Learning & Tech Talks & LecturesHistory Talks

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Active

Anywhere except Elsewhere andtagged any of Parks & Nature orHistory Talks

MONNOV 2

7:00 PM – 8:00 PM

Registration requiredHistory TalksCultural Heritage

Israel360 – Heroes Along the Way: The Americans Who Built the U.S.-Israel Bond

Israel360: Heroes Along the Way: The Americans Who Built the U.S.-Israel Bond
Monday, November 2 | 7:00-8:00pm
Register here

Join Israeli-American storyteller and public historian Yuval Malchi for a look at the lesser-known Americans who helped shape and defend the State of Israel. Through personal stories of nurses, social workers, intelligence operatives, and military leaders, Malchi explores the contributions of figures such as Rose Kaplan, David “Mickey” Marcus, Al Schwimmer, and Hank Greenspun, and their lasting impact on the relationship between the United States and Israel. In partnership with Jewish Federation of Greater Portland.

*The talk is geared toward adults, but welcoming participants ages 13 and up. *

MUST RSVP.

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TUENOV 10

7:00 PM – 9:00 PM

💰 $32SportsDocumentariesParks & Nature

Warren Miller’s “Days Off”

Kiggins Theatre1011 Main Street

Warren Miller’s “Days Off” will play at the Kiggins Theater from 7-9 p.m. Nov. 1. Host Katie Burrell will show what the pros do on their days off. Go skijoring in Banff, join Craig McMorris and friends in Whistler, and explore Alaska’s spines with Sam Kuch and Craig Murray. Watch Jess Kimura push snowboarding forward and inspire the next generation in Hokkaido, Japan. Head to Chamonix for an intense high-alpine pivot with Christina “Lusti” Lustenberger. Hit Deer Valley with Ted Ligety, Kaylin Richardson, Pep Fujas and Chuck Mumford. Get tickets ($32) at kigginstheatre.com/movie/warren-millers-day-off.

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SUNNOV 8

9:00 AM – 2:00 PM

Hiking & WalkingParks & NatureBooksCraftsStorytimesTalks & LecturesHolidays & SeasonalKids (5-11)

SUNNOV 1

3:30 PM – 4:30 PM

CraftsWorkshopsKids & FamilyParks & Nature

Science Sunday: Pinecone Bird Feeders

Hillsboro Public Library, Brookwood2850 NE Brookwood Pkwy

Make life a little easier on our Oregon winter birds with some crafty edible artistry for all ages.

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MONNOV 2

9:30 AM – 3:30 PM

+6 dates

💰 $13+Parks & Nature

Fall Discount Days

Oregon Zoo4001 Southwest Canyon Road

The Oregon Zoo invites you to connect with nature from November 2 to 8 for $13 zoo admission. This offer cannot be combined with any other discounts, including membership. Infants aged 0 to 1 are admitted free when accompanied by a paying adult.

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SUNNOV 15

2:00 PM – 3:30 PM

💰 PaidMuseumsCultural HeritageHistory Talks

York Panel

Portland Art Museum, Mark Building1119 SW Park Ave

Overview

Todd McGrain’s original bust of York, the enslaved man who was the only African American member of the Lewis and Clark expedition, was secretly installed on Mount Tabor Park in 2021. It was placed on the vacant pedestal where a statue of Oregonian editor Harvey Scott (1830-1910), a known racist, once stood. The surprising appearance of York, with no artist name attached to the work, is a local example of the protest art being created in the wake of political and social unrest. The unsanctioned installation of the original bust made a significant contribution to the spirited dialogues on American history, systemic inequality, and public monuments happening across the nation.

Made of mere plaster and paint, the original bust sustained damage from several acts of vandalism, inspiring McGrain to come forward and offer a bronze version of the bust to the city. This Spring, the Portland Art Museum debuted the bronze bust of York, temporarily, as a part of the 2026 Oregon Contemporary Artists’ Biennial: The Price of the Ticket. In collaboration with Oregon Contemporary and the City of Portland’s Office of Arts & Culture, Portland State University, a community survey was offered to give Portlanders the opportunity to share their thoughts on where the monument should be placed for the long term.

