Photo by Aung Pyae Lin Christian Ilechukwu The Advocate The potter’s wheel goes round with stillness, and a wet ball of clay slowly turns into the shape of a mug. It’s a lot of work, it takes time, and things may not always go as planned, but for Jamie Teigen, a student at Mt. Hood Community College in Gresham, Oregon, that spinning wheel became something they love and can’t stop doing. During the pandemic, their ceramics classes were all online and all hand-building: rolling

Photos by Adam Elwell Esther Murphy’s Mixed Media Work IN VA GALLERY UNTIL March 19 Jennifer Childers and Adam Elwell The Advocate Photography is often thought of as a finished image captured in a single moment. But the work featured in the current MHCC gallery exhibit by artist Esther Murphy pushes that idea further, layering photography with collage, paint and sculptural elements to create pieces that exist somewhere between photograph and object.  Murphy’s work brings toge

Photo By Elijah Camacho Timothy Grassley The Advocate Imagine the thunder of applause echoing through a packed theater, the stage bathed in golden light and the pulse of live piano filling the air. That’s exactly what greeted me at Mt. Hood Community College’s new production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”—a performance so bold and ambitious I left the theater breathless.  A twist of fate landed me face-to-face with Mt. Hood Community College theater director Zach Hartley on W

HOW MHCC ARTIST OVERCOMES HER DEMONS While steadily powering through the arts program in my second year here at MHCC, one particular artist has caught my eye. While seeming to be a bit timid when you first meet her, seeing her art shouts prominently of Megan Albertine’s journey through life.Pursuing art has been intertwined with Megan ever since she could collect memories. She became entranced by the freeing sensation art brought with how many ways you could tackle it, and gr

CortlanSouders The Advocate Going to a concert is a mystical experience that everyone should go through at least once in their life. Waiting in anticipation for your favorite artist to play in front of you, feeling the music pump through your veins, and becoming one with hundreds of fans as you harmoniously dance to the beat are key components to the event. But is there a drastic difference when it comes to the location and venue where the artist plays? Is there a definitive

Community Announcement: White Ducky has gone missing! The White Ducky in the Visual Arts Gallery fountain on the MHCC Gresham campus was last sighted, and documented, at 1:03 p.m. on Feb 25. They were reported missing at 12:31 p.m. on Feb. 27, when they were not present for their most recent photo shoot opportunity. (They /Them pronouns assumed, as they have not declared a gender preference.) Did White Ducky willingly leave their wounded Blue Ducky friend behind and find anot

‘Coughing Blood Together’ Lights up VA Gallery “Little moments of frozen theater” are currently on display in the MHCC Visual Arts Gallery, a thought- provoking series of creative scenes inviting visitors to peek in and ponder the artist’s messages and sculpting skills. Photos by Prisma Flores Montana-based artist Tom Foolery has been creating these armature dioramas – featuring small-scale figures crafted from found items – for years, beginning as a fun hobby. “I took a mous

VA GALLERY FEATURES ARTIST SMITH CLAUDEL During February, the Visual Arts Gallery at Mt. Hood hosted an exhibit by Kim Smith Claudel entitled “Tender to the Touch,” which highlights the airy spaciousness of the Gallery, and primarily plays with the intersection of “found objects” and a sense of their movements in relation to each other. Photo by Ken Perez I caught up with the artist herself in the gallery on Feb. 17 to ask about her processes and her advice for our own aspiri

All photos by Catherine Green I got to see the final dress rehearsal of “Jesus Christ Superstar” staged this month by MHCC’s theatre program and was delighted with the artistic choices and performances of the cast and crew. The heart and passion the performers brought to the singing and dancing and emoting was impressive and a joy to behold. After an opening weekend Feb. 21-23, there remains one weekend left to go see the production: Head to the main College Theatre in the Pe

