Straight Out of Brooklyn: Disjecta's Arty Party for Portland2010

Monday, 15 March 2010 12:12 | Written by Byron

LAST EXIT TO KENTON: There are plenty of nice folks who will disagree with me, but it seems like each day the North Portland neighborhood of Kenton is morphing into the West Coast equivalent of an area in Brooklyn, New York called Willamsburg.

A former cattle run between downtown Portland and the stockyards, Kenton could now easily be identified in the same way Williamsburg finds itself identified on its Wikipedia page: "a magnet for young people moving to the city...and an influential hub for indie rock and so-called "hipster" culture."

So much for cows.

And Kenton, just like Williamsburg, is ground zero to a thriving arts community, but instead of hanging out on Bedford Avenue, in Kenton it's all about Denver Avenue.

The local coffee shop, Posies, is where you might find M. Ward, who stops in for jam (and biscuit) sessions. And Multnomah County's just opened Kenton Library has far more in common with Jackpot Records and Videorama than it will ever have with Powells Books.

Then there is Disjecta, just a few feet away from Denver Avenue and a giant Paul Bunyan statue, known as much for its parties as its arty installations.

On Saturday night this art space unveiled its contribution to "PORTLAND2010: A Biennial of Contemporary Art." A citywide art celebration curated by Chris Moss, Disjecta is currently housing the work of some of Oregon's best artists including Sean Healy, David Corbett, Crystal Schenk, Shelby Davis, Bruce Conkle and Marne Lucas.

And like most Disjecta events, the opening night party attracted major players from the local art scene as well as those who critique it too. It also gave party-goers a chance to check out Disjecta's studio spaces, which is home to the likes of Eduardo Fernandez who was just been hired to paint the official portrait of Gov. Ted Kulongoski.

Like I said, Kenton is too cool for school.

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