Join us for a thoughtful discussion around McGrain’s act of protest and York as a historical figure significant to the history of Portland and the wider nation. Led by biennial curator and historian TK Smith, the panelists will include: Todd McGrain, artist of the York portrait; Intisar Abioto, artist and curator who recently curated Black Artists of Oregon at the Portland Art Museum; Eric Fredericksen, the public art administrator of the City of Portland; and Zachary Stocks, historian and executive director of Oregon Black Pioneers.

About the panelists Photo credit: Jonathan Echevarria

TK Smith is an award-winning writer, curator, and cultural historian. He has over ten years of experience as an independent curator. Most recently, he served as Curator, Arts of Africa and the African Diaspora, Michael C. Carlos Museum at Emory University. Previously, Smith served as Assistant Curator: Art of the African Diaspora at the Barnes Foundation. Smith’s writing has been published in exhibition catalogues, academic journals, and periodicals, including Art Papers where he is a contributing editor. He has been a visiting lecturer at numerous academic and cultural institutions, including Cornell University. Smith is a doctoral candidate in the History of American Civilization program at the University of Delaware, where he is completing his dissertation entitled, “Granite, Power, and Piss: The Transformation of a Confederate Symbol.”

Photo credit: Jason Hill

Intisar Abioto, born in Memphis, TN, is an explorer-artist working in dance, writing, photography, and curation. In long-form projects encompassing the visual, folkloric, documentary, and performing arts, her works consider the breath/ breadth of people of African descent against the expanse of their storied, imaginative, and geographic landscapes. She has produced The People Could Fly Project and The Black Portlanders, among others. In 2017 she began original research on the history and presence of Black artists in Oregon which led to the curation of the 2023 Black Artists of Oregon exhibition at the Portland Art Museum. Black Artists of Oregon: Continuum, an accompanying exhibition catalogue is forthcoming in 2026.

Photo credit: Nic Latulippe

Eric Fredericksen is the public art administrator of the City of Portland, where he oversees the management of the City’s 1,700-piece collection and guides the Percent for Art program. From 2017 to 2025 he led the public art program at the City of Vancouver, BC, with a focus on artist-led approaches to public art: extending open invitations for artists to propose ideas outside the limits of a predetermined site, theme, or medium. He also worked with public and private partners to dramatically increase the visibility and voice of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations on their unceded territories through art commissions in traditional and contemporary forms. He was previously the Waterfront Art Program Manager for the City of Seattle, where he commissioned significant public artworks by Ann Hamilton, Qwalsius – Shaun Peterson, Norie Sato, Buster Simpson, Oscar Tuazon, and Stephen Vitiello. As the founding director of Western Bridge, Seattle, he organized exhibitions and commissions from 2004 to 2012, and he began his career as a writer and editor at Architecture magazine and The Stranger. As an independent curator, he has curated exhibitions at the Contemporary Art Gallery, Or Gallery, and Artspeak, all in Vancouver; the Noorderzon Festival, Groningen, the Netherlands; and Open Satellite, Bellevue, Washington.

Photo credit: Scott Anger

Born in 1961, artist Todd McGrain’s early career as a sculptor involved apprenticing in bronze casting facilities, where he gained hands-on experience assisting prominent sculptors of the previous generation. In 1996, McGrain received a Guggenheim Fellowship, enabling him to study major art collections across the United States and Europe, with a focus on Italian Renaissance art. In 2000, his focus shifted to creating public memorials for bird species that have become extinct in the modern era, permanently installed at sites of historical significance to each species. This ongoing project has been widely exhibited at art centers, galleries, and public gardens, including the Smithsonian Institution, Cornell University, and Stanford University.

