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Portland Art Museum
Major exhibitions complement the museum’s strong Native American and Northwest collections.
Know Before You Go
Museum tickets can be purchased in advance online or in person.
There are several current exhibits in addition to the museum’s permanent collection; please check the Portland Art Museum website for up-to-date information.
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 art collection.
Tips for Visiting the Portland Art Museum
How do I get to the Portland Art Museum?
The Tri-Met bus and Portland Streetcar travel directly past the Museum, and the MAX light rail has a stop only four blocks away.
Is there parking available?
The closest private lot is Central City Parking at SW 10th and Main.
Do I need to reserve tickets in advance?
How much does the Portland Art Museum cost?
- $25 for adults (18 and over)
- $22 for seniors 62+ and college students
- Free for children 17 and under
Special exhibition and program fees may apply.
Details are subject to change; please check the Portland Art Museum website for current information.
Portland Art Museum Campus and History
First organized in 1892, the museum’s 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.
On the lower level sits the Whitsell Auditorium, a part of the Museum’s history for the past fifty years. Formally Northwest Film Center, now PAM CUT (Center for an Untold Tomorrow), the theater screens art films and has programming that supports local and international storytelling in all immersive formats.
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. 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 include 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, partly 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.
Northwest art is a primary attraction, cataloging the developments in Western art traditions in Oregon and Washington since the 19th century.
Native American Art
The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Center was sourced from two primary collectors: 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. The collection is dedicated to all the Native American tribes of Oregon.
Northwest Art
Northwest art is a primary attraction, cataloging the developments in Western art traditions 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. Still, 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).
Explore the Arts
Within the Portland Art Museum and beyond, to local institues supporting living artist.
Center for Native American Art
The Portland Art Museum's Center for Contemporary Native Art showcases the work of modern-day Native American artists. The innovative gallery hosts annual exhibitions along with a range of related talks and activities co-created by the artists.
Oregon Center for Contemporary Art
In North Portland find visual art installations and performance art to collaborations with bands, chefs and mixologists, with international curators and partnerships with Oregon art makers, Oregon Contemporary is the cutting edge of visual arts.
Time-Based Art (TBA) Festival
Portland’s Time-Based Art Festival (TBA) returns every September with 10 days of boundary-pushing performances, visual art and projects that defy categorization.
Visual Art Events
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 on comics, comic creators and the creative process, Rose City Comic Con also provides its attendees access to gaming, sci-fi, cosplay, anime, fantasy and everything in between….
Rembrandt and the Jews
The relationship Rembrandt had with the Jews of Amsterdam reveals a remarkable story. Most Amsterdam Jews were Sephardic – refugees from the Inquisition in Spain and Portugal. For 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…
FashioNXT
The annual FashioNXT week premiers the latest in fashion in a runway production that TIME Magazine ranks #1 in the US outside NY Fashion Week. Portland Mayors recognized it as the official fashion week of Portland. See the biggest red carpet in the PNW premiere of next season’s collections by extraordinary designers from around the…
First Thursday in the Pearl District
Starting in 1986, First Thursday in the Pearl is a district-wide celebration on the first Thursday of each month. Originally a gathering of art collectors and dealers, the celebration has grown to a monthly event of over ten thousand people, including art enthusiasts, wine aficionados, and scenesters looking to see and be seen. Art galleries…
First Friday PDX
Located in Portland’s vibrant East Side Arts District, the First Friday Art Walk takes place on the first Friday evening of every month year-round. Offering a gateway into Portland’s thriving arts culture, First Friday PDX includes more than 23 independent galleries, shops, and studios and a street exhibition from April to October. The self-guided tour…
Sitka Art Invitational
Exhibit and sale of artwork by 100 nature-inspired Northwest artists, including sculpture, ceramics, paintings, fiber art, photography, prints and more. Sales are shared 50/50 with the artists and Sitka Center for Art and Ecology's non-profit programs. Sitka Members only Friday, October 13 @ 10am
Portland Open Studios
For two weekends every October, Portland Open Studios invites visitors to explore the houses and offices of artists across the city.
Knock Out: Plus Size Pop Up and Fashion Show
It's the return of Knock Out, a special fashion and shopping event for all curvy, body-positive, feminine warriors, dapper darlings and handsome fellows in Portland and beyond. The growing list of participating designers features influential plus-size clothing companies and brands. This show will be an epic day full of amazing fat liberation and community. You…
Oregon Buddhist Temple Fall Bazaar
Shop for Omiyage and handcrafts at the annual Oregon Buddhist Temple Fall Bazaar — pre-order delicious menu items such as Mar Far Chicken, Chow Mein, Chirashi Sushi or Bento. The Oregon Buddhist Temple welcomes all people, regardless of ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, gender identification, and political or religious affiliation.
