PDX Parent March 2021 by PDX Parent

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When can kids get the shot? pg. 10

Start your SUMMER CAMPS search, pg. 22

for the long days and short years

• Painter & Dad Jeremy Okai Davis • Family-friendly Performances • Art Around Town PDXPARENT.COM

PORTLAND | VANCOUVER | MARCH 2021

contents

MIKE BENNETT

FEATURES

SPECIAL SECTION: THE ARTS

DEPARTMENTS

The Shot Clock...........................10 Local doctors answer your questions about the COVID-19 vaccine and kids. Plus, info on when the shot will be approved for children. By Stephanie Gehring.

Artist Profile: Jeremy Okai Davis................................... 16

Editor’s Note.........................................................................4

PDX Parent Picks.................... 12 Health & Wellness

Get the scoop on Mike Bennett’s latest wooden

PDX Parent Picks...................22 Arts & Entertainment

Find out about the work of this local father and painter. By Stephanie Gehring.

Making Art at Home......................................................................... 16 Where to go to get your little artist stocked up.

Keep Portland Full of Art...........................................................17 cutout menagerie.

Art Strolls........................................................................................................17 Portland is home to so many wonderful murals — check out some of these works by BIPOC artists.

Shows to Go............................................................................................... 18 From concerts to plays, the creative, at-home, kid-oriented offerings from our local performing arts companies. By Miranda Rake.

Play Room............................................................................... 6 A nonprofit that connects foster kids to local artists, new music from Pointed Man Band and how to support a sad eighth-grader. Kids Can Cook…............................................................... 24 Teaching kids to safely use a knife opens up a whole new world of cooking to them. Family Supper................................................................26 Grabbing a sweet snack from two new doughnut shops: HeyDay and Fills. By Denise Castañon. RESOURCES Summer Camps...................................................... 22-27

* cover stories pdxparent.com

March 2021

for the long days and short years

n our city, art is not confined to the walls of the wonderful Portland Art Museum or the galleries in the Pearl. It spills out into our neighborhoods in professional murals and homemade art installations. Local artists even have given sidewalk trash cans a facelift with paint. (See page 6 to find those trash cans.) This month we’re celebrating the arts in our city, starting with a profile of artist and father Jeremy Okai Davis on page 16. (Guess what? He’s a PDX Parent reader, too!) And be sure to check out his favorite murals, on page 17. We’re not just talking about visual arts, either. Once upon a time in Portland, you could expose your kids to all sorts of live Ernesto Maranje and youth from performances, from p:ear painted classical music to this proud ballet to theater. The tiger called The Guardian at pandemic has been 81 SE Yamhill St. especially rough on NANCY MINOUI all of our local performing arts companies. But with support from the community, they are hanging in there. In fact, they’re finding a way to deliver fresh content for families at home (page 18). Also in this issue, we cover a topic that will hopefully mean we’ll eventually get back to seeing live shows again: the COVID-19 vaccines. Stephanie Gehring asked local pediatric health experts when we can expect the immunizations to be approved for kids, and many more questions that you probably have as parents, on page 10. It’s been a year since schools shut down. Back then, we could not have imagined what our lives would be like a year later. But we’ve got creativity in our DNA in Portland, and that’s going to help us create a world that’s not just normal, but more beautiful than the one that stopped in March of 2020.

What’s your favorite mural in PDX?

“

Jeez ... there are

My all-time favorite is the

Art Fills the Void mural on

cover and throughout the issue! Devine is now based in New York, but you can see her work at lizdevine.com. (And if you are a fan of the show PEN15, do yourself a favor and scroll through her Instagram @liz_devine. Trust us.) 4

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Editor Denise Castañon, 503-922-0893 denise.castanon@pdxparent.com Art Director

and Division Street. Mainly

Susan Bard

because I have photos throughout the years of my girls in front of that mural.

Web Director Michelle Carew, 503-914-6151 michelle.carew@pdxparent.com Eastside Account Executive Lauren Wylie, 503-331-8184 lauren.wylie@pdxparent.com Westside Account Executive Jill Weisensee, 503-309-8272

ROSE CAUDILLO

It’s hard to pick just one, but Chris Haberman’s

jill.weisensee@pdxparent.com Newsletter and Calendar Editor Melissa Light melissa.light@pdxparent.com

mural on Southeast Hawthorne Boulevard and 50th Avenue is a favorite.

Finance Manager Christie Kline, 503-810-9817 christie.kline@pdxparent.com President

We like the Botjoy murals — there’s one at Southeast 12th Avenue and Stark Street.

Jill Weisensee jill.weisensee@pdxparent.com For distribution issues, e-mail us at distribution@pdxparent.com For calendar submissions, e-mail us at calendar@pdxparent.com

PDX Parent is published monthly (except July) by Northwest Parent, LLC., and is copyright 2021 Northwest Parent, LLC. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. PDX Parent is distributed free

The Southern Pacific

of charge throughout the Portland, OR / Vancouver, WA metropolitan area.

4449 on North Mississippi

PDX Parent reserves the right to refuse

Avenue. Fond memories

advertising for any reason. Distribution

”

train-loving boy!

Davis and his beautiful family on our

publisher@pdxparent.com

Southeast 12th Avenue

by with our

fantastic shots of artist Jeremy Okai

Phone: 503-460-2774

so many good ones.

every time we drove

Liz Devine for letting us use her

Portland, OR 97213-0660

Publisher

of yelling “Hi 4449!”

