Performing Arts❯Comedy❯Stand-Up

Meet the Tokyo Kanpai Boys, Japan's funniest stand-up comedians bringing brand-new material and a wildly entertaining look at life & comedy through Japanese eyes.

Featuring Kansei Yasuda, Daniel Wilson, Shota Saimu and Daisuke Muramoto.

Whether they're explaining Japanese dating culture, exposing everyday misunderstandings between East and West, or simply proving that awkwardness is universal in every language, Tokyo Kanpai Boys delivers a show that's packed with laughs.

Don’t miss this unforgettable night of international comedy that bridges cultures through laughter. Cheers ("Kanpai!") to that. 🍻

Featuring:

Kansei Yasuda

Originally from Tokyo and now based in Toronto, Kansei is one of the fastest-rising international comics working today. A Golden Ticket winner on Kill Tony, he has toured throughout North America and Asia, earning acclaim for his energetic storytelling, sharp cultural observations, and brilliantly unpredictable style.

Daniel Wilson

A Japanese-American comedian based in Tokyo, Daniel has built a massive global following through his viral "Let Me Teach You Some Japanese" videos, earning over200,000 Instagram followers and 5.5 million TikTok likes. Trained at Japan's prestigious Watanabe Comedy School, he combines Japanese and American comedy traditions into a style that's both insightful and endlessly relatable.

Shota Saimu

Known for his deceptively quiet stage presence and devastating punchlines, Shota has become a favorite among audiences in both Japan and the United States. Performing in both English and Japanese, his dry delivery, understated confidence, and viral online clips have made him one of Japan's most exciting emerging comedic voices.

Daisuke Muramoto

One of Japan's most recognizable comedians, Muramoto first rose to fame as half of the legendary manzai duo Woman Rush Hour, appearing on hundreds of television programs before reinventing himself as one of Japan's boldest stand-up voices. His acclaimed documentary I Am a Comedian chronicles his journey from mainstream celebrity to internationally touring performer whose fearless comedy tackles politics, culture, and identity.

Management reserves the right to prevent customers from entering the facility who they deem disruptive or dangerous to other patrons.

One Last Gathering of the Crows. Join Darcelle XV Plaza for the Wildwood: Follow the Crows Farewell Weekend. After soaring across Portland all season, all 30 spectacular crow sculptures are coming together for one final celebration. This free, family-friendly event is your last chance to see the crows in Portland—and the only opportunity to experience the entire flock in one place.

Meet some of the talented artists behind the crows, collect autographs, take plenty of photos and support OHSU Doernbecher Children’s Hospital through optional donations.

Costumes are highly encouraged. At 2 p.m. on Halloween Day, costumed guests can strut, flap or swoop through the plaza in a festive Costume Parade. Prizes will be awarded in both Adult and Under-18 divisions for:

• People’s Choice
• Best Themed Costume
• Best Crow Costume

Admission is free, and all ages are welcome. Bring your family, gather your flock and help give Portland’s beloved crows a send-off to remember.

In Smith Claudel's third solo exhibition with Carnation Contemporary, the yard is both a symbol and a physical source material, juxtaposing the enclosure of nature and its display with the control of the body. In this exhibition, temporary sculptures of raw clay, harvested from the artist’s yard, will soon return to the earth. A series of botanical drawings was made with the artist's menstrual blood. And a site-specific installation displays a collection of yard work specimens: a small patch of grass unnaturally maintained, nail enamel coating unfired pinch pots, and plant clippings caught in resin.

Yard Work examines the absurdity and care of maintaining one's landscape, and the tension between being kept and being desired.

Kim Smith Claudel is an artist and visual designer based in Portland, Oregon. Working across painting, sculpture, and installation, Smith Claudel creates work that exists in deliberate flux. Her process-driven approach embraces the ephemeral, the decaying, and the mundane, building visual systems that resist completion. Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally, including a recent solo exhibition (End Cycle) at The Vestibule in Seattle. Other recent solo exhibitions include The Arts Center (Corvallis, OR), The Painting Center (NYC), Mt. Hood Community College (OR), and KyotoBA (Japan). Recent residencies include Building 5 in Portland and the Boston Center for the Arts. She holds an MFA from the School of Visual Arts. She received an MS in Media Arts and Sciences from the MIT Media Lab, where she was a Learning Innovation Fellow. She is a member of Carnation Contemporary Gallery and the WAVE artist collective.

Opening Saturday, October 03, 5–8 p.m.

Portland Art Museum invites the community to join a Free First Thursday event, offering free admission to the museum for all, plus a Live Wire event as part of the Literary Arts Portland Book Festival. Visitors can take in the afternoon gallery pop-ups, the evening show, or both!

4:30 – 6 p.m. — Free, pre-show, pop-up performances will take place throughout the Museum’s galleries. Performers are poet and rapper Dessa, bestselling children’s author Mac Barnett, Pulitzer Prize Finalist Ed Park, and Portland comedian Mx. Dahlia Belle.

Free First Thursday tickets can be reserved online one week in advance and are also available at the door.

7 p.m. — Enjoy a fully seated, ticketed Live Wire taping hosted by Luke Burbank with announcer Elena Passarello, featuring a blend of interviews, comedy, and music performed live for the audience, then edited into an episode for broadcast to over 200 public radio stations nationwide. Performers are poet and rapper Dessa, bestselling children’s author Mac Barnett, Pulitzer Prize Finalist Ed Park, and Portland comedian Mx. Dahlia Belle. Doors will open at 6:30pm.

