Well, though the New York Times‘ love affair with our fair city continues, Peter S. Goodman captures a less glorifying variation on what’s happening around town in his piece A Downturn Wraps Portland in Hesitance.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?: In other recent news I was thrilled to see a convergence of artists in print and pixel, all who were involved in last Fall’s .meta show which I curated for Linfield College. First, over at Whitehot Magazine, Hans Michaud covers the latest exhibition by the European team Pe Lang + Zimoun at Bitforms. The deservedly well-received local debut solo exhibition Consolation by Eva Speer continues to enchant its viewers at Charles A. Hartmann Fine Art through March 28 and was favorably reviewed by The Oregonian. Here’s the Stranger’s piece (+ Jen Graves’ 25 ?s), and the Weekly Volcano’s two cents on the Northwest Biennial (including both Stephanie Robison and Jack Daws). A sneak preview of John Waters‘ new April exhibition, Divine Madness, at Marianne Boesky in the Village Voice, with a simultaneous running Rear Projection at Gagosian/Beverly Hills. The blog Updownacross covered the goings-on when Nayland Blake reprised his now infamous body of work, including Gorge. And finally, Robin Rimbaud (aka Scanner) has debuted a recent sound/dance collaboration called Triple Bill which was previewed in Derbyshire’s Evening Telegraph.

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!

.meta: Unveil The Whole Picture

On view through tomorrow at Linfield Gallery/Miller Fine Arts Center. In the heart of McMinnville and wine country. Gallery hours are Friday and Saturday, 12-5PM. More information.

[ Above: Details from D.E. May, Jenevive Tatiana, Stephanie Robison, Scanner ]

Art to Go is the online blog presence for Regina Hackett of the Seattle Post Intelligencer today giving a well-deserved nod to Harrison Higgs who is currently on view in the exhibition .meta through November 29th (five more viewing days). Check out his site. Enjoy!

TALK TALK TALK: This Wednesday I will speak at Linfield College on behalf of the exhibition .meta on view through 11/29. A somewhat improv curatorial perspective on the eleven artists included in the exhibition. The talk will take place at Linfield Gallery, so if you haven’t had a chance to see the exhibition why not make a midweek excursion down to wine country…

November 12, 4PM: To reach the gallery from 99W, turn east on Keck Drive at the McMinnville Market Center in south McMinnville. Turn right at the first street onto Library Court. The art gallery is located in the second building on the left, Building B. Parking is available on the street and in the lot west of Nicholson Library (Campus Map).

To further whet your appetite for the exhibition .meta…

>>Listen to an excerpt<< of Jesse Paul Miller’s work as presented at Linfield College Art Gallery through 11/29. This sound material was recorded between April and earlier this month in Indonesia, Burma, Japan and Thailand.

The Oregonian’s D.K. Row mentioned .meta in his Shows of Note in Friday’s A&E. As the Linfield College Art Gallery takes steps with me, please save the date: Wednesday, November 12 (4PM). This will be my curatorial/gallery talk with the public.

McMINNVILLE, OR: Prominent regional and international artists will be featured in ‘.meta‘, an upcoming group exhibit at Linfield College. Artist/Curator TJ Norris will realize the third and final incarnation of his “themeless” exhibitions. Both of the previous curatorial projects in this series, grey|area (Guestroom Gallery, 2006) and invisible.other (NAAU, 2007), focused on underlying thematic sub-contexts, exploring the origins of ideas, not complete thoughts. .meta continues to serve this push concept by furthering the plausible misconceptions of double entendre, cultural baggage, broken architecture, dissonance/atonality - all packaged with a generous undercurrent of social/political commentary. This exhibition will run through November 29 at the Linfield Art Gallery of the James F. Miller Fine Arts Center. An opening reception will be held Wednesday, October 15 at 6PM and an curator’s talk on Wednesday, November 12 at 4PM, both within the gallery.

[work by Harrison Higgs]

“Over the past three years I’ve developed exhibitions from digested bits and pieces of found ideas. These flash moments are scrawled on receipts, shorthanded into my iPhone and sometimes based on the reliance on my own memory. Big ideas are often prefaced by even more fleeting minutiae. While building these exhibitions much became divisible through the power of imperceptible suggestion - both philosophical and rhythmic. As such .meta becomes a richer examination, drawing to some form of non-linear, barely narrative conclusion in this series.

If there were a theme at play it would be “subtext”. It’s always there, in fine print and in short, defines our technical and convenient day-to-day. The prefix ‘meta’ in its colloquial use (metamorphosis, metadata) has an instant association to fascinating phenomena. The more I realized it, the more the quest became a game of such associations to origins, a ‘chicken & the egg’ scenario. As a group exhibition of work, diverse artists were sought, who each confront the stoicism of incomplete thoughts or the sly double entendre head on. Here exists this sense of longing, of awkward limbo, like a deer caught in headlights. In ‘.meta’ you will find work that is wry, socially political and ambiguous at first. Perhaps the offering of clues muses best about the confines and construct of why we exist in the universe at all, complete with our mortal faults. Or take an extra moment to read between the lines, and what at first may seem abstract, could possibly contain the essence of something much more forbidden, or even ludicrous.”

- TJ Norris, Summer 2008

[detail of work by Nayland Blake; PE Lang + Zimoun]

The exhibit is free and open to the public. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 12-5PM. The gallery will be closed 11/26 & 27. To reach the gallery from 99W, turn east on Keck Drive in south McMinnville. The art gallery is located in Building B. See Campus Map. Miller Fine Arts Center is number 56. For more information, call 503-883-2804 or visit the site.

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Curating Fragments of Broken Ideas
by Regina Hackett
Seattle Post Intelligencer/Art To Go

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Keep your eye on me. Or ear on them. Weezer is back (oh, this is their brand-new video). If you like nachos and custard pies you’ll per chance dig it. And if you do, come join me at the Rose Garden Arena on Thursday night. OK, I bought their first self-titled record, and with their new ‘red’ album I think they are now all color-coded. Who knows. The tour includes Angels and Airways as well as Tokyo Police Club - so, in essence, it’s the attack of the alterna-quartet men.

Other than that the past week has seen me around town at many new exhibitions and through a lot in the process of moving.  And there will be plenty more this week as I clear my studio some, trading things, letting go, embracing and becoming more zen about everything around ownership. My birthday weekend is coming up, and I basically am keeping things low-key with Rob. Though part of the weekend is also dedicated to the installation of .meta which opens next Wednesday, October 15. And I want to somehow squeeze a podcast in.

IN NW ART NEWS: After culling through 524 applicants, the 30th annual Betty Bowen award, conducted with the Seattle Art Museum, goes to photographer Isaac Layman who shows at Lawrimore Project. The Kayla Skinner Special Recognition Award goes to Eric Elliott, and the PONCHO Special Recognition Award goes to Wynne Greenwood.

Further Reading: A Picture of the Disco Children
New Website: Henry Art Gallery

PS: In reference to the above image by Isaac Layman, a reader sent in this picture of Olafur Eliasson’s Take Your Time which was on view at P.S. 1 this year.

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