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Anything is Anything: Art by Barry Johnson in Tacoma
Seattle-based artist Barry Johnson’s amazing multimedia portraits recently accompanied poetry by Robert Lashley online at Cascadia Magazine. Johnson has a new solo show of his work, “Anything is Anything,” at Tacoma’s Alma Mater, opening on September 1 and running through the month.
“Anything Is Anything” features paintings, installations, sculptures and mixed-media work. This entire new body of work was created in 2019 and is focused on identity and the Black experience in the U.S. The portraits were created entirely with house paint and reflect the current political situation, from police brutality to social injustice.
To see Johnson’s artwork and read Robert Lashley’s poem “OG Bird Rescue Man,” visit Cascadia Magazine here.
RSVP for a gallery reception at Alma Mater on September 19 here.
Watch Daniel’s Mesec’s short video produced for Cascadia Magazine on the destruction timber companies are inflicting on the old-growth inland rainforests of northern British Columbia. Then read the full feature online here.
Middle-class gangs on the rise in British Columbia
CBC’s Laura Kane and Amy Smart give us insight into the blurred and varied reasons that middle and upper-class youth are joining gangs in Surrey and the broader region of BC, and efforts such as the Yo Boy Yo Girl Initiative designed to prevent it. Compared to familiar stories of poverty and marginalization, experts and police are finding that this unlikely wave of gangsters in BC are motivated by a desire for connection and inclusion. In a connected CBC story, a woman shares the story of her cousin, who was killed in 2014 after being caught in the crossfire of gang violence. The Vancouver Sun lists BC’s gangs by the numbers. And OPB’s Jonathan Levinson fins some optimism in Oregon, sitting down with a Portland man who is trying to end the cycle of violence and gang life he grew up in.
Portland’s Rohingya refugees
OPB’s Arya Surowidjojo spotlights the testimonies of Rohingya refugees in Southeast Portland that detail the brutal oppression in Myanmar they have escaped. These Rohingya refugees are now uneasily starting their new lives in the hope of seeing their loved ones who are either still trapped in Myanmar or have fled to neighboring Bangladesh. In related news, Idaho Statesman reports on the long journey for a refugee from the Democratic Republic of Congo to get refugee/asylum status in Boise after the Trump administration changed rules. Idaho is home to 16,000 refugees, but arrivals have plummeted since 2017.
Infiltrating the right-wing group Patriot Prayer
Portland Mercury’s Alex Zielinksi has a fascinating feature about a man who’s spent two years undercover with the far-right group Patriot Prayer in Vancouver, WA to document their inner workings. His identity will become public in a few weeks as his video footage on the Cider Riot will be used in the courts as criminal evidence against the group’s leader, Joey Gibson, and five other members. “I’m a big, beardy white guy from Vancouver—I blend in. I was cashing in on my privilege,” said the man, who goes by the alias ‘Ben’ in the article.
Should kids get to vote? A Vancouver effort says yes.
Travis Lupick at the Georgia Straight looks at a campaign, “18 to 8,” that would give kids in Canada the right to vote. Pushed by the Vancouver-based David Suzuki Foundation, The not-quite-serious campaign is designed to draw attention to the issue of climate change–and the fact that by the time these children are legal age to vote, action on climate may be to late.
Seattle’s LGBTQ community embracing “stick & poke” tattoos
Agueda Pacheco Flores at Crosscut profiles the rise of traditional “stick and poke” tattoo shops in Seattle. The traditional method that uses no machines and is slower and more intimate is finding a revival in the LGBTQ community and is finding more popularity for its inclusive, not-so-intimidating culture.
Fiction by BC writer Melisa Gregorio
Ricepaper Magazine shares “Coconut Buns,” a short story by Melisa Gregorio, who lives in Port Coquitlam, BC. Motherhood and childhood intersect in superstitions, unreliable lines on pregnancy tests, and baked goods. Gregorio is a daughter of first generation immigrants and her writing focuses on strong Filipina characters. “Tala was pregnant, but then she was not. Three times this happened.” Read here for the full story.
Thanks for reading today’s selection of news, arts, and culture from across the Pacific Northwest. Today’s newsletter was curated by Eun Hye Kim. We’ll see you tomorrow!
Photo credits: screenshot from Clear Cut: BC’s Inland Rainforest by Daniel Mesec