On our cover: Thanks to photographer

PDX Parent P.O. Box 13660

Rose Caudillo, 503-460-2774

MICHELLE CAREW

e d i t o r ’ s n ot e

Art Fills the Void

of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the products or services advertised herein. PDX Parent does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, disability, gender, gender expression, sex or sexual orientation. Although every effort is taken to ensure the accuracy of published material, Northwest Parent, LLC., and its agents and employees cannot be held responsible for the use or misuse of any information contained herein. The contents of PDX Parent and its website are for informational purposes only and are not intended to be a substitute for professional advice or treatment.

Hardware building located at 406 NW 16th Ave.; and murals at

endeavors when the COVID lockdown started: Art soothes

the Sunset Swim Park in Beaverton, which were all created by

the soul. But this philosophy is nothing new to those at Color

local BIPOC artists along with the Black Student Union.

Outside the Lines, a nonprofit that aims to empower and

This spring and summer the organization plans to start

inspire foster and at-risk youth by providing opportunities

outdoor, socially distanced mural projects with three Native

to create and explore through art, music or movement. The

artists and Native youth, and three more murals on Portland’s

nonprofit believes that art can transform lives and improve

east side. But right now, Color Outside the Lines could use

mental health, so in the “before times” they’d pair kids

monetary donations to get art kits to kids in need of support

with artists to paint murals around the metro area. Just a

at home and to produce online art classes for foster kids.

few include 24 mini-murals at Southeast 11th Avenue and

Find out more and donate at coloroutsidelines.org.

Burnside Street; a collaboration with David Rice on the Chown

— Denise Castañon

Good Deeds:

COLOR OUTSIDE THE LINES

p l ay r o o m

There’s a good reason so many of us turned to creative

The Healing Power

Art

Unexpected Places TOP 5 ... to Find Art ➊ Making a trek to the Robot Alley off of North

Skidmore Street between Borthwick and Kerby is worth it even if you don’t live in the neighborhood. Some of the interactive bits are automatic and some are manned by artist and film editor Robert B. Fortney, who will banter with or pop out to surprise visitors if he is around and spots you on the camera.

➋ We love

stumbling upon the tiny bronze Division Street by artists and parents Crystal Schenk and

divisionstreetsculptures.com.

➌

Shelby Davis. More info at

RATHER SEVERE

DENISE CASTAÑON

statues along Southeast

Take a second look at the trash receptacles dotting Southeast Woodstock

Boulevard and you’ll notice they’ve been vibrantly painted by the local duo Rather Severe. Rather-severe.com/#/woodstock-street-trashcans.

➍ Lake Oswego’s Gallery Without Walls features 90 permanent and loaned sculptures all around the downtown area. Get a ➎ Stroll by the fanciful wall of portraits along a fence on

map for the walking tour here: artscouncillo.org/gallery-without-walls/tour. North Tyler Street between Willamette and Edison in St. Johns. — D.C.

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We Recommend:

Ask Dr. Doug

Cozy, Stylish & Sustainable

: As this pandemic drags on, I am getting worried about

Wrap your baby in an heirloom-quality, organic cotton quilt without having to sew a stitch. Portland-based Kindred Kid

& Baby offers a beautiful, plant-dyed, fair-trade quilt that will look stunning in any nursery. “I wanted to make a quilt with plantbased dyes because

says Kindred Kid & Baby founder and local mom Hope Lobkowicz. “Plant-based dyes eliminate many of the harmful chemicals that come with regular dye; plus, it’s just cool to be KINDRED BABY KID

Earth gave us to make beautiful and long-lasting textiles — it’s part function, part sustainability, part art.” $98. Find the Natural Indigo Baby Quilt at kindredkidandbaby.com. — D.C.

Playlist:

Optimist’s Club Local kindie legend Pointed Man Band has delivered a new four-track EP of songs called Dreams that’s sure to put a spring in your step. The first track, Winter & Co., is a joyful cacophony of piano, horns, drums, synth and tambourines that will shake you out of your winter hibernation. The EP’s songs rush out urgently one after each other — and deliver Pointed Man Band’s signature musical style that’s grown-ups as it is for kids. Every track is wonderful, but I especially appreciated how Unsung celebrates the simple, everyday pleasures of this world. It’s enough to make anyone feel optimistic right now and in days to come. — D.C.

tremendously difficult for me to watch kids struggle this year, and often for preventable reasons. Personally, I think we need to get kids back in school, all grades. It is taking far too great a toll on their emotional and physical health. It is the silent pandemic we are going to be dealing with for far longer than we think. First, go easy on yourself. Be open about your Got a question for feelings with your son. It’s OK to admit we as parents Dr. Doug? Send it to are struggling, too. Model your resilience, and AsktheDr@pdxparent.com. problem-solve steps you can take right now to get moving in a better direction. It’s OK to be lenient with the video games — it’s the primary stress release (and sometimes source of connection) for many kids right now. Lay the groundwork that there will be more structure and weaning down as things return to normal. Be rigid about sleep. Teens still need a consistent sleep routine, a reasonable bedtime and electronics limited before bed. Pick this battle. A 13-year-old should be getting eight to 10 hours of sleep. Try and get him moving daily — even if it’s just a walk around the block. Be alert for signs of a bigger mental health issue such as depression or an eating disorder. Red flags to watch for include a dramatic change in academics; worsening anger, irritability or personality changes; change in appetite; and losing interest in things he usually enjoys. Don’t downplay what he says as “being dramatic” — it could be a real cry for help. Please take any talk of self-harm or “endings” seriously. Suicide is the second-leading cause of death for teens after accidents. If your teen is in danger or you are worried, call 911 or take them to the nearest ER. Safety planning is important for any teen with thoughts of suicide, including making sure guns are locked away and separate from ammunition. Remember prescription drugs like Xanax are the most abused substance by teens after marijuana and alcohol. Last, please don’t be shy about seeking help. I have helped more kids with depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts and eating disorders in the past year than I have in my entire career. Their suffering is real. You are not alone as a parent, and they are not alone as a teen. Reaching out is a sign of strength, not weakness. Stay well, friends — we will get through this.

