It's pledge week, people! Of course we're putting out the good china: one of the season's most sumptuous films, a new way to look at a Portland icon, and the unveiling of the Portland 2016 Biennial artists.

Portland's Second Largest Art Museum to Close - 1:14
Pacific Northwest College of Art is folding Oregon's 79-year-old Museum of Contemporary Craft into a new Center for Contemporary Art and Culture, laying off most employees, and selling the building. We hear some background and hopes/fears for the collection.

Disjecta Announces the Portland2016 Artists - 5:22
Curator Michelle Grabner announced the names of almost 40 top shelf contemporary artists who will be featured in Disjecta's Portland2016 biennial this summer (see the full list). Among them: the sculptor and conceptual artist Tannaz Farsi, who is the subject of a gorgeous Oregon Art Beat profile this week.

Todd Haynes on "Carol" and Bowie - 9:07
One of Portland's brightest cinematic minds talks about his new Oscar-nominated film, "Carol," and reflects on the loss of David Bowie, who inspired Haynes glam rock film "Velvet Goldmine." You can hear the full conversation on Think Out Loud.

Randy Gragg in Conversation with Kengo Kuma - 21:20
Say hello to our new guest columnist: We loved reading Randy Gragg as the editor-in-chief in "Portland Monthly" and at his long-time post as architecture critic at the "Oregonian." Randy now directs the John Yeon Center for Architecture and the Landscape at the U of O. We're kicking off a year-long series with Randy, beginning with the renovation of Portland's Japanese Garden by one of the top names in international architecture, Kengo Kuma.

The Museum of Contemporary Craft is no stranger to changes in name and location. It was originally founded in 1937 as the Oregon Ceramics Studio on SW Corbett Avenue. It went through several titles before settling on its current name when it moved into the Pearl District in 2007. MOCC now bills itself as the oldest continuously-running craft institution in the United States, and along the way, it developed a national reputation for its thoughtful, innovative exhibitions.

Now the museum will undergo perhaps its greatest change yet: dissolving entirely into a new Center for Contemporary Art & Culture within PNCA’s main campus building.

"The collection from MOCC will come into PNCA to be combined with our existing programs at PNCA," says the college’s interim president Casey Mills. "So it would span not only craft, but craft, art, design, and show that these are actually all interrelated and that they actually feed off one another."

Read the full story: http://www.opb.org/news/article/pnca-to-close-the-museum-of-contemporary-craft-and-sell-its-pearl-space

One of a series of candidate interviews regarding Portland's future and the arts.

Fred Stewart is an impatient Portlander. That’s why, he told us this week, he’s running for Portland city council. We talk to Stewart about about his ideas on housing for artists, public funding for art, and the policy issues he’s most impatient about.

0:30 - On art that's influenced him:
“I grew up with an artist, my grandfather. So, I grew up in an artistic household. It taught me another way of communicating.”

6:10 - Stewart's vision for Portland's future:
“Our city no longer plans with our values in mind. We say we are for diversity but we are not very diverse in any area of our life, including art. I think art would help with that.”
“I’d like to see something along the lines of an art trust and specific projects for displaying art within the city.“

11:10 - On the RACC budget:
“RACC has always talked about being inclusive and doing what is best for the community, but they did neither. And they did it brazenly.”
“RACC has hurt a lot of dear, dear friends. I don’t necessarily think that RACC excluded me [from their candidates’ forum] because I’m black, but a significant number of the people I grew up with in this town that are white, they feel that way. And that has frightened them.”

14:00 - On RACC's performance:
“I would like to see RACC prove to the people of Portland that they are committed to inclusiveness. Not just black people, but also women, other cultures. They owe that to the city of Portland. That’s what people in Portland have been trying to do since the old hippie days. That’s what Portland is to me.”

15:00 - On equity goals instituted by Sam Adams:
“Very poor, obviously.” As a citizen of Portland, I’d like to see clear evidence that they are inclusive.”
“ I’d like to see artists more involved in the design of the city, in the urban designing.”

18:00 - On the Portland Arts Tax:
“It has done more harm than good.”
“I don’t see this tax bringing art classes back to Jefferson, helping us get back to inclusiveness. I look at the arts tax now and it’s not fair. It’s not inclusive.”

22:50 - Policies with respect to housing and commercial real estate:
“The city has to start planning for low income people.”
“I miss those old apartment buildings that were full of artists when I was growing up in Portland 32 or 34 years ago. I miss the coffee shops, I miss the atmosphere.”

28:25 Can you choose one part of town and talk about what is working there, or what isn’t, in terms of urban design and development?
“I think it’s too late for 82nd and west, but I don’t think it’s too late for 82nd and east. 82nd should have an art component.”
“We know the culture of artists, what they need.There are some things we may be able to do with zoning that can help protect some of that.”