Photo credit: Jason Hill

Zachary Stocks is a public historian, interpreter, and the Executive Director of Oregon Black Pioneers. Zachary previously served as Program Director of Historical Seaport and Visitor Services Manager of Northwest African American Museum. He is a former intern of Colonial Williamsburg and Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, and a former seasonal Park Ranger at Lewis & Clark National Historical Park. He holds a BA in History from the College of William & Mary with a certificate in Public History from the National Institute for American History and Democracy, and an MA in Museology from the University of Washington. Zachary is a 2025 graduate of the prestigious History Leadership Institute, sponsored by the American Association of State and Local History. Zachary lives in Astoria.

Related events

Exhibitions Todd McGrain: Debut of York General accessibility
Mar 31, 2026 – Jan 31, 2027

1219 SW Park Ave

Website ↗

SATNOV 7

9:00 AM – 3:00 PM

+1 dates

Registration requiredTalks & LecturesWorkshopsToursParks & NatureHiking & WalkingCultural Heritage

Pine Pruning Demonstration

Portland Japanese Garden611 SW Kingston Ave

Pruning pines to achieve the look they have in spaces like Portland Japanese Garden requires meticulous care and years of learning. In this demonstration, Pete Putnicki, Japanese Pruning Specialist and former Senior Gardener at Seattle Japanese Garden, will discuss the maintenance of pine trees.

This program will start with a tour of the Garden focusing on pine trees, followed by a lecture and demonstration. The demonstration will focus on candling, needling, growth regulation, and pruning techniques. Participants will have a chance to experience pine needling themselves with an instructor guiding them along the way.

This one-day demonstration is limited to 15 participants.

Participants should bring their own lunch, a reusable drinking cup or water bottle.

Educational material will be provided.

Event fees are non-refundable and this event takes place rain or shine, so please dress appropriately for the weather.

🎟️ Tickets ↗

TUENOV 10

6:30 PM – 8:00 PM

💰 $10+Author TalksHistory Talks

Views and Brews: In the Range of Fire and Ice

Von Ebert Taproom – Mississippi825 North Cook Street

After years of research, award-winning Seattle author David B. Williams joins Mount St. Helens Institute at a special Portland event for a conversation on his newly published book, In the Range of Fire and Ice: A Human and Natural History of Washington’s Cascades.

Blending human and natural history into a vivid portrait of one of North America’s most dynamic landscapes, In the Range of Fire and Ice is a lively, groundbreaking exploration of Washington’s Cascade Range. Drawing on conversations with anthropologists, park rangers, ecologists, and climate scientists, as well as firsthand experience, Williams brings readers into the mountains to uncover stories etched in the landscape over millennia.

From traditional Indigenous huckleberry harvesting grounds and ancient footpaths to erupting volcanoes, shifting glaciers, and forgotten mining camps, In the Range of Fire and Ice reveals the Cascades as a place of both deep time and constant change. While past logging, mining, and fires left lasting scars, the Cascades also tell powerful stories of recovery and resilience–returning wolverines and wolves, the remarkable rebirth of Mount St. Helens, and growing stewardship in the face of climate change. Through rich storytelling and careful research, Williams invites readers to see the Cascades not only as mountains, but as a living, evolving realm of fire, ice, and hope.

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THUNOV 5

10:30 AM – 12:00 PM

History TalksAuthor TalksCultural Heritage

The Making of 1177 BC: A Graphic History of the Year Civilization Collapsed

Reed College — PAB 320 - Music Rehearsal Room & Lecture Hall3203 SE Woodstock Blvd

A talk by Glynnis Fawkes.

How does a cartoonist go about adapting a work of history, specifically Eric H. Cline’s 1177 BC: The Year Civilization Collapsed? In this talk Fawkes will describe the process of interpreting Cline’s text in comics, an exercise during which she repeatedly asked herself how she might tell this story visually. Through page compositions and dramatizations in which historical figures (such as Ramses III) speak, she imagined characters for whom we have no record offering commentary and opinions. To guide the narrative, she introduced two new young characters, Pel (of the Sea Peoples) and Shesha, (an Egyptian scribe) who ask the central question of the book: Why after three prosperous centuries did the civilizations of the Eastern Mediterranean Bronze Age suddenly come to an end?

