Holiday hours may vary—please check event websites directly for the most up-to-date information.

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MONDAY

FILM

Twin Peaks Mondays Past Event Like List
Hosted by "trans femme drag enigma" Violet Hex, this weekly series screens two episodes of David Lynch and Mark Frost’s 1990 creepy, cult-favorite show Twin Peaks every Monday at Black Water Bar, accompanied by themed drag and burlesque performances with a different special guest each time. I don't know about you, but watching talented performers embody the likenesses of Audrey Horne, Laura Palmer, the Log Lady, and other fan favorites sounds like, excuse me, a damn fine time. The screenings wrap up this week with the season two finale and special guest performances by Kat Monster, Max Little, and more. JB
(Black Water Bar, Irvington)

THURSDAY

SPORTS & RECREATION

13th Annual Tabor Stair Climb Past Event Like List
I've got beef with the Mt. Tabor staircase, which has 282 steps, each ruder and more uncalled for than the last. That being said, Thanksgiving morning seems like as good a time as any to try and conquer the paved beast. Fulcrum Fitness and Oregon Food Bank will encourage participants to "complete as many laps of the Mt. Tabor staircase as they can in one hour." (Presumptuous of them to assume I'm doing this more than once.) Donations from pledges will be donated to the food bank's admirable mission to end hunger in Portland. LC
(Mt. Tabor Stairs, Mount Tabor)

Tofurky Trot 2023 Past Event Like List
Start Thanksgiving morning bright and early with a family-friendly 5K full of compassion for our feathered friends at the annual Tofurky Trot. The path is fully paved and accessible for wheelchairs, strollers, and friendly puppers, starting and finishing at Oaks Park (including a traverse over Sellwood Bridge for gorgeous views of the river and downtown). Bring your own cup for complimentary beverages before the race, and enjoy vegan bites post-trot, all while feeling good about raising funds for local farm sanctuaries. SL
(Oaks Park Dance Pavilion, Sellwood)

FRIDAY

FILM

NIGHT OF 1000… DOLLYS: The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas Past Event Like List
Take heed, for Dolly is upon us! In The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, she plays Miss Mona, a brothel owner whose business is threatened by an annoyingly pious TV reporter—boooooo! With some help from the local sheriff, she's gotta save the Chicken Ranch from God-fearing ne'er-do-wells and turn that scrappy little whorehouse into a whorehome. If anyone can do it, it's Dolly. Bless. Ezza Rose will kick off the Southern-fried screening with some acoustic covers of Parton jams. LC
(Tomorrow Theater, Richmond)

LIVE MUSIC

Mannheim Steamroller Christmas Past Event Like List
Mannheim Steamroller founder Chip Davis will jingle himself all the way back to Portland for his annual Christmas concert. The Yuletide spectacular will include contemporary rock-infused takes on holiday classics like “Deck the Halls” and “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" with plenty of lights, lasers, fog machines, and thematic stage decor. AV
(Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, Southwest Portland)

The Next Waltz Past Event Like List
More than three dozen local musicians, including LaRhonda Steele, Becky Doggett, Jeff Rosenberg, Kris Stuart, Rizo, and Ashleigh Flynn & The Riveters, will pay tribute to Canadian roots rock group the Band's 1978 farewell concert, The Last Waltz, at this annual fundraiser benefitting the Jeremy Wilson Foundation. Relive the magical night that famously featured special guests like Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, and Van Morrison and was adapted into a famed concert film directed by Martin Scorsese. Patrons are encouraged to bring two non-perishable food items for the Oregon Food Bank. 
AV
(Alberta Rose Theatre, Concordia)

PERFORMANCE

Bjork Friday 6 Past Event Like List
Forsake the consumerist "holiday" and give thanks to Icelandic treasure Björk instead at this annual revue and dance party. DJs will get her iconic experimental tunes flowing while an army of drag queens and burlesque performers offer up some big-time sensuality.
(Clinton Street Theater, Hosford-Abernethy)

