Dozens Of Artists Displaced After Sale of Troy Laundry Building

For nearly 40 years, dozens of artists have worked out of the historic Troy Laundry Building. It's the oldest cooperative art studio in the city, but now the building has a new owner, and most of the artists who had studios there are searching for new homes. We bring you the latest in the story after talking with artists, real estate developers, and government and city officials.

Writer Sherman Alexie On His First Children's Book- 13:10

National Book Award-winning writer and Pacific NW icon Sherman Alexie is coming to town on July 9 to read from his first children’s book, “Thunder Boy Junior,” at Powell's at Cedar Hills Crossing. Alexie recently talked with NPR’s David Greene about the book, which explores his nuanced relationship with his father and his quest for defining his own identity.

Piano-Playing Neuroscientist Explores The Science Of Music - 21:28

What happens in your brain when you play your favorite instrument, and how does music affect cognition, memory and neurological diseases? OHSU neuroscientist Larry Sherman, who is also an avid pianist, played a few riffs for listeners when he came into the studio to discuss how music improves the brain. Hear the extended interview on Think Out Loud, and catch Sherman at the Kiggins Theatre on August 10 for his Science on Tap public lecture.

Why Do So Many New Buildings Look So Bad? - 29:25

Exponential growth in Portland’s neighborhoods have left a lot of people feeling like there’s a big new building popping up on every corner. We talk with our columnist-in-residence, Randy Gragg, about how architects differentiate between a good and a bad building, infill development and design — with a focus on Don Vallaster's new Lower Burnside Lofts.

Retiring NW Art Curator's Life-Long Relationship With The Portland Art Museum - 38:45

When Bonnie Laing-Malcolmson started as a 17-year-old student at the Museum Art School at the Portland Art Museum in 1970, there wasn’t much of a Northwest Art collection. By the time she returned to the Portland Art Museum in 2010, this time as the Curator of Northwest Art, a major gift from Arlene and Harold Schnitzer had transformed the two floors that used to house the Museum School into the Center for Northwest Art. She retired on June 30, but not before rehanging the galleries one last time. She gave producer Aaron Scott a tour and discussed how much the NW has changed over the last 46 years.

'Jazz Town' Documentary Examines Portland's Musical Roots - 47:18

Jazz was once the sizzling beat on the music scene here in Portland. Oregon Experience’s documentary “Jazz Town” takes a closer look at the neighborhoods, music, and politics in Portland during the jazz era. Harold Johnson gives his account of the Portland jazz scene as an African American student at the University of Portland in the 1950s, including top artists that came through the city like Duke Ellington and some of the racism and discrimination he and his friends were met with at Portland clubs. To learn more about the history of Portland’s jazz scene, listen to more of KMHD’s Jazz Town audio postcards.