unBLOGGED Podcast.1 (2007 Northwest Best)
Oh no, not again? Best of lists, in general, are so opinionated, and a lil’ corny. But we all have our (not so secret) faves. And even though this may be is the last time I offer mine publically, ‘07 kicked it! But in an omniperipheral view of an entire 365 days passed, how can you truly rate without the CliffsNotes version, eh? Here at unBlogged the entire team (of one) is doing some housecleaning for ‘08, and part of that will include fewer posts while I teach and dominate the studio. Sure, there will be transmissions from my world behind the curtain and inside the fishbowl, but I’m going to bore you less with details, details, details. That’s right.
So it’s hightime I just put out there my annual personal thesis about what seemed to best take shape around here in Y2K7. What wowed the masses, or at least me. Lots of highlights and lowlights - and it’s only going to take one guy to screw them in or out. That didn’t come out right. Although, there’s always the typical hype connected with advertising and boring incestuous relationships, it’s pretty transparent. I’m the type that just can’t help but tell it like it is from my p.o.v. and here’s the way things asymetrically stacked up:
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• • •
GALLERIES
• • •
Newest Gallery Contender In Town:
Rock’s Box
Most Improved Art Gallery: [tie]
Ogle / 12×16 Gallery
Best Academic Gallery:
Cooley Gallery @ Reed College
Best Art Space in the Northwest:
Western Bridge, Seattle
Best Cultural Institution in the Northwest:
PICA / The Henry Gallery [tie]
Most Consistent Portland Gallery:
Pulliam-Deffenbaugh Gallery
Best Seattle Gallery:
Lawrimore Project
Best Non-Profit Organization:
Newspace Center for Photography
Gallery to Continue Watching Very Closely in 2008:
New American Art Union
DIY Art Collective of The Year:
Gallery Homeland
• • •
ARTISTS
• • •
Breakout Artists of 2007:
Seth Nehil, Mack McFarland
Artists to Watch in 2008:
Jenene Nagy, Daniel Duford, Ethan Jackson
Photographer to Watch in ‘08:
Holly Andres
Painter of the Year: [tie]
Abi Spring (big breakthrough)
Rose McCormick (most consistent to date)
Sculptor of the Year:
Dan Gilsdorf
Installation Artist of The Year:
Jenene Nagy
Relational Aesthete of The Year:
Scott Wayne Indiana
Best Style Shift:
Joe Thurston
Most Consistently Elegant and Daring Artist:
Ellen George
Hardest Working Artists in Show Biz:
Harvest Henderson, Vanessa Renwick
Curator of the Year:
Rhoda London
• • •
EXHIBITIONS
• • •
Solo Exhibition of the Year: First Place
Storm Tharp - We Appeal to Heaven
@ PDX Contemporary
Solo Exhibition of the Year: Second Place
Hap Tivey - Building White/Eclipse
@ Elizabeth Leach Gallery/Offsite Exhibition
Solo Exhibition of the Year: Special Honor
David Eckard - Liveries (summer stock)
@ Mark Woolley Gallery
Best Photography Exhibition: [tie]
Oliver Boberg (Quality Pictures)
Sage Sohier (Blue Sky Gallery)
Best Group Show: [tie]
Usufruct curated by Matt Marble and Seth Nehil (Linfield College)
Construct/Reconstruct by Rhoda London (St. John’s Warehouse)
Jam-Packed Group Show:
PDX Panels @ Portland Art Center (Tastefully gridded.)
• • •
AURAL SECTION
• • •
Sound Artist of The Year:
Dan Senn
Most Sound Asset:
PAC’s Light & Sound Gallery
Local Record of the Year:
Ethan Rose - “Spinning Pieces” (on Locust)
International Record of the Year:
William Basinski - “El Camino Real” (2062/Musex International)
Best Concert:
Hauschka (Montreal)
Best CD/Record Shop:
Anthem
• • •
LIFE/STYLE SECTION
• • •
Performance of the Year:
Marc Bamuthi Joseph @ PICA’s TBA Festival
Best Arts Event:
Art Basel (Miami)
Best Architectural Makeover:
DeSoto Building
Most Stylish Couple:
Lisa Radon & Tim DuRoche
Sexiest Artist/Female:
Rose McCormick
Sexiest Artist/Male: [tie]
Joe Thurston
Stephen Slappe
Fashion Front:
Adam Arnold (Bodies, shapes.)
• • •
SCREEN SECTION
• • •
Best Cinema:
Hollywood Theater
Short Film of The Year:
Rise by Ryan Jeffery
@ PDX Contemporary
Feature Film of The Year:
Control by Anton Corbijn
- from Salon
• • •
THE WRITTEN WORD
• • •
Best National Arts Blog:
Modern Art Notes (Tyler Green, author)
Best Local Arts Blogger:
Hilary Pfeifer (Bunny with an Artblog)
Most Consistent Arts Writer:
John Motley (Portland Mercury)
Best Investigative Arts Writer:
D.K. Row (The Oregonian)
Best Writer Keeping PDX in the National Public Eye: [tie]
Richard Speer (ARTnews, Art Ltd)
Micah Malone (Art Papers, Big, Red & Shiny)
• • •
FOODIE SECTION
• • •
Most Romantic Restaurant:
Paley’s Place
Best Cocktail:
The Driftwood Room
Best Cafe:
Albina Press
Best Veggie Joint:
Nutshell
Best Frilly Baked Goods:
Ken’s Artisan Bakery
Best Sandwiches:
Pearl Bakery
Best Desserts:
Pix Patisserie
• • •
We’ll Miss ‘Em in ‘08:
David Eckard
Ryan Jeffery
Motel
• • •
December 30th, 2007 at 10:07 am
Why did you do a best of… these are the worst things ever. And actually FUCK Motel, I hope she did well with her “Going out of business” sale, her shoes were looking a bit out of date.
December 30th, 2007 at 11:30 am
I agree, ‘best of’ lists do suck (in general). Making no bones about it, they often suffer from the sophomoric syndrome. That’s why I did one. Maybe that’s why anyone does one. Well, there are probably some that are intrinsic and traditional, that only serve as end-of-year filler. As you know I am always interested in others’ opinions, in turn I hope that mine simply summarize my taste. I use the typical anum (for some a big yawn) as a benchmark. As mentioned on the podcast after three or four years, mostly because I’m going to be too busy in the studio, this is most likely my last time creating such a list.