Portland Arts and Culture

portland arts and culture

Welcome to the Portland Arts page, your guide to Portland art galleries, exhibits, performing arts and more. There’s no shortage of art and culture in the Rose City. We have a rich selection of museums, art galleries, theaters, dance venues, and more. Browse through our list, and you are sure to find something interesting and inspirational. For additional information on things to do in Portland, also check these pages:

Portland Clubs and Music Venues

More Portland Events

Best Portland Attractions

If you know of an upcoming cultural event, be sure to share it with your Portland neighbors by adding it to the Portland Events Calendar. Whether you are a collector of fine art, or just enjoy browsing, you’ve got to check out some of the wonderful galleries in P-Town, many of which are centrally located Downtown, in the Pearl District, and in the Alberta Arts District in Northeast Portland, as well as throughout surrounding neighborhoods. Of course, don’t forget to check out our fantastic Portland Art Museum!

Pearl District Galleries

Don’t miss the Pearl District’s “First Thursdays” monthly gallery hop event. Most galleries Downtown and in the Pearl participate in the monthly event, and are open from 6-9pm (individual gallery times may vary). Admission is free! Here is a handy Pearl District Walking Map from the Shop the Pearl website. Galleries, be sure to add your events to the Portland Art Calendar, below.

The Alysia Duckler Gallery, is located in the Pearl at 1236 NW Hoyt St. “The Alysia Duckler Gallery represents artists with regional and national reputations. The gallery changes exhibits monthly, and shows artwork within a wide range of media. We offer personal assistance to individuals, collectors, and corporate buyers. Additionally, the gallery offers services including framing, shipping, and installation.”

The Augen Gallery, located on 817 SW 2nd, features multimedia art exhibits from various artists. Augen Gallery participates in the First Thursday’s gallery hop, held on the first Thursday of each month from 5:30pm – 8:30pm.

Beppu Wiarda Gallery, located at 319 NW 9th Ave. Tuesday through Sunday, 11am – 5pm, various artists and exhibits.

Blackfish Gallery A cooperative artists gallery located at 420 NW 9th Ave. “During Blackfish’s twenty-two year existence, quite a few Portland galleries, both commercial and non-profit, have come and gone. Perhaps Blackfish has endured because it occupies a space somewhere between the two. Like commercial galleries, Blackfish changes exhibitions every month and participates in First Thursday evening openings.”

The Blue Sky Gallery is located at 1231 NW Hoyt, and features photography. “In 1975 a group of photographers pooled their resources to start a small gallery. It accidentally grew to become one of the most important photography exhibition centers in the country.”

Bullseye Gallery, located at 300 NW 13th Avenue, featuring art glass. – “Bullseye Gallery works with a a select group of international artists in the field of kiln-formed glass with the aim of furthering exceptional design through innovation in material and method. The gallery is part of Bullseye Glass Company, a maker of colored glass for art and architecture since 1974. For the last 30 years Bullseye has supported individual artists and art-school programs by developing new materials and unique technologies that help to facilitate the designer’s vision. The Bullseye Gallery represents the most dynamic of these artists through exhibitions and projects that sit at the leading edge of contemporary studio glass.”

Butters Gallery, Ltd. is located at 520 NW Davis. “Founded in 1988, Butters Gallery, Ltd. has become an important contemporary art source for both private and corporate collectors nationwide. Our family owned and operated gallery focuses on artists from throughout the United States and abroad including several prominent regional artists. We look in all directions to find artists whose work is innovative with regard to content and media. Included are paintings, drawings, prints, photographs and sculpture consisting of a range of media from paint to glass to metal to fabric.”

The Elizabeth Leach Gallery, located at 417 NW 9th, features fine contemporary artworks. “Established in 1981, the Elizabeth Leach Gallery offers Portland’s most comprehensive selection of contemporary fine art. The Gallery has just recently relocated to a new space designed by Randy Higgins, in Portland’s Pearl District. Elizabeth Leach represents prominent Northwest and internationally established artists working in a variety of contemporary media.”The Froelick Gallery is located at 817 SW 2nd Ave. “Froelick Gallery opened its doors in October 1995. We exhibit and represents fine artists of the Pacific Northwest, several artists from outside the region and contemporary Japanese printmakers whose careers’ range from established to emerging. Exhibitions change monthly with a public reception on the first Thursday evening of each month.”

