Cliff Notes
Each week, our regional Cliff Notes columnists Christine Miller, Rachel Elizabeth Jones, Samantha Hiura, and Nia-Amina Minor pick the most exciting events and exhibitions on the West Coast.
Mason Biggers and Paola De La Cruz: Kitchen curated by Kiara Walls
Littman & White Galleries at Portland State University, Portland, OR
February 22 to April 5, 2024
To my own bewilderment, my friend once questioned why my mother washed my hair in the kitchen sink as a child. Washing our hair in the kitchen, a norm in the Black households, is something I still do to this day.
Kitchen, featuring the work of multidisciplinary artist Paola De La Cruz and photographer Mason Biggers, curated by artist and Art + Social Practice alumna Kiara Walls, is an homage to the intimacy of Black hair care. When I entered the gallery I was met with the familiar scent of Hot Six Oil, Pink Lotion, and Spritz, bringing me back to the tears shed from my tender headed scalp being braided and the hot comb pressing hair and burning ears before church.
The exhibition also highlights Deans Beauty Salon—Oregon’s longest-running Black-owned business—and Natural Hair and Extensions, the first natural hair salon in the Pearl District. The Kitchen beautifully captures where Black hair care originates. As Walls puts it, “back in the kitchen where it all began, nape of the neck or in the house plan.”
Reflection (sourced from curator Kiara Walls): What is a significant memory you have in the kitchen?
SEEN: curated by by Cornelia Stokes
L’ATELIER YAFFE, Portland, OR
February 10 to April 6, 2024
SEEN is the debut exhibition from the newly established Black-owned gallery, L’Atelier, in NE Portland. Led by Connecticut-based curator Cornelia Stokes, the show features the diverse works of Ibrahem Hasan, Christopher Paul Jordan, Capt. James Stovall V, Alim Ringgold, Samantha Wall, and SHAN Wallace.
Exploring multifaceted layers of the concept of the individual, and its relationship to the artist, the exhibition features photography, ceramics, and painting. The artists uniquely capture what it means to be seen on their own terms, prompting viewers to reflect on societal perceptions. SEEN is a reflective exploration of identity, revealing hidden layers that extend beyond initial appearances, compelling us to consider what it truly means to be seen in societal spaces as one’s authentic self.
Reflection: What does it mean to be seen to you?
LET IT BE KNOWN
*Disclaimer: Cliff Notes columnist Christine Miller is a part of this exhibition.
Industry One Gallery, Portland, OR
January 21 to March 31, 2024
At first I thought the exhibition’s title, LET IT BE KNOWN, was quite ambiguous. However, seeing the exhibition in person clarified the significance of the “IT.” Featuring seven Portland-based artists, Rob Lewis, Milan Davis, James Bullock, Naomi Likayi, Christine Miller, Nia Musiba, and Paola de la Cruz as well as Chicago’s Mikey Coleman and Barry Johnson from Seattle, LET IT BE KNOW marks the second group show at Industry One gallery, a fixture of West End Wednesdays, a monthly collaborative celebration held in downtown Portland..
Focusing on Black history, creativity, and artistic expression, the featured works are bold and intentional. The exhibition also included text prompts from the participating artists, urging audiences to acknowledge what they feel is misunderstood, misconstrued, or forgotten.
Reflection: What is something you want to be known?