Portland, OR. If you didn’t have a chance to check out the second annual Portland Winter Light Festival, you’ll enjoy these photos of the highlights. The theme was Between the River and the Stars. This year’s #PDXLightFest expanded to include Zidell Yards on the West side of Tilikum Crossing. Presented by the Willamette Light Brigade and powered by PGE renewable energy, the Portland Winter Light Festival, is a winter event hosted at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI).
The Cosmic Messenger by Miki Masuhara-Page is an interactive piece where festivalgoers write messages to one another in chalk “from out of this world and back.”
The Flamethrower Chandelier is a 5-arm chandelier with LEDs and a bowl of fire on each arm made by Ryan Ramage. When pulled, a chain with a crystal handle can be ‘played’ in short poofs or long blasts of pyrotechnics to illuminate the landscape. Inspired by the gasoliers of the 1800s, but also incorporating modern technology, the Flamethrower Chandelier is part steampunk, part cyberpunk, and part percussion instrument.
Stoicheia by Lilli Szafranski and Jesse Banks is an homage to Earth’s earliest thinkers, Plato and Euclid, merging modern technology with the foundations of mathematics, and dedicating it to the culture from which modern academia was born. A perfect dodecahedron, each side depicts the iconography of one of the Twelve Olympians, the major deities of the Greek pantheon.
The Wasabi SOAR ladies got into the spirit of Winter lights.
Ivan McLean enjoys making things that glow in the night. His 14’ Fire Dragon breathes fire and is also a bbq.
The Portland Spirit Lights were created by Mark LaPierre.
Here’s a video of the first year of the festival.
Inspired by light festivals in some of the most popular cities around the globe, the Portland Winter Light Festival is designed to celebrate the spirit of winter and warmth of community. Using light, color, artistry, performance, and imagination, PWLF brings people together during a time of year typically reserved for the indoors. Organizers say bundle up and come celebrate again next February.
Portland, OR. Zamboni rides were a hit with Edwards Centers fans cheering on the Winterhawks on February 4th. Jean Edwards, Founder and Jessica Leitner, Executive Director of Edwards Center, Inc. were at the game to accept a $10,000 gift from Banner Bank on behalf of Edwards Center.
Edwards Center Founder Jean Edwards poses for a photo with Dan and Georgia Obradovich – the Director of Development.
Mark Brandon, Senior VP with Banner Bank poses with and Edwards Center program participant, Alison Dougall.
Mark Brandon, Senior VP with Banner Bank hands a check to Edwards Center program participant, Alison Dougall
The Edwards Center has been promoting independence since 1972 with a mission to enhance the lives of individuals with developmental disabilities by helping them reach their highest potential through training, education, employment, housing and social opportunities in safe, healthy and stimulating environments. Banner Bank has a long-standing commitment to supporting programs and services for individuals with developmental and intellectual disabilities in the Portland Tri-county area and has been an active sponsor for Edwards Center, Inc for many years.
Portland, OR. Portland Trail Blazer players C.J. McCollum, Evan Turner and Festus Ezeli joined high school students from Roosevelt and Parkrose high schools for a tour of Constructing Identity: a Collection of African-American Art at the Portland Art Museum. The exhibit opened just in time for Black History Month and runs through June 18th. (Photo credit, Bruce Ely/Trail Blazers)
“This museum is really about educating our youth, inspiring our youth to see the world and see the human experience in a new and exciting way,” said Museum Director, Brian Ferriso.
Portland, OR. After 10 days, 119 feature films and three feet of snow, the 2017 Sundance Film Festival’s Awards were handed out, and the winner of the festival’s highest honor was an Oregon made film. There were several prizes for feature filmmaking in Park City, Utah and I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore won the coveted U.S. Grand Jury Prize. Elijah Wood and Melanie Lynskey star in the film. Here’s the trailer:
I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore is a Netflix film and will debut on the 24th of February. The film was made in Oregon by director Macon Blair. Here’s a synopisis: Ruth (Melanie Lynskey), a depressed nursing assistant, returns from work to find her house burglarized, the thief having made off with her silverware and laptop. Losing faith in the police, Ruth starts her own investigation, joining forces with her erratic neighbor, Tony (Elijah Wood). Upon locating the laptop, they trace it back to a consignment store, leading them to a gang of degenerate criminals and a dangerous, bizarre underworld where they’re way out of their depth.
Macon Blair was all smiles after winning the U. S. Dramatic Grand Jury Prize. This is Macon Blair‘s debut as a director. He has a history in Oregon; he starred-in, and co-produced, (alongside Oregonian, Neil Kopp) in another #OregonMade project: Green Room.
