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June 7 - 29 Main Gallery Opening Reception First Thursday, June 7, 6-10pm Illustrated work of Basil Wolverton Curated by Kenny Scharf In conjunction with PLATFORM International Animation Festival

The new PLATFORM International Animation Festival is working with the Portland Art Center this June to offer two exhibitions, which cross boundaries between animation, illustration, character design, fantasy and art. The festival itself will take place June 25-30 at PCPA and other locations downtown and in the Pearl. Basil Wolverton - A prolific comic creator, Oregon-born Wolverton gained national prominence when his character Lena Hyena appeared in the popular Al Capp comic. Wolverton published numerous titles, including Powerhouse and Pepper for Marvel Comics, and contributed regularly to Mad Magazine. With his grotesque and distorted characters, he influenced a generation of artists, most notably R. Crumb, as well as many animators. After converting to Herbert W. Armstrong's “Radio Church of God” in the 1940’s, Wolverton created some of his most outstanding work: apocalyptic illustrations for pamphlets, publications and bibles. Kenny Scharf - Pop artist, curator of the Basil Wolverton show, wrote in Juxtapoz magazine: “I hope I can have a part in the revival of BW… Anyone interested in monsters with dripping drooling, popeyed, veiny, hairy grins will feel the importance of this master artist Basil Wolverton.”

June 7 - 29 Main Gallery Opening Reception First Thursday, June 7, 6-10pm Alter Ego: Avatars and Their Creators Robbie Cooper In conjunction with PLATFORM International Animation Festival

The new PLATFORM International Animation Festival is working with the Portland Art Center this June to offer two exhibitions, which cross boundaries between animation, illustration, character design, fantasy and art. The festival itself will take place June 25-30 at PCPA and other locations downtown and in the Pearl. The subject of a forthcoming book, Robbie Cooper’s images explore the motivation to create and inhabit virtual worlds, from the social needs of a recluse to those of online laborers earning pennies a day creating character points for other gamers. Dressed as superheroes, elves and quite often themselves, Cooper’s subjects participate in a multibillion-dollar industry that crosses time zones and borders, creating a new global community. A British photojournalist, Cooper won the Ian Parry Scholarship for his photo essays of Somalia in 1992. His work has been published in GQ, Esquire, and The Sunday Times Magazine. His book Alter Ego is published by Chris Boot in May 2007 priced $29.95.