December is always a busy month, and this year is proving to be no exception! With works on view across many cities, towns, and platforms, gifts to buy for loved ones, and moments of peace needed, below is a list of a few past PICA artists who have work that you can experience, learn about, and support!
P.S. Don't forget that Faye Driscoll's Come On In is on view at PICA through January 15! Click here to see December open hours and book your tickets!
*Project statements below are sourced from the links provided.
PICA PICKS
Congratulations to devynn emory, whose piece deadbird—presented at PICA in May 2021—was listed among the New York Times' Best Dance of 2021! Read that article here.
R.I.S.E. is an Indigenous artist initiative dedicated to the amplification & evolution of Indigenous art & culture. You can donate to R.I.S.E. through PayPal, and if you are looking for gifts, check out their Etsy page, where you can find loads of shirts (like the Indigenous Solidarity T-shirt, below), mugs, stickers, posters, and more! Support Indigenous art and small press publications.
Indigenous Solidarity T-shirt by R.I.S.E., Image is a screenshot from Etsy shop: https://etsy.me/3EWaJnu
Cold Flow, A Slower Fountain, by Physical Education at Holding Contemporary
Organized by Ashley Stull Meyers
December 18, 6–9:00 PM
Physical Education (P.E.) is comprised of dance and performance artists keyon gaskin, Allie Hankins, Lu Yim, and Takahiro Yamamoto. For the past five years, PE has released shirts and other merch items covered with iconic type print 'PHYSICAL EDUCATION.' This year, as part of this exhibit, PE will be creating one-of-a-kind pieces imbued with moments and memories from their archive cultivated over their seven-year relationship. PE invites you to bring your own piece of clothing to be turned into PE memorabilia that you can take on with you at a discount or shop from PE's gift shop.
ASYLUM TOO, by nat turner project at Well Well
December 4–19, 2021, Saturdays - Sundays, 12–5:00 PM
Project statement from the artists: "In 2016, we assembled a collection of videos and photos, taking a moment for reflection of what has been lost-what we are losing. Five years later, we return to remember, still. To ask the question, ‘What is the value of a public outcry in the aftermath of failed metamorphosis?’”
APEX: Sharita Towne & A Black Art Ecology of Portland
July 31, 2021 - July 2022, Portland Art Museum
A "true grandchild of the Great Migration," Sharita Towne creates installations that are multi-voiced, poetic, and informative. As a transdisciplinary artist, Towne has built a practice steeped in the work of collaboration, cultural organizing, and arts infrastructure building. Towne's exhibition for the APEX series is a culmination of this work that takes her to the most recent projects reflected in the city of Portland now.
Sharita Towne headshot, from https://portlandartmuseum.org/exhibitions/apex-sharita-towne/