Melanie Lynskey and Elijah Wood appear in I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore. Photo: Allyson Riggs
The Sundance Film Festival draws an average of 46,600 attendees and generates over $140 million in economic activity for the state of Utah. It was a “see and be seen” event for hundreds of Hollywood insiders.
Jack Black has some fun with the photographers on the press line during the premiere of his film The King of Polka at Sundance.
Filmmaker Matt Spicer explains how a conversation about Instagram led to the idea for Ingrid Goes West, his debut feature film as a director. He spoke in front of 1,200 people, including Malia Obama.
There was a screening of Quentin Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the film.
On the documentary side, Antonio Santini and Dan Sickles’ “Dina” took the top prize for their nonfiction piece about the life of a couple on the autism spectrum.
Audience awards went to Matt Ruskin’s “Crown Heights,” a drama about a young black man’s wrongful imprisonment and his best friend’s fight to free him, and “Chasing Coral,” a climate change doc acquired last week by Netflix.
Next years festival is scheduled to start on January 18, 2018.
Sundance Institute
Founded in 1981 by Robert Redford, Sundance Institute is a nonprofit organization that provides and preserves the space for artists in film, theatre, and new media to create and thrive. The Institute’s signature Labs, granting, and mentorship programs, dedicated to developing new work, take place throughout the year in the U.S. and internationally. The Sundance Film Festival and other public programs connect audiences to artists in igniting new ideas, discovering original voices, and building a community dedicated to independent storytelling.
Portland, OR. The Oregon Historical Society has a new exhibit featuring the work of Hood River Photographer Peter Marbach. He straddled the source of the river near Canal Flats, BC. It’s an underground spring, most likely fed by the Kootenay River. Peter Marbach is documenting the landscapes and culture of the entire 1,250 miles of the Columbia River, from its beginnings, to the two-mile-wide confluence with the Pacific. The exhibit, which runs from January 19th – April 1st, is called The Columbia River: From Source to Sea. Here’s a glimpse of a few of the images.
Photographer Peter Marbach captures wildflowers during last light on Dog Mountain.
The Purcell Mountains are reflected in calm water near Spillimacheen, BC.
Akisqnuk First Nation elder Pete Sanchez is featured in this photo along the shores of the Columbia near Windermere, BC.
While this exhibit showcases the beauty, culture, and geographic diversity of Nch I Wana – The Big River, it is the hope of photographer Peter Marbach that this display will launch greater public awareness and encourage those at the negotiating table to consider the moral obligation of honoring aboriginal knowledge of river restoration and to harness the will and existing technology to bring back the ancient runs of salmon that will once again make the Columbia a life giving source to all.
Peter Marbach will be on hand to talk about his photos on Wednesday, February 15th from 7 AM – 8:30. He will discuss the importance of the current Columbia River Treaty re-negotiations and its implications that may lead to the eventual return of Pacific Salmon all the way to the headwaters.
The event will take place at the Oregon Historical Society, 1200 SW Park Ave, in Portland.
Portland, OR. The country’s first nonprofit brew house keeps getting more national attention. Just last month, CBS this morning and Forbes featured the Oregon Public House. Since 2013, the brewery has raised over $120,000 for local nonprofits. When customers purchase their food and/or beverage they decide whom the profit will benefit. Staffers and supporters from nonprofits like The Wetlands Conservancy take turns working as servers. Here’s a video explaining the slogan “Have a Pint – Change the World!”
The Oregon Public house has been featured on over a dozen broadcast programs, including The Colbert Report.
And newspaper articles? Well, they were featured in the New York Times.
Oregon Public House President, Ryan Saari says, “Portland, Oregon is the craft brewing capital of America and supports an extensive, thriving pub culture. Portland also hosts more non-profit organizations per capita then any other city in America. Our vision is to leverage these two unique attributes by creating a family-friendly pub environment for our neighbors.” The establishment is located at 700 NE Dekum St.
The Oregon Public House is a place where people can learn more about non-profit organizations and discover practical ways they can become involved.
This group came from Auckland, New Zealand and found the Oregon Public House.
Another Portland nonprofit brewery donating 100% of its net profits to nonprofits is Ex Novo at 2326 North Flint Ave. Joel Gregory is the Founder and President and manages the business. Ex Novo opened its doors in July of 2014.
The Ex Novo business model includes selling bottled beer at retail establishments. The beer buzz may continue for breweries benefiting nonprofits. Especially as the amount of money they raise continues to increase.
