Cringe

This event has passed. Sorry you missed it!
When
Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026
4 p.m.–6 p.m.
Cost: Starting at $15.00
Where
3530 SE Division St
Portland, OR 97202

The following description was submitted by the event organizer.

Performance artist Ashley Yang-Thompson and author Jaydra Johnson lead a collaborative presentation on the concept of “Cringe.” Cringe has become a referent for overly earnest, uncool, or passé behavior. But what if cringe vulnerability is actually the path to freedom? In this collaborative presentation, Ashley and Jaydra will reach deep into the belly of cringe, feel around in the viscera, and ultimately expose its guts. Through images, video, and readings of their work, they will trace the development of their understanding of cringe as a way of life and the apogee of artistic expression. They will even risk doing something as cringeworthy as quoting David Foster Wallace when he says, “The new rebels might be artists willing to risk the yawn, the rolled eyes, the cool smile… who treat of plain, old, untrendy human troubles and emotions with reverence and conviction.”  

With musical guest Alex Wilson.