Vacation beckons, so in lieu of our typical Friday post, we instead leave you with a rundown of events centered around Foster’s Second Saturday Art Walk, NWIPA’s Fourth Anniversary Celebration, and Portland Mercado’s Taste of Latinoamerica. (There’s more happening, we’re sure, but a long weekend awaits us so we’re narrowing our focus a bit.)

There is something to be had by everyone this Saturday, whether it be imbibing in the arts, culture, food and drink, or all of the above.

I guess summer fun isn’t over, after all.

Second Saturday Foster Art Walk



To be honest, we weren’t so sure that Second Saturdays on Foster would gain enough traction to last through summer. Indeed, it has! And not only has it stuck around, but we’ve seen it grow from three venues—Latchkey Gallery, Flat Blak and Backstory Books—to more than a half dozen depending on the month. (We have 8 venues for September.) After the initial art walk last spring, Green Noise Records has joined in the fun; Po Boy Art and Framing has opened in the Day Theater and joined ranks, too; Bar Carlo has timed their art openings with the event; Wild at Heart Salon usually has a display of art work; BenWill Gallery has opened his doors on occasion; NWIPA is always well-curated; assorted other business sometimes participate; and it appears Darling Press Studio at Foster Row will soon be joining, too.

We can probably call it a thing now, and you should definitely support and help it grow.

This Saturday will certainly be worth the trek along the strip. Here’s a quick rundown of what we know (in no particular order) about this month’s art walk (though, we encourage you to explore a bit on your own in case we’ve missed something):

Flat Blak Gallery: Australian artist, Matt Scott, will be featured at Flat Blak. Scott’s stencil and spraypaint work is all on multi-layered plywood, which gives a semi-three dimensional look. His work has been featured in film, on Nickelodeon, and various DJ sets. (4-8 pm)

Po Boy Art and Framing: September’s Second Saturday brings the work of David Welker to Po Boy’s Day Theater location. Welker may be best known for his artwork featured on a 1993 Phish album cover, which was voted as “One of the Most Iconic Album Covers Of All Time.” Welker’s work spans from murals to poster art, touching on fantasy landscapes and urban realism. There will be other artists and vendors outside the Day Theater, as well as DJ Joel Barber spinning for the masses. (5-9 pm)

Green Noise Records: The Los Angeles Punk Rock scene of the early 1980’s come to life in Vincent Ramirez’s photography, which will be on display at the mostly-punk and metal record store. The Los Angeles Punk Photo Exhibit will be accompanied by a live musical performance from Sloppy Kisses. (6-8 pm)

Latchkey Gallery: Assorted works of paintings, prints, sculpture and ceramics are typically on display at Latchkey. Some of the artists you might see? Cortney Erksine, Meg McHutchison, JC Schlefter, and more.

Backstory Books: Davey Cadaver will have his work on display at the used bookstore and yarn shop. Cadaver’s illustrations are featured in the popular book, Coffee Monsters, which also happens to be sold at the shop. (4-8 pm)

Outlier Gallery: We don’t know where the mobile gallery (OG) will be parked, but the featured work of Alison Dougherty will definitely be worth checking out.

Bar Carlo: The work of Jadene Mayla is currently on display, or so we think. Her art is based on ancient Egyptian principles of physics. If not, still go have a drink and buy a record.

Wild at Heart Salon: The work of Delaney Renee will be on display at Wild at Heart, which celebrates feminism and the body. Stop in while you visit neighboring Latchkey, Flat Blak and Backstory Books. (4-8 pm)

Fourth Anniversary Celebration at NWIPA

It’s hard to believe NWIPA has called Foster home for four years. We’ve seen many celebrations at the bottle shop, whether tastings, tap takeovers or pop-up food events, but nothing quite takes the cake like their anniversary parties. We can only imagine what their fourth go-around will be like.

Here’s what we do know: Beer, food and music. More specifically, celebrate from noon to midnight with commemorative glassware, $4 pours ($2 half-pours) all night, new NDUBS t-shirts, several new collaboration IPAs, food from Chicken and Guns (from 4-9 pm) and live music by Fuzz Gun (from 8-10 pm). Sounds like a good way to begin and end your Foster art walking.

Taste of Latinoamerica at Portland Mercado

The second annual Taste of Latinoamerica is a celebration of Latin food and culture. And though it might be hard to imagine the Portland Mercado being even more festive than it already is, it will. Oh, it will. Imagine even more food vendors–25!– from Mexico, Central and South America, and the Caribbean Islands; live music (bands and DJs); dancing; art; and kids’ activities. Now imagine a warm September afternoon, a family-friendly and diverse community, and you have all the makings of a beautiful and festive day. (Noon until 8 pm)

And if the day weren’t festive enough already….

Enjoy!

* We acknowledge that more events may be happening this weekend, and perhaps there are more Second Saturday venues we forgot. Get out and explore, and feel free to share what we missed in our comments section.