Note: This is a list of the news coverage that the Oregon Public House has enjoyed thus far:
The New York Times What??? “In New Pubs, Good Cheer and Good Works,” read here
Thrillist featured a review of their experience at our soft opening. read here
10best.com rated us the #1 Brewpub in Portland! read here
Stanford Social Innovation Review anyone? read here
Reason.com wrote an EXCELLENT artice about us here
New School Beer Blog did an excellent article about us, here
The Oregonian did a wonderful article that was almost 2 years in the makinghere
Bitteredunits did a nice little blog about a visit available here
Priceonomics wrote an indepth piece about our model here
BeerAdvocate Magazine did a short article about us. read here
Portland, OR. The 3rd Grimm Gala was sold out. The benefit on January 28th at the Exchange Ballroom supported Doernbecher’s mission of caring for kids. Cast members were out in force to give back to the community they’ve called home for the past six years. It’s the last season of the show and the last Doernbecher gala for cast members David Giuntoli, Russell Hornsby, Bitsie Tulloch, Silas Weir Mitchell, Sasha Roiz, Reggie Lee, Bree Turner, Claire Coffee.
Cast members posed for photos at the benefit. Claire Coffee plays Adalind Schade and Bree Turner plays Rosalee Calvert. Shot in Portland, Grimm is a supernatural crime drama involving a police detective (played by David Giuntoli) who can see the dual nature of creatures hiding in human form.
Sasha Roiz has helped spearhead the efforts to raise funds for Dorenbecher.
Proceeds from the Grimm Gala will fund the Grimmster Endowment at Doernbecher Children’s Hospital Foundation. After members of the Grimm cast visited patients at Doernbecher, they were inspired to establish the Grimmster Endowment, an endowed fund to help provide patients and families critical support associated with uncompensated care, travel, lodging and other services integral to the care and comfort of our most vulnerable patients. Before the last gala, the Grimmster Endowment had already raised more than $652,000 for the kids at Doernbecher. This video shows the actor’s committment to the hospital.
Sponsors for the Grimm Gala included Comcast, NBCUniversal and Nike.
From Doernbecher:
Ranked by U.S. News & World Report as one of the 50 best children’s hospitals in the nation, Doernbecher sees patients from all over the state of Oregon and beyond. Each year, we treat more than 66,000 patients, half of whom are under-insured. It is because of the commitment and generosity of our community that we are able to care for the children who need us the most.
Portland, OR. It was standing room only at the Lan Su Chinese Garden New Years festival. Chinese wishing trees, money trees, and hong bao trees are a big part of Chinese New Year festivities. Every year, billions of people around the world gather to toss their red ribbons up into the wishing tree with hope that it will stick and their wish will come true for good fortune in the coming year. Chinese New Year celebrations run for two weeks from January 28th, through Sunday, February 12th.
Lion dancers from the N.W. Dargon and Lion Team welcomed the Year of the Rooster.
Calligraphy is a high art in Chinese culture. Visitors see first hand why it’s so revered by watching an expert calligrapher like Lewis Lim at work.
Kids listened to classic Chinese stories about the zodiac calendar and the Year of the Rooster.
Gary Wilson is the director of Programming and Lisa James is the Executive Director of the Lan Su Garden.
Catherine Garvin and Wes Bevans are volunteers.
Dan Skach-Mills, Mel Lee, and Van Machado were welcoming garden supporters.
The celebration ends with several nights of Lantern Viewing Evenings when the garden is illuminated with colorful lanterns and lively dragon processions.
Lan Su Chinese Garden is open to visitors seven days a week year-round, closing only on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day.
Summer hours
March 15 – October 31
10:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Garden Shop: 10:00 a.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Winter hours
November 1 – March 14
10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Garden Shop: 10:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Admission
Your admission gains access to the garden, Chinese Teahouse, and when offered, public tours and events and activities during regular hours. Some special events in the Teahouse are not included with admission or may require an additional purchase of tea. With a membership admission is free for one year.
Free — Members
$9.50 — Adults
$8.50 — Seniors (age 62 & over)
$7.00 — Students (age 6-18 and college students with I.D.)
Portland, OR. The sneak peek party for the Portland International Auto Show raised funds for seven local charities: Boys & Girls Clubs of Portland, Brian Grant Foundation, The Dougy Center, JDRF, Meals on Wheels People, the Victory Academy and Self Enhancement, Inc. (SEI). Revenue from the $100 tickets benefited the preferred charity of the ticket purchaser. Organizers say last year, the auto show at the convention center raised over $500,000 for the charities. Guests at the January 25th event had a “VIP Sneak Peek” of 600 of the best production, exotic and concept vehicles and technologies including the Acura NSX, one of only a few in the country.
Here’s a video about the event:
The Charity Preview Party is the official kickoff of the Portland International Auto Show and includes opening ceremonies, food and beverage, entertainment, all while strolling over 400,000 square feet of showroom floor.
Volunteers from the Dougy Center were selling 2017 Porsche Boxster raffle tickets.
The new Rolls-Royce drew fans, the car starts at around $305,000.