GA Tickets are $15. Preferred Seating is $40. Discounts available to Portland Book Festival passholders.

Dessa is a singer, rapper, and writer who fell in love with language as a toddler—and just never got over it. Now, she works in fields that traffic in words: she’s recorded rap bangers as part of the fiercely independent Doomtree collective, released a live album with the Grammy-winning Minnesota Orchestra; contributed to The New York Times and National Geographic Traveler; delivered a TED Talk on the intersection of romance and neuroscience that’s notched more than 4 million views; hosted 2 seasons of behavioral science podcast Deeply Human (BBC/American Public Media); and published a memoir recounting most of the above called My Own Devices (Penguin Random House).

Mac Barnett, the 2025–2026 National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, is a New York Times bestselling author of stories for children. Mac’s books have won many prizes, including two Caldecott Honors, three New York Times/New York Public Library Best Illustrated Children’s Book Awards, three E. B. White Read Aloud Awards and the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award, as well as several international prizes. He lives in Oakland, California. His latest book, illustrated by X. Fang, is Tom Nancy: The Sheep Who Swapped Brains with a Boy. From two of the most exciting picture book makers today comes a hilarious trickster tale and Freaky Friday switcheroo story: a sneaky, cheeky sheep named Tom Nancy has a brain swap proposal for an innocent farm boy named Felix that will change both of their lives forever. Laugh-out-loud, subversive, and totally unexpected.

Ed Park is the author of the novels Personal Days and Same Bed Different Dreams. He is a founding editor of The Believer, and has worked in newspapers, book publishing, and academia. His writing appears in The New Yorker, The New York Review of Books, Harper’s Magazine, The Atlantic, and elsewhere. Profound, wily, and beautifully wrought, his new book Three Tenses: A Transmission from the Nineties is a meeting of memory and myth, confession and obfuscation, coalescing to offer a singular picture of creativity in action.

The princess of Portland comedy, best known for her breakout performance on the popular Netflix special Hannah Gadsby’s Gender Agenda, Mx. Dahlia Belle has been compared to a Swiss Army knife—different tools to extract sharpness, softness, vulnerability, hope, and wicked wit. She’s been declared one of “11 Trans Comedians… Funnier Than Dave Chappelle” by Out Magazine, repeatedly featured on NPR, and has written for Cosmopolitan Magazine, The Guardian, The Stranger, and Portland Mercury. Her live performances have included NW Black Comedy Festival, Upper Left Comedy Festival, SF Sketchfest, and an awkward conversation with John Waters and Piers Morgan. In the upcoming live taping of her comedy special Affirmed at Polaris Hall on November 22nd, Mx. Dahlia Belle delivers 60 new minutes of stand-up to celebrate and affirm being human in the modern world through a combination of the wholesome and mundane, anecdotes about house cats, liscivious foibles of the LGBT community, and an unapologetic account of her personal journey with gender-affirming care, all delivered with her trademark free form wit.

Free First Thursdays at the Museum and PAM CUT’s Tomorrow Theater aligns with the revitalization of the long-standing Portland art galleries’ tradition of opening their doors for openings, receptions, and events on the first Thursday of each month. In recent months art and culture organizations have joined to bring back this popular activity, including the Pacific Northwest College of Art and the Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education in the North Park Blocks.

Generous support provided by Art Bridges Foundation’s Access for All program.

Internationally renowned artist Pipilotti Rist presents her major installation 4th Floor to Mildness in a West Coast premiere and only second exhibition in the U.S.

Pipilotti Rist dissolves exhibition spaces through luminous color, moving imagery, and melodic sound. 4th Floor to Mildness immerses the viewer in a soft, aquatically inspired environment, where a film shot underwater plays across two biomorphic-shaped screens hanging from the ceiling. A soundtrack by experimental musician Soap&Skin/Anja Plaschg adds to the ambience with lyrics about dreams, love, and memories as the camera catches glimpses of floating bodies. Two projected light circles move across the room, enlightening it with visceral hues. For Rist, this light represents a “desire to turn yourself inside out.”

Rist creates conditions for visitors to come together in unconventional ways so that they might better understand their relationships to one another, their own bodies, and nature. In the gallery, raft-like beds provide a place or visitors to rest and share social space as they watch the projection overhead. She asks: “What happens to our perceptions when we don’t have to stand or fight gravity?” The sensation of floating may evoke a sense of returning to an elemental state. For the artist, the work “describes the fantasy of [ourselves] being an organic plant . . . and simulates our dissolution into water, mud, slime, molecules and atoms.”

Originally created for the fourth floor of the New Museum of Contemporary Art in New York, PAM adapted the work to the Crumpacker Center with the assistance of the artist’s team at Atelier Rist; production partner Portland Garment Factory, a woman-owned B-corp and zero-waste creative factory, created the curtains, beds, and bed coverings, and Figure Plant engineered and fabricated the hanging screens.