The Lawrence Gallery, is located in the Pearl District, at 903 NE Davis St. This gallery features many fine collectable artworks, including works by familiar masters such as Salvador Dali, as well as new rising talent. “Purveyors of fine art for over 25 years, Lawrence Gallery has established a fine service record among collectors around the world.” The Lawrence Gallery also features a wine bar. “Jebidiah’s Wine Bar, a cozy fireside lounge located within the gallery, offers a spot for quiet conversation while sampling wines from Oregon’s premier vineyards.”

Mark Woolley Gallery, 120 NW 9th Ave. and also on Russell Street behind the Wonder Ballroom. “The Mark Woolley Gallery, founded in 1993, occupies a stunning space overlooking the North Park Blocks in Portland’s Pearl District, just one block from Powell’s Books, (a short walk or trolly ride from downtown hotels). This gallery continues to be a gold mine for beginning to veteran collectors, exhibiting paintings, sculpture, photography, prints, mixed-media works, installations and unusual ceramic pieces by artists from the Northwest, the United States and abroad. The Gallery offers friendly private and corporate art consulting and ships artworks worldwide.”

Sequential Art Gallery, 325 NW 6th Ave., “Sequential Art Gallery’s mission is to help establish emerging, and independent artists in Portland’s art community through shows and community involvement for the artists to be a part of utilizing their artistic skills. Rake Art Group started with a simple idea: creating a community for emerging, independent, and underground artists’ voices to be heard. RakeÕs founders envision Rake Art as a way to show experimental, progressive, intelligent and articulate artwork.”

Downtown Art Museum and Galleries

Portland Art Museum, located Downtown at 1219 SW Park Avenue. “The mission of the Portland Art Museum is to serve the public by providing access to art of enduring quality, by educating a diverse audience about art and by collecting and preserving a wide range of art for the enrichment of present and future generations.”

The Portland Craft Museum,  also known as the Museum of Contemporary Craft, is a popular museum with a focus on craft as an art form.  In partnership with the Pacific Northwest College of Art, the Museum of Contemporary Craft’s permanent collection encompasses more than 1,000 objects that reflect a strong regional focus. 

Northwest Portland Area Galleries

Laura Russo Gallery, 805 NW 21st Ave. “Established in 1986, the Laura Russo Gallery is one of the most beautiful showcases for art in the Pacific Northwest, exhibiting work of the highest quality by both established and emerging artists.”

Southwest

The Shaffer Fine Art Gallery, 308 SW First Ave. “Features colorful original and limited edition works on canvas as well as sculpture by internationally acclaimed artists.”

Alberta Arts District Galleries

Embellishments Studio on 5018 NE 22nd Ave. Located in Portland’s Alberta Arts District, the studio is host to artists, showings and events. “The studio is open to the public during the Alberta Street Last Thursday gallery walk and special occasions. Otherwise hours are by appointment or by chance. Works by Embellishments owner/designer Aaron Christensen are often displayed and made available for purchase. Visitors can look forward to a variety of art, accessories and eclectic props.”Hi-iH Gallery – 2927 NE Alberta St. This is both a place to find and purchase a totally unique, handmade paper lamp, as well as a gallery. “Lam opened Hi-iH Gallery in 1997 as a small papermaking studio. It has expanded (now three rooms) and evolved throughout the years to become a successful studio and gallery. Each month a new visual artist shows work for the Last Thursday art walk on Alberta Street. Lam hosts small house concerts and neighborhood meetings and gatherings. He is actively involved in the thriving community of artists that has developed Alberta Street as an art district.”

The Guardino Gallery is located at 2939 NE Alberta St. “Every “Last Thursday” of the month Alberta Street hosts an Art Walk. The Guardino Gallery’s reception for their new shows are scheduled monthly. The evening starts at 6:00 PM and officially goes to 9:00 PM. Come meet the artists and share in the refreshments.”

Onda Arte Latina Gallery at 2215 NE Alberta St. “Allan Oliver founded Onda in 1998 as a general art studio and gallery. The excitement created by shows of Cuban art and Ecuadorian art convinced him that the focus of the gallery should be Latin American art and craft.”Talisman Gallery on 1476 NE Alberta St. “Talisman Gallery is a cooperative gallery that opened in December 1999. Our aim is to create a dynamic and diverse cooperative community of artists for the purpose of supporting, celebrating, sharing and selling art; and encouraging our mutual professional growth as artists, while serving the community through our talents. Each month the Talisman Gallery hosts an exhibition featuring two artists which includes painters and a floor artist such as a sculptor. We also have one group show a year. Please join us for an Artists’ Reception on the last Thursday of each month from 5:30 pm to 9:00 pm and get to know an exceptional group of people!”