The Tesla City Stories: Black Friday Holiday Special Past Event Like List
Calling all ducky shincrackers—dust off your zoot suits and liquid stockings, 'cuz Tesla City Stories is offering up another ultra-unique night out featuring live "radio" dramas straight from the '40s-era archives of the fictional Tesla City. Part performance art, part pop archeology, the shindig boasts live sound effects, prizes, and plenty of post-Prohibition era booze. This time, the event will be on a Black Friday holiday theme, and they're advertising it as their biggest show of the year. Expect funny antics in the form of three radio soap opera episodes, plus a performance by the Dickens Carolers. It's gonna be a gas. LC
(The Old Church, Downtown)

WINTER HOLIDAYS

39th Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony Past Event Like List
It's hard not to believe in the holiday spirit when a real 75-foot-tall Douglas Fir adorned with thousands of twinkly lights appears in your town square. Kick off the Christmas season the day after Thanksgiving with the grandest of tree lighting ceremonies featuring a sing-along led by Portland's own Thomas Lauderdale of Pink Martini and Mr. Claus himself flipping the ceremonial switch to turn on the lights. SL
(Pioneer Courthouse Square, Downtown)

SATURDAY

COMEDY

Lez Stand Up: Chosen Family Past Event Like List
Gather 'round, ladies and theydies: Your fave queer comedy show will return for another installment, with special guests Alyssa Yeoman, Monisa Brown, Kirsten Kuppenbender, and Two Evils co-host Arlo Weierhauser hitting the stage. They'll help you step back from the ledge amid that long, long weekend of spending time with your family, or aid you in avoiding them altogether. On top of being a barrel full of queer chuckles, the show is a great excuse to check out the new-ish Siren Theater space on Mississippi. LC
(Siren Theater, Boise)

FILM

Legendary Worlds of John Williams with the Oregon Symphony Past Event Like List
Stranger senior staff writer Charles Mudede wrote: "If you do not know who John Williams is, do not bother reading what I have to say about him in this blurb. John Williams' greatest achievement as a film composer is his love theme 'Han Solo and the Princess' for Han and Leia in The Empire Strikes Back. (You, the pop-culture ignoramus, are still reading! Yes, Williams composed the music for the Star Wars series, and also Jaws, Indiana Jones, and so on, and so on.) This love theme has all of the sensitivity and cheap beauty that made 'Spartacus: Love Theme' a jazz standard. If the great jazz pianist Bill Evans were alive today (why don’t some people live forever?), he would have made pure magic out of Williams’s 'Love Theme.'" This weekend, the Oregon Symphony will be the ones making pure magic out of Williams’ seminal worlds with a selection of iconic scores from throughout his career. AV
(Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, South Park Blocks)

NIGHT OF 1000… DOLLYS: 9 To 5 Past Event Like List
When three female coworkers conspire to kidnap their tyrannical sexist boss, the office starts to run a lot more smoothly in his absence. But how long before the jig is up?! This '80 screwball comedy might be the most enticingly cast film ever produced, starring Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, and Dolly Parton. (Yep, Dolly wrote that song specifically for the movie.) The newly minted Tomorrow Theater will screen 9 To 5 as part of its NIGHT OF 1000… DOLLYS series; local solo artist Ashleigh Flynn will perform some toe-tapping Parton covers before the screening. LC
(Tomorrow Theater, Richmond)

SHOPPING

Scandinavian Christmas Goat Market Past Event Like List
Although this Christmas market does not have actual, living goats (we got our hopes up, too), it brings the Scandinavian holiday symbol of the Jule (Yule) goat right here to Portland. Get into the julstämning (holiday spirit) with traditional Nordic foods, live performances, face painting, and a giant LEGO Christmas display. You can also get a head start on your shopping list by picking up gifts from over 20 local vendors selling an array of Nordic goods. SL
(Norse Hall, Kerns)