FOR A NEW GENERATION This month, the college will be treated to the Theatre Department’s third staging of the musical “Jesus Christ Superstar,” first performed at Mt. Hood 1983 and more recently in 2002. This history has resulted in a multigenerational tradition, as one of the crew members of a previous production has a child on the current production. And don’t be surprised to find MHCC alumni coming to check it out, too. ‘Superstar’ was born when composer Andrew Lloyd Webbe

Photos by Prisma Flores The Visual Arts Gallery here at MHCC is hosting the exhibition of local artist Dan Pillers, originally from Spokane, through the end of January – with content and commentary on our society that has brought some gallery visitors to tears. “This particular show is, in a lot of ways, is a dream show for me,” Pillers said of the exhibit that reflects the raw emotion and consequences of the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s-90s and its impact on the gay community.

You may also find the complete interview with him on The Advocate’s YouTube channel at https://youtu.be/IkTrw9uHXLI. You can also see Dan’s Artist’s talk recorded by the Visual Arts Department at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKFOe0XNrUQ. The Advocate The MHCC Visual Arts Gallery has hosted the exhibition of local artist Dan Pillers, a Spokane native, throughout January – with content and commentary on our society that has brought some visitors to tears. “This particular sh

A Satirical Take On Bureaucracy Photograph by Catherine Green When I went to see “The Memo” by Václav Havel, translated by Paul Wilson, I learned that it’s meant to be a clever and relatable play poking fun at the absurdities of office life and bureaucracy. (A Czechoslovakian playwright, Havel skewers the communist machinery in the country he would decades later lead, as its post-revolution president). The story centers on a man struggling with a confusing artificial language

Image by Disney The sequel “Moana 2” has finally arrived, and it’s everything we’ve been waiting for. Picking up where the original movie left off, this film takes us on more thrilling adventures across the Pacific Islands with Moana, Maui, and the new characters she meets. It offers a perfect blend of excitement, heart, and important lessons about leadership, bravery, and staying true to who you are. The second movie begins with Moana back on her island, Motunui, where she’s

Photo by Ethan Oliver Kumoricon: Have you heard of it? What about anime or manga? Does Naruto or Dragon Ball Z ring any bells? What about Ponyo or Your Name? Simply put, anime and manga are the Japanese version of cartoons and comics. And maybe you’ve seen a mass of people together in amazing costumes, at one time or another, in Portland. What were they doing? They were probably at a convention celebrating something they enjoy. After visiting Kumoricon again this year – held

The Exhibit is showing at the visual arts gallery until 11/25. There is a wide variety of artistic mediums represented, from sculptures to prints to paintings to ceramics to jewelry and more! Some of the items are available to be purchased! Here are a few examples of the amazing art our MHCC faculty has on display in the Art Gallery. All photos are by Catherine Green “Cheshire” – painting – Matteo Neivert “Morocco” – ceramic – Jennifer Brazelton “Protection Owl” – Acrylic on

If you ever enjoyed the story of a hungry vagabond uniting a small village over a pot of stone soup, this play is for you. Alisha Christiansen teaches children in grades 3 through 8. Several years ago, she had written a “Stone Soup” play for her students. But it wasn’t until early summer of this year when the Theatre Department at MHCC was deciding what subject to develop that her mini-play would become a full-fledged production – with a final College Theatre showing at 10:30

As the holiday season approaches, the MHCC Theatre Department is wrapping up preparations for an engaging production of “The Memo,” an absurdist comedy by Václav Havel that critiques bureaucracy, communication, and the craziness of corporate life. This play is not only a satire about the challenges of a fictional language called Ptydepe, but also a sharp commentary on how bureaucracy can dehumanize people – written by Havel, a dissident, poet and playwright who became preside

Tyler sticks to the realm of previous albums like “Igor” and Call Me with heavily layered synths, bombastic trumpets, and piano ballads, but brings such enthusiastic variety with each song that it’s hard to not allow earworms to etch into you. Ilustration by Cortlan Souders Riding on the success of his album “Call Me If You Get Lost” from 2021, and running a victory lap after an extended version was released in 2023, Tyler The Creator has yet again dropped a surprise album –