It took Cam all of 3 weeks to drop out of college at FAMU to pursue comedy full time at the age of 19. Cam recently appeared on Season 16 of ‘America’s Got Talent’ receiving a “Yes” from all 4 celebrity judges, Simon Cowell, Heidi Klum, Sophia Vergara, and Howie Mandel. In 2019, Cam Bertrand became the youngest comic to win the 'Florida's Funniest' competition, beating out over 300 comics, previous winners include Daniel Tosh, Bert Kreischer, Preacher Lawson and JB Ball. In that same year, Cam also became the youngest comedian to record his own half hour comedy special with DryBar comedy, his special 'Sophisticated Ignorance' which has garnered over 140 million total views since its release. Cam has built up a social media following of nearly 1 Million Followers on TikTok, 176k on Instagram, 270k on Facebook, and 47k on Youtube. He has also worked with some of the biggest names in comedy today including: Joe Rogan, Andrew Schulz, Matt Rife, Bert Kreischer, Pete Davidson, Hannibal Buress, Michael Che, Josh Blue, and Mike Epps. Couple's Package includes: - 2 premium seats - $90 food & beverage credit ($45 per person)- Gratuity - Ticket Protection Management reserves the right to prevent customers from entering the facility who they deem disruptive or dangerous to other patrons.

Church of Art's collaborative neurographics is a mindfulness-based creative activity that provides therapeutic relaxation through intuitive mark-making on a grand scale. For this mindfulness-based collaborative art activity, Church of Art will cover a long row of tables with a roll of paper and acrylic paint pens in a variety of sizes and colors. Participants will move freely around the table, filling the paper with sweeping, colorful doodles to the sounds of calming music. The giant scale allows for whole-arm movements, which signal brains to move out of fight-or-flight mode and into a state of mental relaxation and improved focus. The collaborative aspect of this workshop teaches one to let go of perfection and expectation through shared creative exploration, while working large encourages greater freedom of expression.

Neurographic art is a relatively new form of focused, intentional mark-making that uses curved, bold lines, vibrant colors and calming patterns. Physician and neurographics practitioner Ruben Halperin, M.D., will be the guide, co-facilitating this workshop with artist and Church of Art founder, Erika Halperin.

Immerse yourself in this beneficial form of meditative doodling and experience the mood-boosting effect of creativity coupled with community gathering.

Using paper and acrylic markers. All materials and supplies are provided by the studio.

Tickets Include:

• 2 hours of guided creative exploration in a supportive, friendly environment with all supplies included.
• Light snacks and non-alcoholic beverages are included.
• That wonderful feeling of joy and connectedness that comes from a few hours of in-person artistic play with other adults.

Review our venue FAQ here

Doomsday is an MF Doom-themed group art exhibition celebrating the life, legacy, music, and unmistakable visual identity of one of hip-hop’s most influential and mysterious artists. Presented in partnership with Unspoken and More Than February Art Gallery, the exhibition brings together a diverse group of artists working across painting, illustration, sculpture, design, fashion, and mixed media to reinterpret the world of MF Doom through their own creative lens.

Timed around the anniversary of Doom's passing, Doomsday is both a tribute and a celebration—honoring an artist whose impact extended far beyond music. From the iconic metal mask and comic-book-inspired mythology to his intricate lyricism, production, and independent spirit, MF Doom created a universe that continues to inspire artists, musicians, designers, and fans around the world.

The exhibition will feature original artwork and special installations inspired by Doom, including sculpture, collectible objects, apparel, prints, collaborative pieces, and one-of-a-kind interpretations of the mask and character. Guests will also be able to experience interactive elements including an MF Doom-inspired photo booth, music, merchandise, raffles, and special collaborations created specifically for the exhibition. At its core, Doomsday is about bringing together art, hip-hop, community, and independent creativity while giving artists a space to celebrate a cultural figure whose influence remains deeply present.

Opening Reception: Thursday 6 p.m.–9 p.m.

Each year, Milagro observes Día de Muertos with the premiere of a new production, altar displays, and community events with the Día de Muertos Festival. The Centerpiece event of the 31st Annual Día de los Muertos Celebration is Marigolds y Memorias, an original devised production inspired by the traveling carpa tradition, in which humor, music, and storytelling come together in a vibrant theatrical journey. Guided by an elder, a younger generation learns o build an altart, the heart of Día de Muertos, discovering the meaning behind each of its elements, from candles and marigolds to photographs, ofrendas, and cherished recuerdos. Through song, dance, and short theatrical vignettes, the altar gradually takes shape as an act of remembrance and cultural inheritance, inviting audiences to consider how traditions are taught, how memory is kept alive, and what is carried forward when we share rituals across generations.

Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead) is a long-honored tradition with roots in Indigenous Mexican culture. Día de Muertos is observed annually in Mexican and other Latin American cultures on November 1st and 2nd as a remembrance of those who have passed. Individuals and families who honor this day set up ofrendas (altars) with offerings to their departed loved ones. Typical offerings include marigolds, calaveras, photos of the dead, and traditional food like “pan de muerto.”

Jason’s performed all over the world including for the troops in Europe, South America, & Afghanistan. His standup special: BISCUITS and GRAVITY can be watched right now on YouTube.

He’s been featured in Red Dead Redemption 2, Orange is the New Black, HBO, Comedy Central, At Home with Amy Sedaris, Hulu’s Wu Tang Clan Series, and 30 Rock.

- 2 premium seats
- $90 food & beverage credit ($45 per person)
- Gratuity
- Ticket Protection

Management reserves the right to prevent customers from entering the facility who they deem disruptive or dangerous to other patrons.

Celebrating 20 years of cinema, culture, and community—a very special milestone celebrating two decades of building bridges between Latin America and Portland through film.

