Things are really humming in Portland these days so here is a little checkup of interesting local art writing on the net; still it's just the tip of the iceberg.

Portland Public Sculpture takes on the single worst sited and clumsily executed public sculpture in PDX. You know that atrocity on the traffic triangle by Powell's books. Although, I think the interactive element is OK-ish enough for silly public sculpture the base is so clunky it must go. Sweet hell, I hate it.

In fact, I should to have a spiritualist summon the ghost of noted stainless steel sculptor David Smith and suggest he haunt the sculptor. This belongs in mall in Clackamas… or better yet as a manmade reef somewhere off the Florida coast. I wonder, can anybody defend this thing?

In the Oregonian DK Row (a.k.a. Death Row) took on The MOST at the T.B.A. festival. I find the trend for participatory art that incorporates officious bureaucracy like The MOST or Allison Smith's "The Muster" a bit disturbing. It's similar to Kafka's The Trial (Orson Welles' film version is one of my favorites). Maybe someone will eventually create a project called "The Man" and the artist will keep everyone but the richest and whitest folk down…

Also at the Oregonian, Harvest Henderson had a nice piece on Mark Smith at Elizabeth Leach and some blowhard jerk curator's show.

John Motley at The Mercury penned a nice review of Walid Raad's show at Reed College. Read PORT's review here.