Victory students enjoyed the Sneak Peek thanks to Metro Portland New Car Dealers Association.
Victory Academy’s Mission is to provide children affected by Autism Spectrum Disorder with an integrated academic and therapeutic program, carefully designed to address an individual’s strengths and challenges.
Local business owner, Gayland Looney said, “It was my favorite social event of the year. I invited some key clients and we all had a memorable evening. We have already marked our calendars for 2018.”
The benefit, now in its fourth year, has become more popular each year. The charities do important work in the Portland community and the auto show is proud to support their efforts, says Greg Remensperger, executive director, of the show. “You can’t ask for a better neighbor in your community than an auto show or auto dealership,” says Remensperger. “The auto industry has always been generous, and we are pleased to help build awareness for these important service organizations, and provide necessary financial support.”
Show Dates: Thurs., Jan. 26 – Sun., Jan. 29, 2017
Hours:
Thurs., Jan. 26 10 am – 10 pm
Fri., Jan. 27 10 am – 10 pm
Sat., Jan. 28 10 am – 10 pm
Sun., Jan. 29 10 am – 7 pm
Ticket prices:
Adults (13 and older) $12
Seniors $10
Military (with ID) $10
Children (7 – 12) $7*
Children 6 and under Free
*On Family Day, Sun., Jan. 29, children 12 and under are free when accompanied by a paid adult.
Portland, Or. Dozens of Portland-generated new works like Men Run Amok (or It Takes Balls) are captivating local audiences. (Photo credit David Sanford) Fertile Ground, the 11-day arts festival that runs through January 29th, features world premiere projects, staged readings, developing works and a myriad of other arts events from Portland’s creative community. Here’s a look at some of the innovative works, which are sparking imagination this winter.
Diaspora Dance Theater performed at Groovin’ Greenhouse produced by Polaris Dance Theatre.
Uncommon Sense, presented by Echo Theater Company, is a collection of works combining elements of circus arts, dance, narrative and physical theatre to illuminate themes related to social justice. Photo credit Arnista Photography.
Last Dance featured Jaime Lee Christiana & Kat Macmillan. Photo credit Holly Wilmeth.
HOMEBREW 2017 was A PDX Animation Showcase at Artful Raven Studios. Photo credit Yamil Lopez.
Groovin’ Greenhouse featured the Vitality Dance Collective. Photo credit Will Mahoney-Watson.
El Payaso was a world premiere staged at Milagro Theatre and featured Ajai Terrazas Tripathi, Marlon Jimenez Oviedo, Danielle Pecoff & Emile Dultra. Photo credit, Russell J Young.
Do You Believe in Magic is a new solo performance-in-progress from veteran performer, Faith Helma.
Portland’s narrative circus is at it again with its new show, Bunny. Photo credit, Danny Boulet.
The Broken Planetarium presented Atlantis By Laura Christina Dunn. It’s a new folk opera based on the myth of Atlantis. The premise is that after Manhattan is completely under water, New Yorkers grow gills and continue on as usual. At the top of one skyscraper surrounded by ocean, a group of East Village folk singers meet every week to share songs they’ve just written and opinions about the state of the world. Photo credit Laura Hadden.
There were free reading at Artists Repertory Theatre like a reading of Zay Amsbury’s new play, The Thing in Jesse’s Room.
You can still take in several works including Word.Voice. which features new works by PlayWright. Inc. on January 29th 6PM at Portland Center Stage at The Armory
Unlike a typical fringe festival, Fertile Ground features the finest new work of our LOCAL artists, performers and resident theater companies, ensuring that the artistic and financial benefits of the festival stay in Portland. Where other New Works Festivals are curated by one theater company and typically feature a string of staged readings, this festival is collaboratively shaped by variety of aesthetic voices.
Fertile Ground features a full range of artistic experience, giving audiences a greater depth and breadth of work from which to choose in a concentrated time frame. From Portland’s oldest and largest producing institutions to its newest, smallest or self-produced companies, the Fertile Ground Festival offers the breadth of creation. For this reason we feel this festival is nationally unique, providing a new model for creating and sharing new work that will be of substantive value to the national theater and arts.
Fertile Ground was launched by the Portland Area Theatre Alliance (the service organization for Portland theater artists and organizations) in 2009 to provide a platform for Portland theater companies to showcase their commitment to new work; and to invite regional and national artists, artistic leaders and arts aficionados to discover for themselves that Portland truly is fertile ground for creativity, innovation, and daring acts of performance. Fertile Ground has grown its scope of offerings to encompass the open field of arts creation to include dance, comedy and visual arts. Fertile Ground aspires to provide a forum where art lovers near and far will come to appreciate that Portland truly is fertile ground for creativity, innovation, and daring acts of performance.
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