Dr. Doug Lincoln practices general pediatrics at Metropolitan Pediatrics in Happy Valley. He is board-certified in both pediatrics and preventive medicine, with special interests in helping parents meet their breastfeeding goals, caring for neurodiverse children with behavioral health needs, and advocating for children via teaching and policy. As a dad of two boys, he understands the joy and hard work that comes with parenting. Find out more about Dr. Doug and Metropolitan Pediatrics at metropediatrics.com.

pdxparent.com

DR. DOUG

way to create color,”

just as enjoyable for

: I hear you — I think we are all feeling that wall. It has been

it’s such a beautiful

able to use what the

my eighth-grader. He’s doing well in school, but I can’t get him very motivated about it. All he wants to do is play video games. He seems sadder at times. How can I best support him?

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2021

Coming April 2021 8

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March 2021

The Shot Cloc As the COVID-19 vaccines continue to roll out, doctors answer your questions on safety and when your children will be able to get a shot. BY STEPHANIE GEHRING

hen I heard a COVID-19 vaccine was approved, I had a .3-second fantasy of traipsing to the pharmacy with my family to get the Shot That Will Make Everything Better. Then I remembered about supply chains. But even once the immunization becomes available to the general population, children will need to keep waiting. As of press time, the two vaccines approved in the U.S. by Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) are the Moderna vaccine (18 and above), and the Pfizer/BioNtech vaccine (16 and above).

The approved vaccines are mRNA vaccines. While they have never been used before, Little notes that “this is technology people have been working on for easily 10 to 15 years.”

When will there be a COVID-19 vaccine for kids?

Dr. Anthony Fauci, chief medical advisor to the president, estimates that the proportion of Americans who need immunity in order to stop the spread of the virus is somewhere between 70% and 90%. This doesn’t leave room for a lot of people to refuse the vaccine. And as Ryan Hassan, M.D., a pediatrician with Clackamas & Oregon Pediatrics, points out, the COVID-19 vaccines are the first immunizations that have ever had an anti-vaccination movement in place before they even existed. He thinks the solution is for public health professionals to disseminate “accurate, understandable information so people can easily understand this vaccine is safe, and feel comfortable getting it.”

Pfizer/BioNtech started tests for those aged 12 and up in October 2020, and Moderna started in December. Trials seem to be taking about four to six months. Once one age group has been cleared as safe, the tests will drop to a lower age. Malaika Little, M.D., MPH, pediatric infectious disease specialist and director of Randall Children’s Hospitalist Team, is hopeful kid-approved vaccines will be available in Oregon sometime in 2021. (See What We Know About Timelines on page 11 for more details.) Jay Rosenbloom, M.D., Ph.D., F.A.A.P., a pediatrician with Pediatric Associates of the Northwest, says the exact timing for kid vaccine tests is hard to predict. “Children” make up many groups, all of which need to be tested separately. Testing has to determine safety and effectiveness as well as dosage and protocol. Some vaccines, like HPV, require two shots for those under 15, and three for those over. Other vaccines, like the diphtheria/tetanus/pertussis bundle, require a higher dosage for effectiveness in infants than for adults. Studies need to determine the dosage, number of doses, and how far to space them apart.

Will it be safe to vaccinate my child? “It is no small matter to inject something into well children,” Rosenbloom says. “If there are risks and side effects, we need to know what those are.” What gives doctors confidence that testing is adequate in spite of the fast-tracking of these vaccines? “This timeline has been so much faster than we’ve seen with other vaccines, partly because we have so much disease out there,” Little says. Meaning COVID-19 is so rampant that the needed level of exposure for testing can be achieved in months rather than years.

Will enough people in Oregon get vaccinated to achieve herd immunity? Most doctors are optimistic about people’s general willingness to trust the vaccine. They are convinced it is safe, and hopeful that people in Oregon can be convinced, too.

“I feel really lucky that I’ve spent my whole career with the people who are working on this and they are tireless, and this is happening all over the world — vaccinations are coming out of first, primary good intent,” Little says. “There’s no drug company scam, no ulterior motive.”

What can we do while we’re waiting? One of the best things you can do to keep your children safe is to make sure all their other vaccinations are up to date. It’s true that children tend to have less-severe cases of COVID-19 than adults, Little says. “But I can tell you there are still kids getting really sick. Core childhood vaccines are probably more important now than ever before, because dual diagnoses and comorbidities are a huge risk,” she adds. Dr. Little encourages us to think about this from a general public health perspective. “Keep washing your hands; keep wearing your mask,” she says. “We’ve seen other countries make a big difference in flattening their curves through public health measures. Behavior

Stephanie Gehring spends her days trying to guess how her 4-year-old will next attempt to smuggle water out of the bathroom, being astonished by the range of tongue-clicking noises her 1-year-old can imitate, and arguing with her husband over what to plant in their tiny, full-shade vegetable garden. You can see her visual art, old samples of her writing, and an infrequently updated blog at stephaniegehring.com. 10

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ck is No. 1 for infection prevention. And the vaccine is an amazing tool we can use in the long term.” Explain this to your kids and empower them to be part of the solution. It has never changed my 4-year-old’s (or my 1-year-old’s) position on shots to tell her that the disease is worse than the shot. What has helped a little, though (with the 4-year-old), is the book The Brave Monkey Pirate. In it, young Modi is given a magic stone which, when squeezed very hard to the count of three, transports him into the future, when the shot is finished. Go out and find your kid a magic stone, and keep it in a safe place while you wait.