Over these 20 years, the stories have made audiences laugh, reflect, and feel deeply, while offering new perspectives on identity, collective memory, and cultural diversity. What began as a dream has grown into a vibrant community of filmmakers, artists, volunteers, sponsors, and audience members who believe in the power of cinema to bring the community closer together.

This year features the generous collaboration of musician and composer José Manuel Aguilera, who has authorized the use of his song "Confabulario"—from the album *Tinta negra y roja*—as the official theme for this anniversary edition. The official poster for the twentieth edition was designed by Gilberto Martínez and inspired by the work of renowned graphic artist Joel Rendón. Its visual power and rich symbolism reflect the creative spirit and cultural diversity that have defined the festival over the past two decades.

Join the Farewell Weekend at Darcelle XV Plaza. See the entire flock gathered together for the first—and final—time before the sculptures head to auction in support of OHSU Doernbecher Children’s Hospital.

Each year, Milagro observes Día de Muertos with the premiere of a new production, altar displays, and community events with the Día de Muertos Festival.

Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead) is a long-honored tradition with roots in Indigenous Mexican culture. Día de Muertos is observed annually in Mexican and other Latin American cultures on November 1st and 2nd as a remembrance of those who have passed. Individuals and families who honor this day set up ofrendas (altars) with offerings to their departed loved ones. Typical offerings include marigolds, calaveras, photos of the dead, and traditional food like “pan de muerto.”

Meet the Tokyo Kanpai Boys, Japan's funniest stand-up comedians, bringing brand-new material and a wildly entertaining look at life and comedy through Japanese eyes. Whether they're explaining Japanese dating culture, exposing everyday misunderstandings between East and West, or simply proving that awkwardness is universal across languages, Tokyo Kanpai Boys delivers a show packed with laughs.

Featuring Kansei Yasuda, Daniel Wilson, Shota Saimu and Daisuke Muramoto.

Don’t miss this unforgettable night of international comedy that bridges cultures through laughter. Cheers ("Kanpai") to that.

What do you get when Don Lemon, award-winning journalist, and DL Hughley, one of the original Kings of Comedy, and highly recognized stand-up comedians come together for a night of conversation?

Expect the unexpected from these two brilliant minds doing their public service while taking you on a journey exploring topics spanning everything from social issues, race, pop-culture and current events. Nothing is off limits!

Part comedy special, part concert, and full of surprises. Bernice Ye, dubbed “The Jackie Chan of Comedy” by The Stranger, brings Wuhan Clan Ain’t Nuthin’ ta Duck Wit to Portland’s Kickstand Comedy for one night only. Wu-Tang energy meets immigrant storytelling in a live show blending stand-up, original comedy rap, martial arts, audience interaction, and cinematic multimedia. It’s about identity, ambition, and building your own clan when the world doesn’t hand you one.

Born in Wuhan, China, Ye came to the U.S. with $1,000 and a computer science degree from Peking University. She built a career at Microsoft and Hulu, then walked away from tech for the comedy stage. Now an internationally touring comedian, comedy rapper, and taekwondo black belt, she turns that unlikely journey into an evening of laughter, music, and reinvention. It was the most unhinged sequence of decisions she’s ever made. It’s working. With 400K+ followers and more than 100 million views online, Ye has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, The Stranger, and Seattle Gay News. Her credits include the New York Comedy Festival, Bergamot Comedy Festival, and Best of the Fest honors at Burbank Comedy Festival, Laugh After Dark, and Nate Jackson’s Super Funny Comedy Festival.

Following previous appearances at The Siren Theater, Ye returns to Portland with the road-tested show that launched a 13-city national tour. Whether you’ve followed her online or are discovering her for the first time, you’re invited into the Wuhan Clan. Come for the comedy. Leave with a clan—and songs stuck in your head.

Adornment is often reserved for the aristocracy. The common person is expected to wear plain colors and utilitarian shapes meant for labor; clothes that blend in. In Loose Threads and Raw Edges, the GMS Collective explores adornment as a form of identity. The exhibition celebrates our artists’ love of color, texture, and responsiveness to material. These creations are meant to be seen and felt. They are the antithesis of the erasure that many artists experience in this capitalist society.

First and foremost, the GMS artists create for themselves. In a world obsessed with production, efficiency, and exploitation, it is a solace to experience art made to fulfill individual creative impulses rather than be commodified. This exhibition asks, “How can I make the most creative impact with the least amount of environmental impact?” In the hands of the GMS artists, simple threads, notions, and trims are alchemized through countless hours of experimentation. Gold spun from rubbish. Discarded textiles are treated like jewels, meticulously assembled into garments and tapestries fit for royalty — creating a kingdom of one’s own.

Funded in part by the Regional Arts & Culture Council and the Arts Access Fund.

Show Opening: Thursday, September 3, 2026, 5:30–7:30 p.m.
Gather:Make:Shelter Group Exhibition

Full Spectrum is a free exhibition of immersive art by Portland artists at Daydreamer Coffee and Public House. A prism reveals the colors already hidden in light. These artists use augmented and virtual reality in similar ways to reveal hidden layers of human feeling and connection. Point your phone at a print and watch it come alive, or see paintings made in virtual reality step into the room around you. No app or headset needed. Just stop by anytime Daydreamer is open.

Many of the works are for sale, from AR prints to original pieces. It's a chance to find a holiday gift you won't see anywhere else, made by a local artist. Grab a coffee and stay a while.

