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Overview:
A new bookstore, a dual art exhibition at Maude Kerns and a massive library sale fill out this week’s cultural events.
Hello, Lookout readers! I hope you’ve been able to steal away to sit in a pretty outdoor place as the weather turns kinder. Here’s your next week of curated arts and culture events to check out once you’ve had your time in the sun. Let’s get into it:
Books
Friends of Eugene Public Library book sale
My colleague Mike McInally wrote a longer preview ahead of this weekend’s sale, the largest annual event for the Friends of the Eugene Public Library, including this plum detail: “In a warehouse just off Highway 99, some 40,000 books, carefully nestled into about 1,800 brown cardboard boxes, await moving day.” Come ready to take home some books, just not all 40,000 (though we all know it’s hard to not pick up five books too many).
- When: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 11; 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, April 12
- Where: Lane Events Center Performance Hall, 796 W. 13th Ave., Eugene
- How much: Free to attend. Most books are $1 or $2, and the collection also includes CDs, DVDs, audiobooks and sheet music.
Check out Outliers Books
I wanted to flag that Outliers Books, the new bookstore in the longtime Black Sun Books location, opened to the public this week. I stopped by the store as Black Sun’s longtime owner Peter Ogura prepared to sell the business to Kel Weinhold, who has been posting on Instagram as the new bookstore gets started in Eugene.
- When: The store is open noon to 6 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays.
- Where: 2467 Hilyard St., Eugene
- How much: Bring money to buy some books.
First Annual Paper Plane Contest
I’m counting this in “Books” because it’s hosted by Hodgepodge Books and Taps and was too delightful to not include. This (weather dependent) paper plane contest is free and open to all ages: each contestant will get an 8.5-by-11-inch piece of paper to fold on-site, without anything other than the paper. Bragging rights and a Polaroid go to whoever has the farthest throw after three tries.
- When: Noon to 1 p.m. Saturday, April 11
- Where: Hodgepodge Books and Taps, 158 E. 14th Ave., Eugene
- How much: Free
Performances
‘Petrushka: An AI Ballet’
The Eugene Ballet’s new artificial intelligence-inspired take on a classic Igor Stravinsky ballet is fitting, given that the original 1911 work followed three puppets brought to life (“Petrushka” is the Russian name for a classic puppet, a la the British Punch and Judy dolls). The ballet’s Suzanne Haag choreographed this new take on the 20th century work, with the added thematic element of AI-as-puppets.
- When: There will be two performances, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 11 and 2 p.m. Sunday, April 12.
- Where: The Silva Concert Hall of the Hult Center, in downtown Eugene.
- How much: Tickets are available online, starting at $30.
Keb’ Mo’ at The Shedd Institute
Blues guitarist and vocalist Keb’ Mo’ (born Kevin Moore in 1951) is bringing his postmodern Delta blues stylings to Eugene this week. Keb’ Mo’s most recent Grammy was in 2020, when his “Oklahoma” won best Americana album.
- When: 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Friday, April 10
- Where: The Shedd Institute’s Jaqua Concert Hall, 285 E. Broadway
- How much: Tickets are available online and at the ticket office by calling 541-434-7000, starting at $47.
‘Fires in the Uterus’
“No uterus required” to attend this comedy and storytelling showcase centered on reproductive health, where comedians Amanda Lynn Deal, Hazel Jae, Jamie Colson, Lacie Wood, Eleanore Ryan and Angela Lewis will share stories and jokes about the awkward reality of having a uterus. (Hopefully, no one has actually had one on fire.)
- When: Doors open at 7 p.m. for a 7:30 p.m. show this Friday, April 10.
- Where: The Hybrid Gallery, 941 W. Third Ave., Eugene
- How much: Tickets are available online, for $15 in advance or $20 day of the show.
Arts
2nd Friday ArtWalk
Highlights of this month’s tour of Springfield’s creativity include painter Cassandra Genc’s “Bathed in Color” paintings at Oakshire Commons, Twyla Bohrer’s nature photography at Springfield’s City Hall Gallery, Don Myer’s infrared photographs of Oregon, as well as Ry Smith’s handcrafted knives at the Main Street Market.
- When: 5 to 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 10
- Where: Downtown Springfield (a map of participating locations is available on the second Friday ArtWalk website.)
- How much: Free.
‘Witness: Earth & Sky’ and ‘Consume & Dispose’ at Maude Kerns
This new dual exhibition at the Maude Kerns Art Center runs through April 24. “Witness: Earth & Sky” featuring photographer Rich Bergeman and sculptor and photographer Amanda Thomas’ work reflecting on the appropriation and plundering of the Western landscape, while “Consume & Dispose” sees Eugene artist Jennifer Buchelt, who takes still lifes of packaging and then prints those images onto the packaging itself, and mixed media Springfield artist Ralf Hube, who uses weathered found objects in his work.
- When: Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, and noon to 4 p.m. on Saturdays.
- Where: Maude Kerns Art Center, 1910 E. 15th Ave., Eugene
- How much: Free, but suggested donations of $3 per person or $5 per family are welcome.
I also wanted to note that this is your last chance to check out Jason Gubbiotti’s “Static Bursts,” an exhibition of 14 of Gubbiotti’s intricate geometric paintings (as well as a new series of drawings) at Sarah Finlay’s RecRoom gallery in Eugene’s south hills.
Movies
Box office
“Faces of Death,” a new take on the 1978 cult exploitation horror movie of the same name, places the narrative inside video content moderation. It’s from the filmmakers behind the internet sex worker doppelganger horror “Cam” and the environmentalist thriller “How to Blow Up a Pipeline.” I liked both of those movies, but I’m skeptical of most movies that are about the internet. (I love gory horror, though, so I’ll probably end up checking it out).
Playing at Metro Cinemas and Regal Valley River Center.
“You, Me & Tuscany”: This new Italian-set rom-com is a scrum of tropes. There’s fake dating, close proximity on a trip, miscommunications galore, you name it. (Though, charmingly, the inciting incident is our heroine squatting in a villa.) I’m particularly charmed by its tagline: “She Came for the Pasta and Got Lost in the Sauce.”
Playing at Cinemark Eugene-Springfield 17 and Regal Valley River Center.
Special screenings
This week’s installment of the Art House’s stoner cinema series is the Dave Chapelle-starring 1998 comedy “Half Baked,” where three stoners are tasked to raise bail money for their friend who accidentally kills a police horse by feeding it junk food. What’s not to love?
Playing at the Art House from Friday, April 10, through Wednesday, April 15.
“Follow the Rain,” a documentary about mushrooms billed as “a magical journey into the weird and wonderful world of fungi,” was flagged to me a few months back by our environmental and public health correspondent Ashli Blow. Tickets are low, so if you’d like to see some mycology at the movies, you’ll have to act fast.
Playing at the Art House at 1:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. on Sunday, April 12.
Thank you for reading, Lookout members. If my picks aren’t up to your liking, check out our events calendar for more things to do. As always, if there are any events I should include here, or any feedback for this weekly list, drop me a line at annie@lookoutlocal.com.