What We Know About Timelines The Oregon Health Authority did not respond to repeated requests for information on the rollout of the vaccine for kids (and we get it). According to the American Academy of Pediatrics at press time, Pfizer/ BioNtech’s trial for 12- to 15-year-olds is fully enrolled, and Pfizer may be able to seek authorization for that age group before the end of June. Moderna, Janssen and AstraZeneca are months or more behind Pfizer. According to an OHSU chart updated January 25: After Oregon opens the vaccine to those 65 and older, several high-risk groups will still need to be vaccinated before vaccines are made available to the general public. If Pfizer gets its vaccine authorized for 12- to 15-year-olds by late June and high-risk kids in that age group receive the vaccine in July, it seems optimistically possible that low-risk kids in that age group might start getting it around schooltime. The next-younger group will follow (if all goes well) about four to six months later.

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PD X

S CK

ENT P PAR I

2021 RS

’ CH OICE AW

winners of the 2021 PDX Parent Picks!

Here are our readers’ top choices in our Health & Wellness categories. Find the complete list of winners at pdxparent.com/picks-winners.

Health & Wellness

We’re excited to roll out the

ACCESSIBLE & INCLUSIVE RESOURCES Top 5 Hello Clinic Northwest Family Services Sensory Kids, LLC Therapy Solutions for Kids Tucker Arts Camp

Winner Albertina Kerr’s Children’s Developmental Health Services 424 NE 22nd Ave. General inquiries: 503-239-8101; children’s mental health services: 503-408-4705. Albertinakerr.org. The work of Albertina Kerr is to empower people experiencing intellectual and developmental disabilities, and mental health challenges, to help them lead self-determined lives. Its children’s mental health division helped more than 700 children and parents last year. And Albertina Kerr’s training program helps individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities learn valuable skills to gain ALBERTINA KERR

PEDIATRICIAN

DENTIST FOR KIDS

Top 5

Broadway Medical Clinic, LLP Metropolitan Pediatrics, LLC OHSU Doernbecher Pediatrics Clinic Pediatric Associates of the Northwest Sellwood Medical Clinic

Winner Clackamas & Oregon Pediatrics Locations in Portland, Clackamas, Tualatin, Happy Valley and Oregon City. Oregonpediatrics.com. Top-notch providers, several convenient locations, telehealth options and a drive-thru clinic propelled Clackamas & Oregon Pediatrics to the top spot in our poll this year. (And the practice’s strong social media callouts to vote in our poll probably helped, too!) Readers also love Clackamas & Oregon Pediatrics’ emphasis on mental well-being as well as physical health for children — and its fundraising efforts for the Oregon Food Bank.

employment.

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Behind the Smile Dentistry for Children Dr. Pike Dentistry for Children Hollywood Children’s Dentistry Sprout Pediatric Dentistry & Orthodontics World of Smiles Pediatric Dentistry

Winner Little Smiles Pediatric Dentistry 8708 SE 17th Ave., portlandslittlesmiles.com. Parents rave about Dr. Cynthia Pelley, and love that her team at Little Smiles Pediatric Dentistry make it their mission to help kids have a great experience visiting the dentist. Pro tip: The Little Smiles website has a bunch of helpful pages on preparing your child for their first trip to the dentist, sealants, brushing tips and much more.

pdxparent.com

March 2021

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pdxparent.com for parenting resource guides, articles and ideas on how to h ave fun with kids in the Pacific Northwest. pdxparent.com

March 2021

Artist Profile: THE ARTS

eremy Okai Davis is a Portland painter, partner to Brittany and dad of two boys, Runey (2) and Rhye (almost brand-new). He grew up in Charlotte, North Carolina, in a tight-knit family and describes his parents and siblings as his biggest cheerleaders, but moved here in 2007 for the artistic diversity. You may have seen him on OPB’s Oregon Art Beat, which highlighted his gallery shows The Presence of Color and Black Wood.

JEREMY OKAI DAVIS

When I look at your work on race, I feel invited in despite my privilege and ignorance as a white person. Is that on purpose? My own ignorance is on full display a lot of the time when it comes to the plight of African American people, so me looking down at anyone else would be counterproductive. I do have a Black father and my mom is from Liberia. But I didn’t learn a lot in school about African American history, and I didn’t see myself in history books, and we didn’t watch videos about people that look like me — it just seemed like everybody who did amazing things didn’t look like you. It would be crazy for me to point fingers when I have so much to learn about my culture. My work is not a lecture; we’re trying to have a conversation and figure it out together.

When you paint white skin, it’s not white at all — and Black skin isn’t black. They’re both all these patches of color. Is that mostly about realism and depicting how skin actually looks, or is it a statement about how absurd it is to call anyone “white” or “black”? When I developed this style and technique, I was thinking of digitized images and how pixels break down and create a range of colors up close. I was essentially painting pixels. I’ve always been a big fan of Chuck Close and his approach to portraiture. With other people’s art, I love getting really close to it and seeing what makes the image; the way I paint invites that investigation, but also stepping back and taking in what those small elements turn into. Those painted pixels and elements have now taken on new importance in showing how unified we all are in what makes us who we are.

