Let art take you to church

Gothic halls and stained glass may not be your idea of a killer Friday night out, but when’s the last time you got to drink beer in church?

This Friday, the eighth annual Works: An Arts Happening will be taking place at The Old Church in downtown Portland.

For one night you will enter the beautiful gothic halls of the church to enjoy some awesome beer and great food. You can check out the art gallery, listen to the live bands playing in the other room or hear the spoken-word presentation.

Produced by Intown Church and Antler Gallery, the evening will be a full-on celebration of the arts community, and it is sure to be a good time.

Works was created eight years ago by Matt Curl. Curl got the idea after attending a similar event in Seattle. He decided he wanted to get a varied selection of artists from as many genres as possible together for one night to create what can only be described as an art happening.

“I don’t want it to be labeled a concert, or labeled a gallery or exhibition,” Curl said. “I wanted it to be labeled all these things.”

For Curl, diversity is the key to choosing the contributing artists for the event. The bands that are playing cover a wide spectrum of musical styles.

They include Lost Lander, who will perform their gorgeous, cinematic pop. Alialujah Choir, who are currently working on their first full album, will bring their haunting folk melodies to the evening. There will also be the avant-garde aural experimentations of Like a Villain.

This year’s art exhibit will be curated by Antler Gallery and feature numerous local artists who also represent an array of styles.

Boston native Brett Superstar has been a successful painter and sculptor in Portland since 2000. Superstar loves working in Portland, particularly because of the way that “you can try almost anything you want, and people will give it a chance.”

Superstar describes his painting style as “more illustration and less painterly.” Superstar
works primarily with reclaimed wood and found objects and gets much of his inspiration from nature, and he is particularly partial to depicting birds and other beasts in his work.

The works of various artists from Northeast Portland’s Magnetic North Studios will also be on display. Magnetic North artists specialize in sign painting and hand-drawn lettering and a variety of screen-printed items. Magnetic North is home to such artists as Mary Kate McDevitt, Fred DiMeglio, K.B. Sawyer, Lacey Van
Nortwick, BT Livermore and Man’s Face Stuff.

You know that Mr. Toast wallet that you have been dying to get? Well, you can find it at Tinymeat, the makers of a wide assortment of goods ranging from housewares to art prints and unique handmade goods such as wallets and checkbook covers. Like they say on the Works website, “Who doesn’t need a Lazercat zippered pouch?!”

Local writer and raconteur Robert Bruce will also be on hand to entertain with a spoken-word performance.

Over the years, the annual event has grown significantly.

“The first year, we had maybe 200 people in The Old Church over the course of the night, but now it’s over 400,” Curl said.

It isn’t only art patrons who are looking forward to the event: The artists themselves are excited by the diversity of experience that will be available.

“What I am looking forward to is a night where you can kind of go and make your own way and check out a whole bunch of things,” said Adam Shearer of Alialujah Choir. “I like these multidimensional events because it gives everyone a chance to engage at various levels.”

No celebration of Portland culture would be complete without an offering of the amazing food and drink that Portland is famous for. This year there will be a wine and beer garden provided by Widmer Breweries, accompanied by locally sourced food prepared by Portland chef Berkeley Braden.

Each year a portion of the proceeds are donated to charity. This year, Works will be donating to p:ear, a nonprofit that mentors homeless youth through art.