Closing party press

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Closing Party

Closing Party

It has been a wonderful ride, but the holiday season is coming to an end and with it the fabulous Pop-Up Shops.  Come celebrate with Downtown Artistry, 940 SW Morrison Dec 30th from 6-8pm

Events include

The deconstruction of the Berrier Given,  Alex Rauch will bring down the walls of his installation


Live music by Whale Revolution


Wine and snacks will also be available

Our Holiday Party

What a great night our holiday party was so much fun.  

Thanks to Phil and C.C. Swim

Holiday Party

Holiday Party

Thursday Dec 23rd 6-8pm at Downtown Artistry 940 SW Morrison

Live music from C.C. Swim

A David Sedaris reading by Phil McDodson, "Sedaris Claus"

Free parking provided by Smart Park, SW 10th and Yamhill if you get there between 4-6

wine, snacks, and a ton of local art

Emergency Gift Ideas

Link to Koin 6 news

A little shout out to Downtown Artistry from Kevin Lennox, thanks Kevin. This news clip honors Micheal Kelley's hand-made letter press wrapping paper as a great gift idea. We still have a couple available only $15

The Cross Portrait with Anna Magruder and Christopher Mooney

The cross portrait was so much fun! It was amazing watching these two talented artists work.  As a non-artist myself it was really interesting to watch the creative process unfold, like Christopher scetching with 2 pencils one in each hand, and Anna being very unhappy with where her portrait of Christopher was going and then being thrilled with the results.

These portraits are not finished yet, but I hope to get photos of the completed work to post on here as soon as possible.

Gift of the day

 This guy is named Ringo Starr made by Russell Murphy

 This is Heather beautifully crafted by Geneva Sizemore

These unique "stuffed animals" are hand-made by the artists at Art from the Heart, an organization that works with adults with developmental disabilities.  They are all busting with personality, and the artists have given them all names

This week at {{Downtown Artistry}}

It is hard to believe that this little temporary Pop Up Gallery time is almost up.... So lets make the most of it!  We have a few more events that will blow your socks off

Thurs 12/16 5-7pm is going to be an event not to miss.

Come watch a cross portrait being made by Anna Magruder and Christopher Mooney.  These two talented and different artists will sit across from one another as they paint a portrait of the other, as we all watch the magic unfold.  Thursday 12/16 5-8pm

Sat 12/18 11am-1pm will be a Sculpture Demonstration by none other then the Pacific Northwest Sculptures President Carole Murphy watch as she works with an amazing recycled material to make beautiful nature inspired art.

Also mark your calendars Downtown Artistry is have a all out Holiday Party including a band or two and a Santa doing a reading of David Sedaris 12/23 starting at 5

And the Closing Party will be 12/30 Starting at 5 witness the destruction of  Barrier Given the installation by Alex Rauch

For the rest of Dec all parking in smart park parking lots will be free if you arrive between 4-6 on Thursday

Last nights encaustic demo

Last night at Downtown Artistry we had a wonderful demonstration by encaustic artist Kelly Williams we learned, we laughed, and we were inspired.

Encaustic Demo with Kelly Williams Thursday 12/9

Downtown Artistry is hosting an Encaustic Art Demonstration lead by Kelly Williams Thursday 12/9 from 5-7pm.  

It will be a great opportunity to learn what the heck Encaustic means or to learn more about the art of painting with wax.  Kelly will also talk about her RACC grant project Recovery Pains.  Where she taught people who have been effected by addiction to express themselves in the medium of encaustics. 

Kelly is a fabulous lady, and it will be a fun night.  Also Smart Park is providing free parking if you park between 4-6 on Thursday nights in Dec, and Downtown Artistry is in the base of the the Smart Park on SW 10th and Yamhill.

Feature artists of the day: Brian Echerer: Velo Gioielli

Brain Echerer and his mother Mary Jane started Velo Gioielli bike jewelry company a year ago using recycled bike parts.  He shows his wares at Saturday Market, and is about to join in the fun for his second run at BikeCraft. His stuff is the perfect gift for the bike lover in your family.

The sixth annual BikeCraft is December 4 & 5, 2010.
Open 10am-6pm both days
Venue: Portland Design Works Mothership
15 NE Hancock St. 

Here are a few of my favorite Holiday photos

Brian Fiore-Silfvast

We had a great time last night watching artist Brian Fiore-Silfvast painting with coffee, and man did it smell good in here.  But if you didn't have a chance to make it down I have decided to keep a handful of his pieces here.  So you still have a chance to see his amazing work.

This week at Downtown Artistry

We are in full swing now that it is December, it finally feels like the Holidays are upon us. And we sure are doing it up right!

