Visual Arts in Portland
Galleries, public art and avant-garde institutions complete Portland's visual arts scene.
Portland’s thriving and innovative art scene keeps in touch with international trends while remaining true to its Pacific Northwest roots. Events like First Thursday (in the Pearl District) and Last Thursday (in the Alberta Arts District in the summer) draw big crowds, but local galleries, museums and arts organizations continue to churn in the interim. Mainstays like the Portland Institute of Contemporary Art, Oregon Contemporary, and the Portland Art Museum have full calendars of visiting artist lectures and events that supplement exhibitions around the city.
Museums in Portland
The premier collecting museum in Oregon, the Portland Art Museum occupies an entire city block in the South Park Blocks. Home to a dizzying array of work from all over the world, it also boasts the Clement Greenberg Collection, a personal look into the taste of one of Modernism’s most powerful critics. Alongside these 20th-century masterpieces, the museum also highlights regional contemporary artists in its APEX series, possesses a fine collection of Native American art, schedules regular exhibitions of its collection of world-class prints and drawings and frequently hosts blockbuster events from major collections, both public and private.
Nearby on the campus of Portland State University, the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art (JSMA) showcases world-class contemporary artwork in its small gallery within two floors overlooking Southwest Broadway. The gallery offers accessible art experiences to PSU and the public ands features exhibitions by national and international artist in addition to works by Northwest artists, and PSU faculty and students.
Founded in 1995, PICA,Portland Institute for Contemporary Art, has a long history as a presenter of cutting-edge performance works and visual art installations. Now found in an adaptable warehouse space in Northeast Portland, PICA showcases innovative local and international artists from many disciplines in addition to funding and partnering with local artists, projects and visual arts spaces.
Oregon Contemporary in the Kenton neighborhood has distinguished itself by amassing a wide portfolio of offerings — some 500 shows since 2003 — that range from visual art installations, film, performance art pieces, drag shows, to the ambitious Portland Biennial, which draws up to 5,500 spectators for several months’ worth of symposia, exhibitions and talks.
On Display
The city's museums feature work by renowned local and international artists.
Portland Institute for Contemporary Art (PICA)
Portland Institute of Contemporary Art (PICA) brings internationally and locally renowned performances, installations and artists to their warehouse space in Northeast Portland.
Oregon Contemporary
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.
Portland Art Museum
Spend a day strolling among sculptures, sketching modern art and soaking in the artistic ambiance at one of the nation’s best art museums.
Portland Galleries
Outside of the museum walls, commercial and alternative galleries abound. Some venues have stood the test of time (and the reinvention of the Pearl District), while others are upstarts looking to make a splash with young artists and new media. Cornerstones like PDX Contemporary Art and Elizabeth Leach Gallery show a mixture of local and international emerging and mid-career artists. Their exhibitions run the gamut from photography to abstract painting to more conceptual considerations. Russo Lee Gallery, Augen Gallery and Froelick Gallery all continue this trend, with a mixture of original works from prominent locals and the occasional blue-chip name.
Straddling the area between traditional gallery and alternative exhibition space, PNCA’s 511 Gallery, Adams & Ollman, and Fourteen30 Contemporary stand at the edge of the avant-garde. Meanwhile, the venerable nonprofit Blue Sky Gallery has a long history of advocacy and showing first-rate photography, while Elisabeth Jones Art Center specializes in works with a focus on ecology and social justice.
Alternative Art Spaces
Beyond the more traditional models, some spaces fully embrace the moniker of “alternative space,” playing host to exhibitions, performances, publications and films. The Everett Station Lofts are a group of combined living and workspaces in Northwest Portland, focusing on small galleries and project spaces with an immersive and community-oriented approach. Other exhibition spaces like Building 5, housed in former Northwest Marine Works, a vintage WWII-era building, expand on these ideas to showcase emerging artists and more experimental endeavors.
Nationale curates exhibitions of local to international artists in various media. Step into this contemplative store and browse a fine selection of books, prints, or various art objects while also taking in the art on display.
Explore more of Portland’s art scene with these maps, calendars and schedules to simplify your art outing. For public art, check out Public Art PDX. Interested in attending First Thursday? Click through to the Portland Art Dealers Association for a smattering of member galleries and related institutions. Head to our events page and find more visual art events in Portland.
