarket affair.
