¿prit 7. 2000 * J u t mat ^g
There’s nothing plain
about Jane
ane M cClain and her longtime partner,
Carrie Wright, have just brought to
fruition their dream of opening a store
where they can
offer an eclectic
mix of artworks
that range from
high-end fine art
to affordable orig
inal crafts. They
call their endeav
or Plain Jane,
located at 2936
N.E. Alberta St.
Plain Jane owners
in Portland, and
Jane McClain (left)
it’s part of the
and Carrie Wright
burgeoning
Alberta Artwalk held the last Thursday of
every month.
Wright is a painter whose colorful work is
strongly influenced by the Southwest, where
she grew up. Also from that region, McClain
designs and creates rustic furniture, often using
recycled materials. Portlanders for the last five
years, the two are starting to see Northwestern
influences showing up their works.
Both women’s pieces are on view through
out April, and they are excited about being
part of the revitalization of the Concordia
neighborhood.
J
I
“A GAY, MORE
OPERATIC
‘RULES OFTHE
GAME’
sparkling lights in his daily meditations. Over a
period of weeks, the sparkling lights grew
brighter and began to take shape. Hall pon
dered their significance— a heavenly message
of some kind? Well, sort of—a sequins dress,
actually. The insights in his mediation emphat
ically told him he must share with an audience
the visceral, emotional experience of seeing
Minnelli live.
Yes, Hall lip-synchs, but one quickly forgets,
so commanding is his commitment.
“I pour my heart and soul into this,” he
says.
Hall performs Simply Liza, his annual full-
length concert, at 7:30 p.m. April 16 at Dar-
celle XV, 208 N.W. Third Ave. in Portland.
Doors open at 6:30p.m. Call (503) 222-5338
for tickets.
— Marc Acito
f you’re lounging around the
house Friday night, April 7, tune in at 9:30
p.m. to Oregon Art Beat, also on OPB, and
catch queerly everywhere Thomas Lauderdale
and Pink Martini. He of the cool QFC and
Lexus commercials will be profiled along with
the Oregon Ballet Theatre.
The weekly half-hour program showcases
the vibrant regional arts scene.
Set your VCR to queer
With all the frills upon it
| t’s that time again. In the Life, the Emmy-
| nominated gay and lesbian newsmagazine,
airs at midnight April 18 on Oregon Public
Broadcasting stations. (Check local listings for
show times.)
h, come on, you know you want to! Enter
the Easter Bonnet Contest being held at
3 p.m. April 22 at Fox and Hounds and
C.C. Slaughter’s in Portland’s Old Town neigh
borhood.
All proceeds from an auction will benefit
Esther’s Pantry. So grab some tulle and whip up
a faboo chapeau!
Next Best Thing,
another interview
with Rupert Everett
and Madonna.
Chereau is not only
brilliant, he’s also willing
to go over the top.”
Same channel,
different tune
- Amy Täubin. VILLAG E VOICE
I
“AN EXTRAVAGANTLY
ROMANTIC FILM
rich musical score... A
provocatively sexy vision
of Paris late 90’s style.”
- Stephen Holden New York Times
O
Trippin’ with the gals
pring has sprung in the hearts of the Port
land Lesbian Choir as members present
Magical Journey. Join the Choir, and special
guest Diane Syrcle of the Portland Opera, for
an enchanting evening of music at 8 p.m. April
S
Simply Liza
fraid to come out? Worried that the world
will know your secret? C ’mon,
just admit it, you’ll feel bet
ter. You own a Liza Minnelli
CD, don’t you? It’s OK,
you can still be a
lesbian.
A
22 .
S T A R T S FR ID A Y , A P R IL 21
FOR ONE W EEK @ CINEMA 21
The concert, which is A SL interpreted, will
be held at the Northwest Neighborhood Cul
tural Center, 1819 N.W. Everett St. Tickets are
$12 from It’s My Pleasure and at the door.
ITTAMES A PLANET
TO SAVE A VILLAGE
A F R IC A A ID S
Jivin’ with the gals
Bryan
Hall in
his annual
concert,
Simply Liza,
and (below)
with the
Liza Minnelli
Let’s face it,
you either love Liza or you hate her— but if you
love her, or just need a lesson in Gay Icons
101, Bryan Hall is the man to show you.