When did you find out about Portland’s racial history? It was gradual — around 2013 I met Intisar Abioto, who was doing a project called Black Portlanders. And in 2009 someone told me about the Vanport flood. I’m not making work necessarily about Portland. But the cultural climate, the previous president, the killings of unarmed Black people — when Trump was elected, I started making art about being a Black man.

MAKING ART AT

HOME

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Whether your kids are full-on da Vincis or just fingerpainting dabblers, you’ll find just the right supplies at these local arts and crafts stores.

BY STEPHANIE GEHRING

LIZ DEVINE

How has becoming a dad changed how you work?

Once Runey got old enough and I was able to get back into the studio and work, the act of painting didn’t change a ton; the content more so — it coincided with everything going on in the world and I think I was a little more affected by having a young son to raise. I want to make sure the work he’s seeing represents him. In my work and in things I show him. The second one — Rhye — we’re pretty fresh in. I haven’t figured out how that’s going to change my studio practice other than that it’s getting harder to get into the studio for a little while.

Is there anything you want to say to parents in Portland? I think one of the greatest gifts a parent can give to their kid is to show them different cultures, and I think art is one of the best vehicles for showing off culture. Take your kids to art galleries. I’m a new parent, so for me to be preachy about it would be crazy. But I wish I had been exposed to that when I was younger. African Americans are in the minority in Portland, but there are a lot of Black and Brown artists making incredible stuff, and it’s not hard to find.

Artist & Craftsman Supply (locations in North Portland and Southeast): artistcraftsman.com Blick Art Materials: dickblick.com

Collage: collagepdx.com I’ve Been Framed: ivebeenframedpdx.com

Keep Portland Full of Art

FIELD TRIP: ART STROLLS

solar system. And he’s got an exciting new display due to launch on April 20, exactly one year after his first animal entry in A to Zoo. “This time around, I’m tackling my most requested subject matter ever — sea life!” says Bennett. “This colorful menagerie will have everything from whales to fish to sharks — all the way to some super-unexpected creatures!” And Bennett is going to make his new display even more interactive. “I’ll have surprise musical guests, animal appearances and a postcard station where you can write to your family or friends and I’ll stamp it/mail it for you,” he says. “Plenty of other surprises are in store!” — D.C.

MIKE BENNETT

Eatcho also paired up with Jeremy Nichols for a grand, sweeping mural, titled A Voice to Be Thankful For, on the Black United Fund Building on Northeast Alberta Street. Inspirational Black women — Coretta Scott King, Ruby Bridges, Ruby Dee, Angela Davis and Maya Angelou — appear in the work.

Take a tour of these mural picks from Jeremy Okai Davis; all were created by artists of color.

In late 2020, several BIPOC artists joined together to paint a mural on the side of the Micro Enterprise Services of Oregon building (MESO) at Northeast Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Shaver Street celebrating Black businesses past, present and future.

PUBLIC ART

From fine arts to crafts to murals, Portland has it all. One genre we especially have an abundance of is ... the quirky arts. Artist Mike Bennett’s wooden, cartoon-style menageries that have brought so much joy to families during the pandemic definitely fall into this category. Early in the pandemic, he started filling his lawn with pop icons he’d painted on wood cutouts to bring smiles to families on walks. (Bennett MIKE BENNETT says at least two kids have said their first words while looking at his displays!) Unfortunately, most of the cutouts were stolen, so he embarked on creating A to Zoo, a fun and educational evolving display of animals that also included a 60-second behind-the-scenes video with each entry. He’s gone on to tackle bugs, dinosaurs, folklore, extinct animals, cold creatures and the

REGIONAL ARTS & CULTURE COUNCIL

The two Alberta Commons murals on the corner of Northeast Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Alberta Street (on the side of Natural Grocers) were painted by Portland artists Mehran Heard (aka Eatcho) and Arvie Smith. Starting with the Vanport Flood of 1948, Smith’s Still We Rise tells the story of the upward struggle of the Albina neighborhood residents. Heard’s Until We Get There shows Portland past, present and future. Books abound in the mural — Heard’s way of saying knowledge makes you stronger. (And Davis is one of the faces in the mural!)

Artist Tristan “TK” Irving’s brightly colored portraits of notable Oregonians temporarily replaced the broken windows at the Oregon Historical Society (OHS) in downtown. The windows are back, but you still can see some of the portraits when walking by the museum. — D.C.

SCRAP Creative Reuse: portland. scrapcreativereuse.org

In need of art lessons, virtual or limited in-person? Check out these local options.

Spark Arts Center: sparkarts.com

Art World School: artworldschool.com

TRISTAN “TK” STERLING

One River School: oneriverschool.com

SunnyLove: sunnylovepdx.com

Spark Arts Center: sparkarts.com

Vibe of Portland: vibepdx.org

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March 2021

Shows to Go

Portland’s local performing arts companies have creatively pivoted to offer fun and educational shows for families at home. BY MIRANDA RAKE

PERFORMING ARTS

n times like these, keeping our kids inspired and entertained can feel like a really tall order. We’ve all had to get more than a little creative. But, thankfully, PDX parents don’t have to do all of the out-of-the-box brainstorming alone! Who better to turn to for a little help in fostering that creative spark than some of our city’s most beloved arts organizations? Many of the music and theater institutions that we usually rely on for kid-friendly plays and concerts have hustled to adapt to the new landscape that we live in now, with a host of exciting, educational and downright fun virtual offerings for local kids and families to look forward to this spring and summer. We might be home, but that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy and support the beautiful work being done by some of our city’s very best, most adventurous artists. From the silly to the seriously educational and everything in between, this colorful, imaginative lineup of online shows and series proves without a doubt that necessity is indeed the mother of invention.