SUNDAY

FILM

Big Night Past Event Like List
In the 1996 classic Big Night, two Italian immigrant brothers, the grouchy but brilliant chef Primo (Tony Shalhoub) and the pragmatic manager Secondo (Stanley Tucci), throw an unforgettably decadent feast in a last-ditch attempt to keep their struggling Jersey Shore restaurant Paradise afloat. Not only is Hollywood Theatre screening the film, they're also invoking its festive spirit by throwing lavish cocktail soirées before and after in collaboration with their neighbor Vivienne Culinary Books, which will offer light bites, a welcome cocktail, 10% off all Italian cookbooks, and additional wine by the glass available for purchase. Get ready for a night of glamour and revelry. JB
(Hollywood Theatre, Hollywood District)

Killer Klowns from Outer Space Past Event Like List
My first encounter with Killer Klowns from Outer Space was when it aired on television at my friend's house sometime in 1998. As children without adequate supervision do, we devoured the whole thing, after which a major problem presented itself: I had to walk back to my house, alone, in the dark. The experience was a blur. I know I sprinted the entire way, and I know every tree branch, car, stray cat, and blade of grass looked like a clown (excuse me, Klown) out to feast on my brains or whatever. Anyway, this movie is a ton of fun, just have a game plan for how you'll get home. In honor of its 35th anniversary, the Hollywood has also arranged a Q&A with actor Harrod Blank, who "played the role of Rudy Klown, as well as several other alien clowns." Gulp. LC
(Hollywood Theatre, Hollywood District)

LIVE MUSIC

Trans-Siberian Orchestra: The Ghosts Of Christmas Eve Past Event Like List
I know I'm not alone when I say that Trans-Siberian Orchestra makes the most stressful Christmas songs. However, maybe it's not the fault of the ensemble. Maybe it's the fact that their music is always playing during stressful situations. Last year, "Christmas Eve / Sarajevo" played while I got a cavity filled at the dentist. The year before, "Wizards in Winter" blared through the Target speakers during their Black Friday sale. Their holiday tunes are epic, cinematic, and are scientifically proven to speed up your heart rate (okay, I made that up, but it's probably true). Experience the rock opera group in an appropriate setting—a giant arena—with lasers and pyrotechnics abound. AV
(Moda Center, Lloyd District)

MULTI-DAY

COMEDY

Ha Ha Harvest Festival Past Event Like List
Originally conceived in 2018 as a "fleeting comedy extravaganza during the Thanksgiving weekend," the Ha Ha Harvest Comedy Festival has flourished into a three-day cornucopia of comedy antics, complete with over 90 performers, 50 live events, and film screenings at 11 venues. Funny faves like Ron Lynch, Bernice Ye, Mav Viola, Lizzy Cooperman, Neeraj Srinivasan, and tons of others will be part of the shenanigans. Attendees can purchase a weekend pass to score priority seating and a free poster and t-shirt. LC
(Various locations, Friday-Sunday)

EXHIBITS

Celebrating Birds of the Pacific Northwest Past Event Like List
In 2020, I started birding: I'd been laid off from my previous job due to COVID-19 uncertainty and found myself with an unfamiliar amount of hours to fill. (It's interesting how a brief respite from the binds of capitalism nudges us toward the natural world, but anyway.) If you're "going through it" in any capacity, I highly recommend looking toward the skies—there's a lot going on up there. Or maybe you're a birder already. If so, what's your spark bird?! Mine is the northern flicker...but I digress. This exhibition of works by contemporary wildlife photographers Ken Goldman, Ryan Hooper, Dan Kearl, and Diana Rebman explores the abundance and diversity of our avian friends. You'll catch sight of regional beauts like the lazuli bunting, osprey, and great horned owl. Chances are good that you'll be inspired to pick up some 'nocs afterward. LC
(Oregon Historical Society, South Park Bocks, Monday-Sunday; closing)

Halloween Cultural Preservation Museum Past Event Like List
If your Halloween tastes lean more toward old-school skeletons, plastic light-up pumpkins, and vintage Dracula posters than this year's Barbie and TikTok-influenced costumes, you'll probably dig the Halloween Cultural Preservation Museum, a pop-up exhibit occupying the old Spencer's at Lloyd Center. The project "aims to keep the traditions and spirit of Halloween’s golden age alive and well through education and preservation," which means visitors can scope out the best in Halloween commercialism from the '20s through the '90s. Expect rare and vintage decorations, including a "replica of an '80s living room, where old Halloween commercials play on a tiny, cathode-ray tube TV" (The Oregonian). LC
(Lloyd Center, Lloyd District, Saturday-Sunday)

