Portland Japanese Garden

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…

Black History Festival NW is an all-ages celebration of culture and heritage showcasing Black artists, businesses, organizations, and leaders through arts, education and advocacy, utilizing Black History Month to celebrate the African Diaspora, bridge gaps, amplify truth, unity and hope in the Pacific Northwest. See the festival website for a full lineup of events.

A free popular Portland event for 29 years, this year’s film festival features five weeks of more than 30 feature, documentary and short films by established and emerging African directors from 18 countries. The Cascade Festival of African Films shows us Africa through the eyes of Africans, rather than a vision of Africa packaged for…

At the International Exposition of 1900 in Paris, American sociologist, historian, and civil rights activist W.E.B. Du Bois put together “The American Negro Exhibit,” a remarkable collection of more than 300 photographs of African-American men and women, homes, churches, businesses and universities. These photographs were paired with a series of charts and graphs designed by…

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…

“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)…

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…

Introducing Rejoice!’s newest creation and upcoming production – Been Ready. Those in the Black community have always been told “Stay ready so you don’t have to get ready.” Ready as in ready for the discrimination, ready for the prejudice, ready for the racism. Been Ready brings together five personal experiences navigating conflicts that are inherently…

The NW Black Comedy Festival returns in 2020 with four days of laughter at Harvey’s Comedy Club in Northwest Portland, featuring Black comics from the Northwest and beyond. This festival also includes popular local showcases spotlighting Portland’s Black stand-up comics. There’ll be lineups from Minority Retort and The Blackonteurs, as well as an all-women show,…

The Portland Jazz Festival returns every February with a stellar series of concerts and events celebrating Black History Month.

Join Portland’s NBA team, the Portland Trail Blazers, at their annual Celebration of Black History on Friday, February 21. This event honors the city’s Black & African American community, and celebrates their contributions across the country. The night will feature special performances, retail items and multiple fundraising efforts benefiting Elevate Oregon, a nonprofit whose mission…

Portland’s most lively, joyous outdoor event of the winter season is waiting right around the corner. Tuesday, February 25th, the Mysti Krewe of Nimbus will lead their annual Mardi Gras Parade on Mississippi Avenue. It’s a free, family-friendly event celebrating Mardi Gras Day. This year’s Parade features its biggest lineup ever, with marching bands, dance…

For over 50 years, South Africa’s four-time Grammy Award winners Ladysmith Black Mambazo has warmed the hearts of audiences worldwide with their uplifting vocal harmonies, signature dance moves and charming onstage banter. With a deep respect for both their cultural and personal history, Ladysmith Black Mambazo is ever-evolving with an eye toward their long musical…

Portland’s Tender Table event series features performances and snacks by women and gender-nonbinary people of color.

Join Reed College in celebrating its third annual Black Arts Festival! Family-friendly, free and open to all, this festival offers a full concert experience with performances by: BbymuthaMaarquiiZsa ZsaBnickFather FannieHouse of OliverThese musical performances are accompanied by a BIPoC (Black, Indigenous & People of Color) Community Marketplace, featuring local vendors and food and drink purveyors,…

“I’d never thought I looked different from the other kids at school, even though most of them were Caucasian. But when I went to school the day after Pearl Harbor, I realized I did look different. My hair was black, my skin was darker and my eyes were almond-shaped. My face was the face of…

The Womxn’s March & Rally For Action returns in celebration of International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month. Take to the streets on a day that honors womxn and their long history of marching, organizing and speaking out for social justice. Educate. Engage. Empower.

Resonance Ensemble performs Safe Harbor, a concert of powerful new vocal music exploring experiences of asylum and exile and what it means to be an immigrant as we celebrate the shared diversity that forms the unique story of the United States. At Safe Harbor, Resonance Ensemble will unveil their newly-commissioned work by the composer and…

Drawing on Shakespeare’s inherent genius for seamlessly blending the comic and the tragic, Portland-based playwright Anya Pearson (Made to Dance in Burning Buildings) adds her own unique command of language, humor and social insight to this story. This production is a reimagining of Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure through the all-too-relevant lens of the systemically unjust…

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….

The Pi Nee Waus (A Place To Come) Elders respectfully invite you, along with your friends and family, to this annual Powwow. Grand Entries will be at 1 p.m. and again at 6 p.m.

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…

Soul Queens & Blues Kings A benefit for HEALTH CARE FOR ALL- OREGON “Healing the Healthcare Blues” This very special showcase will celebrate icons of Soul and the Blues pioneers that helped shape the history of music. Norman “Boogie Cat” Sylvester brings together some of our local R&B favorites: Lenanne Miller, Renato Caranto, LaRhonda Steele,…

Shop for handmade crafts, snack on traditional recipes and enjoy entertainment straight from Guadalajara at this popular Cinco de Mayo festival.

