Tuesday, Feb. 19
Art
White Gallery
Mon–Wed: Noon–5 p.m., Thu–Fri: Noon–6 p.m.
Free
Curated by Safiyah Maurice, this exhibition celebrates the future of Black people and culture with mixed-media works from Sadé Beasley, Habiba Abdul Rahim, Bettina Judd, Lisa Jarrett and Lamarra Haynes.
Music
Doug Fir Lounge
9 p.m.
$15
Feel free to dance the night away to LA’s TV Girl and their electro-dream pop.
Film & Theater
Curious Comedy Theater
Every Tue 9:30 p.m.
$5
If you feel like improv may be your thing, hit up Game Face, since the audience gets to join in on every bit.
Community
World Trade Center
11:30 a.m., every third Tue until Dec. 17
Free
Join other concerned constituents as they try to implement change by discussing policies with Sen. Jeff Merkley’s staffers.
Wednesday, Feb. 20
Art
“Em Dash”
Ampersand Gallery and Fine Books
Wed–Sun: 11 a.m.–5 p.m., through March 24
Free
Maria Calandra, Jay Gaskill and Erik den Breejen share a group exhibition of their works, loosely inspired by the em dash and its fluidity of purpose.
Music
The Tube
9 p.m.
$15–20
Live out that Fyre Fest fraud in the most hilarious and Instagrammable way possible.
Film & Theater
Whitsell Auditorium
7 p.m.
Free
Not only is this the world premiere of That Monster: An Allegory but filmmaker Silvia Kolbowski and curator Kari Rittenbach will examine the concept of cultural collusion in an open discussion.
Community
Schoolhouse Supplies Celebrity Spelling Bee
Revolution Hall
7 p.m.
$25
Not really any big celebrity names, but everything raised goes toward Schoolhouse Supplies, a nonprofit that provides free supplies to students in need.
Thursday, Feb. 21
Art
Oregon College of the Arts Hoffman Gallery
Mon–Sun: 10 a.m.–5 p.m.
Free
These works by Morgan Buck, John Whitten and Rachel Wolf play with the notions of optical illusion.
Music
Graveyard Gossip, Zander Yates, Eric Stalker
Hawthorne Hideaway
9 p.m.
$5, 21+
This weird mix of dark synth-punk, Americana and slight doom-folk should be interesting.
Film & Theater
29th Annual Cascade Festival of African Films
PCC Cascade and Hollywood Theatre
Thu–Sat through March 2
Free
To celebrate Black History Month, this festival is sharing more than 30 films from big and small name directors from 18 African countries.
Community
Providence Portland Medical Center
4:30–8:30 p.m.
Free
This free class teaches how to recognize when someone is about to have a mental health crisis and how to properly help them. No matter how stigmatized mental health is, this is important info to know.
Friday, Feb. 22
Art
Passages Bookshop
Tues–Sat: Noon–6 p.m., until March 23
Free
Selections of texts by Franz Kafka, Mark Twain, Friedrich Nietzsche and more are presented with woodcuts and etchings by Anne Bussow and Eckhard Froeschlin.
Music
Maestus, Ninth Moon Black, The Swan Thief
Tonic Lounge
9 p.m.
$10
Get ready for a night of soul-crushing, Pacific Northwest black-doom with some new material from Maestus.
Film & Theater
Helium Comedy Club
Feb. 22 and Feb. 23: 7:30 p.m., 10 p.m.
$27–40
For fans of Community and those old enough to remember Talk Soup.
Community
Thank Goodness It’s Fourth Friday (TGIFF)
Norse Hall
7:30 p.m.
$8
Every fourth Friday, the Norse Hall hosts a night of random activities and dancing, with a whole 18-piece band called the Pranksters. Come be hilariously corny.
Saturday, Feb. 23
Art
Russo Lee Gallery
Tue–Fri: 11 a.m.–5:30 p.m., Sat: 11 a.m.–5 p.m. and by appointment
Free
Amory Abbott explores occurrences that are “opposite of the sun,” like fire, darkness and the prospect of the apocalypse.
Music
Mississippi Pizza Pub and Lounge
8 p.m.
$5, 21+
From spoken word and crazy audio/visuals to actual live music, this monthly showcase shows just how diverse Portland’s hip-hop community can be.
Film & Theater
New Expressive Works
7:30 p.m., Feb. 24: 2 p.m.
$25
Presented by Corrib Theatre, this production of Lisa Tierney-Keough’s powerful play is about a woman battling depression and how it affects those around her.
Community
Queer Quest: A Gaming Adventure to Benefit the Q Center
Q Center
6 p.m.
$25–125
To all the queer D&D players out there, this one’s for you. All experience levels are welcome, and everything earned goes to helping the Q Center.
Sunday, Feb. 24
Art
Pacific Northwest College of Art
5:30–8:30 p.m.
Free, 18+
Happening every Sunday through May, PNCA will host these open sessions to all adults. Drawing horses and easels will be provided, but bring your own choices for other materials.
Music
Music at the Movies II
Lincoln Performance Hall
3 p.m.
$5–25
The Choral Arts Ensemble is back to tackle some of their favorite musical pieces from movies such as La La Land, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and more.
Film & Theater
Star Theater
8 p.m.
$10–13
This spooky take on A Prairie Home Companion is hosted by Portland’s self-proclaimed second scariest woman, Screamvina.
Community
Oregon Convention Center
10 a.m.
$40
It’s the last day to nerd out in the most wizardly way possible.
Monday, Feb. 25
Art
Gallery 903
Mon–Sat: 10:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m., Sun: Noon–5 p.m.
Free
Gallery 903 celebrate random bits of abstract art every year and this year’s exhibit will definitely be visually intriguing.
Music
Church Bar
8 p.m.
Free, all ages until 11 p.m.
This is the first in hopefully a long-running series of DJs nights where screamo, emo and metalcore are played to help you remember your scene days.
Film & Theater
Curious Comedy Theater
7 p.m.
$5
The last Monday of the month just got so much better with this monthly series that blends comedy and saying “fuck you” to Donald Trump.
Community
National Geographic Live–Spinosaurus: Lost Giant of the Cretaceous
Newmark Theatre
7:30 p.m.
$27.25–47.25
Paleontologist Nizar Ibrahim lectures in depth about the largest predatory dinosaur discovered so far.
Cervanté Pope is a music and culture journalist whose work has been included in various publications around Portland including Willamette Week, the Portland Mercury and the Portland Observer, as well as a couple of creative nonfiction anthologies. When she's not tackling a giant mountain of deadlines she can be found headbanging at a metal show, advocating for animal rights or trying to scheme a way to get on Family Feud.