The InstigatorHere’s a look at what’s happening in April in Salem, Oregon.
April 1 through 30
Explore the art of Aron Michael Johnston during April at Salem on the Edge. Aron is an oil painter working in the traditional style of realism. When creating an oil painting Aron’s ultimate goal is to reveal the beauty in his chosen subject, be it a seemingly mundane still life, a fiery sunset, or the visage of a portrait subject. With an eye for detail and a dedication to fine craftsmanship Aron creates memorable pieces that speak to the beauty of the everyday as well as the challenges facing contemporary society. Aron is available for portrait commissions. PLUS, Aron will be painting in the gallery from 3 to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, April 10, 3-4:30.
April 2
The First Friday Art Walk takes place from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, April 2, the monthly event encourages people to go downtown and visit a handful of local businesses to view art, shop, snack and more. There is also an opportunity for those who participate to win a raffle by completing a passport. Learn more here.
Catch First Friday Fashions, Deepwood’s monthly pop-up exhibit, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, April 2. Peek inside the Solarium (glass room off of home’s Front Porch) to see a display of Easter hats and rping fashions on display at Deepwood Museum & Gardens, 1116 Mission St SE. Please limit Front Porch to one party at a time. For information, call 503-363-1825 or visit DeepwoodMuseum.org
April 2-4 and 9-11
The Verona Studio continues its 2021 virtual season with Annie Fox’s Woman Caught Unaware, about “a university professor (who) is caught in a storm when an image of her in a changing room is shared online.” Catch the virtual monologue, performed by Robynn Hayek and directed by Patricia Wylie, at 7 p.m. April 2-4 and 9-11. Cost is $15. Click here for tickets. Learn more in our Press Play Salem feature story here.
April 3 through 30
Take in the Spring Eternal Art Show with Artists In Action April 3 through 30 at the Elsinore Gallery. The show includes more than 70 original artworks in a variety of media from 32 Salem area artists. Click here to learn more and view some of the artwork online.
April 13
Willamette Heritage Center’s online history speaker series “Zooming Back to History” continues with “Gender and ‘Enemy Alien’ Registration in Oregon during the First World War” on April 13.
During the First World War, the United States, along with other combatant nations and some neutral nations and colonies, registered, policed, and interned residents who were citizens of enemy nations. This presentation will examine the registration and surveillance of non-citizen “enemies” in Oregon with attention to gender and gender identity, The complexities of this wartime registration were compounded by the Expatriation Act of 1907, federal legislation mandating that U.S. born women who married non-citizen men lost their own citizenship and took the citizenship of their husband. In Oregon, over a quarter of the 1,567 women who registered as non-citizen enemies were born in the United States and had been U.S. citizens before marriage. The case of non-citizen “enemy” registration suggests some important historical foundations for surveillance, citizenship, and civil liberties in subsequent decades and in our own current day.
Presenter Kimberly Jensen is Professor of History and Gender Studies at Western Oregon University. She is the author of Mobilizing Minerva: American Women in the First World War (University of Illinois, 2008) and Oregon’s Doctor to the World: Esther Pohl Lovejoy and a Life in Activism (University of Washington, 2012) and is completing a book manuscript on gender, citizenship, civil liberties and the surveillance state in Oregon 1913-1925.
The talk begins at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 9 on Zoom. Cost is $10. Click here to learn more about future events in the series and here to sign up.
April 17 through 25
Enlightened Theatrics presents Snow White available streaming on demand April 17 through 25. Adapted from the classic Grimm Fairytale, this age-appropriate retelling of Snow White follows a young woman’s journey to find her Prince. The show is part of ET’s educational initiative, which aims to help students further develop as young professionals by providing guidance and training in theatre education as well as supporting their mental and emotional well-being. Get tickets to the live stream here.
April 17 through May 15
Hallie Ford Museum of Art features the art of senior studio art majors and faculty member Cayla Skillin-Brauchle. As a special feature, the current group of seniors will discuss their work as part of two free virtual Tuesday gallery talks at noon on April 27 and May 4, via a Zoom link available at willamette.edu/go/sam2021.
April 24
Attend Asian and Pacific Islander Day at the Capitol virtually at 10 a.m. Saturday, April 24, through a variety of videos and activities offered online. Content will be published in the discussion area of the Facebook event page here: https://www.facebook.com/events/4459762200707667/
April 25
Focal Point Photography is hosting the Salem Photo Walk at Bush Park 3 to 5 p.m. Sunday, April 25. Meet up in the rose garden. This is a socially distanced event, and masks are required. No need to RSVP, just show up. Several people from the shop will be there to offer assistance, advice, etc. Keep an eye on the Facebook event page to say updated on the plan since the weather can be unpredictable — https://www.facebook.com/events/2513260475649428/
April 29 through May 2
Willamette University Department of Music, Dramatic Vocal Arts presents The Cradle Will Rock, a play with music in ten scenes (Music, lyrics, and book by Marc Blitzstein. Katherine Skovira, Music Director) live streaming April 29 through May 2.
Fusing parodies of Bach and Beethoven with jazz and pop music, this savage powerhouse musical confronts the all-American issues of unrestrained capitalism, racism, corruption, and bigotry. With its composer Marc Blitzstein at the piano, the 1937 premiere was itself an act of defiance against censorship.
The show will be broadcast live online using YouTube 7:30 p.m. April 29 through May 1 and 2 p.m. May 2. Click here for more information and tickets.
April 30 through May 9
Willamette University presents Moving Forward • Screendance with Faith Morrison, Artistic Director.
Into the new world of dance! Screendance, combining dance and cinema, is a new visual language of movement that adapts to our changing tastes and modern challenges. Student choreographers join dance faculty to explore the process of moving — literally “moving” — through uncertain times.
Moving Forward • Screendance will broadcast live online through YouTube April 30 through May 9. Click here for more information and tickets.
Do you have an event happening in April in Salem, Oregon? Let us know! Send the details to pressplaysalem@gmail.com
Carlee Wright