Opening reception: Saturday, November 7, 6 to 10 p.m.: Hear the artists talk about their work, try pieces on VR headsets and AR glasses not yet available to the public, and explore the show with your own phone. The night closes with a live generative audio and visual performance by Reese Bowes. Many works are for sale, just in time for the holidays.

Free and open to the public

Yvette Segan is a comedian, actor, writer, and producer. She performs standup all over the globe, most notably at New York Comedy Festival and Top Secret in London. She has featured across the US at Cobb’s Comedy Club in San Francisco, The Hollywood Improv in Los Angeles, Helium Comedy Club in Philadelphia, and headlined Don’t Tell in Washington, DC. In NYC she performs at clubs and indie shows across the boroughs. Her work has been featured by Buzzfeed, Betches, New Yorkers, and Barstool. She has a BA in Drama from Vassar College and Certificate in Classical Acting from the London Academy of Music & Dramatic Art (LAMDA).

- 2 premium seats
- $90 food & beverage credit ($45 per person)
- Gratuity
- Ticket Protection

Management reserves the right to prevent customers from entering the facility who they deem disruptive or dangerous to other patrons.

Live Wire joins forces with the Portland Art Museum for an afternoon of roving performances ahead of an evening recording of the program. The event coincides with PAM's monthly Free First Thursday and the Portland Book Festival's expanded programming. Performers will include poet and rapper Dessa, bestselling children’s author Mac Barnett, Pulitzer Prize Finalist Ed Park, and Portland comedian Mx. Dahlia Belle.

Free pop-up performances will take place throughout the Museum’s galleries, giving visitors a chance to catch live performances and storytelling while moving through the PAM spaces. Completely free through PAM’s Free First Thursday general admission. Also, enjoy a fully seated, ticketed Live Wire taping hosted by Luke Burbank with announcer Elena Passarello, featuring a blend of interviews, comedy, and music performed live for the audience, then edited into an episode for broadcast to over 200 public radio stations nationwide.

Visitors can take in the afternoon gallery pop-ups, the evening show, or both.

Join Portland Japanese Garden and experience the awe-inspiring artistry of NUNO, the iconic Japanese textile design studio. Featuring vibrant and compelling fabrics produced across eight specific regions of Japan, NUNO’s championing of small-community makers illuminates the breadth and depth of contemporary Japanese textile design. This unforgettable exhibition includes site-specific installations and a hands-on touch wall that will make you rethink your relationship to cloth.

Anish Kapoor: Dissolving Margins, from the Collections of Jordan D. Schnitzer and His Family Foundation, is a bold and expansive exploration of nearly four decades of Kapoor’s printmaking practice and marks the artist’s first retrospective survey dedicated to this collaborative and technical practice. This exhibition presents an immense catalog of the artist’s printmaking–over 150 prints spanning from his earliest experiments to his most recent work.

Visit the exhibition, meet the curator, and enjoy light refreshments on the evening of October 22, 5 p.m.

Nuwave Runway is a celebration of the Pacific Northwest fashion community and the many designers, models, creatives, businesses, nonprofits, and organizations that make it unique. This year’s theme is “Awareness,” focusing on increasing visibility of the fashion industry in the PNW and highlighting communities and talent that deserve more recognition.

The evening will begin with a pre-show dinner social at 6:00 p.m., followed by the fashion show at 7:00 p.m., featuring over nine designers from across the Pacific Northwest, showcasing their unique designs and perspectives on the runway.
Throughout the show, designers will have an opportunity to introduce themselves, share the stories and inspiration behind their designs, and talk about who they are. Select sponsors will also have the opportunity to speak about their fashion-related business or nonprofit, helping connect the audience with organizations contributing to the growth of the PNW fashion community. The dress code is to wear anything fun and fashionable in your own way.

True West Presents Kathy Griffin: New face, New tour Fri, November 6th, 2026 Doors: 6PM / Show: 7PM Aladdin Theater

tell ___ ‘hi’ from me showcases the work of 27 self-taught, neurodivergent artists who live and create in Oregon and are members of the Portland-based Progressive Art Studio, North Pole Studio. This diverse collection of contemporary 2D and 3D works reflects honest creative expression and raw innovation. It invites the viewer to deepen their understanding of the Progressive Art Studio movement and artists working within it, both regionally and nationally. tell ___ ‘hi’ from me offers a warm greeting and a long overdue introduction. It speaks to presence, persistence, and belonging: ‘we’ve always been here, won’t you get to know us?’ … ‘it’s time you get to know us’.

Join us during Hillsboro Art Walk to stroll through the gallery and meet the artists. Enjoy hands-on art activities, refreshments, and more!

Live Wire teams up with the Portland Art Museum during First Thursday and the Portland Book Festival. From 4:30 to 6 p.m., complimentary pop-up performances roam the museum galleries, no ticket needed. At 7 p.m., host Luke Burbank and announcer Elena Passarello lead a seated, ticketed taping with poet and rapper Dessa, children’s author Mac Barnett, Pulitzer Prize finalist Ed Park, and Portland comedian Mx. Dahlia Belle. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.. Portland Book Festival passholders get 10% off.

One of the crowning achievements of the German expressionist movement, Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau’s THE LAST LAUGH stars Emil Jannings stars as an aging doorman whose happiness crumbles when he is relieved of the duties and uniform which had for years been the foundation of his happiness and pride. Through Jannings’s colossal performance, THE LAST LAUGH becomes more than the plight of a single doorman, but a mournful dramatization of the frustration and anguish of the universal working class.