STUDIO 17, 4926 NE 17th Ave. “GALLERY that is also the home and studios of 4 artists”

Eastside Galleries

Renowned Gallery, 811 East Burnside Suite 111. Mission: “To contribute to the Northwest art scene by supporting emerging artists who are breaking the boundaries with their originality, creativity, and innovation in contemporary art, in various mediums (painting, drawing, photography, and others). Our purpose is to construct dialogue on progressively new and fresh contemporary art while at the same time exposing the artists to collectors, critics, writers, and the rest of the population.”

Portland Performing Arts

Artists Repertory Theatre, 1516 SW Alder St. “For nearly 25 years, Artists Repertory Theatre audiences have enjoyed provocative, contemporary theater in an intimate environment.”

Classic Greek Theatre of Oregon Reed College, “Each September at Reed College in Portland, Oregon, the finest professional performers and designers in the region collaborate on ancient Greek drama.”CoHo Productions, 2257 NW Raleigh Street. “CoHo Productions, Ltd. is a unique arts company dedicated to producing engaging, professional, affordable theater in an intimate setting in Portland, Oregon. Founded in 1995 by Gary Cole and Robert W. Holden, CoHo has won 11 Drammy Awards, including major awards for directing, acting, new work and technical excellence.”

Defunkt Theatre, 4319 SE Hawthorne Blvd., “defunkt theatre (lowercase intended) is an award-winning not-for-profit consensus-run ensemble theatre company dedicated to creating innovative productions that challenge conventional ideals of society and theatre while presenting accessible performances at a reasonable price.* we offer fresh and relevant perspectives on issues of race, gender, class. we strive to stretch the minds and comfort zones of our audience. the portland mercury captured our direct and daring style as we “eat chaos for breakfast.” we serve that chaos in an engaging form leaving our audience to digest and return hungry for more.”

Echo Theater, Do Jump! Extremely Physical Theater, 1515 SE 37th Ave. “In 1977 Robin Lane founded Do Jump Movement Theater to foster a unique art form celebrating both individual creativity and community spirit. Its mission: Do Jump engages audiences and students using extremely physical theater, music and the unexpected to awaken the senses and inspire a feeling of possibility and awe.”

Imago Theatre 8th and Burnside, “Defying classification, they have populated the stage with characters and beings such as comedic amphibians, acrobatic larvae, circus boulders, and metamorphosing humans in works which tantalize the senses, the intellect, and the passions. From adaptations of classics to excursions into vaudevillian existentialism, Imago’s repertoire is as vast as the forms they shape. With commissions for stage, film, and television, Imago blurs the lines of the expected to break new ground, exploding performance boundaries yet maintaining humor and humanity.”Interstate Firehouse Cultural Center is located on 5340 N. Interstate Avenue. “IFCC is a community-based arts center, is committed to creating an environment in which people of every ethnic/cultural background can come together as artists and audience to explore, preserve and celebrate their diversity.”

Miracle Theatre Group, 425 SE 6th Ave. “The Miracle Theatre Group is committed to presenting works that exemplify the Hispanic experience through a culturally informed lens. Founders José Eduardo González and Dañel Malán began Miracle’s Hispanic artistic programming from a desire to recreate and share the cultural vivacity of their origins. Although their experiences were rooted in Mexican heritage, their mission has always been to present works that express the multicultural Hispanic experience.”

Northwest Children’s Theater 1819 NW Everett St., “Formed in 1993, NWCT is a healthy nonprofit and one of the largest children’s theater companies on the West Coast. Centrally located in the historic Northwest Neighborhood Cultural Center, our facility includes a 450-seat theater, a smaller performance space, classrooms, and administrative offices.”Oregon Ballet Theatre, 818 SE 6th Ave. “Oregon Ballet Theatre offers the highest quality ballet, in a repertoire of classic and contemporary work. Oregon Ballet Theatre (OBT) is a classically based professional ballet company established in 1989 and located in Portland, Oregon. The company performs an annual season of five programs at the Portland Center for the Performing Arts and also conducts regional and national tours. Through its many programs, OBT’s continuing goal is to provide its constituency with performances, education, and training of the highest caliber.”

