I walked into the Visual Arts Gallery at MHCC on April 13. I was there to check out the annual High School Artists exhibit, featuring regional high school students’ work. And when I turned the corner, I was in awe of every single art piece displayed in the exhibit. Even if I didn’t understand what every piece was saying I felt the emotion, whether it be sadness, happiness. Anger, or loneliness. I felt all of it. These sculptures, paintings, drawings, pictures, were all so ind

From the 1920s to the 1940s, jazz music arguably was the most played genre in the United States. Since then, it has gotten somewhat lost between the folds of newer and more common music of the generations that have come since. However, Mt. Hood has done an incredible job keeping the jazz culture alive, with its strong student jazz band history and the jazz focus of affiliated radio station KMHD-FM. And never more is this the case than every spring, when MHCC hosts its three-d

I kind of had high demands for this movie: As a person who has more than five pairs of Jordans in their closet, you can probably call me a fan. So going into a viewing of “Air,” I kind of thought I was going to watch “Good Will Hunting” but with Michael Jordan in it – and I was pleasantly surprised. Not to say ‘Hunting’ isn’t a good movie, because it is. I thought this new movie featuring the same Matt Damon-Ben Affleck pairing did a pretty good job telling the story as truth

I discovered Colombian singer and songwriter Kali Uchis in my sophomore year of high school. Tracks from her 2015 album, “Loner,” made it to my playlist, and I thought it was the newest sound I have ever heard from Latin American artists. Her 2018 album, “Isolation,” has a special place in my heart: All that summer I listened to that album on repeat. I like to think both she and I matured as young women, writers, and lovers. I appreciate that Uchis’s growth and maturity as an

Taylor Swift, whose current “The Eras Tour” is filling stadiums across the U.S., is definitely one of the biggest names in the music industry. She has won multiple Grammy, MTV, Billboard, People’s Choice, Teen Choice, and Country Music awards. She is famous for writing hits about her personal breakups, and her ability to expose those former partners. With those experiences she has been able to write and sing songs that a lot of people connect with when it comes to those tough

Welcome to the Spring Term! These next nine weeks, Mt. Hood Community College is presenting countless exciting and interesting performing and visual arts events, including several concerts, art exhibitions, and its latest spring theatre production. With so many events, it can be easy to lose track of them all. So, to ensure you do not miss anything, this is your guide and preview to MHCC’s arts scene. As per a MHCC tradition spanning two decades, the Visual Arts Gallery is ca

Lizzy McAlpine is a 23-year-old singer songwriter from Philadelphia – and some of you might have heard of her or have listened to her songs without even knowing it. Personally, I have been listening to her ever since I found her song on a random playlist on Apple music in the beginning of the pandemic. Her storytelling through her lyrics really spoke to me and still do as she continues to release more albums. McAlpine’s first album, “Indigo” dropped in 2018, followed by “Give

Web photo. If you are anything like me, you are obsessed with the Hogwarts world and Harry Potter legacies that have grown over decades. After waiting for a full-force interactive game, I’m thrilled that it has finally arrived, with the Portkey games product “Hogwarts Legacy.” Legacy is a full RPG game set 100 years before Harry Potter ever existed, but as a player, you are a student roaming through the halls of Hogwarts, as a fifth year, getting thrown into a feud between th

The Super Bowl halftime performance is one of the biggest stages each year to perform as an artist, and we saw another on Feb. 12. These artists – this time, Rihanna – have under 15 minutes to perform their big hits, and I can only imagine how hard it must be to choose from a discography such as hers. Whether you know her name or not, I am sure if I were to play you one of her songs you would at least recognize it. As someone who grew up listening to her music, I was more tha

Image by Isabela Durighello The MHCC Visual Arts Gallery’s newest display, the annual Faculty Arts Exhibit, helps visitors match artwork with a name/face they might know and builds a feeling of connection on campus. Even with a delayed opening on March 2 due to inclement weather, the show is very well put together, with many pieces on display including paintings, sculptures, and jewelry made by Mt. Hood faculty coming from all departments, not just Visual Arts. Images by Isab

