24 Hour Church of Elvis
Encyclopedia
The 24 Hour Church of Elvis is an exhibit at a museum
and gallery
called "Where's The Art?" in Portland, Oregon
, USA
, run by artist Stephanie "Stevie" G. Pierce.
The original location (1109 SW Washington, 45.521752°N 122.682825°W), which operated from 1985–1986, had a single coin-operated fortune-telling
machine accessible from the street, elaborate window displays, and art available for purchase inside.
At the second location (219 SW Ankeny, 1987–1994, 45.522548°N 122.672416°W), the entire store front was itself a work of art, and included several custom-built coin-operated automated art exhibits that moved and made sounds in response to pressing buttons, and would dispense (or not) various trinkets, pamphlets, fortunes, etc. for prices ranging from 25 cents to a dollar. Every prize was accompanied by a one-inch "original work of art" by Ms. Pierce. Some machines were run by Commodore 64
computers, and included crude graphics and speech synthesis
. These machines were always accessible, hence the first part of the name. Other items by the artist were available inside the store when it was open. Also inside, one would often find the street performer
called "Elvis" who would play a few songs on a cardboard guitar, in his sequined jumpsuit and thick, dark-rimmed glasses. This performer is still a regular fixture at Portland Saturday Market
.
The third location (720 SW Ankeny, 1994–2002, 45.522593°N 122.678061°W) was devoted primarily towards 1970s popular culture
memorabilia. It was on the second floor and lacked any of the coin-operated machines of the older locations, although several cut-out holes in the first floor of the building hinted that they were intended to be installed at this location, but never were. The museum offered legal weddings for $25 and "cheap, not legal" weddings for $5. The fake weddings could be same sex. Despite the name, The third incarnation of the 24 Hour Church was not open 24 hours, as indicated by a sign on the door which read "24 Hour Church of Elvis: Usually open Noon to 5, 8 - 11 a lot. Call (503) 226-3671 for reassurance". Although this location is now occupied by an architecture firm, the last remnant of the 24 Hour Church of Elvis is still visible in their entrance.
In 2008, the 24 Hour Church of Elvis reopened at a new location: 408 N.W. Couch St. As of mid-September 2009, there are coin-operated displays functioning at this location, including offering temporary marriage as an option.
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
and gallery
Art gallery
An art gallery or art museum is a building or space for the exhibition of art, usually visual art.Museums can be public or private, but what distinguishes a museum is the ownership of a collection...
called "Where's The Art?" in Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, run by artist Stephanie "Stevie" G. Pierce.
The original location (1109 SW Washington, 45.521752°N 122.682825°W), which operated from 1985–1986, had a single coin-operated fortune-telling
Fortune-telling
Fortune-telling is the practice of predicting information about a person's life. The scope of fortune-telling is in principle identical with the practice of divination...
machine accessible from the street, elaborate window displays, and art available for purchase inside.
At the second location (219 SW Ankeny, 1987–1994, 45.522548°N 122.672416°W), the entire store front was itself a work of art, and included several custom-built coin-operated automated art exhibits that moved and made sounds in response to pressing buttons, and would dispense (or not) various trinkets, pamphlets, fortunes, etc. for prices ranging from 25 cents to a dollar. Every prize was accompanied by a one-inch "original work of art" by Ms. Pierce. Some machines were run by Commodore 64
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
computers, and included crude graphics and speech synthesis
Speech synthesis
Speech synthesis is the artificial production of human speech. A computer system used for this purpose is called a speech synthesizer, and can be implemented in software or hardware...
. These machines were always accessible, hence the first part of the name. Other items by the artist were available inside the store when it was open. Also inside, one would often find the street performer
Busking
Street performance or busking is the practice of performing in public places, for gratuities, which are generally in the form of money and edibles...
called "Elvis" who would play a few songs on a cardboard guitar, in his sequined jumpsuit and thick, dark-rimmed glasses. This performer is still a regular fixture at Portland Saturday Market
Portland Saturday Market
The Portland Saturday Market is an outdoor arts and crafts market in Portland, Oregon. It is the largest continuously operated outdoor market in the United States. It is held every Saturday and Sunday from February 28 to December 24, at the junction of SW Ankeny and the Naito Parkway located...
.
The third location (720 SW Ankeny, 1994–2002, 45.522593°N 122.678061°W) was devoted primarily towards 1970s popular culture
Popular culture
Popular culture is the totality of ideas, perspectives, attitudes, memes, images and other phenomena that are deemed preferred per an informal consensus within the mainstream of a given culture, especially Western culture of the early to mid 20th century and the emerging global mainstream of the...
memorabilia. It was on the second floor and lacked any of the coin-operated machines of the older locations, although several cut-out holes in the first floor of the building hinted that they were intended to be installed at this location, but never were. The museum offered legal weddings for $25 and "cheap, not legal" weddings for $5. The fake weddings could be same sex. Despite the name, The third incarnation of the 24 Hour Church was not open 24 hours, as indicated by a sign on the door which read "24 Hour Church of Elvis: Usually open Noon to 5, 8 - 11 a lot. Call (503) 226-3671 for reassurance". Although this location is now occupied by an architecture firm, the last remnant of the 24 Hour Church of Elvis is still visible in their entrance.
In 2008, the 24 Hour Church of Elvis reopened at a new location: 408 N.W. Couch St. As of mid-September 2009, there are coin-operated displays functioning at this location, including offering temporary marriage as an option.
Further reading
- Palahniuk, ChuckChuck PalahniukCharles Michael "Chuck" Palahniuk is an American transgressional fiction novelist and freelance journalist. He is best known for the award-winning novel Fight Club, which was later made into a film directed by David Fincher and starring Brad Pitt, Edward Norton, and Helena Bonham Carter...
(2003) "Fugitives and Refugees: A Walk in Portland, OregonFugitives and Refugees: A Walk in Portland, OregonFugitives and Refugees: A Walk in Portland, Oregon is a travelogue by novelist Chuck Palahniuk.The book alternates between autobiographical chapters, and lists of the author's favorite activities in his home city of Portland, Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest of the United States.Palahniuk guides...
". Crown Journey. ISBN 1-4000-4783-8
External links
- Official Website of the 24 Hour Church of Elvis
- older 24 Hour Church of Elvis homepage at the Wayback Machine
- Article from The New Colonist