In this week of independence, an extension and continuation of Oregon’s official sesquicentennial, please keep in mind that this is the final week to spy Froelick Gallery’s Town & Country: Oregon at 150 (through July 11). There was a nice lil’ piece in the Oregonian here.

Tabula Rasa (above)

John Ruggieri, a curator back east, was recently piecing together an amazing group show about the far-flung positive effects of big bro type surveillance and asked me to be included. Of course, my video Infinitus was just the poker-faced type work that he felt would be fitting. The show was proposed for Apexart and though it rated in the top tier out of nearly 400 proposals, was ultimately not chosen for the prize. I’m sure it will surface given the artists he’s so definitively selected. In the meantime, it was selected to be part of a conference at Brandeis University called Provoking the Social Imaginary: Culture Combat. That said, the grande scheme of associating daily with the web can be much the opposite (or, the passive eye). Many hide behind a cloak of anonymity for the most part, ruling a personal domain. Processing weekly analytics distinguishes a general idea of who’s honing in on your public self and in the blogosphere as it is deemed such, we have some that champion the overall process. In walks Portland Arts Watch and one must appreciate a voice that breaks out the brass tacks, though the jury is out on the Frodo reference. Check It Out!

…is the sound of the Portland Arts Watch, a brand-new blog via The Oregonian, dedicated to highlighting the general mishigas that has become the bent backwards and sideways arts community right smack dab in our oft green backyard. In today’s episode, Barry Johnson nods in the direction of unBlogged, and you can read the rest.

SAY HELLO/WAVE GOODBYE: I was on an odd downtown walk today. Something like the winds of a ghost town swept past me. There’s this awkward sense of renewal and change about. I noticed the Sports Museum was closed (evidentally seeking a new location), the Broderick Gallery recently moved to Lake Oswego and someone new was moving in. On the other side of town it seems Quality Pictures will be closing soon - leaving this economic downturn in its wake and contemporary photography enthusiasts with one less regional venue. Reminds me of that ole Soft Cell tune.

WHAT IS META FOR?: In a contemplative overview of afterthought, some important nuggets surface in the most refreshing review of .meta to date (closes today, 12-5PM). Art Scatter’s Barry Johnson opines through the thick of it.  ALSO: Don’t miss the fair mention of McMinnville’s quaint wine country featured in this week’s NY Times!