Portland Zine Symposium
The Portland Zine Symposium is an organization that hosts, among other events, a yearly free conference and zine social exploring facets of independent publishing and DIY culture. This event has been held in Portland, Oregon in the summer since 2001 and hosts over 150 tablers from around the world each year, as well as many…
The Pancakes & Booze Art Show
Picture this: Pancakes sizzlin', beers flowin', and art slappin' the walls like the Sistine Chapel. Hundreds, sometimes thousands, of wild childs chowing down on unlimited pancakes and losing their minds to live DJs and body painting. This ain't no snoozefest, highfalutin art show for the elite. It's a revolutionary, balls-to-the-wall reimagining of the art experience….
"Secret Poems" by Jeff Reznikoff – A Solo Exhibition of Fine Art
You are invited to enter through the visual experience offered by local abstract-surrealist fine artist Jeff Reznikoff. His unique style draws from the deep well of the subconscious and explores the interconnected, reflective and playful nature of reality and existence. It offers viewers an opportunity for rich adventures within their own imagination and depths of…
Ankeny Alley Festival
Join the final of six Ankeny Alley Festivals this weekend and celebrate the Autumn Solstice. Local merchants, restaurants and nightclubs welcome locals and tourists alike to explore and support small businesses in Downtown Portland. On Saturday, September 23, things will be bustling with great activity at the nearby Portland Saturday Market and don’t forget this…
Social Forms: Art as Global Citizenship
This free, citywide art exhibition features 50+ local and global artists at 15+ venues across Portland and promises an exciting opening weekend. Through the theme of Social Forms: Art as Global Citizenship, this year’s biennial is a curated showing of the world’s leading contemporary artworks — some of which will debut for the first time…
Time-Based Art (TBA) Festival
Portland’s Time-Based Art Festival (TBA) returns every September with 10 days of boundary-pushing performances, visual art and projects that defy categorization.
Black Artists of Oregon
Black Artists of Oregon, highlighting and celebrating the work of Black artists in and outside the collection, will deepen awareness of the talented artists that have shaped and inspired artists regionally and nationally. The exhibition will be the first of its kind to consider the work of Black artists collectively in Oregon, often underrepresented and…
A Sense of Place: the Art of George Tsutakawa
The Japanese American Museum of Oregon presents A Sense of Place: The Art of George Tsutakawa, a career-spanning exhibition of the influential Seattle artist’s paintings, sculptures, and fountain designs. Inspired by his life in the Pacific Northwest and his Japanese heritage, Tsutakawa (1910-1997) was fascinated with the natural forms and aesthetics he encountered in both…
Canstruction PDX
Canstruction is a unique international charity that hosts exhibitions and competitions of giant whimsical and wildly inventive sculptures made entirely out of full cans of food. After they are built, the teams of architects, engineers, and contractors display their structures to the public to compete for winning titles. At the end of the event, all…
HoneyDoo Market at Gol PDX
A community collaboration, small business incubator, and all around good time, HoneyDoo Market at Gol PDX will feature ten local vendors selling art, jewelry, and curated vintage clothing. Host Gol PDX, a popular local watering hole, will be offering event-exclusive food and drink specials.
Yishai Jusidman, Prussian Blue
Yishai Jusidman’s Prussian Blue is a series of paintings rendered almost exclusively in one of the earliest artificially developed pigments used by European painters—Prussian Blue. The chemical compound that makes up this pigment happens to be related to the Prussic acid in Zyklon B, the poisonous product deployed at some of the Nazi concentration and…
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[siccer] by Will Rawls
In [siccer], Will Rawls experiments with stop-motion, a filmmaking technique in which still photographs are strung together to produce a moving image. Through a dance performance and accompanying video installation, Rawls invites us to consider how Black bodies are relentlessly documented, distorted and circulated in the media. Throughoutﾠ[siccer]'s live performance, five dancers are suspended in…
Alka domo
Seba Calfuqueo (b. 1991, Santiago, Chile) is an internationally celebrated artist of Indigenous Mapuche origin. Their work appeals to their Indigenous inheritance to propose critical reflections on the Mapuche subject's social, cultural, and political status in contemporary Chilean society, Latin America and the world. Calfuqueo’s work marshals, among other elements, installation, ceramic, performance, and video…
Flowing Like Waterfalls
In addition to major video installation, Alka domo — on view at PICA August 24 through September 24, 2023 — Seba Calfuqueo will present Flowing Like Waterfalls (2022-2023) in PICA's Annex on August 26 at 3:30 pm. Flowing Like Waterfalls is a 20-minute performance that approaches the power of water's fluidity as a means to…
Te Moana Meridian and One Hundred More Fires
Sam Hamilton/Sam Tam Ham (b. 1984, Auckland, New Zealand/Tāmaki Makaurau, Aotearoa) created Te Moana Meridian as a vessel for proposing a radical new United Nations General Assembly Draft Resolution to formally relocate the prime meridian from Greenwich, London, to Te Moana-Nui-ā-Kiwa/the South Pacific Ocean. Since its inception at an 1884 conference in Washington, D.C., the…
Day Drink & Draw
A few things to know …. You are encouraged to bring your own supplies; some will be available for purchase, but it’s better to come prepared. Beer, wine, and cider will be available at Tomorrow’s Verse Taproom. Outside alcohol is not allowed. Bringing your own snacks is very much allowed. There is no charge to…