Just a few weeks into 2020’s lockdown, NWCT launched How Do You Do?, a spunky, high-energy web series featuring how-to activities from DIY puppetmaking to dance tutorials. Season 1, which aired from April to August of 2020 (all of which is available on YouTube), is hosted by NWCT associate TALON BIGELOW artistic director John Ellingson. Now in its third season, the show has pivoted its format a bit. NWCT’s Talon Bigelow and his sidekick puppet Perry Winkle are hosting now. The show has evolved to have more of a variety-show vibe, with a focus on how various NWCT families are keeping busy at home as well as one-off tutorials and performances by NWCT staff, alumni and current performers. New episodes premiere every 18

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other week on Northwest Children’s Theater’s YouTube channel youtube.com/user/ NWChildrensTheater and Facebook page through the end of March. All three seasons can be found on YouTube and at nwcts.org.

NORTHWEST CHILDREN’S THEATER (NWCT)

OBT

Now in its 37th season, the Milagro Theatre has a lineup of very family-friendly plays created by its arts education team that are all available for free or at very low cost for local schools and community groups. All three plays celebrate the theme of mujeres bravas (brave women). Because they’re being offered virtually, they’re available simultaneously right now through at least June 2021. Blast Off! tells the story of Ellen Ochoa, the first Latina astronaut, and Ochoa herself gave Milagro an enthusiastic OK to present this inspiring biopic about women in science. Next up is Huínca, a play about Colombia’s indigenous Mapuche people and their ongoing struggles against deforestation and the corporations that perpetuate it. It was created in collaboration with Marilo Nuñez, a ChileanLISET PUENTES Canadian playwright. Last but not least is ¡Huelga!, which dramatizes the life story of Dolores Huerta, co-founder of United Farm Workers and a woman who devoted her life to fighting gender bias and racism. Access to these shows is not easily available to the general public, but they may be offered through your child’s school, or another group in your community. Consider reaching out to your PTA about virtually bringing these powerful, engaging, educational pieces into your school. Additionally, some free and “pay what you can” hosted virtual performances are in the process of being scheduled at small theaters around the state, and you can reach out directly to Milagros Artistic Director Dañel Malán (malan@milagro.org) for more information about dates and availability.

MILAGRO THEATRE

LISET PUENTES

Perfectly titled and so much fun, an offering of short, three- to four-minute videos called Dance Snacks are OBT’s solution to the fact that some of their youngest fans are stuck at home and more sedentary than ever. Designed with kids’ inherent need to wiggle in mind, these colorful, exuberant themed videos are based on Oregon Department of Education standards, and are specifically oriented toward kids ages 5 to 8. Their goal? Just to help kids remember to move their bodies, and get their breath and creative juices flowing. Easy-to-follow movements are led by OBT instructors and feature OBT dancers. Simple themes include: stillness, rhythm and strength. So far six of 18 planned videos have been released, with more to come in April. Go to OBTV.uscreen.io to subscribe.

OREGON BALLET THEATRE

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March 2021

METROPOLITAN YOUTH SYMPHONY

A shift to online performances has not slowed the flow of creative juices or beautiful music for the Metropolitan Youth Symphony (MYS). On March 13, tune in to the MYS’s virtual spring concert. The symphony will be playing world premiere pieces commissioned by the Youth Orchestra Commissioning Initiative (YOCI). A testament to both the brilliance and resilience of our city’s young musicians, the YOCI is a collaboration between the Metropolitan Youth Symphony, the Portland Youth Philharmonic (see more about their spring offerings below) and the New Jersey Youth Symphony. It was formed in response to COVID-19 specifically to create virtual performances of new compositions by women and people of color. The spring concert will include performances of work by Seare Farhat, MYS alum Katie Palka, jazz violinist Regina Carter, and Costa Rican singer-songwriter Bernardo Quesada. The week of April 19 brings another collaborative performance, this time with our neighbors at the Seattle Youth Symphony (SYS). Members of the SYS and MYS will come together virtually from iconic locations all over Portland and Seattle to perform Portland-based composer Kenji Bunch’s piece Groove Box. The performance will be followed by a Q&A with the composer. Best of all? Both of these performances are free to the public — MYS just asks that you register via its website before tuning in on its YouTube channel. Find out more at playmys.org.

PERFORMING ARTS

(MYS)

MYS

This spring, music lovers can look forward to two concerts from the budding virtuosos of the Portland Youth Philharmonic. Mark your calendars: PYP’s virtual winter concert will take place Saturday, April 10, at 7 pm, and their virtual spring concert will happen on Saturday, June 5, at 7 pm. Each concert will feature all of the organization’s ensembles performing new works created as part of their collaboration with other youth symphony orchestras via the Youth Orchestra Commissioning Initiative. Composers include Sakari Vanderveer, Tatev Amiryan, Gabriel A. Meneses, Rain Worthington, Erberk Eryılmaz, Oregon Symphony Principal Cellist Nancy Ives, Kevin Walczyk, Nicole Buetti, Alfonso Fuentes Colón and more. Both concerts are presented with a “pay what you can” fee structure, in light of the pandemic. Free tickets are also an option, but PYP asks that everyone fill out the registration form on its website portlandyouthphil.org/concerts-tickets to get live links to the concerts.