Portland Street Murals
Home to nearly 1,000 pieces of public art, Portland has cultivated a vibrant mural and street art scene. The Regional Arts & Culture Council (RACC) and the former annual festival organized by Forest for the Trees Northwest kept new murals coming. But the art isn’t there to look pretty; Portland’s diverse murals introduce the city’s rich multicultural history, as illustrated by some of the world’s most accomplished muralists. Get your camera ready for these stunning examples of street art; below are some of Portland’s most notable.
Looking for more? Download the official Portland Near Me Now app to explore more murals and public art.
Mentioned Elsewhere Online
Regional Arts & Culture Council (RACC)
Get to the Galleries
Explore Portland's visual arts offerings at these local galleries.
Upcoming Visual Arts Events
Check out our editor's top picks for visual arts exhibitions in Portland.
Throughlines: Connections in the Collection
Throughlines embraces wonder and curiosity, bringing together artworks from across the Museum’s collections to explore the range of artistic innovation. From diverse geographies, cultures, and time periods, artists have consistently created images, objects, and experiences that ask us to consider ourselves and the world from different perspectives. Visitors will encounter playful groupings that reveal how artists…
Future Now: Virtual Sneakers to Cutting-Edge Kicks
Future Now: Virtual Sneakers to Cutting-Edge Kicks is a groundbreaking new exhibition that features nearly 60 futuristic footwear designs pushing the boundaries of what art can be. Featuring an incredible mix of fashion, design, gaming, new media, architecture, and material arts as well as sustainable and collaborative practices, the exhibition features work by designers as diverse…
Terry Toedtemeier
PDX CONTEMPORARY ART is pleased to present Arches (and apertures), an exhibition of photographs by Terry Toedtemeier. Toedtemeier was an accomplished photographer whose work was deeply informed by his study of the geology of the Northwest.
Water Media Juried Show
The Gallery at OSA is pleased to announce the Spring Water Media Juried Show. This exhibition invites submissions in all types of water-soluble media, such as watercolor, gouache, acrylic, chalk pastel, etc. Whether your watercolors drip and flow or you dry brush acrylic paint, this is work created in water-based media. Open to any and…
Alberta Street Gallery: The Paper Invitational
Paper Takes Center Stage: Annual Paper Invitational at Alberta Street Gallery. Immerse yourself in the world of paper art at the Alberta Street Gallery's Annual Paper Invitational. Curated by resident paper artists David Friedman and Kim Nickens, this exhibition showcases the incredible versatility of a familiar material. David Friedman, a founding member of Portland Open…
Bong Wai Chen: Reframing Tradition
The Portland Chinatown Museum presents BONG WAI CHEN: Reframing Tradition, a retrospective on the art and life of Portland Chinatown artist Bong Wai Chen (1911-1968), who influenced generations of Oregon artists and the practice of calligraphy in the U.S. This exhibition is the third of a series of retrospectives organized by Portland Chinatown Museum and…
Celebrating Mothers May Exhibit
Grey Raven Gallery celebrates mothers for May with a special exhibit featuring jewelry and watercolors. Enjoy a wide selection of jewelry and beautiful watercolor works, all created by local NW artists. The Gallery hosts a free First Friday reception from 5–9 p.m. on May 3.
Froelick Gallery: Japanese Artists Exhibition
Froelick Gallery is proud to welcome back Seiichi Hiroshima with a solo exhibition. Seiichi Hiroshima is a master printmaker, Moon & Dog Press co-owner, and print artist living and working in Tokyo, Japan. Hiroshima primarily uses the color mezzotint process, an extremely difficult technique he has perfected. He scratches plates with a rocker and then burnishes…
Froelick Gallery: V. Maldonado "ojo de aguila"
Froelick Gallery is pleased to present V. Maldonado’s recent body of work titled ojo de aguila (eagle's eye). Their unique aerial perspective and commitment to creative healing are at the core of V. Maldonado’s studio practice. The artist has journeyed through deep reflections and past experiences, often looking back in order to run toward the future. What…
J.A.W. Cooper: Carapace
J.A.W. Cooper was born in England, grew up in Kenya, Sweden, Ireland, and Southern California, and currently lives in Portland, OR. Raised by two freshwater ecologists, it is no surprise that an interest in the natural world is central to their work. Cooper works commercially as an illustrator and art director for TV and movie…
Policing Justice
Portland Institute for Contemporary Art (PICA) presents Policing Justice, an exhibition and related programming with local, national, and international artists. Guest curated by Nina Amstutz, Associate Professor of the History of Art and Architecture at the University of Oregon, and Cleo Davis, local social construct artist, designer, educator, historian, and community leader, this exhibition examines policing practices…
Pints & Palettes
Learn foundational watercolor techniques and take home your own creation in this all-level workshop. Local artist Amy Wike will teach insider tips and tricks of the watercolor medium, introduce essential materials and techniques, and provide Portland and beer-themed templates for you to fill in (or create your masterpiece from a blank canvas). Enjoy brews while…
Damascus Open Studios
Meet local artists as you tour working art studios around beautiful Damascus, Oregon. Learn about their inspiration and process in a variety of mediums including clay, wood, paint, glass, jewelry, metal and more. Many studios have guest artists and demos all weekend long. Art will be on display for people to admire and purchase.
