Dank and damp. These iconic qualities make the Pacific Northwest a perfect home for a teeming wealth of fungi and a rich community of mushroom experts. Both often exist just out of sight, despite contributing to our region’s liveliness and culture. Oregon Mushroom Stories, a project of Ecotrust and Edible Portland, brings the surreal, fantastical beauty of mushrooms, and the knowledge held by their many fans, out of the dark to a broad audience. Join PICA and Oregon Mushroom Stories for a weekend of mycological happenings at the crossroads of nature and culture, science and art, food and fungi.
MUSHROOM, MOLD & YEAST FEAST
When: November 29, 2012, 7:30pm
Where: PICA, 415 SW 10th Ave, Suite 300, Portland, OR 97205
Online: http://www.pica.org/programs/detail.aspx?eventid=914
Tickets: $84, includes wine pairings, 21+ only
https://pica.secure.force.com/ticket#details_a0Sd0000000jARHEA2
Mushrooms are a gateway to a whole family of culinary fungi. From molds to yeasts, these remarkable organisms are among the most powerful flavor creators at the backbone of the world’s distinguished ancient cuisines. In an intimate dinner prepared by Naoko Tamura of Chef Naoko Bento Café, you’ll explore and savor wild and cultivated mushrooms prepared with traditional Japanese ingredients that gain their flavors through processes using molds, including miso, sake, shoyu, katsuo-bushi, salt koji, and more. This dinner is a unique opportunity to learn from mushroom foragers and farmers, fermenters, and wine makers. Featuring wine pairings from R. Stuart & Co. Winery and a special candy cap mushroom ice cream from Salt & Straw.
HOW MUSHROOMS GROW, AN INTERACTIVE INSTALLATION
When: On view December 2, 12–10pm; December 3, 12–8pm
Where: The Cleaners at The Ace Hotel Portland, 403 SW 10th Ave, Portland, OR 97205
Online: http://www.pica.org/programs/detail.aspx?eventid=917
FREE, All Ages
Artist collective Belly & Bones (Stef Choi & Tony Candelaria) are creating an interactive zoetrope sculpture that presents a fungi life cycle, from mycelia to mushroom. With the spin of a crank this larger-than-life zoetrope (six feet in diameter!) presents a sequence of sculptures that sprout into mushrooms right before your eyes.
THE MUSH FAIR
When: December 2, 2–6pm
Where: The Cleaners at The Ace Hotel Portland, 403 SW 10th Ave, Portland, OR 97205
Online: http://www.pica.org/programs/detail.aspx?eventid=918
FREE, All Ages
Alongside the mycelium zoetrope, we’ll host an afternoon fair where you can view the sculpture; shop for mushroom growing kits, wild and cultivated mushrooms, and gifts; view video portraits of regional foragers and cultivators; make spore prints; and even taste a few mushroom, mold, and yeast treats. Come down and learn all about our region’s fungi.
Featuring:
Tony McMigas of Fungi Supply
Oregon Mycological Society
Springwater Farm
Makelike
Organic Valley
Ken’s Artisan Bread
Salt & Straw
And more!
OREGON MUSHROOM STORIES IS A PROJECT OF Ecotrust, Edible Portland, G. Kennedy Creative, Belly & Bones
SUPPORTED IN PART BY Regional Arts & Culture Council, The Celebration Foundation, Organic Valley, Ace Hotel Portland, Portland Institute for Contemporary Art