Glynnis Fawkes is the co-author with Eric H Cline and illustrator of 1177 BC: A Graphic History of the Year Civilization Collapsed (Princeton University Press). She is also the author-illustrator of Charlotte Brontë before Jane Eyre (Little, Brown)and Persephone’s Garden (Secret Acres), among other books, and her comics have appeared on the website of The New Yorker. She has worked as an archaeological illustrator around the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean and teaches at the Center for Cartoon Studies in Vermont.

Sponsored by the Archaeological Institute of America and Reed's department of Greek, Latin, and Ancient Mediterranean Studies. Free and open to the public.

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FRINOV 20

Hours not provided

Holidays & SeasonalParks & Nature

ZooLights

Oregon Zoo4001 SW Canyon Rd

Every year, ZooLights dazzles visitors of all ages with wildlife-inspired light displays and a whole lot of seasonal fun. It’s the ideal place to gather friends and family, snap photos and make lasting memories. Looking for the perfect holiday date night? Bring that special person in your life to ZooLights.

See the zoo in a whole new light!Hop on the zoo train and see dozens of life-size animal lanterns along the route. Walk through vibrant tunnels of glittering lights and take in the glowing festive atmosphere.

Enjoy delicious treats like Elephant ears, hot chocolate, popcorn and s’mores. Or raise a toast with beer, wine and a range of non-alcoholic options. It’s all available at ZooLights!

This year, making ZooLights part of your busy holiday season has never been easier. ZooLights Any Night tickets can be purchased in advance and used on any night from November 20 to December 31, 2026, making them an ideal gift.

Please note: Most animals are not on view during ZooLights.

ZooLights opens nightly at 4:30 p.m.

November 13 and 14 – BrewLights
November 15 – Member Preview Night
November 16 – Sensory Friendly Night
January 1 and 2 – 21+ Only Nights

ZooLights will be closed Nov. 17-19 and 24-26, as well as Dec. 25.

More 2026 event details coming soon!

Prices and times vary throughout the season

Adult ticket price range: $13 to $35
Youth ticket price range: $13 to $30

Book a private Snow Globe experience!

Members receive 20% off regularly priced tickets. No additional discounts on Value Nights.

Income-assistance discount information

Visit our help center for answers to frequently asked questions.

Take TriMet to ZooLights on us!

Your ZooLights Ticket is your “ticket to ride” TriMet to and from the Oregon Zoo on your admission date. Please have your digital tickets accessible on your phone (or printed) to show TriMet operators or fare inspectors. Your ticket is valid on all TriMet services (bus, MAX, WES and LIFT) and Portland Streetcar but is not valid on C-TRAN. Valid only for ZooLights through January 3, 2027.

Save time and money: Park for free at one of TriMet’s Park & Ride locations, such as the Sunset Transit Center, and ride the MAX one stop east to get to ZooLights!

Host your private event at ZooLights

Book a private event space to hold your holiday party during ZooLights. With magical light displays, a dedicated catering staff, and a focus on sustainable Northwest cuisine, ZooLights is an unforgettable location for your company party, holiday celebrations and more. Learn more

For more information, please submit an inquiry form.

Together for Wildlife!

Every ZooLights purchase helps the Oregon Zoo protect endangered species at home and around the world. Learn more

Reserve a private Snow Globe at ZooLights!

Fully furnished with charming holiday décor, our heated Snow Globes offer a relaxing respite for friends, families or a romantic date.

Each 60-minute session includes accommodations for up to six guests:

Comfy seating
A private fire pit
Hot cocoa in an exclusive ZooLights souvenir cup
S’mores
ZooLights fast-pass train tickets that allow you and your guests to skip the line

Cost: $300

Beer, wine and donuts are also available to purchase.

🎟️ Tickets ↗

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Learning & Tech Talks & LecturesHistory Talks