This Thursday 12/2/2010 5-7pm will be the first of the Artists Demonstration Days, come take advantage of free parking in the smart park parking lot if you park between 4-6.  Watch Brian Fiore-Silfvast as he creates one of a kind work while you shop.  Looking at the image above it is hard to believe that this work is made out of Coffee, a PDX staple.  I know I am excited to see the process

Saturday 12/4/2010 grab the kids and head on down to The Greasy Kid Stuff Dance Party 3-5pm!!!!!!!
With the musical stylings of Belinda and Hova and sometimes the fabulous Georgia.
This is the type of music we all can enjoy old and young, crazy and crazier.  Belinda and Hova started the Greasy Kid Stuff Radio show in New York 15 years and go and by the luck of the gods have moved to Portland, yippee!  So come bring the whole family, and lets boogie!

As always we will have a kid craft table set up and a holiday photo area too!

Pop-Up Shop write up in The Portland Tribune

Portland Tribune Article about the Pop-Up Shops

Pop-Up Shops Map

If you are heading to downtown you should stop by and check out all the fabulous Pop-Up Shops, and here is the map that will get you there.  Pdx Pop-Up Shops Map

{Alex Rauch} Art Insatllation

Barrière donnée  1 : Halo de Pores  2 : Synecdoche Mal Placé (Porte)

Barrier Given - 1: Pores Halo - 2: Misplaced Synecdoche (Door)

A barrier of some kind is given in all situations - fences, Campbell's Soup® cans, skin, ozone, puberty ect.  Barriers hold and limit space.  They are things composed of smaller elements e.g. bricks, cells, planks.  These given elements congeal into collections of grids or masses. 

With out closing doors to other interpretations – this cardboard wall functions to signify psychological and communicative break between people.  Once inside the store’s door this barrier’s door is open and when you enter the space you are inside me or yourself. 

Cardboard boxes are a symbol of transporting goods.  During the holidays they are specifically a signifier of gifts.  Boxes (often) equal gifts.  But all these boxes in this show have already been open and emptied.  This air gives the wall a literal lightness and an implication of feeling hollow.  They have transported our gifts.  The box wall is now a corrugated vessel consuming space – now a readymade re-gifting just for you (plural).

In Freudian terms the wall is the part of the Id that has resulted from influencing societal systems and the Ego is the organized part - convergences between semiotics and phenomenology. The Super-ego is playing both critically and morally.  Freud's barrier should also be thought of as protecting specific ego functions.   

There are sixteen different lights one in each of the sixteen boxes that create the Halo. I was raised Catholic.  I find dogma to be holyer than me.

Barrière donnée is an improvisational homage to Marcel Duchamp’s.  Below is Duchamp’s Chocolate Grinder shape is echoed in the halo.  And the back door with viewing hole is replicating the voyeuristic act of peeping but only leaving you with a tube or tunnel.  At least there is light at the end of it when the show is on.  As a bonus the daunting saw is there implying a slow and serrated bisection for the curious and patient viewer.

Good luck.

Alex Rauch

It has been really amazing watching Alex make art out of well... a pile of garbage. Barrier Given as I like to call it is ironic and deep at the same time.  If you haven't had a chance to sit and spend time with this amazing installation, you should.  The environment that it creates is like the ones in our childhood, those little places that were just ours, under the stairs, the tree fort, or in some cases the closet.  At the same time it represents our society, and the overwhelming need to consume, and where that will leave us.
It is not just a pile of boxes. Well done Alex, Thank you

The finishing touches

Letter press wrapping paper

And cards

By Micheal Kelley

Downtown Artistry: take the "Blah" out of Black Friday

Downtown Artistry:  Taking the “Blah” out of Black Friday

Downtown Artistry

940 SW Morrison St

Thurs-Sat 10-7

Sun 12-5

We will be closed on Thanksgiving

Don’t let Black Friday be all about Big Box stores, unhappy children and gifts made abroad.  Come to Downtown Artistry, we will take the “blah” out of Black Friday.  You can plan ahead by looking at our Holiday Gift Guide, listed below.

We will have a kid craft area set up, so your kids can be entertained will you shop and relax, after all, you have been up since 4am and have bruises from all the angry elbows, you deserve to relax.  

Not only do we have local artful gifts, but letterpress wrapping paper and a variety of cards to complete all your holiday shopping, while reducing your carbon footprint.  

If you haven’t had time to get your photos done for the family newsletter yet, now is your chance.  We will have a photographer on hand to take those fun family photos, so wear you Christmas sweater, Santa hats, and your best toothy grin.

Gifts for dad and granddad

Encaustic tiles by Kelly Williams

Mixed media cityscape by Julia Gardner

70's inspired yearbook portraits

Yo-yo man by Anna Magruder

Cityscape framed prints

By Brin Levinson

Bike jewelry

Northwest photography

Gifts for your mom or grandma

Encaustic panels

Mixed media cherry blossom paintings

60's 70's yearbook inspired paintings

By Anna Magruder

Bronze bike charm bracelets

Frames decorated with vintage jewelry

Bird and resin mixed media necklaces

Urban jewelry with precious stones

Bird inspired earnings and necklaces

Kid gift ideas

Paintings and prints by childrens book illustrator Lisa Mundroff

Amazing stuffed "animals" by Art from the Heart

Super hero plaque by Anna Magruder