whittlin’ away

a short list of some happenings around town in the coming weeks:

1. Noam Freakin’ Chomsky is speaking at the First Unitarian Church in Portland, Friday, October 2, as part of EcoNverge, a conference exploring solutions to the global financial and environmental crises. The weekend conference features an impressive lineup of lectures and workshops, and has nearly 50 participating organizations. From their site:

The Northwest region of the United States has pioneered effective responses to environmental and economic problems in the past. A decade ago the “Battle for Seattle” during the World Trade Organization Ministerial meetings sparked a critical reevaluation of neoliberal globalization. Now that this model has been discredited, it is time for us to collectively determine what comes next.

For the full schedule, check out their site: http://www.econvergence.org

2. Matthew Stadler is directing an interesting new project, Publication Studio, at the Ace Hotel. In addition to printing and binding small run books on demand, the Publication Studio will apparently host social gatherings and conversations with its published authors. The hours appear to be somewhat irregular, so your best bet is to check their site.

3. Local documentarian Ivy Lin has recently completed a new film, Come Together Home, a documentary on a Chinese burial ground in Portland in which as many as 1,500 bodies were exhumed and shipped to China amongst anti-foreign sentiment in the 1920s. In the film Lin documents her journey back to China to investigate the whereabouts of the remains. Come Together Home premiers at the Someday Lounge, October 11th, and is a fundraiser for Friends of Lone Fir Cemetery (an initiative to save the burial ground-turned vacant lot).

4. The Oregon Cultural Heritage Commission and the Littman Gallery at Portland State University have teamed up to present “Dorothea Lange in Oregon: 1939 Farm Security Administration Photos,” an exhibition of WPA photos Lange took during her time in Oregon. I had the privilege to see an advance copy of the exhibition catalog, and it looks phenomenal. The show opens Thursday, October 1 and runs through November 25. A schedule of related talks is posted on OCHC’s website: http://www.ochcom.org/.

In my research for the Art for the Millions bike ride, I came across an amazing little-remembered publication, Art Front (1934-1937). This magazine provided a fantastic resource and community sounding board for issues surrounding art and politics during the Works Progress Administration (WPA) period. Based in New York City, the magazine was the official organ of the Artists’ Union and served as a main organizing tool. Contributors included Fernand Leger, Harold Rosenberg, Louis Bunin, and Stuart Davis, among numerous others.

Art Front’s mission was “as wide as art itself.” Stated its editor, H.S. Baron, “Many art magazines are being published in America today. Without one exception, however, these periodicals support outworn economic concepts as a basis for the support of art which victimize and destroy art. The urgent need for a publication which speaks for the artist, battles for his economic security and guides him in his artistic efforts is self-evident.”

» Read the rest of this entry «

Created a site for The Dill Pickle Club, a new experimental cultural/ education center in Portland, OR.

Starting June 2009, The Dill Pickle will begin hosting a monthly presentation series in which academics, zinesters, political activists, artists and people of every political shade under the sun can come together to examine life as we know it. Presentations will be controversial, offbeat and intellectual, and provide an experimental format to critique contemporary politics, culture and humanities.

Up first, “Art for the Millions,” a leisurely bicycle tour of Works Progress Administration (WPA) sponsored projects in Portland. The ride will make several stops along the way to hear from leading scholars and examine the WPA’s relevance to contemporary society. The ride is $10 and includes lunch. Register at yes@dillpickleclub.com.