Culture Features
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Charles Finn On: Taking a Nap

Local writer Charles Finn reflects on taking a nap.
Source Weekly

Editor's note: This is the first column from local writer and High Desert Journal editor Charles Finn. His work has appeared in Missoula Magazine and Writers on the Range and in other publications. Finn's column, a mix of muse, observations and commentary will appear twice monthly.

At exactly 3:15 on a Wednesday afternoon, I set down my book, kick off my shoes and lie down on the couch. I am taking a nap, or more correctly, about to take a nap. With a sigh of contentment, I wiggle myself into the sofa, folding my hands across my chest and crossing my legs at the ankles. The room is quiet, just the ticking of the clock on the wall. Outside, a slight breeze plays with the leaves of a maple while inside, a sunbeam falls horizontally across me; my pale yellow blanket.

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Celebrate 10 Years of 2nd Street and Get Distracted at CTC

Curtain Call peeks behind the curtain to see what’s coming up in Bend’s theater scene.
Mike Bookey

“We're Still Here”
The 2nd Street Theater is letting the creative community in Central Oregon know that it's still very much around with its 10th anniversary party on Friday and Saturday nights, April 29 and 30, aptly dubbed “We're Still Here.” The theater has gone through some changes over the past couple of years, including the dissolution of its in-house production company, but that isn't to say the midtown-area playhouse has gone quiet. In fact, the 2nd Street continues to host innovative theatrical presentations, including the Halloween run of Evil Dead: The Musical and the plays of local writer Cricket Daniel.

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Our Picks for 4/20 – 4/28: G. Love & Special Sauce, ’80s Prom at McMenamins, Banff Mountain Film Festival, Earth Day Fair and Parade and more

Hanging out in Bend this week? Here are Our Picks for a stellar week in Central Oregon.
Source Weekly

G. Love & Special Sauce,
Belle Brigade
thursday 21
Fresh off the release of his awesome new Avett-Brothers-produced record, Fixin' To Die, G. Love and his band make a return appearance in Bend to share his newer, rootsier sounds. Check out the Sound section for a profile of the blues rocker. And get there early to check out the folky pop rock of The Belle Brigade. $20/adv, $25/door. All ages. 9pm. Domino Room, 51 NW Greenwood Ave.
'80s Prom with The Radical Revolution
friday 22
Pull your hair up into a side pony and prep your finest Pretty in Pink-era prom dress for McMenamins' '80s dance party for adults. The prom features music from The Radical Revolution (formerly known as The Breakfast Club), playing your favorite hits from the '80s including tunes from Tears for Fears, Madonna, Wham!, Duran Duran and many more. The evening includes prizes for the best '80s-themed outfits and enough nostalgia to OD on. $15/person. 21-plus. 7pm. McMenamins Old St. Francis School, 700 NW Bond St.

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Art for Art’s Sake: My Own Two Hands uses creativity in Americana Project

Americana Project’s 11th year at Sisters Folk Festival. This year’s theme is My Own Two Hands.
Source Weekly

The Americana Project’s nostalgic logo, a vintage gramophone painted red, white and blue with the iconic image of Lady Liberty, was actually created by Katie Smith, one of the project’s student artists. The image symbolizes the notions of musical freedom and is an example of the creativity that's alive in Central Oregon's youth.
The educational and instructional outreach arm of the Sisters Folk Festival, the Americana Project is now forging ahead into its 11th year providing a rich array of award-winning classes, scholarships, workshops and mentorship programs in the visual and performing arts to the Sisters School District. This weekend, the festival takes a novel approach to keeping its programs alive by funding art through art with its annual My Own Two Hands fundraising event.

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Our Picks for 4/13 – 4/21: Yonder Mountain String Band, Andre Nickatina, Spring Festival, Paleface and More

The Source Weekly’s Picks for what to do in Central Oregon this week.e
Source Weekly

Yonder Mountain String Band
wednesday 13
If you got a copy of the paper fresh off the press today and have an empty evening, might we suggest you run immediately to the Midtown Ballroom and see one of the finest acts in all of bluegrass? The Colorado band is back in town, as they're known to do around here in the springtime, just in time for all the hula-hooping folks to get their groove on. Sorry if that was too hippie for you, but seriously, this show will be a twangy rocking good time. All ages. $20/adv, $25/door. 9pm. Midtown Ballroom, 51 NW Greenwood Ave.

