Gallery Exhibit: Works by Arvie Smith
Portland Center Stage will be hosting a collection of narrative storytelling work and portrait work by Portland-based painter, educator, and mural artist Arvie Smith, in support of our production of Gem of the Ocean. The show, titled Works by Arvie Smith, will highlight different eras of his work, including portraits and some narrative paintings that express "deep sympathy for the dispossessed and marginalized members of society in an unrelenting search for beauty, meaning, and equality."
This gallery exhibit will be on display in the PGE Gallery at PCS and will include his famed "We Still Rise" painting, on loan from Prosper Portland. The exhibit opens on January 28, 2022, and will be on view daily through April 4, 2022.
This special collection of work by Arvie Smith at Portland Center Stage will be on view concurrently with a career retrospective of his work from the past 25 years, titled Arvie Smith: Scarecrow, opening at the Hallie Ford Museum of Art at Willamette University. The retrospective at the Hallie Ford Museum will be available for viewing and gallery visits from January 22 – March 26, 2022. If you're able to travel to see the show at Willamette University, the opening will be held on Saturday, Feb 5, 10 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Arvie Smith transforms the history of oppressed and stereotyped segments of the American experience into lyrical two-dimensional master works. His paintings are commonly of psychological images revealing deep sympathy for the dispossessed and marginalized members of society in an unrelenting search for beauty, meaning, and equality. Smith’s work reflects powerful injustices and the will to resist and survive. His memories of growing up in the South add to his awareness of the legacy that the slavery of African American’s has left with all Americans today. His intention is to solidify the memory of atrocities and oppression so they will never be forgotten nor duplicated. Smith creates this work because he must.
Current & Upcoming
Improvisation Classes for Beginners
Whether you're looking to get more confident in social situations, think quicker on your feet, or get in touch with your imaginative side, these "one-off" improv classes will set you on the path to success!
Improv Comedy: Love, Shakespeare
Witness the Magic of unscripted Elizabethan comedy! Step into the offbeat world of Love, Shakespeare, where seasoned Portland comedians attempt something audacious: performing a fully improvised Elizabethan play based on your suggestions!
Adult Class : TWELFTH NIGHT, Before & After
Join veteran actor Joe Costa for a unique opportunity to take a “deep dive” into both Shakespeare’s text of Twelfth Night, and the PCS Production. Participants will read the play out loud as a group, with “intermissions” provided for lively discussion of themes and content. Interested participants will have a chance to act in selected scenes, guided by the instructor.
Albina Music Trust presents A Brown Branch Christmas
Celebrate this holiday season with A Brown Branch Christmas at Portland Center Stage. Now in its fourth season, this two-night big band celebration features directors Domo Branch and Charlie Brown III guiding a heavy 15-piece lineup of regional and national musicians.
BIPOC Affinity Night DJ Party with ALoSo
Join us for a double feature BIPOC Affinity Night, featuring a live DJ set by ALoSo, plus holiday craft market vendor tables, art exhibits by Albina Music Trust Wall to Wall Sound and Jason Hill's Favorite Things, with complimentary select drinks provided by Multnomah Whiskey Library and Deschutes Brewery while supplies last.
Winter Teen Academy: Scene Work
Calling all teens! Are you looking to expand your acting skills and be the best scene partner you can be for your fellow actors? In this class, we will dig deep into scene study, character motivation, and active listening, while learning the necessary questions to ask in every rehearsal situation. You'll develop fuller characters and deeper relationships on stage by partnering in scene work — and have lots of fun too!
Portland Center Stage is committed to identifying & interrupting instances of racism & all forms of oppression, through the principles of inclusion, diversity, equity, & accessibility (IDEA).
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