Portland Art Museum
Major exhibitions complement the museum’s strong Native American and Northwest collections.
Know Before You Go
Due to construction, the Portland Art Museum’s permanent collection galleries are closed; however, smaller, specialized exhibits are on view. Find more information on current exhibitions and ticket prices.
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.
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 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.
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
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 is the first of its kind to consider the work of Black artists collectively in Oregon, often underrepresented and unacknowledged….
Bricks Cascade
Head to the Oregon Convention Center for the annual Bricks Cascade, Portland’s premier public LEGO event. See creations from hundreds of builders from the Pacific Northwest and worldwide in this two-day event. Talk to the creators of these fantastic creations, then leave your own builds on the Wall of Creation. Race your own brick-built car…
West End Wednesdays
West End Wednesday exists to ignite new energy and define a common vision for downtown SW Portland. Building relationships with neighbors and business partners is not just organizing a once-a-month event… it is actively creating, together, a neighborhood everyone can love to live, work and play in. West End Wednesdays is the West End's signature celebration…
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 in…
Quilt, Craft & Sewing Festival
Come join the Festival in Portland – At the Quilt, Craft & Sewing Festival you will find a wide variety of Sewing, Quilting, Needle-Art and Craft supply exhibits from many quality companies.
Fertile Ground Festival
See Portland's newest theater and dance works every January at the annual Fertile Ground Festival.
Crafty Wonderland Spring Art + Craft Market
Meet the makers. Over 250 artists will be selling their goods at the Crafty Wonderland Spring Art + Craft Market. Crafty Wonderland is excited to be back in person for the Spring Art + Craft Market Pre-Show Ticketed Shopping Event on Friday General Admission – Timed Entry Tickets on Saturday
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…
Rose Festival Grand Floral Parade
A cherished highlight of the Portland Rose Festival, this popular procession is more than just a spectacular floral-filled parade — it’s a beloved annual tradition. For more than 115 years, Portland families, visitors and community groups have been making memories at the Grand Floral Parade. A colorful reflection of local, regional and international communities, the…
Mississippi Street Fair
Bustling North Mississippi Avenue closes down for a day of food, vendors, music and fun at Portland's largest street fair, Mississippi Street Fair. This year the fair will have the following: Three Music Stages, Kids Zone, Grandfathers Rib-Off Competition, Hundreds Of Vendors, Shopping and Dining,
OSA Member + Rental Sales Gallery Show
This exhibition presents a cross-section of the artists and creative individuals that comprise two of the region’s most established institutions. Whether you paint, print, draw, etc, see work made by OSA and RSG Members. The exhibition seeks to be a snapshot of the exciting work being made by artists of these institutions. Opening Reception: March…
Work After Work
PDX CONTEMPORARY ART is pleased to present Work After Work, an exhibition featuring work by past and current gallery staff. Many employees working in the arts are artists themselves. This exhibition spotlights PDX staff's talent, vision, and creativity — presenting the work made when the work at the gallery is done for the day. …
Arlene Schnitzer Visual Arts Prize
The Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art at Portland State University is pleased to present the Arlene Schnitzer Visual Arts Prize exhibition. A public reception will be held on Wednesday, March 6, from 5 to 7 p.m. The School of Art + Design and the College of the Arts celebrate the eleventh year of the Arlene…
FROELICK GALLERY: Tom Prochaska and Kevin Kadar
Froelick Gallery presents two outstanding solo exhibitions of new work by Portland artists Tom Prochaska and Kevin Kadar. Prochaska's solo features new and historic paintings plus work on paper. The Hallie Ford Museum of Art recently hosted a retrospective of his decades-long career; the monograph is now available. Kevin Kadar's show includes 12 new landscapes…
Helen Frankenthaler
A towering figure in American painting of the 20th century, Helen Frankenthaler (1928-2011) was one of first major abstract expressionist painters to develop a unique technique of painting that married a fluid paint process with the warp and weft of the canvas so that they became one and the same, fusing color and movement into…
Labor of Love
The artists featured in Labor of Love produce work that aims to expose and highlight labor practices that have been historically and systematically concealed from the public sphere. Working across a wide variety of media and using a range of conceptual approaches, the eight artists exhibited here seek to explore that which is often hidden just under…
Synaesthesia #1 | Group Show reception