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Of Ink and Paint: Mike Toth's downtown gallery brings fine art and tattoo together

The smell of fresh paint still leaks from the walls and possibly from some of the pieces that have recently taken a spot on the wall of the Toth Art Collective.
Mike Bookey

The smell of fresh paint still leaks from the walls and possibly from some of the pieces that have recently taken a spot on the wall of the Toth Art Collective. The space is new – and it looks new. Everything is immaculately clean, the paintings perfectly spaced and illuminated, but what's really new about the place is the edgy and sometimes dark style of the pieces. Something you don't always see on your monthly First Friday art walk.
In a downtown Bend once dominated by art spaces specializing in scenic landscapes, the Toth Art Collective, featuring the paintings of its namesake, Mike Toth, and other regional and local artists, happens to be one of the largest and most elegant places to see art in the area. But here's the thing – the space is also an incredibly popular tattoo studio.

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Our Picks for 4/6 – 4/14; The Baseball Project, Pine Party, Dine for Dignity, Kevin Kinsella, Yonder Mountain String Band and more

The Source Weekly provides our picks for the best bets in Central Oregon this week.
Source Weekly

The Baseball Project, The Minus 5, Steve Wynn
thursday 7
We've been shouting loudly about this show for a while and now it's finally here. The Baseball Project, as you may know, is an all-star band that includes, among others, R.E.M.'s Peter Buck, but you should also check out quintessential indie pop of The Minus 5, which open the show. $12/adv at bendticket.com, $15/door. 9pm. Silver Moon Brewing Co., 24 NW Greenwood Ave.

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Art on the Hill: Bill Hoppe on a decade of art on the campus of COCC

It's the first day of the spring term and Bill Hoppe's office on the bottom floor of Central Oregon Community College's Pence Hall is nearly as messy as the construction that's snarling uphill traffic on the expansive campus.
Mike Bookey

It's the first day of the spring term and Bill Hoppe's office on the bottom floor of Central Oregon Community College's Pence Hall is nearly as messy as the construction that's snarling uphill traffic on the expansive campus. Files and papers cover most of his desktop and there's little floor space not occupied by boxes of artwork and stacks of other framed pieces of art. The office's disarray isn't off-putting, but rather inspirational – like it's overflowing with creativity.
Hoppe has been teaching at the college as an associate professor of art for more than 10 years now and recently staged a show at the school's library that featured pieces from his decade at COCC. He's a painter who, before coming to Bend, made his living as a studio artist and he continues to create his own pieces during the summer. But during the school year, Hoppe devotes much of his attention to his students and in the process has added another segment, albeit often ignored, to the Bend art scene with ongoing shows and exhibits up at the college's Pence Gallery in the Pickney Arts Center.

Posted inCulture

Spring Theater Productions Have Sprung in Bend

Thus far, 2011 has proved to be a thriving year for the Bend theater scene.
Anne Pick

Thus far, 2011 has proved to be a thriving year for the Bend theater scene. Tuesdays with Morrie goes into its final week, closing on Sunday, April 3. The Bend Experimental Arts Theatre brings the Broadway classic Guys and Dolls to the Summit High School auditorium this week. As time goes on, the theater scene continues to thrive and here are a few good bets to satisfy your need for a good story.

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Our PIcks for 3/30 – 4/7: Juniper Grass Music Festival, Art Walk, Budo Fights, Ice Cube, The Baseball Project and more

The Source Weekly provides our picks for Bend’s best bets in local entertainment.
Source Weekly

Juniper Grass Music Festival
wednesday 30
It's already been two years since the president signed the Wilderness Bill that created the Oregon Badlands and now it's time to celebrate that victory with a night of rootsy music. Appearing at this show, which benefits the Friends of Oregon Badlands Wilderness, are the bluegrass tag team of Moon Mountain Ramblers and Blackstrap, as well as Mark and Linda Quon. Jam out for a good cause, y'all! $10. 8pm. Old Stone Church, 157 NW Franklin Ave.
First Friday Art Walk
friday 1
Yeah, it's April Fool's Day on Friday, but we're not joking around when we say that there is some incredible art to be seen around town for the monthly art walk. And as a bonus, it's supposed to be relatively warm for this month's celebration of visual arts! Downtown Bend and Old Mill District, beginning at 5pm.

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