Monthly Art Walks in Portland
Monthly events offer a street-level view of local artists and galleries.
Eric Gold
Portland’s art scene has so much going on, it merits at least three regular celebrations, held in different creative neighborhoods around town.
First Thursday
First Thursday, in the Pearl District and downtown, has been going strong since 1986. On the first Thursday of each month, galleries and businesses, including the Pacific Northwest College of Art debut new exhibitions, stay open late and throw a soiree, complete with free wine and snacks and great people-watching. Of course, it’s also serious business for local galleries like the Elizabeth Leach Gallery, one of the celebration’s pioneers.
Last Thursday
During Northeast Alberta Street’s Last Thursday, the art openings at spaces like the Guardino Gallery set the scene for a boisterous street fair that attracts independent artists and performers, from local bands to troupes of acrobats. Held year-round, the event is biggest from May through September, when the street is closed to traffic during the festivities.
First Friday
First Friday, hosted by Central Eastside galleries,studios and alternative art spaces, brings visitors up close with working artists in this burgeoning district. As its names implies, this art walk happens year-round on the first Friday of each month.
Neighborhood Highlights
Pearl District
The chic Pearl District features galleries and cultural institutions, as well as stylish shops and acclaimed eateries.
Alberta Arts District
Lined with street art, galleries, restaurants and bars, this Northeast Portland neighborhood is best known for its colorful monthly street fair.
Central Eastside
Across the Willamette River from downtown, this area blends industrial Portland with new restaurants, microbreweries and riverside recreation.
Upcoming Arts Events
Mumvember
During the month of November, Lan Su Chinese Garden will be packed with more than 750 potted chrysanthemums artistically displayed throughout the garden. More than 75 different chrysanthemum varieties will unfurl in all colors, shapes and sizes including: spiders, quills, spoons, regular incurves, irregular incurves, reflexes, semi-doubles, anemones, brush, thistle, exotics and more. Take in…
Noritaka Tatehana: Refashioning Beauty
Portland Japanese Garden presents the art of Noritaka Tatehana in his first-ever North American solo exhibition. Installed in the Pavilion and Tanabe Galleries located within the manicured grounds of the renowned Gardens, Tatehana enchants through his use of traditional symbols of sophistication and beauty with the inclusion of new, never-before-seen artworks created especially for this…
Handmade NW
Get a head-start on holiday shopping at Handmade NW. Now in its twelfth year, this three-day event rotates artisans from each day, offering shoppers unique items throughout. This year’s market takes place to OHSU’s Center for Developmental Health. The center is committed to finding the root causes of chronic disease and to developing new methods…
Wild Arts Festival
The Wild Arts Festival is Pacific Northwest’s premier art show and book fair celebrating the natural world. Held each November by the Portland Audubon, the festival attracts nearly 5,000 visitors each year. New for 2019, the popular festival has moved to Pure Space in Portland’s vibrant Pearl District as the festival celebrates its 39th year….
Portland Winter Light Festival
Brighten your February with glowing sculptures and thousands of twinkling lights at the annual Winter Lights Festival.
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…
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…
Design Week Portland
This annual springtime festival showcases Portland’s creative community, with a week full of lectures, design events and open houses.