This content was published: May 17, 2020. Phone numbers, email addresses, and other information may have changed.
Wellspring: Humanities and Arts During Covid-19, Issue Four
Posted by Andrew Cohen
“A people also perish when they fail to keep alive the values that make them human, the wellsprings of their sanity.” ?—Ben Okri
Dear Colleagues:
In this week’s edition of “Wellspring: Humanities and?Arts During Covid-19,” we are reminded of what a remarkably talented community Portland Community College is, and, too, how vibrant the arts and cultural life is right here in Portland. Please see below for some outstanding student and faculty work—music, cartoons, poetry, photography—as well as dynamic arts and humanities offerings from the Portland Metro area.
PCC’s Humanities and Arts Highlights:
- When Cascade and Rock Creek English faculty, Gail?Jeidy, isn’t busy navigating her remote writing classes, she is keeping a colorful graphic journal titled,?“Pandemic Pictorial,”?portions of which she has graciously?shared with us on the?HARTS website.?What a treat.
- Here is?a music video titled, “Tears of Europa,” put together by talented Sylvania music student, Chris Kennedy,?who is?pursuing a degree in music composition (and has even worked?for Mark Mothersbaugh, founder of the group, Devo).
- This week,?Two Deep Breaths,?the bi-weekly poetry posting?curated by?PCC Writer-in-Residence and Cascade English Faculty, Justin Rigamonti,?offers up?“Be Yer Own Hitman (Deathsounds/Lovesongs)”?by?Sylvania English faculty, Jeff Alessandrelli and “Allowance,”?by?James Masao Mitsui,?PCC President Mark Mitsui’s uncle.
- Even in the?face of remote classes,?PCC’s literary magazines are in full swing. This week English faculty, Van Wheeler, offers a?sneak-peak at the forthcoming issue of?Alchemy, Sylvania’s literary magazine.?Take some time to enjoy the terrific artwork, photography and writing edited by Advanced Editing and Publishing (Writing 249) students.
- Want to participate in an open mic or just enjoy some live poetry? Consider attending tonight’s?PCC Virtual Open Mic, hosted by the Cascade Writing Department and students from Writing 249 (Advanced Creative Writing/Editing and Publishing). The event is continuation of Cascade English faculty Melody Wilson’s First Tuesday Rose City Book Pub Open Mic called WordHub. Readers will get five minutes on the virtual stage. Sign-ups are from 7-7:30pm, and the readings will take place from 7:30-9pm.
Local Arts and Letters:
- Throughout May, the Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education is co-presenting the?“Rising Up For Human Dignity Free Film and Discussion Series,”?a three-part series that will bring audiences together to witness, celebrate, and amplify the perspectives of Syrian, Rohingya, and Congolese communities through film and discussion.?This Thursday, watch when you like?I am Rohingya: A Genocide in Four Acts?(2018, Canada), a powerful documentary that chronicles the journey of fourteen Rohingya youth who take to the stage in order to depict their families’ harrowing experience in Burma and beyond. Then join the discussion at 7pm. Panelists include director Yusuf Zine, actor Ruma Ruma and Rohingya activist, Sirazul Islam.
- Missing time at the Portland Art Museum and the Northwest Film Center??Check out PAM’s “Daily Art Moment,” including?this one?about artwork by a 19th Century Dakota artist and?this Bactrian camel?from the Tang Dynasty of China.?Alternatively, through May 15th, watch?a screening of the documentary,?Spaceship Earth,?which follows?eight people who spent two years inside of a replica of Earth’s ecosystem called Biosphere 2.
- Published quarterly, by Sylvania philosophy faculty, Joseph Corrado,?Portland Metrozine,?is a quarterly online?literary journal first started in print back in 1992.?The spring 2020 issue features creative writing, photography and artwork from Portland and beyond.
- The?Portland Youth Philharmonic?is?celebrating the end of its 96th season. Because the final,?celebratory concerts have been cancelled, they are sharing performances from the archives on their?Youtube channel.?
- Finally, if you only have a couple of free minutes, check out?this video?shared by?the Portland Opera in which their?Resident?Artist, Ricardo Garcia, performs Joaquín Turina’s “Nunca olvida”—from his balcony!