PORTLAND YOUTH PHILHARMONIC (PYP)

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BEV STANDISH

PORTLAND CENTER STAGE

Need a break from screen time? Portland Center Stage’s pandemic offerings this spring fall firmly into the all-too-rare arena of no screens, no problem — and thank goodness for that! As part of the nationwide “Play at Home” theater movement, Portland Center Stage commissioned four short plays that are intended to be read — or all-out performed! — at home. Two of the four plays are a great fit for families with kids, particularly those with kids in their early teens. Joy Frickin’ Hates Her Dumb Stupid Room by Sara Jean Accuardi is a hilarious romp starring a 13-year-old girl (stuck in her room), her hamster (stuck in his cage) and the soul of a 15th-century Dutch painter (stuck inside the hamster). PORTLAND CENTER STAGE A Wing and A Prayer by Josie Seid centers on four college-age women who get a surprise visit from their fairy godmother. Both scripts are available to download for free at pcs.org/play-athome. If performing a play in your living room isn’t quite your cup of tea, you can watch videos of other people reading the scripts there, too.

PORTLAND CENTER STAGE

Oregon Children’s Theatre has found a way to spark ingenuity and joy, not to mention a sense of connection, with its warm, exuberant monthly show Your Turn!, which is available on its YouTube channel. The show is hosted by movement artist Sydney Jackson and actor Kaleena Newman, both of whom specialize in working with kids. As the name suggests, each episode features local kids sharing the things that are keeping them happy and busy at home. Every month brings a different theme — one recent episode explored the idea of “doing things alone,” where hosts Sydney and Kaleena helped kids come up with ideas of things they can do when they want to — or have to — do things alone. Between the hosts and the local kids they feature, each program bounces happily among various artistic mediums, from music and movement to art and mindfulness, and is sure TRE THEA to bring a little brightness to kids of all ages. REN’’S CHILD

OREGON CHILDREN’S THEATRE

OREGON CHILDREN’’S THEATRE

OREG

OREGON CHILDREN’’S THEATRE

Miranda Rake is a Portland-based writer, editor and mom to Griffin, who is 3 years old and super-great. She has written about food, motherhood, cocktails, the history of wine advertising in the United States and just about everything in between. For a few years along the way, she owned and operated a (very) small-batch jam company. She’s passionate about all of the usual stuff like farmers markets and swimming in the warm sea.

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winners of the 2021 PDX Parent

Picks! Here are our readers’ top choices in our Arts & Entertainment categories. Find the complete list of winners at pdxparent.com/ picks-winners.

Arts & Entertainment 2021 R D A D

We’re excited to roll out the

W S’ C HOICE A

PERFORMING ARTS COMPANY

Top 5 Echo Theater Northwest Children’s Theater and School Oregon Ballet Theatre Oregon Symphony Portland Metro Arts

Winner

Oregon Children’s Theatre (OCT) Octc.org.

OWEN CAREY

ARTS & CRAFTS Top 5 Art World School Children’s Healing Art Project (CHAP)

The staff members at Oregon Children’s Theatre have had to use their vast amount of creativity to pivot during the pandemic. And Portland families appreciate it! OCT has offered virtual shows as well as a fun and educational YouTube series to keep kiddos entertained (see more on page 21). OCT also hosts engaging theater classes via Zoom that range from acting for movies to stand-up comedy.

Craft Factory One River School Portland Child Art Studio

Winner

SCRAP Creative Reuse (formerly SCRAP PDX) 1736 SW Alder St., portland.scrapcreativereuse.org SCRAP Creative Reuse, Portland’s beloved source for sustainable crafting, has spread to Michigan, Maryland and Virginia. We’re excited families across the country get to experience the eco-friendly one-two punch of saving reusable materials from landfills and scoring cheap odds and ends to create with. And be sure to check out SCRAP’s virtual workshops.

KINDIE MUSICIAN/PERFORMER Top 5 Mo Phillips Mr. Ben Music Olive & Dingo Productions

March 2021

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Rock N’ Roll Fairy

Winner Red Yarn Productions

Redyarnproductions.com.

If our kids could line up to go to a live concert right now, chances are they’d endure standing in the rain to see folk-rock great Red Yarn. His infectious positive energy and menagerie of puppet critters have been engaging Portland littles for years. Be sure to check out his twice-a-week, live-streaming show Ramblin’ With Red Yarn via his Facebook page, facebook.com/redyarn.

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Penny’s Puppet Productions

JASON QUIGLEY

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March 2021

kids can cook

KITCHEN SKILLS: Slicing, Chopping, Dicing | AGE: 6-7 and older

Any Way You Slice It Help your child learn the essential cooking skills of slicing and chopping with tips from the staff at Basics Market.

earning to use a knife is a big step in a child’s cooking journey. Chopping and dicing firm vegetables like onion and bell pepper requires a sharp knife and should come after a kid has practiced with softer fruits and vegetables. Start with cutting Play-Doh at age 1 or 2, progress to training knives and butter knives with banana and avocado, graduate to a paring knife to slice mushrooms and strawberries, and around 5 ½ introduce a kid-specific stainless steel chef’s knife. When it comes to introducing real knives, you know your child best — if they are still working to master impulse control and you think they may not be ready, stick with softer foods and butter knives until you feel more comfortable. This skill requires focus and coordination as well as some patience. It takes practice to get uniformly cut veggies, but the upside of starting with chopping veggies for chili is that they’ll be simmered until soft, so a slight variation in size won’t affect the end product.