Our Unfinished Past: The Oregon Historical Society at 125 Past Event Like List
The Oregon Historical Society is a history-maker in itself—founded in 1898, OHS has become a vital source of perspective on our region's story, sharing critical context with visitors for 125 years. Featuring over 100 objects and archival materials from its museum and library collections, Our Unfinished Past: The Oregon Historical Society at 125 examines the institution's complex history and its unique mission to "advance knowledge and inspire curiosity" about Oregon history. LC
(Oregon Historical Society, South Park Blocks, Monday-Sunday)

FILM

Anatomy of a Fall Past Event Like List
In one of Burial's unreleased tracks, you will find a sample that makes this claim: "It's like people had forgotten how to make a tune." Something similar can be said about the cinema of the procedural. It's hard to find a director who can do it right, who deeply understands the form. This is why Anatomy of a Fall, a French film by Justine Triet, is so remarkable: It's 100% a thriller. There is a crime, an investigation, a suspect, and, of course, lots of drama in the court. Triet builds all of the questions (Who did it? What are we missing? Why is the man nearly blind? What about the music? The aspirin?) into a solid maze. And the tension increases the closer we get to its core. Anatomy of a Fall (what a great title) deserved the Palme d'Or it won at this year's Cannes Film Festival. STRANGER SENIOR STAFF WRITER CHARLES MUDEDE
(Cinema 21, Nob Hill, Monday-Wednesday)

Dream Scenario Past Event Like List
Fans of last year's Everything Everywhere All at Once will likely dig Dream Scenario, which continues A24's recent propensity for gonzo dream sequences and madcap visuals with a fun plotline: Nicolas Cage stars as a typical dude whose life flip-flops when he begins appearing in millions of people's dreams. If that sounds familiar, you're not wrong—it seems likely that the film was inspired by This Man, who allegedly began appearing in dreams back in 2006. Does this mean we'll start to see more flicks based on old memes, guerilla marketing tactics, and internet hoaxes? I'm here for it. LC
(Hollywood Theatre, Hollywood District, Friday-Sunday)

May December Past Event Like List
If I’m going to watch an ouroboros, I’ll take one helmed by someone as curious and literate as Todd Haynes. Though May December doesn’t rank with the director’s top-tier achievements—it lacks the sublimity of Carol, the mad invention of I’m Not There, the elemental force of Safe—its intelligence and staying power are tough to discredit. It really is one of the thorniest, most thought-provoking movies you’ll see this year. PORTLAND MERCURY CONTRIBUTOR CONNER REED
(Hollywood Theatre, Hollywood District, Monday-Wednesday)

Priscilla Past Event Like List
Sofia Coppola basically invented the "young women coming of age amid heartbreak" genre, so it should come as no surprise that she wanted to tell Priscilla Beaulieu's story. The trailer for Priscilla is all dreamy and forlorn, full of eyelashes and big hair and foreboding. (I mean, she's 14 and hanging out with Elvis. What could go wrong?) I will be seated, not because I'm particularly interested in the great American myth that is Presley, but because the people who radiate around larger-than-life figures are often the most interesting ones. LC
(Cinema 21, Nob Hill, Monday-Wednesday)

The Holdovers Past Event Like List
It's November. It's time to watch Paul Giamatti act his little heart out as a curmudgeonly educator at a New England prep school in the '60s, where a gaggle of students have been left behind on Christmas break. Honestly, though, have you ever heard a film premise that made you want to wear wool socks and drink apple cider more than this one? Plus, and perhaps most importantly, The Holdovers was directed by Alexander Payne, aka the guy who made Election and that movie about wine. It's going to be funny and charming!!! Enjoy. LC
(Cinema 21, Nob Hill, Monday-Thursday)

