The Greek art of natural beauty

The Body Beautiful in Ancient Greece comes to the Portland Art Museum

The Portland Art Museum will display a series of ancient Greek sculptures this fall in an exhibition called The Body Beautiful in Ancient Greece. The exhibit will feature several famous sculptures borrowed from the British Museum after four years of negotiations.

A Trip to the Moon revisited

Century-old special effects still strangely potent

In 1896, Georges Méliès revolutionized the film industry with the first special effects. The Northwest Film Center will present The Extraordinary Voyage—a 2011 documentary by directors Serge Bromberg and Eric Lange on Méliès’ career and his greatest masterpiece, A Trip to the Moon—on Sunday, July 8.

Building the beloved community

Interfaith study group meets at PSU’s Spiritual Life Center every Thursday

We gathered around a table, broke bread, drank wine and shared a ceremonial feast. Most of us chose to participate while others chose to simply watch and learn. Then we chatted all night about a chapter, or “step,” from Karen Armstrong’s 2011 book Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life.

Christians in colonial Palestine

PSU Professor Laura Robson to deliver lecture on her recent book

Laura Robson, assistant professor of Middle Eastern history at Portland State, proposes that the British colonial system imposed upon Palestine from 1917–48 divided the population by religion and marginalized Christians.

Devotional selves in a Christian empire

Ivan Drpic presents lecture on Byzantine epigrams as a medium for social identity

To kick off the new Hellenic Studies program at Portland State, art history Professor Anne McClanan has invited a series of guest speakers to visit PSU and talk about Greek topics from ancient times to the present.

Joseph Beuys made it cool to be German again

Portland Art Museum displays the artwork of post-World War II artist Joseph Beuys in ongoing exhibition

The Portland Art Museum presents the work of mid-20th century artist Joseph Beuys, whose installation props express his appreciation of nature and Germany’s ancient past and traditions. It will be on view through Sunday, May 27, so it’s not too late to check it out.

Sacred language

PSU’s Kanaan Kanaan hosts Arabic calligraphy workshop to raise awareness of Islamic culture

Kanaan Kanaan, a Portland State Middle East Studies student adviser, was named after the Canaanites, who were among the earliest inhabitants of the ancient Middle East and, therefore, among the earliest influences on the Arabic language. In the wake of 9/11, Kanaan has used Arabic to communicate positive elements of Islamic culture.

A celebration of tribal pride

The annual Naimuma Powwow builds community, brings attention to indigenous cultures

The dancers, the drums, the food and the people—the annual Naimuma Powwow has all the ingredients for a good time.

It will open at the Stott Center with the first grand entry May 5 at 1 p.m., followed by the second at 7 p.m. The third grand entry will take place May 6 at 1 p.m.

A fine-grained look at Las Vegas

PSU art graduate student Sean Schumacher presents exhibition thesis, The Book of Sand

For hour after excruciating hour, Portland State art graduate student Sean Schumacher sits in his studio with pencil and paper listening to the annoying sound of a squeaky air shaft. Schumacher is working on his master’s thesis, an exhibition on the history of Las Vegas that will be on display at the PSU Art Building April 30 through May 9.

An operatic evening

Retired Associates of PSU to host preview of spring opera Dialogues of the Carmelites

“Every year, before our opera production opens, we do a little performance where we talk about the opera we’re going to be doing and perform a little bit of music, to give people a taste of what the music is,” said PSU Opera Director Christine Meadows.

Bringing Debussy and Prokofiev to PSU

Pianist Janet Guggenheim and PSU cellist Hamilton Cheifetz to play a duet on campus

“Music expresses just about every conceivable emotion: joy, sadness, angst, yearning, remembrance—you name it,” world-class pianist Janet Guggenheim said. “Like in life, one also feels the sense of anticipation, tension and resolution. It is a very dynamic situation, in which the performer can actually feel the audience listening.”