Landmark Opening at PICA
It's hard to believe ten whole years have passed since PICA (the Portland Institute of Contemporary Art) first started bringing performance artists to town. Preceded by a fancypants patron dinner sort of evening, PICA's 10th anniversary celebration marked the public opening of the Landmark exhibition, which showed a clear curatorial sense and surprisingly focused vision, considering the sprawling nature of the show.
I heard a number of complaints that Landmark wasn't "edgy" enough...
It's hard to believe ten whole years have passed since PICA (the Portland Institute of Contemporary Art) first started bringing performance artists to town. Preceded by a fancypants patron dinner sort of evening, PICA's 10th anniversary celebration marked the public opening of the Landmark exhibition, which showed a clear curatorial sense and surprisingly focused vision, considering the sprawling nature of the show.
I heard a number of complaints that Landmark wasn't "edgy" enough. Granted, it struck no revolutionary notes. Still, the show vividly demonstrated why PICA has earned solid footing among Portland's art institutions. The organization and its supporters have all matured together; artists, works, and stylistic trends that were considered "edgy" in 1995 have been accommodated by the culture and allowed to evolve.
Of particular note were Miguel Calderon's stunning photographs of sunglass-wearing schoolchildren evoking dictators; Martin Houston's subtle architectural installation, which brilliantly redefined the space; and upstart Erin Debray's "New World Eden" (pictured). Though still a student at PNCA, Debray contributed one of many birthday cakes for PICA. --Tiffany Lee Brown (photo + words)