Fall Oil Media Juried Showcase
The Gallery at the Oregon Society of Artists celebrates all forms of oil media. From pastels to paints, cold wax, encaustic, and oil-based inks, oil media provides a wealth of luscious colors, textures and surfaces for the artists’ repertoire. Throughout history, oil media have changed the course of art, offering artists endless possibilities for expression…
All Our Relations: Snake River Journey in Portland
This fall, Se’Si’Le and Indigenous leaders invite you to stand with Tribal communities across the Northwest to support the Indigenous-led movement to restore salmon to abundance by removing the four lower Snake River dams. Native peoples in the Northwest have depended on their relationship with salmon since time immemorial. This two-week, indigenous-led campaign has been…
Volver a ver / To see again
PDX CONTEMPORARY ART is pleased to present Volver a ver / To see again an exhibition of new work by Georgina Reskala. Georgina Reskala’s work deals with ideas of memory, history, and the power of narrative. By manipulating moments, she mimics storytelling, translation, and remembering in a visual format. Through the making of a photograph…
A Question of Hu: The Narrative Art of Hung Liu
Groundbreaking Chinese American artist Hung Liu (1948–2021) made highly narrative images that foregrounded workers, immigrants, refugees, women, children, and soldiers in haunting, incandescent portraits that mingle Chinese and Western artistic traditions. Liu was born in Changchun, China, and her childhood and youth coincided with one of the most tumultuous periods in Chinese history. After she…
Picture Day
Celebrated photographer Elle Hygge offers professional portraits and headshots that celebrate diversity. LGBTQIA2S+ friendly and support animals welcome. This is an event sponsored by the gallery and the urban art hike to encourage everyone to come to the gallery and take pictures with art. pay the gallery @GalleryGoGoGo (3 gos) Venmo
Last Thursday at Alberta Street Gallery
Sept. Last Thursday at Alberta Street Gallery: “Views from the Other Side” by local abstract and abstract-figurative painters and “A Glimpse of Gold” w/ whimsically fanciful jewelry and ceramics by ASG’s Leslie McMillan and Veronica Arquilevich Guzman. “Views from the Other Side” by local abstract and abstract-figurative painters Chloe Bren, Emily Kepulis, Solveig Noll, Lehman…
Painting with Comedians – with Adam Pasi
Eat, drink, paint and laugh with Adam Pasi, winner of Portland's Funniest Person 2019. Grab a drink and be guided through your very own painting with hilarious company. The evening will include paint instruction, standup, interaction with Adam as you paint, incredible food and drinks (available for purchase), and unpredictable absurdity in a cool, new…
Fall in Love with Lents: East Portland Art Fest
#EastPDXArtFest is back for year two. This is a celebration of local East Portland and Lents art, makers, vendors, and talent in the heart of Lents Town Center. 25+ local vendors, makers, and artists. Live music and entertainment throughout the event. Free admission. Fall in Love with Lents aims to build community, celebrate art, and…
South American Fest
This event has been canceled. Please see website for details. PDX SOUTH AMERICAN FEST 2023 Food: – Ale Cocina (Argentina) – Bajon (Chile) Performances: – 12 p.m. Folkloric Dances (Peru) – 1 p.m. Salsa Lesson (Venezuela) – 2 p.m. DJ La Flor (Colombia) – 3 p.m. Samba (Brazil) Vendors: – William Hernandez (Peru) – Roots…
Wine & Watercolor
Explore your creative side and enjoy some wonderful local wine while you paint. Helvetia Winery is a beautiful and historic setting for an afternoon of fun. No experience is necessary. Artists of all levels are welcomed and encouraged. Offering quality instruction so you can feel relaxed and enjoy the process, learn a new art medium,…
Late Nite Foglight x Berlu
Foglight Farms will host Vince Nguyen of Berlu on Sunday, October 1, for an immersive collaboration of food, wine, and performance on their idyllic property in Hillsboro, Oregon. Using the model of a late-night TV show, this edition of Late Nite Foglight will take as its jumping-off point the fact that farmers, chefs and artists…
Graduate Lecture Series: Deborah Freedman
The Hallie Ford School of Graduate Studies and the MFA in Print Media are happy to present painter and printmaker Deborah Freedman. Deborah Freedman is a painter and printmaker. Selected venues include The Brooklyn Museum of Art, Artists Space, A.I.R, The Cooper-Hewitt Museum of Design, The Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts in Hong Kong, Albright…
Painting with Drag Queens – Nashville Hott and SEVEN
Join Nashville Hott and Seven in a guided paint lesson at the World Famous Kenton Club. All supplies, music, entertainment and instruction are included. Plus, drag performances. It's what you've all been waiting for, crew. Portland legend Nashville Hott and Seven will guide you through a 2-hour journey of wet brushes and savvy stroked fit…
Le Petite Menagerie
Anna Magruder and Jeanne Cardana are the October featured artists at Sidestreet Arts. Anna's favorite subjects to paint are people, animals, and whatever lies between. Drifting between realism and surrealism, she explores vintage America, reimagining the lives and stories of the characters on canvas. Jeanne captures her subjects' hearts and spirits — equine, domestic, or…
MonArchy by Arnold Pander
Arnold Pander presents his new works in Oil, Watercolor and Pen and Ink at Ale O Boutique in downtown Portland. Pander will display recent works in various media focusing on figurative art, punk rock and its influence on fashion. Arnold will perform a live-art demonstration with a live model at 6 p.m..
