As we head toward the end of the year — and a big transition for "State of Wonder" — we’ve sorted a few key stories about where we’ve been and what we’ve done.
"Experience helps you push forward when the unexpected happens. Being a good stand-up is being a good listener." Caitlin Weierhauser.
Gabriel Michael / Courtesy of Caitlin Weierhauser
Caitlin Weierhauser Levels Up - 02:12
That time in 2018 when comedian Caitlin Weierhauser gave us a master class in telling a story with difficult overtones and bringing the audience along for the journey. We also discussed Hannah Gadsby's bombshell Netflix special "Nanette," in which Gadsby delivered a searing critique of comedy's relationship with trauma. Weierhaeuser, voted Portland's Funniest Person in 2017, has been in LA for the past year. They've got thoughts on the seismic waves "Nanette" sent through the comedy community and how it changed their own writing.
The Multnomah Arts Center is one of several public facilities where Portlanders get a hands-on experience of creating.
April Baer / OPB
What’s Happening to Portland’s Creative Spaces? - 15:51
In January 2018, the Portland City Council adopted a 24-part plan of action to improve and preserve the city's creative spaces. For some time, local artists have been calling for a comprehensive plan like this, citing rising rents and the unceasing tide of gentrification. A year later, we're running an informal accountability check on the program. What's been accomplished so far? And what areas still need attention? We break down the checklist point-by-point, from zoning laws to art pods to street parking for bands. Ready for a longer read about the deliverables, plus some feedback from City Commissioner and Arts Liaison Chloe Eudaly? Right here.
Karina Goicochea (left) and Jacquelyn Rostel (right) at DIY Bar n Portland, where cocktails and craft beer are served side by side with macrame projects and metalwork.
April Baer / OPB
A Brief History Of Craft, and a Eulogy For OCAC - 25:56
This spring, Oregon College of Art and Craft celebrated its final commencement. Oregon's art and industries have been shaped by OCAC in a thousand ways. We're taking some time this week to trace back the history of how craft came to occupy its place in the modern world — from medieval guilds to the Bauhaus to the maker meccas of the present day — as well as the pressures bringing the craft community to a crossroads. We also hear four voices from OCAC's past: contemporary artists Fernanda D'Agostino, Horatio Hung-Yan Law, Roberta Lavadour and Kristin Mitsu Shiga. Here's the information we promised you on Christine Clark and Mary Clark's Ninety Twenty Studios. Other places we're finding OCAC DNA: Yucca Valley Material Lab, whose co-founders include former OCAC faculty Heidi Schwegler. Portland State University and Pacific Northwest College of Art both absorbed students and some studio equipment.
Music Heard On 'State Of Wonder'
A Spotify playlist to share all the music we feature on our show and anything else that inspires us while we’re making it.