Hall, a Portland massage therapist with no
previous performing background, began imper
sonating Minnelli almost reluctantly.
“It wasn’t something I even wanted to do,”
he says, “it feels like something I have to do.
Some days it embarrasses me, but, hey, that’s
my life.”
Seeing Liza perform for the first time was a
life-altering experience for Hall: “What I
walked away with was a feeling of hope... that
there was at least one person in the world that
frtdy knew how to operate from their heart."
Soon afterward, Hall began to notice
In the Life of centenarian lesbian Ruth Ellis
This month’s edition features Ruth Ellis, a
remarkable woman who is 100 years old and
has been an out lesbian meist of her life. She is
also the subject of a new documentary called
Living with Pride: Ruth Ellis @ 100, which will
be screened weekly through June 4 at the
Whitney Museum of Art in New York City as
part of the prestigious 2000 Whitney Biennial.
Other subjects in this episode include: the
Rainbow Support Group, which helps develop-
mentally disabled gay men and lesbians; a day
in the life of Hollywood director Paris Barclay;
a look at Gendemauts, a film by Monika Treut
about transgendered people in San Francisco;
and, in case you haven’t had your fill of The
RESPONSE
j wing and sway for a good cause at a lesbian
5 dance April 22 at the Echo Theatre to
benefit Swan House, a new adult foster
home for people living with HIV and AIDS.
The fun begins at 8 p.m. at 1515 S.E. 37th
Ave. in Portland. Tickets are $10 in advance
from It’s My Pleasure or In Other Words, or
$15 at the door.
A BCMCFfTFOfl ^OUTLAWD** MTT1H Ü T Y
M UTARE. ZIM BABW E
A S P E C IA L P E R F O R M A N C E B Y
NORTHWEST AFRI KAN
A M ER IC A N BA LLET
D ANCE TO THE R H YTH M S O f
BALAFON M ARIM BA
EN SEM BLE A N D
o b o a d d y ^R
&KUKRUDU
Cut from the same cloth
of sorrow and love
anels from the Names Project AIDS
Memorial Quilt will be on display from 10
a.m. until 4 p.m. April 15 at Portland
Community College’s Rock Creek campus.
The campus is located in the Bethany area,
at 17705 N.W. Springville Road. The display is
in honor of PCC student Robert E. Wright,
who passed away from AIDS complications.
Donations will be
accepted at the door for a
scholarship fund for sexu
al minority students. Live
music, name reading and
displays from Cascade
AIDS Project will
enhance the event.
MON DAY
MAT1
à
7RM ALL ACES
P
TICKETS A V A I L A B L E A T A L L M c M E N A M I N S O U T LE T S
O R V IA T H E IN T E R N E T W W W .TICKETW EB COM
FOR M O R E
I N F O R M A T I O N V ISIT O U R W EBSITE
A T W W W E I T H E R I M A C E C O M O R C A L L S O S -2 11- S 4 B 4
IF Y O U C A N T I O I N US F O R T H IS IN C R E D IB LE
E V E N IN C
A ilT T L E
PLEASE T A K E A M O M E N T A N D C IVE
T E LL A F R I E N D T O C I V E A LIT T LE
C A N START S O M E T H IN G R IC H T HERE
NOW
THAT
W ILL
WE
R IG H T
SHOW
THE
W ORLD
■ Compiled by
PO W ER OF C O M P A SS IO N
LETS
BR IN G
O riana G reen
AN D
THE
HELP
H O P E T O A C IT Y IN D E S P E R A T E N E E D
O U R FU T U R E D E P E N D S O N IT T A T E N D A '
t o
AIDS Memorial Quilt
panels will be displayed
at PCC Rock Creek on
April 15
h u p
MAIL
iu p p o u t
YOUR
t h is
TICKET
c r a s s r o o t s
REQUESTS
OR
EFFORT p l e a s e
D O N ATIO N S
TO
O UR HOUSE OF PO R TLAN D
- A F R IC A AID S RESPO NSE
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