Oregon Children’s Theatre “Oregon Children’s Theatre presents professional stage adaptations of classic and contemporary children’s literature. Well-loved stories, fantastic characters, full-scale sets, elaborate costumes and brilliant lighting come together to bring the magic of theater to tens of thousands of children each season.”

Oregon Symphony Orchestra, 1037 SW Broadway. “Since the Oregon Symphony was established more than 100 years ago, it has been recognized for its internationally acclaimed music directors, skilled performers, diverse programs and outstanding community services in education and regional touring.”Portland Center Stage, 1111 SW Broadway. “Portland Center Stage {PCS} is the city’s leading professional theater company and is one of the 25 largest regional theater companies in the nation. An affiliate of the League of Regional Theatres, Actor’s Equity Association and Theatre Communications Group, PCS produces a blend of classical, contemporary and premiere works in addition to its annual summer playwrights festival, Just Add Water/West, now in its seventh year.”

Portland Center for the Performing Arts (Map & Directions) “The Portland Center for the Performing Arts (or PCPA as we call it), is your premier arts and entertainment venue in the Pacific Northwest. Nationally recognized as one of the top 10 performing arts centers in the nation, the PCPA hosts every type of event imaginable. In fact, every year we have over 900 performances.” The Center for the Performing Arts is comprised of three buildings:

  • Keller Auditorium on SW 3rd Ave, between Market and Clay.
  • The Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall at 1037 SW Broadway at Main
  • The New Theatre Building, containing the Dolores Winningstad Theatre and Newmark Theatre SW Broadway at Main.

Portland Institute for Contemporary Art (PICA), 224 NW 13th Ave. “Whether through public lectures, after-performance Q&A sessions, intimate roundtable discussions, workshops or guided tours, our intention is to deepen our audiences’ experiences with the artists and artistic ideas emanating throughout contemporary culture. And to provide exhibiting artists and performers with a direct connection to the concerns and questions of the public.”

Portland Opera, and Broadway in Portland, Keller Auditorium, 3rd Ave. “Portland Opera has established itself as a vibrant and vital part of our region’s cultural activity and identity. With its commitment to producing operas that invigorate the future of the art form and are dramatically and vocally compelling, Portland Opera has earned a devoted public following throughout the state of Oregon and southwestern Washington.”

Portland Youth Philharmonic, “It is the purpose of the Portland Youth Philharmonic Association to maintain the finest possible youth orchestra in order to inspire and educate young people through performing symphonic music and to provide a cultural asset for the community.”

Radiant Theater, Radiant Theatre does old plays in new and unusual ways, create new work, promote new works by women and put on shining performances in the physical theatre style. Our mission is to do old plays in new ways and to provide new plays about oppressed peoples around the world. We wish to illuminate the audience with shining performances and open minds to our inter-connectedness with one another. With physical theatre and luminescent style we spread the warmth of love to everyone involved. As theatre is a sacred ritual to us, we will spread our glow outward beyond our primary audience: the greater Portland, Oregon community.

Stark Raving Theatre, CoHo Theatre, 2257 NW Raleigh St. “We expose audiences to a provocative world and regional premieres, cultivating new works as the most thrilling of theatrical entertainment.”

Stumptown Stages, 5340 N Interstate Ave. “Stumptown Stages is dedicated to the production of smaller musicals and the development of original musicals, collaborating with local performing/visual artists, designers, musicians, playwrights, composers, lyricists, directors and choreographers and building a sense of community by providing arts education, outreach programming and a broad spectrum of theatrical experiences for a wide and diverse audience.”

Tears of Joy Puppet Theatre, 323 NE Wygant St. “Tears of Joy Theatre creates amazing puppet theatre. The theatre is recognized nationally for its commitment to excellence and innovation.”

White Bird Dance, “White Bird is committed to bringing the best Portland-based, regional, national and international dance companies to Portland, Oregon and to fostering the growth of dance in the region. White Bird will do this through presenting established and emerging companies and choreographers, commissioning or co-commissioning new work, and collaborating with other arts organizations in Portland and the region to make dance performances possible.”