Portland Art Museum
Major exhibitions complement the museum’s strong Native American and Northwest collections.
Know Before You Go
The museum is closed on Mondays. Children 17 and under are always free. Admission is free on the first Thursday of every month from 5-8 p.m., and free admission and special family programming is offered several times a year (check calendar).
The Portland Art Museum is the largest art museum in Oregon and one of the oldest in the country. Located in two historic buildings on Portland’s South Park Blocks, the museum is central to the city’s cultural district and houses a large and wide-ranging collection of art.
Campus and History
First organized in 1892, the museums’ first exhibition was a set of magnificent plaster casts of Greek and Roman sculpture, now displayed in the upper hall of the city’s library. In 1932, the museum moved into the primary building, designed by Pietro Belluschi: a gracious contemporary update of the Georgian style, sleek-lined and advanced in its ideas. The museum’s renovation of the Masonic temple to its immediate north added more exhibition and office space to the campus in 2005.
Belluschi’s original design was ahead of its time. It was airy and admitted natural light into the museum’s galleries, especially the court beyond the entryway, and the visitor today experiences that grand space as a sort of surprise, given the museum’s relative scale. More wings were added, first to house the Pacific Northwest College of Art (then known as the Museum Art School and ultimately separated into its own institution) and then a warren of smaller galleries. The old Masonic temple has become the Jubitz Center of Modern and Contemporary Art, though its old, ornate meeting rooms have been retained.
Northwest art is a primary attraction, tracking the development of art in Oregon and Washington since the 19th century.
Portland Art Museum Collections
The museum has strong collections of prints and drawings, photography, Asian art, Native American (especially Pacific Coast) art, and Northwest art, and its European and American collections contain some extraordinary individual pieces, especially from the 19th and 20th centuries. The huge prints and drawings collection was built largely by the late Gordon Gilkey and includes Old Masters printmakers (Dürer, Rembrandt) and the most recent examples of the art forms. And under chief curator Bruce Guenther, the museum’s modern art holdings have increased dramatically, in part because of the addition of the collection of the great modernist critic Clement Greenberg, which gives the museum a unique window into the development of advanced art in the mid-20th century.
Native American Art
The Native American collection was built from two primary sources: the Rasmussen Collection of Northwest Coast art, with its fabulous masks and whaling canoes, and the encyclopedic collection of Elizabeth Cole, which brings the exquisite work of Southwest, Plains, Plateau and Woodlands tribes into focus.
Northwest Art
Northwest art is a primary attraction, tracking the development of art in Oregon and Washington since the 19th century. The museum’s curators have wisely spread this work throughout the galleries, placing the best work of Northwest abstractionists alongside their more celebrated New York peers, for example, but a gallery specifically dedicated to Northwest art supplies a good introduction to the fine artists who have worked here (C.S. Price, Mark Tobey, Morris Graves, Hilda and Carl Morris, Sally Haley and Michele Russo).
Museums & Galleries
Disjecta Contemporary Art Center
The North Portland art center's offerings range from visual art installations to collaborations with bands like the Shins.
Center for Native American Art
The Portland Art Museum's Center for Contemporary Native Art showcases the work of modern-day Native American artists.
Portland Open Studios
For two weekends every October, Portland Open Studios invites visitors to explore the houses and offices of artists across the city.