Local 14 Art Show and Sale
LOCAL 14 Art Show and Sale is returning this fall for its 56th year to the World Forestry Center with over 50 members, and invited guest artists will present their high-quality original artwork in all mediums. The Lake Oswego Craft and Arts League's Art Show and Sale (LOCAL 14) was founded and produced by women…
Portland Tattoo Expo
Join up for three fun-filled days with tattoos, live performances, contests and more. Get tattooed by amazing artists from around the world. Come to the Portland Expo Center to observe these artists at work (and potentially go home with your own tattoo). Tickets available at the door
Art Focus Night: Illustrators Work & Chat
Professional illustrators, graphic designers, digital painters and artists are invited to come and have free snacks, meet other creators and have time to work together. Bring a project to work on. Hosted by artist Shelly Swann @fairywulf and Gallery Go Go @gallerygogo
Plein Air & Alla Prima Showcase
Plein Air painting and Alla Prima painting capture the essence of a scene, the attitude of a landscape, or the character of a moment. Most often completed in a single sitting, these works feature lively and impressionistic views, bold gestures, and impromptu mark-making. For the Plein Air and Alla Prima Showcase, we’re looking for works…
S P A C E: Jupiter – the drag show
The biggest beauty of all the planets – the jovial benefic of good luck and expansion, the planet that wants you to succeed, be a sovereign among sovereigns, and become your best self… That’s right… It’s time to go to JUPITER Hosted by none other than Portland legend Isaiah Esquire Through thirteen shows across twenty-four…
Natura Eternal Jewelry Designer Showcase
Paxton Gate is hosting visiting artists from around the country for this in-store event. Oregon native Katie Evans of Hart Variations, Emily Hirsch of Talon Jewelry, visiting from California and Julie Cron of Stray Jewelry, visiting from Montana, will share their available jewelry creations. Converse with the artists as you shop a variety of artisan-made…
Leonard Baskin, the Great Birdman
Leonard Baskin’s Orthodox Jewish upbringing and deep knowledge of Jewish texts and history are evident throughout his oeuvre. His art, expressed in sculpture and painting, and the printing techniques of lithography, woodcut, etching, and engraving, carries multiple sources of inspiration, including monumental Egyptian and Mesopotamian sculpture, classical Greek mythology and literature, and portrayals of Native…
Oregon Origins Project III: Maa~‑xuslh‑ghalh‑ta Tututni Dené (A Year in Tututni Dené Seasons)
Oregon Origins Project presents a journey through the seasonal traditions of the southwest Oregon coast indigenous peoples. Yashuwe’ Tututni Dené culture bearer and artist Hii-ne Jake DePoe's artwork will be displayed at the Reed College Vollum College Center. On the evening of Saturday, October 14, at the Reed College Performing Arts Buidng, Hii-ne Jake DePoe…
Karl Leclair and Miroslav Lovric
Sharing personal histories and what led them to a life in the arts, artists Karl LeClair and Miroslav Lovric take guests on a visual tour. Incorporating imagery from conscious and subconscious moments, the artists share stories and developments in making. Discussing printmaking techniques and brushwork gestures both demonstrate how history and the mind led to…
Late Nite Foglight x Dame
Foglight Farms will host Patrick McKee of Dame on Sunday, October 15, for an immersive collaboration of food, wine, and performance on their idyllic property in Hillsboro, Oregon. Using the model of a late-night TV show, this edition of Late Nite Foglight will take as its jumping-off point the fact that farmers, chefs and artists…
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