OVERCUP BLOG — The Tall Trees of Portland

At the recent launch party for Matt Wagner’s Tall Trees of Paris at Gigantic Brewing (a great success, by the way!) we were honored by not one but TWO of Portland’s premier champagne sabreurs: Michael Ecker and Christopher Graham. Champagne sabering, or sabrage, is a delightfully ostentatious technique for opening a bottle of champagne with—you guessed it—a saber! Sabering dates back to Napoleonic times, but artisans like Michael and Christopher are carrying on the legacy with panache. You can see a snippet of Michael in action here.Michael embarked on the path to mastery at his wedding, where an official champagne...

For a smaller city, Portland Oregon has a fairly active arts scene. The tradition of First Thursday began back in 1986 and has grown into a full fledged monthly art affair with spin off events like Last Thursday on Alberta (now in its 19th season). Tucked up in the 27th block of NE Alberta, Antler Gallery has been showcasing local artists since 2012. Founded by Susannah Kelly and Neil Perry, the gallery is dedicated to keeping the Alberta Arts District alive and well. We have a special affection for Susannah and a number of the artists represented by the gallery, as...

Quick, name five artists. For most people with even a cursory arts education, five artists should come relatively easy. For those with a more intense fine arts education, you can probably name at least five artists just from one period in art history. Do you have your five? Okay, so how many of them are women? Probably none of them. As we celebrate Women’s History Month this March, we’re reminded of just how often the contributions of women get pushed to the background.   In an effort to bring the conversation back to the enormous contributions women have made to...