Web Image If you like cramped spaces, and especially if you don’t, the 2005 horror film “The Descent” might be just the adrenaline rush you need to get your heart rate up. It follows a group of young adult women who go caving, although two of them, Juno and Sarah, are struggling to repair their friendship. It all starts with the group hiking into the Appalachian Mountains to explore a cave system. Soon after entering the women get trapped due to an area of the cave collapsing

For two winter weekends every year – including this Friday-Saturday, Feb. 10-11 – Portland lights up in a dazzling array of colors. The streets and plazas are strung up with lights, and performers create evocative lights shows. This is all part of the Portland Winter Lights Festival (https://pdxwlf.com/), an annual event taking place over the course of two weekends since it began in 2016. The Light Festival is a volunteer-run event, and is entirely free to attend and features

If you were expecting the sequel “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish” to be comparable to the original 2011 “Puss in Boots” movie, then you are sure to be satisfied. The Dreamworks animated film ‘The Last Wish’ was released to theaters in December. It shows Puss in Boots, along with other fairytale creatures, clashing for the map that leads to the fallen star that will grant one wish to its finder. This movie is a deep dive into Puss’s mind and inability to face his mortality. Down

The thing about the new year is that in the first two months there is motivation and freshness in our lives. That’s the idea that I think about or see on social media; there is a lot to look forward to and I think I most anticipate the new seasons of shows and releases of movies on streaming services. Here are some movies and TV shows to look for on different streaming services: Beginning with Netflix, there are three TV shows to highlight: “Daughter From Another Mother” rele

Photos by Isabela Durighello. “The only way out is up”: a powerful and simple quote I was able to grab from the undeniably outstanding Jill McPherson. She’s the Forestry Club president at MHCC and this week’s focus among the awesome students here on campus. Jill is a second-year student at Mount Hood working in the Natural Resources Technology program. Being a transplant from Las Vegas, she only moved to the PNW a couple of years ago. She says she was in a sausage shop in Por

Web photo. One of the most talked-about award shows in the modern-day music industry, the Grammys, took place on Feb. 5, hosted by former “The Daily Show” host Trevor Noah. Fans awaiting the announcements and performances from the top recording artists know how big these awards can impact a career. And the 65th annual award show was a surprising night in many ways. Beyoncé had a record-breaking evening, becoming the person with the most Grammys ever won. She got this title wh

“Turtles All the Way Down” might seem like an outlandish title for a book that is narrated by a teenage girl, yet it perfectly encapsulates the mental illness that the main character faces throughout the story. Written by John Green and published in 2017, ‘Turtles’ is centered around Aza Holmes, who struggles with OCD and anxiety. The novel explores the relationship with her best friend, Daisy Ramirez, and Davis Pickett, the son of a billionaire whose father has recently gone

Web photo. I recently watched “Avatar: The Way of Water” – without even watching the first “Avatar” movie – in a different language and country. I went to the Cinemex in my second home of Morelos, Mexico, to watch this latest highest-grossing movie. I can say from this experience that you can really enjoy a sequel without watching the first movie. I think it makes the sequel so much better; while watching this movie I was just putting information together and I was able to un

I’ve always believed that a good novel leaves a lasting impression on its reader. And the novel “Looking for Alaska” is a prime example of that. Web photo. Written by John Green in 2005, ‘Looking’ chronicles the relationship between Miles Halter and his friends Chip Martin, Takumi Hikohito, and Alaska Young. The story takes place during Miles’ junior year of high school at a boarding school in Alabama. The novel is divided into a Before and After with the midpoint of the n

Photo by Martell Meacham. The Portland Winter Light Festival is an annual cultural event, hosted primarily in downtown Portland. It’s been ongoing since 2016 and features numerous light shows – illuminated light displays, of varying materials and concepts – created by various local artists. The majority of displays are centered around Pioneer Courthouse Square, the World Trade Center building, and along the downtown westside. However, others may be enjoyed in several other lo