Visual Art Events
Art and Race Matters: The Career of Robert Colescott
The first comprehensive retrospective of one of America’s most compelling and controversial artists, Art and Race Matters traces the work of Robert Colescott (1925-2009), who established his career in Portland with the support of gallery owner and philanthropist Arlene Schnitzer, then made his mark in the 1970s with a series of deconstructed art-historical masterpieces that…
Being Present: Revisiting, Somewhat Unfaithfully, Portland’s Most Experimental Art Experiment, PCVA
“Portland has gotten a lot of attention in recent years for its thriving arts scene, but few people know about the organization that originally put the city on the art-world map: Portland Center for the Visual Arts (PCVA). PCVA was an artist-run contemporary art organization that brought innovative artists and performers from around the country…
Curator’s Choice: Japanese Print Acquisitions of the Past Decade
Retiring Curator of Asian Art Maribeth Graybill presents her personal favorites from among more than 600 Japanese prints acquired during her tenure at the Museum. The exhibition includes works by leading masters of the 18th and 19th centuries, chosen for their exceptional condition; warrior prints, a genre previously neglected in the collection; and prints by…
Flaxen: From Flax to Linen in the Willamette Valley, Oregon
“Flax was once touted as a cash crop in Oregon’s Willamette Valley, but for various reasons the plant never lived up to its potential. It wasn’t for lack of trying though — in the 1930s, Portland Public Schools produced a series of hand-tinted glass lantern slides depicting scenes from the flax industry, from planting to…
Isaka Shamsud-Din: Rock of Ages
“Portland Art Museum honors a local legend with its presentation of Isaka Shamsud-Din’s vivid narrative paintings, including the recent acquisition that gives this exhibit its title. Shamsud-Din uses his painterly brushstrokes and glowing colors to depict his own personal experiences and scenes of local culture and history, and his murals (also featured in the show)…
Portraiture from the Collection of Northwest Art
In the rich tradition of portraiture reflected in Northwest art, there is an exemplary range of individuals and styles of depiction. For this exhibition, the artist Storm Tharp was invited to help select works from the collection through his keen eyes as a fellow portraitist. As he combed through the collection, some themes in portraiture…
The Art of Reading
“Reading may be falling out of fashion in these times of increasingly short attention spans, but books were once a big business, and publishers employed gifted artists to promote their newest titles. The Art of Reading presents gems from the golden age of poster advertising, with color lithographs from some of the most famous names…
Toughened to Wind and Sun: Women Photographing the Landscape
During the early 20th century, Pictorialist photographer Anne Brigman regularly hiked and camped in California’s Sierra Nevada mountain range, photographing the rugged landscape with her 4×5-inch view camera. She later recalled, “I slowly found my power with the camera among the junipers and tamarack pines of the high, storm-swept altitudes.” Toughened to Wind and Sun…
Volcano! Mount St. Helens in Art
Marking the 40th anniversary of the eruption of Mount Saint Helens, this exhibition explores the overwhelming power of nature and the epic cycles of volcanic destruction and regeneration with stunning photographs, paintings and drawings of the mountain from 1845 to the present day. Curated by Dawson Carr, Ph.D., The Janet and Richard Geary Curator of…
Objects of Contact: Encounters Between Japan and the West
In theory, Japan was a “closed” country to foreign contact from the 1630s until the 1850s, by shogunal edict. In reality, trade prospered through authorized channels. As commerce flourished, so too did cultural exchanges with not only East and Southeast Asia, but also the West. Motivated by the demands of patrons, the availability of new…
Spirits Rising: ひろしま / Hiroshima by Ishiuchi Miyako
The exhibition will include a selection of the internationally acclaimed photographer’s monumental ひろしま / Hiroshima series, documenting cherished items and clothing left behind by victims of the atomic bomb detonated in Hiroshima at the close of World War II that are now housed at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. The subjects are captured in her…
Natan Dvir: Platforms
“New York-based photographer Natan Dvir brings a bit of the big city to Portland’s Blue Sky Gallery with his series of subway portraits, “Platforms.” The pictures capture New Yorkers in between places, waiting for the next train to arrive and whisk them to their destination. Some read books, some scroll through social media, some engage…
APEX: Ed Bereal
Ed Bereal never shies away from political issues, like biting commentary about race relations and the follies of nationalistic greed. Born in Los Angeles in 1937 as a war baby and having studied at Chouinard Art Institute, Bereal has created work that carries a breadth of visual range, from assemblage sculptures to expertly drafted illustrations…
Bury the Hatchet: Prayer for My P’ah-Be
Bury the Hatchet is artist John Hitchcock’s mixed-media, cross-disciplinary, multisensory installation. Hitchcock combines his interests in printmaking, rock ’n’ roll, and Kiowa and Comanche history into one visual expression that offers a retelling of the narrative of the American frontier. Bury the Hatchet explores issues of assimilation, acculturation, and indoctrination through oral history and music….
Though There Be Fury on the Waves
In 1942, Portland-born photographer Victor Jorgensen enlisted in the Navy. Edward Steichen, the renowned modernist photographer and lieutenant commander who oversaw Naval photography during World War II, selected Jorgensen—a Reed College attendee and editor at The Oregonian newspaper—to serve with his elite Naval Aviation Photographic Unit. Between 1943 and 1945, Jorgensen photographed on board the…
Fade To Light: A Multidimensional Fashion Event
Fade to Light aims to not just be a fashion show, but to be an experience that leaves the viewer with a solid understanding of each designer and the collections being shown. Fade to Light* routinely showcases the work of both established and emerging designers within the Portland fashion community, including Project Runway winners and…
Oregon Tattoo Expo
Come out and get tattooed (or just admire tattoo artwork) at Portland’s annual Oregon Tattoo Expo. There will be daily contests, food, music and – of course – plenty of tattooing opportunities.
Quilt, Craft & Sewing Festival
At the Quilt, Craft & Sewing Festival, you will find a wide variety of sewing, quilting, needle-art and craft supply exhibits from many quality companies, along with make ‘n’ takes, free demos, daily door prize drawings and more.