FOOD & DRINK

Veganizer: World Vegan Month 2023 Past Event Like List
In celebration of World Vegan Month, Veganizer PDX is collaborating with over 20 plant-based restaurants and food carts across the city to offer exclusive food and drink specials. A portion of sales from each business's special will be donated to their selected nonprofit. Some of our favorite spots in town are getting in on the philanthropic fun: Speed-o Cappuccino is raising funds for the PDX Sex Worker Resource Project, Ice Queen is contributing to Native American Youth and Family Center, Mis Tacones will donate to Meals On Us...the list goes on. It's a great chance to contribute to some magnanimous causes while partaking in some magnificent meatless meals. JB
(Various locations, Monday-Sunday)

LIVE MUSIC

Built to Spill Past Event Like List
Former Stranger writer Jas Keimig wrote: "Built to Spill was the band that all my dude friends in junior high said they listened to before they started a band of their own. In that way, maybe Built to Spill is the West Coast's answer to the Velvet Underground. Okay, I'm mostly kidding about that one, but now that I'm thinking about it, 1999's Keep It Like a Secret seems to be the progenitor of so much of modern indie rock's sound, that it's almost like I've seen the band live before. But I haven't. Go and luxuriate in the sounds of flannel, beanies, and earnest angst." Doug Martsch's indie rock troupe will take over the Aladdin Theater for a two-night stint with support from local art-pop artist Bijoux Cone and post-punk quartet Prism Bitch. AV
(Aladdin Theater, Brooklyn, Tuesday-Wednesday)

Portland's Singing Christmas Tree Past Event Like List
In a state flush with forests, it's only fitting that we would have a tradition called the Singing Christmas Tree. The ultimate Christmas carolers return with new showstopping numbers, special guest artists Georgene Rice, Timothy Greenidge, Erin Tamblyn, Courtney Temple, and an appearance from Ol' Saint Nick himself. Performing traditional and contemporary carols, the youth and adult choirs will fill you with an abundance of holiday cheer. AV
(Sunset Church, Oak Hills, Saturday-Sunday)

The Storm Large Holiday Ordeal Past Event Like List
Renowned singer-songwriter, Pink Martini member, and former America’s Got Talent contestant Storm Large returns with her annual Christmas concert, promising music, gags, gifts, and some special surprise guests. AV
(Aladdin Theater, Brooklyn, Friday-Saturday)

PERFORMANCE

A Christmas Carol Past Event Like List
If the impending holiday season elicits your well-deserved "Bah, humbug," I recommend taking this dependable Yuletide delight for a spin. After all, what's more Christmassy than a bunch of intrusive ghosts and a notably grumpy old dude? Portland Playhouse's A Christmas Carol is a Dickensian feast of holiday theatrics that offers a contemporary interpretation of Ebenezer Scrooge's ghostly journey, adapted with original lyrics by award-winning playwright and director Rick Lombardo. LC
(Portland Playhouse, King, Tuesday/Friday-Sunday)

Black Nativity Past Event Like List
Written by innovative playwright, poet, and social activist Langston Hughes, Black Nativity first premiered in 1961 and was one of the first off-Broadway plays composed by an African American person. This interpretation of the gospel play will be presented by PassinArt, an African American theater company that interpreted the bluesy, Pulitzer-nominated play Seven Guitars earlier this year. The production will blend nativity storytelling, dance, and traditional Christmas carols with brand-new songs, and it's directed by Jerry Foster, who has previously helped direct the Juneteenth and Kwanzaa Celebrations for the North Portland library and the Peace Festival for Black Women for Peace. LC
(Brunish Hall, South Park Blocks, Wednesday/Saturday-Sunday)

Dracula: A Feminist Revenge Fantasy, Really Past Event Like List
Look, I love Dracula as much as the next person, but he definitely has what I'd describe as a misogyny issue—I mean, who kidnaps women and sucks their blood?? Couldn't be me! Anywho, playwright Kate Hamill's adaptation of Bram Stoker's sanguinary novel "bounces between horror and humor," challenging gothic tropes and twisting the vampire tale on its gory head to create something cool and feminist, but still scary. After all, isn't it about time we drive a stake through the heart of the patriarchy? LC
(Portland Center Stage, Pearl District, Saturday-Sunday)

