Winterland PDX

I had wanted to get this reviewed before the auction, but I didn't see that was scheduled for January 4th until after it has already happened.

Anyway, local artist Mike Bennett worked with BIPOC youth to transform plywood that had been covering windows into winter window art.

https://shopsmallpdx.com/winterland

Artwork was placed all over Portland: Northwest, Southwest, Southeast and Northeast. Most of what we saw was in Downtown Portland (Southwest), but we made it to the East side as well because we were going to see that cat and that narwhal.

Many of the stores added to the plywood art with window paintings. This Baby Yoda is not plywood, but was still quite adorable.

One of our favorite executions was the cat at books and pictures. Not only did they have complementary painted artwork but they also stacked the windows with cat books, making everything tied in together.

It a a chance to visit local small businesses, some old favorites and some new.

While we had previously been in Portland and seen that the reports of the burned out wasteland were false, this was a chance to spend more time. Yes, there were some businesses still boarded up, but many of them were still open. There were even more that were not boarded up, including many with lots of glass that had clearly not been attacked.

(I acknowledge that the homeless are more visible but I believe that is a sign of societal and economic failure worsened by COVID.)

Therefore, I appreciated seeing so many of the businesses displaying signs affirming that Black Lives Matter. I applaud them.

It is also amazing to read more about the young artists. This festive T-Rex was made by 4 year old Caleb. The walrus from the first photo was made by 11 year old Frances. Not all of the artists were that young, but I appreciate the diversity and inclusion.

Kudos to Mike Bennett, not just for his organizing, but also for turning the front of the Keller Auditorium into the extravaganza Cold Creatures: The Musical!

For more on Mike Bennett, see https://www.atozoopdx.com/about.