Design Week Portland
This annual springtime festival showcases Portland’s creative community, with a week full of lectures, design events and open houses.
Bloom Runway
Experience Bloom Runway, a powerful, fashion-forward event with ready-to-wear brands and designers. This is a curated mix-and-mingle experience for cultured individuals celebrating fashion, style and live music. This annual fashion show showcases Portland’s most creative fashion talent and entrepreneurs from all different backgrounds and nationalities, while giving back to the community by mentoring peers and…
Crafty Wonderland Spring Art + Craft Market
Portland’s biannual art and craft fair boasts unique handmade wares from 225+ local vendors.
Joryū Hanga Kyōkai, 1956–1965
In October 1956, a vibrant group of contemporary etchings, relief prints, and lithographs went on display in a Tokyo gallery. This was the debut exhibition of Japan’s first printmaking society for women artists, the Joryū Hanga Kyōkai, or the Women’s Print Association. It provided a crucial vehicle for talented female printmakers working in a crowded…
Mt. Tabor Art Walk
The Mt. Tabor Art Walk is a Portland tradition. This juried show and sale is a great opportunity to see quality visual art and meet artists in their studios and homes. Diverse media are represented including photography, painting, ceramics, sculpture, prints, metal arts, photography, glass, jewelry, book arts and mosaics.
Grand Floral Float Showcase
Take a closer look at this year’s Rose Festival Grand Floral Parade floats at the Grand Floral Float Showcase on Southwest Naito Parkway, adjacent to CityFair. These unique floats are meticulously decorated with natural materials like seeds and coconut flakes in addition to live flowers.
Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, and Mexican Modernism
Internationally beloved artists Frida Kahlo (1907–1954) and Diego Rivera (1886–1957) played a crucial role in defining and establishing the Avant-Garde cultural movement in Mexico in the early 20th century. Their famously stormy marriage reflected their diverging artistic styles: While Rivera’s art projected itself outward, often in vast murals and concerned itself with the construction of…
GeekCraft Expo
GeekCraft Expo is a curated craft market specializing in handmade, “geek”-themed crafts of all kinds; clothing, accessories, toys, home decoration, furniture, art . . . if it’s geeky and made by hand, it can be found at a GeekCraft Expo. Cosplay is highly encouraged and admission is free (you just need to pre-register).
Last Thursday Art Walk on Alberta
This boisterous street fair attracts independent artists, performers, local bands, troupes of acrobats, buskers, makers and more to celebrate their art on Northeast Albera Street. Held year-round, the event is biggest from June through August, when the street is closed to traffic during the festivities from 15th Avenue to 30th Avenue.
Lake Oswego Festival of the Arts
For more than 50 years, the Lake Oswego Festival of the Arts has proudly presented unique art exhibits including more than 600 local, national, and international artists. Visitors can also experience live music on two stages, performances, kids activities, artist demos, and a variety of food. It’s free to the public (donations encouraged) and attracts…
Sneaker Week
Sneaker Week offers fun events for sneaker addicts and footwear newbies alike.
Art In The Pearl Fine Arts & Crafts Festival
The Art in the Pearl annual Fine Arts & Crafts Festival occurs every year on Labor Day weekend in the Pearl District’s North Park Blocks. The Festival is free and requires no tickets for entry. Art In The Pearl has been named one of the top 10 Arts and Crafts Festivals in the country and…
Rose City Comic Con
Portland’s premier pop-culture event, Rose City Comic Con is produced locally with a focus on creating a fun and friendly event for everyone. While its primary focus is that of comics, comic creators and the creative process, Rose City Comic Con also provides its attendees with access to gaming, sci-fi, cosplay, anime, fantasy and everything…
Northwest Quilting Expo
Portland’s original sewing and quilting festival returns every fall, providing attendees with creative inspiration and all the tools and classes to expand your quilting skills. There are hundreds of juried quilts to see, and thousands of dollars in award prizes.
To Bear Witness – Extraordinary Lives
To Bear Witness – Extraordinary Lives will capture, share and preserve the stories of 10 to 12 people from varied backgrounds who left their homelands for safe haven in the United States. Although these refugees had survival on their minds when they first arrived, they jump-started their lives with remarkable determination, finding their way in…
Ansel Adams in Our Time
Oct 17, 2020 – Jan 24, 2021 Ansel Adams in Our Time celebrates the visual legacy of the acclaimed American photographer and includes some of his most iconic images, from a symphonic view of snow-dusted peaks in The Tetons and Snake River, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming (1942) to the sublime Moon and Half Dome,…
OryCon
OryCon is Oregon’s premier, fan-run, annual science fiction/fantasy convention held in Portland since 1979. OryCon is a 100% volunteer-based production of Oregon Science Fiction Conventions, Inc. (OSFCI), which is a non-profit, tax-exempt 501(c)3 corporation.