Giselle Past Event Like List
World-class dancers from the National Opera and Ballet of Ukraine will bring this rendition of the 19th-century French ballet Giselle to the stage, sharing the story of a peasant girl who falls in love with a nobleman, Albrecht, who is disguised as a commoner. Tragedy ensues, and the ghost-filled tale evokes the deadly sisterhood of the Wilis, a spectral group of women from Slavic myth who died after romantic betrayal. As they attempt revenge on Albrecht, Giselle finds a way to save him and herself. It's the kind of ethereally beautiful production that'll make you feel fancy and cultured just by showing up. LC
(Newmark Theatre, South Park Blocks, Friday-Saturday)

Home for the Holidays Past Event Like List
In this cheery musical revue, a bus full of passengers headed home for the holidays find themselves stranded in Iowa, where they wrangle up some Yuletide spirit with stories and songs to ward off the snow storm. LC
(Broadway Rose New Stage Theatre, Tigard, Wednesday/Friday-Sunday)

Liberace & Liza Holiday at the Mansion (A Tribute) Past Event Like List
It's November, which means the holidays are in full swing, whether you like it or not!! Get into it with this sequined holiday tribute, in which classically trained pianist David Saffert and singer/actor Jillian Snow Harris will charm the crowd as showstoppers Liberace and Liza Minnelli. Liberace's real-life music director Bo Ayars will conduct the musical performance; expect foot-tapping piano medleys and jazzy tribute songs. LC
(Portland Center Stage, Pearl District, Wednesday-Sunday)

SHOPPING

The Makers Fair Holiday Market Past Event Like List
This 11-week market will feature 140 local craftspeople all under one roof, so consider your gift-giving list trounced. Vanquished. Utterly defeated. If you are the type of person who starts stressing about "the holidays" long before they're here (aka me), never fear: You'll find pretty much everything under Santa's sun, from woodturned decor to vintage goods, candles, and holiday treats, at the gargantuan pop-up. LC
(Rejuvenation, Buckman, Monday–Sunday)

VISUAL ART

A Question of Hu: The Narrative Art of Hung Liu Past Event Like List
Hung Liu (1948–2021) grew up during one of the most tumultuous periods in Chinese history and her work provides a personal point of view of that time, even as it remains outside the lens of propaganda and official narratives. Her narrative portrait and prints of immigrants, refugees, and soldiers weave and intertwine traditional Chinese and Western artistic methods, earning the description of “weeping realism” by her art critic husband. Curated by Christian Viveros-Fauné, this exhibition draws entirely from the collections of Jordan D. Schnitzer and his Family Foundation. PORTLAND MERCURY CONTRIBUTOR ASHLEY GIFFORD
(Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, South Park Blocks, Tuesday-Saturday)

Africa Fashion Past Event Like List
London's Victoria and Albert Museum curated this major exhibition, which will bring dozens of well-dressed mannequins to the Portland Art Museum this fall and winter for an exploration of African fashion culture and history from the mid-20th century to the present. Africa Fashion includes "garments, textiles, adornments, personal testimonies, photographs, film, and catwalk footage," with artifacts pulled straight from the archives of legendary African designers like Shade Thomas-Fahm, Chris Seydou, Kofi Ansah, Naïma Bennis, and Alphadi and contemporary creatives Imane Ayissi, IAMISIGO, Moshions, Thebe Magugu, and Maison Art. Not sold? The exhibition was featured in Vogue, Forbes, and CNN, which deemed the show "an archive of achievement." LC
(Portland Art Museum, South Park Blocks, Wednesday–Sunday)