Getting a photo taken while sitting on Santa's lap can be awkward in the best of circumstances, but these misfit shots are another level of Christmas weird. John Strieder reports for us.

This week we moderated a candidates' forum hosted by the Regional Arts and Culture Council and the Creative Advocacy Coalition. The purpose was to talk with candidates for mayor and council about hot issues like Portland's arts tax, city funding for arts organizations and projects, equity in the arts, affordable artist housing and more.

Here's a breakdown of what we asked them with some highlights.

02:16 What arts and creative work have you checked out over the past two months?

07:10 What's your vision for Portland's future? And how do arts and culture fit into that?
"We’re this close to a city that can be fantastic." —Stuart Emmons

21:40 What candidates will commit to regarding funding RACC's arts work.
"As mayor, I’m committing to increasing funding for RACC." —Jules Bailey
"I’m not going to promise every group that we’re going to increase their budget. You can look back at my past performance and see that I am a champion of the arts." —Ted Wheeler

27:43 The 2015 budget surplus: why none of the $49 million dollars went toward arts and culture.
"We need to take care of people who are living on our streets, we need to stop people dying on our streets because of lack of infrastructure, and to take care of A&C. It’s not either/or." —Amanda Fritz
"We did frankly spend some money on things in this budget that I think we should have discussed whether investing in the arts would have been a good alternative." —Steve Novick

35:43 What the Mayoral hopefuls intend to do with the arts portfolio — keep it or assign to another commissioner?
"Sam [Adams] set the right tone, but I want to work with other champions on the city council." — Ted Wheeler
"I won’t make any commitments until I sit down with the other commissioners. That said, I will have one arts and culture [person] on my staff." — Jules Bailey

37:18 One priority that's central to mayoral candidates' housing policies.
"If we have a fast-track process for working families that need to live in Portland, we can waive fees, have a faster process and make sure that housing gets built." —Jules Bailey
"I will pick the design review process combined with permitting and inspection process. It needs to be reformed." —Ted Wheeler

43:22 What the city should do to mitigate soaring commercial real estate costs, which have decimated available maker space.
"[The city should] help arts groups buy their own buildings, so they can stay in their spaces." — Stuart Emmons
"We need to learn from the lesson of the past 25 years. The pearl is now the pearl, and it’s too expensive now." — Amanda Fritz
"I do want to say something about the general issue of affordability: One of the most important things we can do to address affordable housing is elect Bernie Sanders as our next president." — Steve Novick

52:51 What will candidates do to address equity in publicly-supported arts.
"Make it a condition of receiving the dollars." — Ted Wheeler

57:50 What candidates want voters to know about Portland's arts tax.
"I want people to know the arts tax is making a huge difference in the schools." — Steve Novick

01:04:54 Has Portland turned its back on the creative community? Is the city's soul slipping away?
"I grew up acting, playing the violin in the Metropolitan Youth Symphony. It made a big difference in who I am." — Jules Bailey

01:14:07 Audience question: What will you do to make sure Portland's hip-hop artists survive and thrive?
"We need to embrace the role that hip hop can play. It’s an important part of our service provision." — Jules Bailey

01:16:50 Audience question: Would you support the development of a right-sized performance venue, i.e. Lincoln Center Portland?
"I am guessing it is probably cheaper to renovate an existing facility than to build from scratch. I’d be open...

Do designers have a shelf life? That's the question State of Wonder guest curator, the user experience designer Elena Moon, asked that set us in search of a craft that only improves with age.

Amy Hazel, who co-owns a fly fishing shop in Maupin, the Deschutes Angler, has traveled the world looking for great places to fish. But if you’re wondering where the best spots in the world—or just on the Deschutes—are, she makes it clear that you’re going to need far more than GPS coordinates. What you’ll need is an expert in foam, someone attuned to the vagaries of bubbles and intimate with current.

“No foam, no fish,” Hazel recites, “Foam is home.” It’s traditional wisdom on how to read the river.

Hazel, who has been fishing for 30 years, has lived in fishing meccas like Vermont and Wyoming, and in her twenties traveled to 19 different countries to fish, including some where she had to pick her way around land-mines. She’s seen a lot of foam, and she’s gone through a lot to do it.

“I went full-hog,” Hazel says, chuckling as she recalls the beginning of her journey into the world of fly fishing.

“I loved fishing, but then when I found fly fishing I thought, This is really a thinking sport. You’re not just throwing something out there and hoping that something will grab your fly. You have to actually imitate the insects. It’s active.”

Read the full story: http://www.opb.org/artsandlife/article/the-unexamined-river-isnt-worth-fishing

Ten years ago, the quintessential tiny house was a re-purposed shipping container, industrial-modern and proud of it. That was fitting for a movement whose rising appeal was tethered to the global financial crisis, but the aesthetic is changing.