Limited number of discount passes to see all the films in the Weimar Germany: Queer Visions series while supplies last.

• Director: F.W. Murnau
• Year: 1924
• Country: Germany
• Runtime: 90 minutes

Fred Armisen is a comedian, writer, producer, and musician. He is the co-writer and co-star of IFC’s Emmy-nominated series Portlandia. He is in the hit Netflix series Wednesday as Uncle Fester. He stars in HBO’s Los Espookys, which he co-wrote and executive produced. He can also be heard in the hit animated Super Mario Bros movie. Armisen stars in, writes, and produces IFC’s hit show Documentary Now. He has also appeared in HBO’s Our Flag Means Death, Judd Apatow’s The Bubble, andAmazon’s series Forever. He voices characters in Big Mouth and The Mitchells vs. The Machines. He is currently starring in the Broadway play All In. Armisen is an 11-season veteran of Saturday Night Live. From 2014-2024, Armisen was band leader of the 8G Band on Late Night With Seth Meyers.

Heaven’s Gate (2021)
High-definition 3D 8K video with sound, color; 5 min., 45 sec., loop

A lavish and satirical take on the silver-screen spectacle of Hollywood dreams and excesses, Heaven’s Gate both celebrates collective storytelling and satirizes saturated glamour and stereotypes. The continuously looping video ascends through the seven levels of purgatory, each stage its own unique landscape of visual samples lifted from iconic moments in cinematic history.

Anthology (2025)
Photo–montage printed on wallpaper

Anthology mirrors the way we recall films: as iconic moments, cinematic scenes and emotional cues. By intuitively forming associations between set pieces and characters, Marco Brambilla constructs a compelling “memory timeline”, a series of powerful still images that represent narrative fragments, punctuating the rhythm of cinema across genres and eras.

These curated images resonate not because of their plot context but due to their visual and emotional impact. Chosen for their ability to stand apart, they act as pauses or reflections within the flow of a film’s narrative, exploring how singular moments in film can encapsulate entire stories. Characters and scenes become a visual grammar—pauses, interruptions, and exclamations— underscoring the evolving relationship between image, time, and viewer interpretation in cinema history.

A Los Angeles-based comedian, avid skateboarder, filmmaker, and actor, Whitmer Thomas added rocker to his credentials in 2020 with the release of the soundtrack to his HBO musical/comedy one-man show, The Golden One. It was followed by a stand-alone music EP, the Jay Som-produced Can't Believe You're Happy Here, in 2022.

A native of Gulf Shores, Alabama, Thomas first found success in 2014 with Stone Quackers, a surreal FX adult animated television series. Power Violence, a popular monthly show Whitmer hosted with friends, helped to secure his status in the upper echelons of the Los Angeles independent comedy scene, as did his numerous short films like Blue Line and Fast and Loose, and appearances on The Walking Dead and Glow. In 2020, Whitmer released his one-man show, The Golden One, on HBO. Featuring pop-punk songs composed and performed by Whitmer (a longtime fan of blink-182), which covered everything from millennial anxiety and sex to abandonment and addiction, the special spawned the companion LP Songs from the Golden One. Between guest spots on series like I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson and Search Party, he followed it up with a music EP titled Can't Believe You're Happy Here in 2022, also on the Hardly Art label. Led by the sincere acoustic track "Don't Have a Cow," the EP was produced by Melina Duterte, better known as Jay Som.co

This immersive tasting experience celebrates the creativity, craftsmanship, and intersection between artists and winemakers. Enjoy wines from 50 Willamette Valley wineries alongside engaging artistic experiences, seasonal culinary offerings, and opportunities for discovery throughout the evening.

• Tastings from more than 50 premier Willamette Valley wineries
• Pinot-friendly grazing boards and seasonal bites
• Five featured artists and winery pairings
• Live art demonstrations
• Hands-on interactive experiences throughout the event
• Opportunities to connect with featured artists and winemakers
• Access to artwork from the Portland Art Museum’s Rental Sales Gallery, with opportunities to purchase or rent pieces for your home

Ahren Belisle has skyrocketed onto some of the biggest stages in comedy—despite only performing stand-up for a few short years. He won over millions as a Top 10 Finalist on America’s Got Talent and made an unforgettable debut on the wildly popular podcast Kill Tony, where he’s become a regular fixture. A former software engineer and mental health advocate, Ahren was born in Northern Ontario with cerebral palsy and is nonverbal, delivering his punchlines through his phone. His innate charm and quick wit have earned him a unique place in comedy—where the comedian who doesn’t speak is allowed to say anything. Ahren has built a devoted following of over a million fans across social media, using his platform to blend bold comedy with messages of positivity, inclusion, and resilience.

- 2 premium seats
- $90 food & beverage credit ($45 per person)
- Gratuity
- Ticket Protection

Management reserves the right to prevent customers from entering the facility who they deem disruptive or dangerous to other patrons.

PAM gallery pop-ups: 4:30-6:00 p.m.
Doors for Live Wire seated show: 6:30 p.m.
Live Show: 7:00 p.m.

Live Wire Radio, the Portland-based public radio variety show, joins forces with the Portland Art Museum for an afternoon of roving performances ahead of an evening recording of the program. The event coincides with PAM’s monthly Free First Thursday and the Portland Book Festival’s expanded programming.

