The International Youth Silent Film Festival challenges people 20 and younger to take a step back in time. Using one of ten original organ soundtracks and whatever equipment they have access to, whether 8mm cameras or cell phones, the aspiring filmmakers create everything from an animated film about the Mars rover to Western-style gun battles, post-apocalyptic tales and, of course, love stories. The finalists are then screened with live organ accompaniment. Jon Palanuk started the festival in 20...
Jun 04, 2016•9 min
Before architects make buildings, they make tiny buildings. You’ve probably seen architectural models: they’re made of wood, are generally nice looking, and offer an idea of what’s under construction. But the exhibition "Case Works," on view at Portland Art Museum through Sept. 4, offers a much more elaborate, dreamy, often jewel-like kind of architectural model. These are buildings designed by Allied Works, the firm founded by Portland native and rock star architect Brad Cloepfil. With just a f...
Jun 04, 2016•37 min
This week, State of Wonder's all about the journey: we travel the world with starchitect Brad Cloepfil, meditate on environmental disaster with installation artist Vanessa Renwick, tromp through the war memories of Vietnam vet Mark Waszkiewicz, go on a pilgrimage with writer Ellen Waterston, and more. Brad Cloepfil Normally Designs Museums; Now He's Featured in One - 1:01 Portland's preeminent living architect, Brad Cloepfil, the founding principal of Allied Works, is not just an architect, but ...
Jun 03, 2016•52 min
Visual artist Vanessa Renwick has created a new installation that speaks to the “hodgepodge of horrible” we meet in modern life — a multi-screen installation featuring everything from tsunamis to coal train fires, neighborhood demolitions to cats killing songbirds — the things that leave you unable to do anything but shake your head. The work also deftly addresses how we reel ourselves back from that edge. We can’t actually say the full title of Renwick’s installation at Portland Art Museum’s AP...
Jun 03, 2016•7 min
This week on State of Wonder, the city's plans to enforce pot policy puts many marijuana-related events on hold, the comedian Curtis Cook on what it takes to be brave, writer Andi Zeisler on the commodification of feminism & more. Portland Just Says No To Many Marijuana-Related Events Since the legalization of recreational marijuana in Oregon last year, there’s been an explosion or pot-related events: from big celebrations like Weed the People and the Cultivation Classic, to yoganja classes ...
May 27, 2016•52 min
In hanging around with Curtis Cook, we stumbled across a pretty interesting event he’s involved with. The Do What You Love comedy showcase at We Work. Check it out - next edition is June 16th. Watch for full info on our website soon.
May 27, 2016•4 min
Comedian Curtis Cook excels at a kind of curveball - unassuming riffs that steer you right where he wants you. Cook has been on fire lately, telling tales on his own post-feminist angst, calling out racial hang-ups, and generally skewering progressive Portland. He’s co-hosting several showcases around town, including Earthquake Hurricane and the new Do What You Love show at We Work. And he’s writing columns for Willamette Week. We sat down with Curtis to talk about how working in Portland has af...
May 27, 2016•23 min
Since the legalization of recreational marijuana in Oregon last year, there’s been an explosion or pot-related events: from big celebrations like Weed the People and the Cultivation Classic, to yoganja classes and house concerts. But now all these events are up in the air due to a confluence of clarifications from state and city authorities. Read the full story: http://www.opb.org/news/article/portland-just-says-no-to-many-marijuana-related-summer-events...
May 27, 2016•4 min
When most Americans think of bonsai — the craft of pruning and shaping small trees — they probably think of an ancient gardening craft practiced by lovers of Japanese culture. Ryan Neil thinks it’s anything but. With a story ripped from the movie “The Karate Kid,” he founded Bonsai Mirai, a leading international school in the hills outside Portland, and he’s partnered with cutting-edge architects and designers in an effort to make bonsai cool for a new generation. Read the full story: http://www...
May 21, 2016•8 min
DEQ's Jennifer Flynt responds to concerns raised by Bullseye Glass regarding recent enforcement actions. (photo cred. Oregon DEQ)
May 21, 2016•5 min
Our full conversation with Jim Jones, a Vice President at Bullseye Glass.