Oregon Contemporary Artists’ Biennial
The Artists’ Biennial is a survey of works by visual and performing artists who are defining and advancing Oregon’s contemporary art landscape. Jackie Im and Anuradha Vikram are the curators of the 2024 Biennial, which is focused on themes of networks, community, care, and support. Rather than a hierarchical approach to artists' works, the curators' goal is to…
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. The Mt. Tabor Art Walk…
David Le & Kane Kokaris
David Le & Kane Kokaris: 2-Person Show at the Nucleus House Gallery David Le (Australia) Hailing from Melbourne, Australia, David Le Goon is a tattooist at Anderson St. Tattoo. While Australia is largely known for being a multicultural society, David has always felt the disconnect between himself and the world he was raised in. Being…
Long Story Short: BFA/MFA Showcase
The Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art at Portland State University presents Long Story Short: 2024 BFA/MFA Showcase, an exhibition of work by the 2024 graduates of the Master of Fine Arts in Contemporary Art Practices programs (Studio Practice and Art + Social Practice) and the Bachelor of Fine Arts in Art Practice in the Schnitzer…
Exhibition and Reception for Designing Women
The two-person exhibition featuring new works by Melanie Flood and Matt Morris will be on view. ILY2 works with a multi-generational group of emerging, mid-career, and underrepresented artists in a program with a feminist focus.
Alberta Street Gallery Exhibits: Full Spectrum and Making Paradise
Immerse yourself in a vibrant rainbow of color and light at the Full Spectrum art show. Maquette Reeverts, a master of light and color, presents captivating abstract paintings from her "Surface" collection. Prepare to be mesmerized by her unique visual creations that dance with light and ignite the imagination. June Martin, a renowned mosaic jewelry artist, plays with color and…
French Moderns: Monet to Matisse
From the Brooklyn Museum’s renowned European art collection, French Moderns: Monet to Matisse showcases approximately 60 works of art considered to be modernist masterpieces. Focusing on France as the artistic center of international modernism from the mid-nineteenth to mid-twentieth centuries, the paintings, drawings, and sculptures on display range widely in scale, subject matter, and style. Impressionism, symbolism, fauvism,…
Salut! 9 Coaster Show
In conjunction with the Drink and Draw Society, the annual group show, Salut, will feature 1000+ artworks in the drink coaster format. This is a rare opportunity to affordably own original work by incredible artists. The artwork will be available to purchase In person during the opening reception at Nucleus Portland on June 2 from 3 p.m.-6…
Love Letter to Portland
Sidestreet Arts a member owned and operated artist collective representing over 40 artists. Love Letters to Portland Brad Earl, Elizabeth Wocasek and Scot Cameron-Bell Spotlight Artist: Beth Kerschen
Second Saturdays at The Erin Hanson Gallery
You are invited to a unique and lovely afternoon at The Erin Hanson Gallery. Celebrate the advent of spring with vibrant art, delicious wine, and local cheeses. Enjoy Erin Hanson's impressionist paintings while sipping delicious wine. Bring friends and family to see Erin’s artwork in person. 4/13 Winetasting by Chris James Cellars featuring merlot, sparkling rosé,…
Berthe Morisot, Angel of the Unfinished
Today, few people are familiar with the name and work of Berthe Morisot, one of the founding members of the artists collective known as the Impressionists. Yet Morisot not only exhibited in more Impressionist shows than such famous friends as Monet, Renoir, and Degas, but was lauded by many critics in her time as…
Psychedelic Rock Posters and Fashion of the 1960s
Psychedelic Rock Posters and Fashion of the 1960s reveals the passion and creativity of the era through the iconic rock posters of San Francisco and beyond. The Haight-Ashbury neighborhood of San Francisco was an incubator for ideas, expression, social thought, and, above all, music. Young people from across the nation gathered there to explore alternative ways…
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