In the afternoon, free pop-up performances will take place throughout the Museum’s galleries giving visitors a chance to catch short live performances and storytelling while moving through the PAM spaces. Performers will include genre-blending rapper and writer Dessa, National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature and children’s author Mac Barnett, National Book Award Finalist Ed Park, and Portland comedian Mx. Dahlia Belle among others.

The evening will feature a fully seated, ticketed Live Wire taping hosted by Luke Burbank with announcer Elena Passarello, featuring a blend of interviews, comedy, and music performed live for the audience, then edited into an episode for broadcast to over 200 public radio stations nationwide.

Visitors can take in the afternoon gallery pop-ups, the evening show, or both!

Note: Admission is free to the afternoon gallery pop-ups as part of general admission on Free First Thursday at Portland Art Museum. Tickets available on the museum website.

Ticket Prices:
$40 Preferred Seats
$36 Bookfest Pass Holder Discount – Preferred Seats (10% off)
$15 General Admission Seats
$13.50 Bookfest Pass Holder Discount – General Admission (10% off)

With over half a billion online views, privileged west London’s leading freestyle rapper comes to the USA & Canada for the first time! An entire show of lightning-fast improvised raps and explosively funny rhymes all based on audience suggestions. You'll leave astounded at the speed of his brain, the spontaneity of his punchlines, and the stability of his upbringing. Jaw-dropping, hilarious, utterly unbelievable.

Hello everyone! MC Hammersmith here! It's been months of waiting, and I'm *still* awaiting final work visa approval from your glorious USCIS! I have an interview at the US Embassy on the week of October 12th, where - all being well - I am assured they *should*grant me final visa approval then and there to enter your great nation! HOWEVER! Anything could happen, and while tickets to this show are obviously refundable in the event my visa doesn't arrive in time, if you book hotels/travel to come to this show, PLEASE make sure it is refundable also! I would hate for any of my noble American followers to be left out of pocket by any final administrative curveballs. Okay thanks love you and see you in the States probably; can't wait to eat Chipotle til I'm sick!

- 2 premium seats
- $90 food & beverage credit ($45 per person)
- Gratuity
- Ticket Protection

Management reserves the right to prevent customers from entering the facility who they deem disruptive or dangerous to other patrons.

This eye-opening exhibition introduces North American audiences to the diverse and distinct visual iconographies of Indigenous Australia, which is made up of more than 250 distinct Indigenous nations. Explore this rich and living history of creativity through over 200 works made by more than 130 artists. Drawn exclusively from the collection of Melbourne’s National Gallery of Victoria, The Stars We Do Not See offers a rare opportunity to experience some of the most significant examples of modern and contemporary Australian Indigenous art. Charting watershed moments in Indigenous art from the late 19th century to the present, this exhibition reveals a rich history of creativity that predates the arrival of the British.

Art in the Burbs was purposefully and creatively designed to weave local artists with student artists. During the show, 20% of each artist’s sales will be retained to benefit The Foundation for Tigard Tualatin Schools’ Art in the Burbs Grant program. Grants are awarded to each of the district’s schools to use only in their arts programs – writing, music, fine art, and performing arts. The Foundation is a 501(c)3 organization.

Art in the Burbs provides a financial vehicle to enrich students’ lives through the arts. Click the button below to see how proceeds from last year’s show were used at your local school.

Here we are surveys contemporary art from the Portland Art Museum’s collection. Featuring work across a range of media, the exhibition showcases recent acquisitions alongside signature works and reflects on the constant change and shifting narratives that mark the contemporary world and networked lives.

In the current globalized, digitized ecology, contemporary artists observe, document, and reflect. Their voices and visions imagine what is possible and tell stories that expand knowledge. They question, prompt, and call to action, while creating both beauty and criticism. The exhibited artworks invite the viewer to ponder the real, virtual, and imagined spaces humanity currently inhabits, alongside the moments, thoughts, and experiences that define selfhood and purpose. Highlights in this gallery include works about our sense of self and identity such as Sentinel IV (Gold) by Simone Leigh, Fred Wilson’s black glass mirror I Saw Othello’s Visage in His Mind, and Maja Ruznic’s painting Daughter (Red). Large scale works by Chiho Aoshima, Carrie Mae Weems, and Wolfgang Tillmans consider relationships to place, another prominent theme. Others, including Jeppe Hein’s Please Participate, Katherine Bradford’s Ritual, and Jeffry Mitchell and Tivon Rice’s Panda speak to the human connection and the creative process.

Portland artist Eva Wrzesinski spent months visiting Blanchet House’s free café, drawing portraits of 22 guests while learning about their lives. The result is "At Our Table", a portrait exhibition that invites viewers to see people experiencing poverty, homelessness, addiction, and mental health challenges as unique individuals with stories worth hearing.

The event offers an opportunity to view the portraits and interview Wrzesinski and participating café guests about their experiences.

Each portrait includes excerpts from interviews that explore guests’ memories, relationships, challenges, and hopes for the future.

First Friday – November 6th: “Thankful for YOU (and pie :)) Multicultural Celebration!” We love the fall and we are SO thankful for you! We all come from different places and have different heritages and we want to celebrate that. Our diversity makes us special and interesting! Bring your friends and family downtown for pie tastings, pie raffles, a pie walk dance party, multicultural displays and so much more!