May 21, 2016•8 min
Bask in the glorious variety of Portland's spring musical offerings, then head to the hills with a book and a yen for natural beauty. Be here now, this week on State of Wonder. 1:00 GLASSAPOCALYPSE NOW - Spectrum Glass of Woodinville, WA, one of the top art-glass makers in the region, has announced that it will cease production in the next 75 days. Art glass has had it rough lately; earlier this year Portland companies Bullseye and Uroboros came under fire when the state Department of Environmen...
May 21, 2016•53 min
This weekend a concert series kicks off in North Portland. Organizers say the shows are stepping stones toward a new non-profit all-ages music venue. Full show info here: https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=friends%20of%20noise
May 19, 2016•7 min
If you've stepped onto a dance floor in the last few decades, then you've likely heard "I Can't Wait." It's the song that held sway over the pop charts for a good chunk of 1986 and inspired a generation of musicians. Countless DJs, producers and performers have taken a stab at reworking, sampling and covering the track with Icona Pop and ?uestlove being the most recent to take a stab at it. Behind it all are two self-described "jazz hippies," Valerie Day and John Smith aka Nu Shooz. When pressed...
May 19, 2016•6 min
Through the lens of some of Portland’s most influential music scenes—think Satyricon, X-Ray Cafe, and Jimmy Mak’s—Scott Pemberton has channelled a ray of sunlight he calls “timber rock.” That’s the name of his latest album, which came out last year, but it’s also the name of the subgenre he is pioneering, harvesting funk, grunge, jazz, blues, and hippie jam vibes with the epic sweep of his roaring guitar. The resulting music is both tight and loose; recognizable as part of a lineage yet unorthod...
May 19, 2016•4 min
Sanderson is well-known as an advocate against a proposed Portland street tax. She's a small business owner, proprietor of Odango! Hair Salon on Woodstock. 00:18On checking out art as she’s knocking campaigning “I started an Instagram account just to collect all the little pieces of art people have in their yards.” 01:17 On her vision for Portland’s future “I’ve lived here for 23 years… I knew Portland before it was built up and gentrified… we’re going through some growing pains. And we’re going...
May 12, 2016•24 min
Sue Stahl is a long-time civil rights activist best known in Portland for her advocacy work for people with disabilities. She is the vice-chair of the Portland Commission on Disability and chair of the Accessibility in the Built Environment subcommittee at the Office of Equity and Human Rights, working towards making sure the city includes all its citizens and communities.
May 12, 2016•17 min
Summer came early this year, and it has us already dreaming of weekends at the beach or up in the mountains, kicking back in a hammock with a book between our hands. So we put together a show to highlight some of the season's top reads, in case you're thinking of packing your knapsack and heading for the hills (or at least the park). "Every Anxious Wave" by Mo Daviau Mo Daviau is a former college radio DJ who dreamt up her novel, "Every Anxious Wave," over the turntable. It centers around a midd...
May 12, 2016•50 min
Portland writer Mo Daviau’s new novel, “Every Anxious Wave,” grew out of her cocktail-party ice-breaker: "If you could go back in time and see any rock show, what would you choose?" That little gem is the seed of the central conceit in “Every Anxious Wave,” a light-but-heavy love story about a dive-bar owner, Karl Bender, who discovers a time warp in the back of his closet. One of Karl’s first moves is to sell trips through the wormhole to history's most epic rock shows—and to accidentally send ...
May 12, 2016•10 min
Monica Drake is one of Portland’s better known contemporary bards. Her 2007 novel "Clown Girl" followed a young woman navigating a scene not unlike Northeast Portland’s famous Alberta St. Clown House. "The Stud Book," which followed in 2013, was a scathing, hilarious, and surprisingly tender meditation on how we create family. This week, we had Monica in to tell us about her newest adventure: into the world of interconnected short stories. The book is called "The Folly of Loving Life." Read the ...
May 12, 2016•10 min
Victoria Jamieson has written books for kids and teaches children’s literature at Pacific Northwerst College of Art, but in her spare time, she skates with the Rose City Rollers Wreckers team under the name of Winnie the Pow. So perhaps it was just a matter of time before she wrote a graphic novel for middle-grade readers about a girls who get in touch with their deeper selves by skating around and hitting each other called "Roller Girl." The The book is also about the very messy social geometry...