Danny Aros-Aguilar: Sandunga Nunca Muere Past Event Like List
Colombian American non-binary artist Danny Aros-Aguilar reflects on cultural complexities and their gender queerness in Sandunga Nunca Muere, which spotlights the artist's commitment to "celebrating, highlighting, and leaving a print of brown queerness in history." The works in the exhibition were created in collaboration with Aros-Aguilar's Oaxaca-based friends, reflecting upon their conversations on Muxe culture and the marginalization of queer people in Oaxaca. I love Machete al Machote, in which Aros-Aguilar's subject wields a massive machete. LC
(Blue Sky Gallery, Pearl District, Wednesday–Saturday)

Jesse Murry: Rising Past Event Like List
One of Converge 45's more somber and uniquely thought-provoking shows is Jesse Murry's Rising, a series of paintings accompanied by a video remembrance and a letterpress edition of his 1993 10-page poem Aphorisms, penned in the artist's last days before his death due to AIDS-related illness. Curated by Murry's friend and Yale classmate Lisa Yuskavage, the subtle abstract oil paintings showcased in Rising speak to his "lifelong belief in the capacity of painting to hold the complexity of human meaning," a hard-held conviction that carried Murry's practice through his final years. LC
(Reed College, Cooley Gallery, Southeast Portland, Thursday–Sunday)

Orlando Almanza: Love Letter from A Shapeshifter Past Event Like List
Drawing from ethereal memories and myths, Froelick Gallery's newly signed painter Orlando Almanza constructs natural worlds in his works, with embedded narratives that feel pulled from his own mysterious folklore. Earlier this year, the gallery paved for the way for his first official solo show with a display of lithographs printed in Havana, Cuba. For this show, Almanza continues to showcase his "deep dedication to nature, and the unique way it connects with myths and storytelling across cultures" with portraits and vivid oil works overflowing with flora and fauna. LC
(Froelick Gallery, Pearl District, Tuesday–Saturday)

Seeding: A Group Exhibition of Seattle Artists Past Event Like List
This cross-city pollination invites six artists from the Seattle "artist-forward exhibition space" The Vestibule to showcase work in Portland, while Well Well Projects collective artists will install an exhibition in Seattle. Curated by Kascha Semonovitch, The Vestibule's exhibition Seeding "challenged notions of installation art, possession of place, and expectations of a gallery experience" with focuses on material growth and "seeds" of future conversation. I'm excited to see what one of my favorite regional artists, Francesca Lohmann, will share on these themes. LC
(Well Well, Kenton, Saturday-Sunday; closing)

Takahiro Iwasaki: Nature of Perception Past Event Like List
Japan Institute artist-in-residence Takahiro Iwasaki (who represented Japan at the 2017 Venice Biennale, aka the Olympics of the art world) will debut his new art exhibition, Takahiro Iwasaki: Nature of Perception, at Portland Japanese Garden. The Hiroshima-based artist's work includes "architecturally accurate models of historic Japanese sites," which are manipulated into large-scale installations of suspended sculptures and duplicates. In this way, Iwasaki "plays with our sense of the familiar" and subverts viewer expectations. Stop by the garden to view the exhibition and get some nature time as the leaves start to change colors. LC
(Portland Japanese Garden, Washington Park, Monday/Wednesday–Sunday)

Yishai Jusidman: Prussian Blue Past Event Like List
The color Prussian blue has a surprising history—created in the 18th century, it was one of the earliest artificially developed pigments used by European painters. The chemical compound that comprises Prussian blue also happens to be related to prussic acid (hydrogen cyanide) in Zyklon B, a toxic gas used at some Nazi concentration and extermination camps, and traces of the pigment still remain as disturbing reminders of the Holocaust on the walls of gas chambers. Artist Yishai Jusidman engages with this strange overlap in his series Prussian Blue, rendered almost completely in the titular hue. JB
(Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education, Pearl District, Wednesday-Sunday; closing)

WINTER HOLIDAYS

Zoo Lights Past Event Like List
Lions, tigers, and bears will have you saying "oh my!" in childlike wonder at the Oregon Zoo's immersive holiday lights experience. Be mesmerized as you walk through tunnels of sparkling lights, take a ride on the zoo train, and enjoy treats like elephant ears and hot cocoa. SL
(Oregon Zoo, Washington Park, Monday (Sensory night)/Friday-Sunday)