MARC MCCULLAGH

White Turkey Chili Note: Great served with tortilla chips or cornbread! Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 1 hour

Ingredients 2 teaspoons olive oil 1 medium onion, chopped, about 2 cups (reserve ¼ cup for garnish)

BASICS MARKET

1 green bell pepper, chopped 4 cloves garlic finely chopped or 1 teaspoon garlic powder

Chopping Tips •W hen chopping onions, as well as other round foods, slice the onion in half from

root end to stem end so that you gain a flat

surface. Making a flat spot on the item makes it easier to balance and cut safely.

•B ell peppers can be diced easily by following these steps: Cut off the top and bottom, set

aside. Stand the pepper up on one of the cut

1 pound lean ground turkey 32 ounces (4 cups) chicken broth ½ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper 2 15-ounce cans Great Northern beans, low sodium, drained and rinsed 16 ounces (2 cups) salsa verde ½ cup cilantro leaves

Instructions

ends, then slice from top to bottom so that

1. I n a large pot over medium heat, sauté onions and bell pepper in olive oil until soft.

pepper lying flat on the cutting board, run

2. A dd chopped garlic and sauté for a few more minutes. Add ground turkey and cook until no pink remains.

you can open the pepper up flat. With the the knife around the inside to remove the inner veins and seed core.

•T o make garlic easier to peel, soak the

unpeeled cloves in hot water for 2 minutes.

Smash with the flat side of the knife and the

3. Add chicken broth, salt, pepper, beans and salsa verde. Simmer on medium-low heat for about an hour, until liquid reduces and chili slightly thickens. Top with fresh cilantro and chopped onion.

peel should easily come off, without sticking to your fingers.

March 2021

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Locally owned Basics Market is committed to nurturing strong, healthy communities through food. Find more info and lots of recipes at basicsmarket.com.

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March 2021

fa m i ly s u p p e r

Doughnut Dou hnut Time B

lue Star, Voodoo, Pip’s. Portland’s doughnut game is already world-renowned. But some newcomers are putting their mark on the sweet fried treats we all love. First up, HeyDay (along with Chewyy PDX and Mikiko) is part of the mochi doughnut trend. I tried to prep my kids that since HeyDay uses rice flour in addition to wheat flour, the doughnuts may have a different texture than they are used to. My 8-year-old daughter, Adela, seemed puzzled. “But they’re doughnuts, right? I’ll like them.” HeyDay operates as a pop-up, so picking up an order requires some advanced planning. Follow it on Instagram (@HeyDayPDX) or Facebook to get the weekend’s menu and find out when to go to the website to pre-order. For example, I ordered on a Tuesday for a pickup at La Perlita the following Saturday. Heyday does sell some doughnuts for walk-ups on the day of, but it’s a limited amount and they often sell out. Pro tip: So, if you want to guarantee you’ll get some mochi doughnuts, you’ll need to pre-order. HeyDay doughnuts are made for Instagram. The business uses the social media outlet to spread the word, and the photogenic, uniquely shaped and charmingly decorated rings cry out to be posted on your feed. The menu changes weekly. We tried the gingersnap, raspberry cheesecake, dark chocolate peanut butter, white chocolate matcha and vanilla bean sprinkle flavors. Surprisingly my kids, husband and I all agreed the raspberry cheesecake was the tastiest flavor. The kids didn’t like the herbal and earthy matcha doughnut, but I couldn’t stop eating it. Overall, Adela was right. She liked the mochi doughnuts. A few weeks later, we tried Fills Donuts. The shop downtown is a collaboration between chefs from the Bakery at Bar King and Noble Rot. And the Berliner-style filled doughnuts have been generating quite a buzz. I’d been trying to find a time to head to the downtown storefront, but with distance learning and packing for a move, it didn’t happen. Then I realized I could use DoorDash. Full confession: I’ve never used a restaurant delivery service because 1) my husband hates getting cold takeout and 2) picking up takeout ourselves from local spots means restaurants don’t pay service fees. But given the circumstances, I felt OK about trying DoorDash to order For more from Fills. It was super-easy, and 45 minutes later a driver family-friendly delivered a big box of doughnuts to my house. (Pro tip: Grab restaurant that box with two hands; I nearly dropped the order because reviews, visit: I didn’t expect doughnuts to be so hefty!) We ordered a mintpdxparent.com/ family-supper chocolate mousse-filled Grasshopper, Boston cream pie, apple cinnamon, maple butterscotch bacon, chocolate hazelnut and pimento cheese. As the name implies, all of the doughnuts were filled. Fills threw in a white chocolate yuzu, too. And was I glad they

In a town already recognized for outstanding doughnuts, new outfits are bringing fresh twists that your family will love. STORY AND PHOTOS BY DENISE CASTAÑON

did. The doughnut with citrus-flavored custard dusted in peppered sugar ended up ranking the highest with the grownups. My son loved the apple-butter-stuffed doughnut and my daughter, who loves mint chocolate, liked the Grasshopper the best. The delivery of delicious treats definitely added a fun boost to a Tuesday of distance learning! The various custard or pastry cream fillings were all excellent in consistency and flavoring. (I’m drooling a little thinking back to the whisky-flavored custard in the maple bacon.) And I was oddly taken by the savory pimento cheese doughnut. Once I reframed my thinking and considered it more cheese-stuffed bun than doughnut, I actually loved it. I could see pairing it with a steaming bowl of veggie-packed minestrone for a perfect lunch. Find out more at fillsdonuts.com.

Editor Denise Castañon loves exploring Portland’s family-friendly dining scene with her husband, 8-year-old daughter and 6-year-old son. 26

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March 2021