• Ribbon Cutting at 6pm for the new expansion at Evergreen Vinyl! 321 NE 4th Ave.
• Enter Pie Raffles all around town!
• Yummy pie tastings at Fuel donated by Lore Tea + Coffee
• “Pie Walk Dance Party”–try to win a delicious pie! at 7:30pm inside of Journey, 304 NE 4th Ave. The Pie Walk is generously sponsored by Synkwise!
• Complete the “Gratitude Passport” throughout downtown businesses & be entered to win!
• Learn about your neighbors and our diverse backgrounds, cultures and histories!
• Drop off your unwrapped toys at registration at Fuel Medical for the Toys for Tots drive!
• Kids’ autumn art, crafts, games and treats
• S’mores roasting, weather permitting
• Art Shows and Receptions in Attic Gallery, 419 NE Cedar; Gallery 408, 408 NE 4th; RedDoor Gallery, 411 NE Dallas; and Second Story Gallery, 625 NE 4th Ave, upstairs at the Camas Library.
• After hours shopping, dining, live music, more!

Start your evening at the DCA tables in the Fuel Medical lobby, 314 NE Birch St. See you in beautiful Downtown Camas for all the fall fun!

Self-help Singh is the alter ego of international comedian Masood Boomgaard. Self-help Singh, described as a comedic alternative life coach and de-motivational speaker, first appeared to Boomgaard in a vision after he fell and hit his head while rushing to the bathroom in an attempt to outrun the gastric consequences of bad lamb vindaloo. Boomgaard has since been sharing the "common sense wisdom" and de-motivational teachings of Self-help Singh to millions of people on the internet. The Self-help Singh live show is a hilarious yet thought-provoking juxtaposition of stand-up comedy, parody and motivational speaking. During his decade-long full-time professional comedy career Boomgaard has performed in New York, London, Dubai and during the lockdown, in his father's garage. He lives in South Africa with his cat...for now.

- 2 premium seats
- $90 food & beverage credit ($45 per person)
- Gratuity
- Ticket Protection

Management reserves the right to prevent customers from entering the facility who they deem disruptive or dangerous to other patrons.

One Grand Gallery is delighted to welcome back Portland-based Ashley Anson for her second solo exhibition with the gallery. Home Sweet Home expounds on Anson’s fondness for found textiles and materials and processes historically associated with feminine domestic labor. Drawing on traditionally gendered art forms such as quilting and embroidery, she combines textiles with painting and small sculpture to create narratives about the unseen worlds within people’s homes. Home is central to her work, a place that can hold peace, chaos, and danger all at once.

Anson transforms personal family folklore into layered narratives, exploring how stories imagined in childhood are remembered, exaggerated, and reinterpreted across generations. Her work also examines gender roles in art, asking what gives a painting masculine or feminine attributes and whether an artist’s gender can be sensed in the work. By combining the historically male-dominated practice of painting with embroidery and textiles, she challenges conventional distinctions between artistic mediums.

Join the opening reception on Friday, Oct. 30 from 6- 9 p.m. In the spirit of the Halloween season, the opening will transition into a party as the evening approaches. Costumes are strongly encouraged.

Join us for Perfect Person Live! A flawless call-in advice show in which Miles Bonsignore answers your calls, solves your problems, and helps you achieve perfection.

- 2 premium seats
- $90 food & beverage credit ($45 per person)
- Gratuity
- Ticket Protection

Management reserves the right to prevent customers from entering the facility who they deem disruptive or dangerous to other patrons.

The Curio | Exhibition & Sale, a collaboration between The Reser and City of Beaverton celebrates the creativity and diversity of regional Northwest artists and craftspeople. Whether looking for a gift or a unique work of art to adorn your home or office, The Curio features dozens of artists in this exhibition and sale. Forging connections between artists and the broader community, The Curio provides the perfect setting to discover creativity during the giving season.

Join us as we celebrate the fourth year of our tradition at our Artist Reception Friday, November 6th from 6 – 9 pm. Spotlighting the creative works of nearly 40 local and regional artists, guests will have an opportunity to browse a collection of unique works of art, functional and decorative wares, and numerous wearable pieces.

IMAGE: Justine Vanderpool

The Portland Art Museum is pleased to present the recently acquired two-channel video installation, Do I Look Like a Lady? (Comedians and Singers), by internationally renowned artist Mickalene Thomas. Thomas’s work addresses themes of beauty and identity expressed through the myriad subjectivities of African-American women. Her multidisciplinary practice reconsiders Black womanhood and desire through a queer lens.

In recent years, Thomas has turned to video production as a way to expand her critical investigation into how mass media and entertainment distill the experiences of African-American women into a handful of archetypes. Do I Look Like a Lady? (Comedians and Singers) presents a dynamic checkerboard of moving image footage featuring African-American actors and singers from across the 20th century: from Jackie “Moms” Mabley to Eartha Kitt, Whoopi Goldberg, Whitney Houston, and several others. The video focuses on their individual voices as they express heartbreaking roles, pointed lyrics, sharp jokes, and strong statements of resistance to the dominant culture. The work is a powerful, and often riotous, reflection on the roles of Black women in the United States.

Jason is a Texas-born, NYC-based standup whose comedy has been described as “…like getting the best advice you’ve ever gotten…from the dumbest guy you know.” Jason’s performed all over the world, including for the troops in Europe, South America & Afghanistan. His standup special, Biscuits and Gravity, is available to watch right now on YouTube.

He’s been featured in Red Dead Redemption 2, Orange is the New Black, HBO, Comedy Central, At Home with Amy Sedaris, Hulu’s Wu Tang Clan Series, and 30 Rock.