Art
Portland Art Museum
Portland's primary art museum has many collections across two buildings and excellent temporary exhibition programming. It's easy to spend a whole day or half day here, wandering the galleries. The original building was designed by Pietro Belluschi in 1932 and represents a shift from traditional architecture to early modernism. In 2006, the museum expanded next door, into a former Masonic Temple.Â
Oregon Contemporary
Oregon Contemporary (formerly Disjecta)Â is an art center with a range of programs focused on contemporary art. In addition to exhibitions it leads the Portland Biennial, a survey of Oregon artists that was initiated by the Portland Art Museum in 1949.Â
Murals and Street Art
Portland has a strong street art scene—nurtured in part by the Portland Street Art Alliance, which helps pair building owners with artists to transform blank walls around town into works of art. You can find these murals all over the city—one of my favorite spots is the Central Eastside Industrial District, where several murals are conveniently located within walking distance of each other.Â
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Photos: Portland Street Art Alliance—murals by Nia Musiba and Oliver Casillas
Chefas Projects Gallery
This gallery run by Stephanie Chefas, recently moved to a larger, new space. Features excellent group shows and a great mix of contemporary artists from around the world.
Nationale Gallery
Art gallery focused on contemporary artists from across the United States with a small bookshop that's highly curated and includes some very interesting titles.Â
Adams and Ollman Gallery
Gallery focused on contemporary art and around the corner from PNCA (Pacific Northwest College of Art) which occupies a historic Beaux Arts building that was renovated by Allied Works (and worth a visit).Â
Nucleus Gallery
This gallery for contemporary art and illustration also includes a fun gift shop and a monthly Drink and Draw session on the last Wednesday of each month.
Elizabeth Leach Gallery
Elizabeth Leach Gallery is one of the original galleries from Portland's current contemporary art scene. Its location, in the Pearl District, is a former warehouse district that was a popular neighborhood for artists and galleries in the 1990's before it was re-developed.Â
A Sometimes Gallery
A gallery run by Amy Rowan out of a corner of Lisa Congdon's studio space. This gallery often features cool group shows and prioritizes art that is affordable and accessible. Check their website to see what's on view now—they're typically open to the public at opening receptions and/or by appointment only. Lisa Congdon is an incredibly popular contemporary Portland artist and illustrator whose work has a mid-century modern quality to it—you can see some of her work next door, currently open on Fridays 1-4pm.
Artist: Lee Kelly
Lee Kelly was known as "Oregon's Sculptor"—a modern artist who typically worked in Cor-Ten and stainless steel on projects that are scattered across many Portland-area public spaces, including Portland's North Park Blocks, Washington Park, Reed College and OHSU (Oregon Health and Science University).Â
Locations (credit: Portland Art Museum)
Artist: Leroy Setziol
Leroy Setziol was a sculptor who worked in wood and was inspired by the Pacific Northwest landscape and indigenous art. Mid-century modern architects like Pietro Belluschi and John Storrs frequently collaborated with him to create unique doors and wood panels for their buildings—and his work remains very popular with today's Portland architects and designers. You can find his work all over the Portland area in many publicly-accessible buildings. Check here for an interactive map 🗺️ of his works.