The Community, Writings About Art In and Around Portland 1997-2016 is a collection of twenty years' worth of reviews, essays, interviews, and profiles by Portland-based novelist and screenwriter Jon Raymond. Artists discussed include Michael Brophy, Storm Tharp, Jessica Jackson Hutchins, Chris Johanson, Malia Jensen, and many more, in pieces drawn from Artforum, Bookforum, Tin House, Modern Painters, Plazm, and The Organ Review of Arts.

A time-lapse portrait of a small, emerging city's artistic scene, The Community is a piecemeal investigation into the nature of art in a regional milieu. This collection is, by turns, an ironic, moody, and bemused meditation on the abiding character of the author's hometown and stands as a significant addition to the small collection of public documents addressing the history and politics of art in the Northwest.

"With his intimate, keenly observed depictions of Portland, Oregon's flourishing visual arts scene, Jon Raymond provides a compelling new take on the relationship between regional histories and networks of cultural production. This book convincingly maps a distinctive formation of art, DIY practices, and music, giving much needed specificity and nuance to what has been termed 'radical localism.' With lushly descriptive prose and sharply honed critical acumen, Raymond proves himself to be a deft and intelligent guide of the Portlandness of Portland art." —Julia Bryan-Wilson, art historian, University of California

180 pp.
6" x 9" x 0.3"

ISBN: 9781624621338