Chuck Close Portraits Heat Up The Pendleton Art Scene

It's not every day that a small town arts center gets to pick works from a blue chip artist like it's checking out library books, but that's basically how this show came to be.

Sam Hamilton Brings His Films And More To PAM's APEX Gallery

The fresh face at Portland Art Museum is Grace Kook-Anderson, the new curator of Northwest art. It’s her job to make sure the museum reflects regional work, but she also has a strong feel for contemporary art. And that is reflected in her first choice for the Museum’s APEX Gallery: fellow recent Northwest transplant Sam Hamilton, whose playful interdisciplinary work interweaves films, music and installation. Who else would mix Carl Sagan, David Attenborough and Kenny G in one show?

Oregon-Born Play Wins Pulitzer

Playwright Lynn Nottage premiered her play “Sweat” in 2015 as part of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival’s “American Revolutions” series exploring key moments in U.S. history. With the announcement Monday that the play received the Pulitzer Prize for drama, Nottage made history as the first female playwright to win the prestigious award twice.

"Sweat" is one of only two shows by women to open on Broadway this season. The other, "Indecent" by Paula Vogel, was also commissioned by OSF's "American Revolutions" project. The Bard might say: the Oregon Shakespeare Festival doest slayeth it.

Get Ready To Shake Your Booty At The Soul'd Out Festival

This week, Portland is gearing up to make some moves — dance moves, that is. It's the annual Soul’d Out Festival (April 19–23). Legendary soulful acts from around the country are on the bill with new breakers of soul, from the popular hip-hop artist Lupe Fiasco to the prophetic R&B queen Solange.

The Guttery Writing Group: Tough Book Love That Will Get You Out Of Your Pajamas

The collective proclaiming itself “Portland’s second most-famous writers’ group” challenges the idea that great work is produced in cloistered solitude. The authors in the writing group "The Guttery" are like a literary engine: at least five published this past year.

opbmusic Session With Wild Ones

Does the smattering of recent sunny days have you dreaming of summer? There’s no better album to feed those dreams than Wild Ones’ “Heatwave.” Its songs of long summer nights and big-city adventures smolder and delight.

Vancouver's North Bank Art Gallery Shuts Its Doors Next Month

North Bank Artists is a co-op gallery on the city’s Main Street. Its presence and work downtown since its founding in 2003 — including the creation of a city art walk — has helped spur other galleries and cultural institutions to open, earning the area the moniker "The Vancouver Arts District." But after rent hikes and an uncertain future, the art gallery that served as a linchpin for Vancouver’s downtown revitalization will close at the end of May.

Diana Abu Jaber Weaves The Story of Her Life With Layers Of Pastry Dough

Diana Abu Jaber is a novelist, a professor and a cook. She is the daughter of a Jordanian father and an American mother, and her most recent book, “Life without a Recipe,” tells the story of growing up in both countries.