Artists were given a portion of a poem, a sound, a scent, a flavor, a texture, and an image — and were asked to create a new original artwork by mixing them all up. Results? Amazing and amazingly multi-sensorial. Check out what the artists came up with in response to this most unusual challenge/prompt. Meet the…
Eat, Drink, and Draw
Come every Tuesday in March and April to eat, drink, and draw with fellow artistic folks to raise funds to make Flashback. Bring your own art supplies or borrow some of theirs. Coloring books will also be available to draw within the lines (no shame). What is Flashback, you ask? When it's done, it will…
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…
Oregon Jews, A to Z
The Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education provides a home for a bountiful collection of archival materials and artifacts. Our collection includes thousands of photographs, documents, films, oral histories, three-dimensional objects, and artworks — the physical objects that represent the Jews of Oregon. Oregon Jews, A to Z highlights the most significant, poignant,…
Managed Retreat by Dawn Stetzel
Managed Retreat, about the moving and relocating of people, infrastructure, and communities in response to climate change, is a large-scale sculptural exhibition by Washington Coast artist Dawn Stetzel. Many of the sculptures in this exhibition imply movement, odd contraptions of sorts that include wheels, skis, floats or backpack portability and are used to physically navigate…
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…
Kim Slate – Backyard Habitat
Even from a young age growing up in Eastern Washington, Kim Slate had a fascination with the creation of images and the power they had to capture the imagination and elicit emotion. The encouragement of her interests and talents led her to study animation where the power of images are amplified by story. After graduation, she applied her…
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…
Schnitzer Collection
Grab the opportunity to witness world-renowned artists, typically showcased in global art hubs like New York, LA, London, or Paris, right here at your doorstep. The Jordan Schnitzer Family Foundation proudly presents an expansive teaching collection, exceeding 22,000 works. This collection features influential contemporary artists such as Hank Willis Thomas, Kehinde Wiley, and Mickalene Thomas,…
Japonisme and Francophilia: A History of Clothing and Cultural Exchange
Dating back to the 1850’s, French and Japanese cultural exchange has allowed for a flourishing of shared aesthetics in clothing, art, and more. Both France and Japan have a long history of idealizing the beauty of each other’s cultures, resulting in a transfusion of aesthetics that bridge the gap of geography. This talk will consider…
Make Carnaval Crowns
Inspired by the scenes of Dominican carniváls and typical street festivities, these headpieces are meant to be worn for any celebration. Using the excess of her collections, plastic bags from Dominican colmado purchases, Natalia Ortega Gamez guides you to design a crown of your own. Materials, tools, beads and a variety of found treasures will…
Microdose 4
In a culture that often emphasizes getting all things bigger or in large amounts beholds a surprising truth that an emotion or physiological reaction can come from something so tiny… Artists: Amy Earles / Andi Soto / Cat Rabbit / Creature Creature / Chloe Niclas / Deth Sun / Diego Penuela / Erick Martinez /…
OuterVoice: Kinds of Time
Outer Voice: Kinds of Time will present recent works and works-in-progress from the 2023/24 Outer Voice Season with Portland artists Claire Barrera, Roland Dahwen, Erin Boberg Doughton, Rubén García Marrufo, Sarah Rushford, Ash Stone, and Qi You. Outer Voice and Jason Le, an arts writer and thinker based in Portland, collaboratively curated this show. This multidisciplinary…
Crazy Hat Luncheon
Join The Betty Knight Hat Luncheon, where guests can make their own wild and crazy hats while the Mad Hatter, March Hare and other characters from Wonderland roam around causing trouble at this family-friendly event. Once the hats are created, they will be auctioned off for charity. Enjoy a picnic-style lunch of hamburgers, hotdogs, salads, and…
Textile Hive Guided Tour
Come take a tour of Textile Hive and experience the beauty of the Andrea Aranow Textile Design Collection. Located in the heart of downtown Portland, Textile Hive houses over 40,000 textile & design objects. The collection represents over 50 countries and 200 years of design history. Each tour last approximately an hour and fifteen minutes and covers…
Alan Ostrow Memorial Talk: Black Photographers in Portland
In honor of the historic Black Artists of Oregon exhibition, The Alan Ostrow Memorial talk closes the show with a panel discussion that centers Black photographic practices in the Portland area. Join curator and photographer, Intisar Abioto, for a moderated discussion that examines the importance of Black image-making in rectifying historic narratives and affirming Black communal legacies…
Black Artists of Oregon: Ceremony Of Our Black Continuance, Perpetuity
Marking the closing of Black Artists of Oregon, visitors are invited to the Stott Gallery platform for a closing ceremony and artist performances celebrating the perpetuity of Black arts lineages, of Black livingness, of Black arts life.
