New Oregon Arts & Letters (formerly 2GQ)

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NEW OREGON WINS RACC GRANT FOR PLAZM MAGAZINE

New Oregon Arts & Letters has become the new publisher of Plazm, a magazine of art, design, and culture founded in 1991 in Portland. We are pleased to return Plazm to nonprofit status (like it was in the early days) and we are very pleased to announce that RACC is helping us get the next issue to you.

 The Regional Arts & Culture Council awarded us a Special Opportunity Grant of $12,050 toward publication expenses (namely, the print bill) for Plazm issue #30, slated for publication in fall 2010. Thank you, people of RACC!

WRITER & ARTIST RESIDENCIES

by Tiffany Lee Brown

There's nothing to refresh the soul like an artist or writer residency. In the Northwest, residencies at Soapstone, Hypatia, and Caldera plucked me out of everyday life and into nature. They offered silence and solitude. Most importantly, they reminded me why I do the work: I do the work *to do the work.*

Living in a lull, a bubble in the woods, I am responsible to no one except myself. I'm not thinking about how to pay the rent or whether I should hire a videographer to properly document my next performance so I can try to get another grant someday. I'm not scrambling to doctor appointments and art events. I'm not on the freakin' Internet all day. 

I'm just being. I'm walking. I'm feeling the rain on my neck. I'm building fires to keep myself warm. I'm writing, writing, writing... making, making, making... I'm sleeping, too. I'm having afternoon tea and playing solitaire. It's bliss. Productive, amazing bliss.

GREG HIGGINS, NAOMI POMEROY, & MORE: FOOD CONVERSATION WITH NEW OREGON INTERVIEW SERIES

What do Portlanders love even more than bikes, rain, and books? Food and drink, of course! Join us Monday, October 26th, for live interviews and conversation with chefs and culinary entrepreneurs from Higgins (Greg Higgins), Beast (Naomi Pomeroy), and Stumptown (Matt Lounsbury).

It's all part of the New Oregon Interview Series with host Nora Robertson.

October 26
Urban Grind East
2214 NE Oregon Street
7 to 9 pm. Admission $5.

TIFFANY LEE BROWN ON NPR/OPB THIS WEDNESDAY

New Oregon director Tiffany Lee Brown will be a guest on the Oregon Public Broadcasting show Think Out Loud on Wednesday, October 14, 2009. The show airs live 9:00-10:00 a.m. on National Public Radio stations throughout Oregon and Southwest Washington.

TOL welcomes your online comments and live calls to the show. So get on the horn and ask an intelligent, nice question or share your story! The online discussion is already underway. During the show, call 888-665-5TOL (or 665-5865), or email comments to thinkoutloud ((at)) opb.org .

FOOD IN PORTLAND

What do Portlanders love even more than bikes, rain, and books? Food and drink, of course! Join us Monday, October 26th, for live interviews and conversation with chefs and culinary entrepreneurs from Higgins, Beast, and Stumptown Coffee.

It's all part of the New Oregon Interview Series with host Nora Robertson. Pictured here: September's event featuring Adrienne Flagg of IFCC, Linda Austin of Performance Works NW, and Beth Harper of Portland Actors Conservatory. Photo by Steven Fritz.

• June 24th, 2009: Music
• July 29th: Film
• August 26th: Books
• September 30th: Performance
• October 26th: Food
• November 11th: Visual art
• January 27th, 2010: Fashion
• February 24th: Urban planning

At Urban Grind East, 2214 NE Oregon Street, 7 to 9 pm. Admission $5.Details, MP3's of previous events, and other good stuff at 2GQ.org/neworegon.html.

LIGHT & SHADOWS: Party & Multidisciplinary Art Event June 20th

LIGHT & SHADOWS PARTY KICKS OFF "NEW OREGON" WITH MUSIC, ART, & FILM
June 20 event at Yoga Shala of Portland features over two dozen artists, writers, and performers

Portland, Ore.---On the longest day of the year, Portlanders will celebrate Yoga Shala of Portland's birthday at a benefit event for New Oregon Arts & Letters. Featuring music from the likes of Grey Anne and Meaghan Gannet with Michael Stirling, and films by Vanessa Renwick and Andy Blubaugh, the Light and Shadows party brings together talent in many artistic disciplines.
  

Screenwriter ("Wendy and Lucy") Jon Raymond and author Lidia Yuknavitch are among the evening's readers. New installations, performances, and videos were commissioned for the show from Seattle's Vanessa DeWolf, London transplant Lena Munday, and local artists including Linda Austin, JC Schlecter, and Meg McHutchison. Please keep reading for the incredible full list of participating artists.

INDEPENDENT FASHION: The Seaplane Interview

The New Oregon Interview Series kicks off with Holly Stalder and Kathryn Towers, founders of Seaplane. Join host and interviewer Nora Robertson for live events and public conversations starting April 22 at Blackbird Wine Shop.

I first walked into the original Seaplane shop in 2001.  It was located on then-gritty SE Belmont street.  Intense walls were hung with band posters and local art.  Dresses made from fabrics, photographs and papers were strewn on vintage furniture.  I loved it.

Founded in 2000 by house designers Holly Stalder and Kathryn Towers, Seaplane is Portland's most celebrated clothing boutique.  In addition to showcasing their own lines, Stalder and Towers provided a regular platform for more than 60 designers and became the epicenter of local independent fashion talent since launching their first fashion show.

MAKE THE MOST OF THE TANKING ECONOMY...

...by remembering that the arts are here to lift your spirits, make sense of your world, and weird you out. Stockbrokers may fail you, your job might lay you off, but we'll still be here, working no matter what.

So send us a five, a hundred, or whatever moves you via Network for Good. New Oregon Arts & Letters, the non-profit organization formerly known as 2GQ, will give you a charity receipt for tax purposes. In the "DESIGNATION" box, type the name of the project you'd like to support: New Oregon Arts & Letters organization, Tiffany Lee Brown's Easter Island Project, or the upcoming New Oregon Interview Series with Nora Robertson.

MILEPOST 5 PINK ELEPHANT: MYSTERY SOLVED.

Noah Nakell emailed to let us know that he was the artist behind the mystery diorama, pictured left. Our intrepid reporter somehow managed to get really excited by this piece, entitled "Propagation," without actually tracking down the artist's name or getting ahold of a Pink Elephant mystery artist list. (I think said reporter spent much of the evening snooping around the Milepost 5 building because it was all so very crowded.) Anyway, thank you Noah! Original post is here.