I slunk into the Theater at Russell Hall at 7:31, just in time to take stock of the opening tableau: country music, a large man in a Stetson and overalls. When the first character opened his mouth, affecting a Southwestern accent, it became apparent: I was watching a play about poor white people.
Tim Hoffman is a Portland comedian. He joins 4 other comics for a comedy show on October 23rd at USM. The Free Press chatted with Tim to learn about his connection to comedy and how it works as a Portlander. Free Press: Tim, what's your story? Tim Hoffman: Well, most of my jokes are influenced by parties, life, I joke a lot about food, monsters and ghosts.
The USM Art Gallery in Gorham is displaying a collection of molas, reverse appliquéd fabric panels worn on the blouses of Kuna women. The Kuna are an indigenous people from Panama and Columbia. A mola, which means "shirt" or "clothing", is an intricately produced textile made up of many layers and colors and is a prominent form of artistic expression for Kuna people, as well as an economic asset.
Last week, Ryland Cook spent ten days in St. Louis as an intern for USM art professor Micheal Shaugnessy. Shaugnessy was the artist chosen as the inaugural solo show at a gallery and artist workspace called The Craft Alliance. Cook, a recent USM grad kept a day-by-day journal for the Free Press to chart the daily progress of building and installing the sculpture show.
The first time I ever made dough it was a goopy sticky mess that ended up baking up like a brick. The anticipated soul satisfying experience eluded me that time, yet I was drawn to the process, due in part to the unique flour bin, under the counter like a secret compartment, in the pantry of our apartment.
In this day and age, it is becoming more and more difficult to find artists and bands that have an inherent sense of honesty in their music. For a while now, Pete Kilpatrick has been at it solo, and along with a revolving-door team of Portland's finest, he has been delivering the honesty I speak of.