At Portland’s annual Red Dress Party, all attendees are required to wear a red dress or pre-approved attire. Tickets to the event include entrance to the party, entertainment and dancing, as well as food and drinks all evening. All proceeds from this year’s Red Dress party will benefit Planned Parenthood and Q Center. Red Dress…

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…

Every June, the Portland Pride Festival & Parade makes a name for itself — and LGBTQ+ community members — all over town.

Enjoy Nordic music, dancing, games, food, vendors, a beer garden, a kids’ area and more at Portland’s annual Scandinavian Midsummer Festival. Enjoy delicious Nordic cuisine, try traditional beverages and scrumptious sweets. Spend the day with us and make your own colorful flower crown and other crafts. Play “Viking Chess”, Nordic Jenga and other fun games….

All are welcome and invited to the 50th Annual Delta Park Powwow and Encampment on June 19-21, 2020 at East Delta Park in Portland, Oregon. The event is a free and family-friendly celebration of Native American culture. The Delta Park Powwow and Encampment is an annual Portland tradition that draws Native American, and non-native participants…

Come to the Good in the Neighborhood Multicultural Music & Food Festival features live music, a parade, an information Village, marketplace, beer and wine garden and a youth venue, along with a kids’ space. The official parade is from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. June 27, starting at Legacy Emanuel Medical Center on the corner…

Sequins, boas and a rainbow of talent mark LGBTQ variety show Peacock in the Park’s takeover of Washington Park.

Join the Oregon Chinese Coalition for the city’s annual Chinese Festival in the Square! Celebrate Chinese American culture and enjoy nonstop entertainment, delicious Chinese food, authentic arts, crafts and much more.

Sneaker Week offers fun events for sneaker addicts and footwear newbies alike.

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…

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…

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.

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…

Art and Race Matters: The Career of Robert Colescott comes to the Portland Art Museum. This exhibition is the first full retrospective of one of America’s most compelling and controversial artists. Robert Colescott (1925-2009) established his career in Portland with the support of gallery owner and philanthropist Arlene Schnitzer, then made his mark on the…

Using rare and seldom-seen objects like Chinese opera costumes as well as theatrical sets, bilingual text, audiovisual media and interactive visitor stations, Beyond the Gate tells a sprawling transnational story of contact and trade between China and the West, focusing on Portland’s Old (1850-1905) and New (1905-1950) Chinatowns. Beyond the Gate was originally created as…

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.

A public labyrinth walk held on the third Monday of every month on the beautiful wood labyrinth at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral. No prior experience needed, and there is no wrong way to walk.

Based on the book by Gabrielle Simon Edgcomb, the film tells the little-known story of two very different cultures, sharing a common burden of oppression. Cosponsored by the Jewish Federation of Greater Portland, Jewish Community Relations Council, NAACP and OJMCHE.

The gloomy days of winter will once again be banished for one glorious night when Portland’s only Mardi Gras krewe and social club, the Mysti Krewe of Nimbus, hosts its 10th ANNUAL MARDI GRAS BALL. This lively, spirited and authentic Mardi Gras celebration will be held Saturday, February 22, at the Wonder Ballroom. This year’s…

The musical collective known as Antibalas (Spanish for bullet-proof or anti-bullets) was conceived of in Mexico City and formed in Brooklyn, New York. Catch them in Portland for their 2020 PDX Jazz Festival performance. Though recognized for their fluency in Afrobeat and funk music, the band is known to collaborate with diverse groups and artists,…

Feat. Too Loose Cajun, Zydeco Band. Mysti Krewe of Nimbus formed in 2010 to celebrate Louisiana Mardi Gras, and bring that spirit of joy to Portland. The Krewe is composed of both former Louisiana residents and many locals who love the food, music and culture of Louisiana.

Jasnam Daya Singh plays piano and leads PJCE in a performance of his Ektah: The Unity Project, an evening-length piece dedicated to cultivating a collective sense of belonging. Presented in cooperation with PDX Jazz. Singh’s Ektah: The Unity Project, commissioned by PJCE for the Montavilla Jazz Festival in 2017, is a multi-movement suite that incorporates…

This talk is titled How Aristides de Sousa Mendes Saved Thousands from the Nazis. Jill Neuwelt will discuss her trip last year to commerate the work of Aristides de Sousa Mendes who, as an individual, saved many lives during World War II. Jill Neuwelt and a group met in Bordeaux and travelled along the route…

On the First Thursday of the month from 5-8 p.m, the Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education participates in the city-wide First Thursday Gallery Walk. During the First Thursday hours, the museum is open and free to the public.

Enjoy a night of music by one of Irish traditional music’s leading exponents, Téada, an Irish traditional band with a truly worldwide reach. Téada is driven by a fascination for the timeless, expressive force of music inherited from previous generations of musicians. Irish Music Magazine describes the band as “at the cutting edge of the…

Portland Street Art Alliance is a non-profit organization that provides access to resources, networking platforms, and professional development opportunities for Pacific Northwest street artists. This is a rare opportunity to meet PSAA directors and get a one-on-one behind the scene glimpse into Portland’s street art. Starting outside Clay Creative, PSAA will provide an introduction to…