Renegade Craft Fair
Join Renegade Craft for a festive holiday weekend celebration in Portland featuring the country’s foremost voices in craft and design. Get your holiday shopping done while supporting emerging and established makers, all while enjoying rarities and remixes from local DJs, workshops, exceptional food trucks and cocktails.
Rembrandt and the Jews
The relationship Rembrandt had with the Jews of Amsterdam is a remarkable story. Most were Sephardic Jews – refugees from the Inquisition in Spain and Portugal. For many generations these Jews had been forced to deny their religious legacy, but in Amsterdam they were free to reclaim traditions and return to their Judaism. Rembrandt lived…
Approaching Darkness
Paintings, drawings and sculpture by Stephen Real. This exhibition is composed of artwork that explores a personal relationship to the “event horizon” surrounding a metaphysical “black hole” where things might fall into darkness, or live in light on the edge of it. The artist asks: How can we use darkness, evil, confusion and even death…
JAM Art Show + Sale
Enjoy a rotating exhibit in the MJCC lobby all month. Members of ORA: Northwest Jewish Artists will answer questions, accept commissions and sell their art. A portion of the proceeds benefits the MJCC.
Southern Rites
In Southern Rites, American photographer Gillian Laub (b. 1975) engages her skills as a photographer, storyteller and visual activist to examine the realities of racism and raise questions that are simultaneously painful and essential to understanding the American consciousness. Through her lens and the voices of her subjects we encounter that which we do not…
This House of Mine Zine Submissions
This House of Mine is a collaborative zine about reproductive health funded in part by the Regional Arts and Culture Council. Submissions for are open until April 1. Learn more about the zine and how to submit at the event website.
Winter Lights Festival: Illuminated Letters
OJMCHE’s front window will be part of the City’s Winter Light Festival with a piece by Portland artist Sara Harwin that will be activated in the evenings throughout the month of February. Illuminated Letters is an artistic lens into the journey of creation. Light is represented in the form of ancient Hebrew letters within the…
Bridge Tour
Join a walking tour that takes groups around, across, under, and inside the unique and storied spans that shape life in Portland. Strolling along the waterfront the tour will cross several bridges, pausing at the Morrison Bridge to meet the bridge operator and see the view from the control tower. The tour may then head…
Flash Day
On the last Saturday of every month, the artists at Icon Tattoo Studio put out their books of designs for clients to choose from. They only work from their books of designs, and they do not make appointments for this event. Flash Day is a super fun and popular event. Since the artists only work…
Sara Bennett: Life After Life in Prison: The Bedroom Project
The twenty-one women photographed by Sara Bennett in The Bedroom Project were all convicted of serious crimes— mostly homicide—and spent fourteen to thirty-seven years in a maximum-security prison. By the time they came up for parole they were all profoundly changed, yet most of them were repeatedly denied release because of the crimes they had…
American Hex
Fuller Rosen Gallery presents American Hex, a two-person show featuring new work by Portland based artists Christine Miller and Brittany Vega. Miller and Vega’s varied practices center on the artist as collector, and use their personal archives to shed light on the ills of contemporary American culture. American Hex points to the problematic and charged…
Art Museum Public Tour: Asian Art
Explore the museum with a docent skilled in bringing art to life. Public tours depart from the Park Avenue entrance. Museum admission: Free for Members; $20 Adults $17 Seniors 62+ and College Students; Free for Children 17 and under.
Parallel Exhibitions: Meghan Hedley “Elemental Meditations” and Matthew Sproul “Brighter Worlds”
Paragon Arts Gallery at PCC Cascade presents two parallel exhibitions: Elemental Meditations by Meghan Hedley in our West Gallery and Brighter Worlds by Matthew Sproul in our East Gallery. Visual and interactive, the exhibitions offer paintings and drawings in eye-popping bright colors with shapes, symbols, and marks to delight the psyche. Please join us for…
Public Tour: Volcano!
Explore the Museum with a docent skilled in bringing art to life. Public tours depart from the Park Avenue entrance. Tours are free for members or with Museum admission, and free for children age 17 and younger. Presented in conjunction with the exhibition Volcano! Mount St. Helens in Art. Museum admission: Free for Members; $20…
Around the Narrative Lens
In the contemporary world, we tend to live and breathe narrative. The connective tissue of the Story has threaded into much of our cultural consumption. Whether we are digesting the news of the day, taking in the entertainment media, or sharing anecdotes with loved ones, we’ve learned to mimic the narrative arc perpetuated in our…