Alberta Street Gallery Exhibit
The Fiber Art Invitational features the immense talent and dazzling work of local members of Studio Art Quilt Associates ((SAQA). SAQA members are renowned for their layered and stitched visual masterpieces that will challenge your perception of what quilts can be. Flora and Fauna of PDX is a colorful celebration of the beautiful blossoms and…
Showing Up an A Conversation with Cynthia Lahti
Following the screening of Showing Up, sculptor and visual artist Cynthia Lahti will be in conversation about her work with Grace Kook-Anderson, Arlene & Harold Schnitzer Curator of Northwest Art at the Portland Art Museum. Cynthia’s drawings and sculptures are featured in the film Showing Up, moonlighting as fictional character Lizzy (Michelle Williams)’s artwork. ON SCREEN: Showing Up 2022. Directed by…
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…
Reed Zine Fest
Reed Zine Fest is the first zine fest organized by the Reed College Library to celebrate independent publishing, DIY and zine making. This one-day festival will feature more than 100+ local community and Reedie zinesters, art and zine workshops, and a keynote by special guest James Spooner (graphic novel High Desert, Afro-Punk Documentary). Spooner will share his…
Arn Strasser Reading The Asymmetry of Silence
Broadway Books is excited to welcome back Arn Strasser for a poetry reading of his sixth collection, The Asymmetry of Silence. An emotional journey across time, people and places, this volume draws from a life being fully lived. The journey is varied: poems of loss, longing and silences, Zen-like meditations, stories of mermaids and make-believe…
OSA Photography Showcase
OSA proudly presents the 2024 Photography Exhibit in partnership with the Portland Photographers Forum. This year’s theme is Visual Poetry: Looking for the Meaning. How do your photos engage with the viewer? Do your photos tell a story? Do the images evoke feelings, memories, or a search for meaning? The Juror is Fritz Liedtke, a…
Wine & Watercolor
Explore your creative side and enjoy some wonderful local wine while you paint. You are encouraged to make it unique. YOU are the artist. Paint a path of blossoming cherry trees for spring or a wreath of spring florals for Mother's Day. No experience is necessary. Artists of all levels are welcomed and encouraged. With…
Grey Raven Gallery First Friday Reception
Grey Raven Gallery hosts their free First Friday Receptions. April celebrates Earth Day by honoring art inspired by the planet. So come to the reception to see The Landscape Show filled with art created by local artists while enjoying live music and light refreshments. May's reception features jewelry and watercolor. Enjoy live music and light refreshments…
SHUTTER
PDX Presents is pleased to announce its first-ever curated show: SHUTTER – A Celebration of Portland Punk, Rock, and Live Music Photography featuring Black Shelton & the American Dream, Buddy Wynkoop, and The Upkeeps. The night’s theme is an exploration of modern punk, hard rock, and local live music photography that define the post-pandemic era in Portland,…
At Least We're Not Alone Now | Erika Rier Solo Show
Explore the marvelous world of Erika Rier in this solo show. At Least We’re Not Alone Now is a show about creating art within a community. Using snippets of overheard conversations and creating creatures in the hopes of bringing a smile to a friend’s face these are the jumping-off point for many of the ceramic pieces…
The Burned Piano Project
Over several weeks in spring 2022, as lilacs bloomed in Portland, a mosque, a Black-owned restaurant and two synagogues were vandalized. Around that time, a family's home, which also was a Jewish organization's mailing address, was destroyed by arson in the middle of the night. The family will not be named for their protection. A…
Storytime
Join Storytime with Latoya Lovely. Inspired by JSMA at PSU’s current exhibition Labor of Love, Lovely will read stories celebrating workers and exploring culture and community to children and their guardians. This program is geared towards pre-K through early elementary students. Children must be accompanied by a guardian throughout the event. This program is free and…
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 a friend or immerse yourself in the beauty of American landscapes as seen through Erin Hanson’s paintbrush. 3/9 Cheese…
Gathering of the Guilds and Ceramic Showcase
The Oregon Potters Association's Ceramic Showcase and the Gathering of the Guilds are reuniting to form one of the largest, unsurpassed art shows in the Northwest. More than 300 artists working in metals, glass, wood, beads, fibers, clays and glazes will be exhibiting their wares, doing demonstrations, offering youth activities and more during this unique…
Spring Member Artists Show
Showcasing over 200 newly acquired works from outstanding Member Artists. Discover new work as varied and rich as the Pacific Northwest itself. And, best of all, you can take them home. All works on display at RSG are available to rent or buy. The Show will then run through May-June 2024. The Rental Sales Gallery…
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…
Watercolor Workshop: Paint Your Own Beer Label at Leikam Brewing
Learn foundational watercolor techniques and take home your own hop-tastic 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 blank beer label templates for a fun painting prompt. Taking inspiration from Leikam's watercolor beer can art, dream up…
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