May 12, 2016•10 min
Sanderson is well-known as an advocate against a proposed Portland street tax. She's a small business owner, proprietor of Odango! Hair Salon on Woodstock. 00:18On checking out art as she’s knocking campaigning “I started an Instagram account just to collect all the little pieces of art people have in their yards.” 01:17 On her vision for Portland’s future “I’ve lived here for 23 years… I knew Portland before it was built up and gentrified… we’re going through some growing pains. And we’re going...
May 12, 2016•24 min
It’s a cliche that children are full of questions, but certain types of questioning — far from the innocent realms of “why is the sky blue?” — mark the end of childhood. Katie Chase, whose new book “Man and Wife” came out this week, has produced a short story collection that balances largely on the edge of that turning point. “Man and Wife,” the title story, won the Pushcart Prize and was chosen as a Best American Short Story in 2008. Katie Chase sat down with State of Wonder’s April Baer last w...
May 11, 2016•9 min
In honor of Mothers everywhere, we have several stories about new projects being brought into the world this week: a film project that's all about learning from the past, the Eugene Symphony's three ambitious new compositions, and a play that takes us across the boarder. Plus, Charles Bradley sings tribute to his own mom. Into the Beautiful North An adaptation of Luis Alberto Urrea’s bestselling novel “Into the Beautiful North” premieres at Milagro Theatre this week. The story follows three wome...
May 06, 2016•49 min
Ever wondered how Peter Pan came to be the boy who never grew up? Or how he and Captain Hook came to be arch nemeses? We might never know the real reason (at least according to author J.M. Barrie), but the authors Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson sure dreamed up a fabulous possibility in the book “Peter and the Starcatcher.” Billed as a "grown-up's prequel," it was adapted for the stage by Rick Elice and ultimately won five Tonys on Broadway in 2012. Now the musical is having its local premiere at ...
May 04, 2016•8 min
Holly Andres is not just one of the best working photographers in Portland — she’s also one of the busiest. Her work has appeared in Vanity Fair, the New York Times, Elle Magazine, and has shown her work nationally and internationally. She’s won strong reviews for her evocatively-staged photos, capturing women and girls on the edge of transformation. Her series, “Holly Andres: The Fallen Fawn” is on view through May 28th at Charles Hartman Fine Art in Portland. We stopped by with Tricia Hoffman,...
Apr 30, 2016•6 min
This week on State of Wonder, Maurice Sendak goes to the opera, retro-tinged indie pop with Radiation City, darkness and light with photographer Holly Andres, and Snohetta's big plans for Portland's James Beard Market and Willamette Falls, and the Portland Ballet. Mauric Sendak Goes to the Opera - 0:00 Maurice Sendak is beloved for his emotionally stormy and distinctive children’s books like "Where the Wild Things Are" and "In the Night Kitchen," but the Portland Opera is giving us a chance to a...
Apr 29, 2016•34 min
While the architectural firm Snøhetta might not be a household name in Portland, it has become one of the biggest players in architecture internationally. Its designers are the process of remaking New York City’s Times Square, they created the newly opened 9/11 Memorial Museum, and they expanded the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art into the largest museum of its kind in the country, set to open on May 14 — to say nothing of the major buildings they've designed across Europe. Now, Snøhetta is f...
Apr 28, 2016•10 min
Too soon! Too soon! What are we doing here again, eulogizing one of our musical icons? And yet, there it was: Thursday’s news about the death of Prince. This man meant so much to dancers, deviants and DJs. XRAY-FM radio host and DJ for Lifesavas Rev Shines started us down the path. He’s scheduled to work at a Three Kings night next month, featuring the music of Prince alongside Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson. He says it’s going to be nuts. “It’s making me do my homework,” Rev told us. “I grab...
Apr 25, 2016•11 min
This week on State of Wonder we have stories of love, loss, law and looking back. Full story: http://www.opb.org/radio/programs/stateofwonder/segment/prince-protests-pnca-pica-new-building-bradford/ The Passing Of The Purple One We can’t quite believe we’re once again eulogizing a musical icon, but music fans have been thrown into mourning after Thursday’s news about the death of Prince. We talk with the DJ Rev Shines and musicians Farnell Newton and Tony Ozier about the role the legend played i...
Apr 23, 2016•53 min