Just ask Abel Zimmerman Zyl, a Washingtonian whose company, Zyl Vardos, makes decidedly whimsical tiny-house caravans. The company specializes in organic shapes and has been happily installing undulating rooflines, circular Hobbit-esque doors, and bright expanses of cedar shingles into the tiny house design lexicon since 2007.

The tiny house movement may have gained traction in austere times, but, for Zyl, building small, movable houses is about more than saving money. “Culturally we are due for a little change from the manufactured, expensive world,” he says. “Not only is the money part of it, but also people finding a more zen way to live.”

Read the full story: http://www.opb.org/artsandlife/article/tiny-house-meet-roving-caravan-olympa-abel-zimmerman-zyl/

(Photo credit: Courtesy of Abel Zimmerman Zyl)

This week we welcome user experience (UX) designer Elena Moon as our guest curator. She has this fantastic way of explaining what works and why, and she’s going to lead us through her own work and the designed world, from parking meters to space ships.

User Experience 101 - 00:00
We kick off with a quick primer on UX. Whether you’re talking about everyday objects or brand new apps, solid design is anything but accidental. Elena explains why some brands stand out. Take Uber, for example. Whatever you may think of the company’s business practices, the interface of the Uber app is a gold standard for how to serve up visual information.

Portland’s Parking Meters: Design Fail? - 04:13
We explore how design is in play in even the simplest of tasks. Elena and April scout out a hub of meter activity in the Pearl District and speak with some of the people who maintain the meters, technicians Anto Bayu Aji and Molly Twoohey.

How to Teach Grandmothers to Install Solar Panels - 14:19
UX isn’t just for software. Elena talks about working on a project with India’s Barefoot College on a project that trained grandmothers to do their own solar engineering in rural communities in India. How can teachers work across language barriers? How do you keep learning going after everyone heads home to their village? As Elena explains, the conversation gave rise to some unexpected answers.

How Do You Improve on the Coolest Hotel in Town? - 19:06
We eavesdrop on Elena’s meeting with the Ace Hotel design team for a look inside the design process. The company already has a robust brand and online presence, but it enlisted Elena to help refine the experience of visiting its website. What’s most intuitive to potential customers?

Designers' Film Club - 24:52
A few years ago, Elena and her partner, Jos Vaught, had the chance to work on some UX projects for NASA and SpaceX. Can a designer who’s seen a real space capsule interface ever look at Ridley Scott the same way again? We reality-check "The Martian,” “Minority Report,” and “Star Trek: Into Darkness.”

On the Designers Shelf Life and the Accumulated Wisdom of Fly Fishing - 34:45
It’s no secret that, within tech circles, the industry is not kind to workers over 35. Elena contrasts this for us with another discipline in which practitioners don’t get anywhere without decades of hard-won knowledge: fly fishing. We head out to Maupin with seasoned guide Amy Hazel of Deschutes Angler to find out about the beauty and craft to be found on the river.

Are Tiny Hobbit Homes the Way of the Future? - 44:27
Are Tiny Hobbit Homes the Way of the Future? - 44:27
Elena turned us on to the amazing work of Abel Zimmerman Zyl: the totally charming gypsy caravans that look plucked right out of "The Hobbit." Zyl tells us about the nuts and bolts of tiny house construction.

The Dandy Warhols first met Bowie because he was singing along. It was Glastonbury in 2000, and the band looked to the side of the stage during their set to see Bowie and his band, in their black suits, belting along.

In 2002, Bowie headlined the Meltdown Festival in London, and he invited the Dandies to be the first band since Lou Reed to share his stage. Then he took them on tour as his opening act. Then he came out to shoot pool and jam with them in their Portland warehouse, the Odditorium.

In other words, the Dandies probably came closer into the orbit of the star that was Bowie than any other Portlanders. Band members Courtney Taylor-Taylor, Zia McCabe, and Peter Homlstrom told us what it was like to know the man.

While we were in Joseph for a show about art in rural communities last summer, we heard about a painter you might not expect to find in cowboy country, where most of the art leans towards landscapes and wildlife.

“There’s a great artist here named Bob Fergison, who just turned 82, and he’s at least three-quarters blind,” said Seth Kinzie, the web developer at the Josephy Center for Arts and Culture.

“He’s very Max Beckmann–like,” said the center’s executive director, Cheryl Coughlan. “Oil painting with a lot of heavy brush strokes that are textural. Lots of nudes. He has one woman that was his model for years, that was very obese, but she only had one breast. If you take him a bottle of wine, he’ll open his studio.”

“He will also be happy to draw you naked if you feel the need to disrobe in front of a great live drawer,” added Kinzie dryly.


I wasn’t keen on disrobing, but I couldn’t pass up the chance to meet Fergison, who currently has a show on display at the Josephy Center through Feb. 17.