Arts & MediaPhotography
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With Her Own Wings
“With Her Own Wings” is a concert-length experience in music, art, film, light, storytelling, emotion, and the human condition, exploring the narrative of women in Iran and across the globe, spurred by the Woman-Life-Freedom movement which began in Iran in 2022. The concert is spearheaded by Iranian-American renowned painter and visual artist Taravat Talepasand and Iranian-American percussionist/composer Christopher Whyte, featuring new contemporary works from composers Anahita Abbasi, Niloufar Nourbakhsh, and Aida Shirazi.
The production is brought to life with stunning imagery and photography by Mario Gallucci, atmospheric cinematography and film projections by Padraic O’Meara, and innovative lighting and production design orchestrated by Solomon Weisbard.
“With Her Own Wings” aims to elevate the voices and talents of Iranian artists, particularly women, through a series of contemporary compositions for solo percussionist and immersive electronic soundscapes, interwoven with powerfully striking visual art, film, and light. This dynamic show traces the journey from sunset to sunrise, symbolizing the enduring struggle and resilience of women who have faced repression and highlighting the emerging generation of artists who advocate for change through the act of artistic expression.
“With Her Own Wings” is supported through the Creative Heights Grant from the Oregon Community Foundation.
Shifting the Narrative: 21st Century Acquisitions
Shifting the Narrative: 21st Century Acquisitions highlights Native American art gifts and purchases since the year 2000 at the Portland Art Museum. This broad selection showcases the diversity of the collection including historical works that represent traditional practices, as well as media such as painting, sculpture, printmaking and more. Taking cues from the work itself, the exhibition is organized by theme and media, including sections highlighting basketry, fashion, and photography. Although the collection has long been recognized for its historical works from the Northwest Coast, Plains, and Western Oregon, this exhibition shifts the narrative to a wider array of Native expression, with an emphasis on the present.
The exhibition also includes a section that traces the history of the collection from the first acquisitions of Native American art in 1918 to the present. The breadth of the program and its relationship to communities of artists, visitors, students and Native people will also be explored. As we begin to imagine the future permanent collections galleries, Shifting the Narrative honors our past and welcomes a future where tradition, innovation, and community are celebrated.
Multi-day events
3Henry Diltz
Henry Diltz, a renowned music photographer, has shot over 250 album covers in the ’60s and ’70s, including The Doors’ iconic Morrison Hotel album cover. His fly-on-the-wall style portraits feature legendary artists like the Eagles, Neil Young, Crosby, Stills and Nash, Joni Mitchell, and Jimi Hendrix.
He was the official photographer at Woodstock in 1969, and his work has appeared in esteemed publications such as The New York Times, Rolling Stone and Life Magazine. Known for his intuitive composition and use of natural light, Diltz continues to document the music scene around Southern California and across the globe. He is one of a select few who have been awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award from The Grammys, The Lucie, and the International Photography Hall of Fame. His impact on rock culture is immeasurable, capturing authentic moments that define an era.
“I am amazed at the accumulation of images that has resulted, simply by doing what I love to do, day after day after day,” he says. “It’s a result of being with countless people over the years, waiting at the sidelines for the moment to happen. Photography has been my passport, and I have arrived in the present, where I have always been, camera in hand. There! That says it best for me!”
Transformation in Nature with Clara-Julia Peru
Participants will begin with self-reflective prompts before embarking on a slow, guided walk, where they will be invited to observe and capture with a camera (or cell phone) how the late autumn garden mirrors the landscapes of transformation, grief and transition.
The seasonal landscape itself becomes a teacher: the architectural presence of conifers standing among bare deciduous trees, the rich layers of fallen leaves returning to the soil, beavers preparing for winter, eagles tending their nests, seed pods, mosses, textures, changing light, and the quiet beauty that emerges when life appears stripped down to its essence.
Through mindful photographs, participants will gather visual "fragments" before coming together in a circle for creative reflection, gentle conversation, and complementary herbal teas. The intention is to cultivate presence, symbolism, and a compassionate way of witnessing both nature and ourselves.
Bring comfortable walking shoes, weather-appropriate layers, drinking water, optional snack, camera or cell phone. If using a cell phone camera, be sure that the sound is off.
About the Guest Facilitator
Clara-Julia Peru is an artist, poet and nature advocate. She is a grief informed art and nature guide with an abundance of specialized training in grief support and expression. Learn more about Clara-Julia’s work here.
Sliding Scale Equity Pricing
In an effort to create an inviting and inclusive community for all we have sliding scale equity pricing based on personal financial experience and financial privilege.
Plus Plus Bizarre Bazaar
PLUS PLUS Bizarre Bazaar is a brand new market bringing together a curated group of artists, publishers, exhibitors, game designers, community organizations, indie distributors, and creative collectives. It is free and open to the public. Stop by to browse and shop artist editions, books, comics, zines, physical media, prints, apparel, games, and more- then stick around to connect with the people who make it all happen!
Film & New Media- Video.Store.Age (indie film distributor)
- Midslumber Media (horror film shop and also books!)
- Cryptic Trinket Studio (animation / stop motion)
- Spencer Garland (VR Artist)
- Hungry Mantis (VR Artist)
- Fumerie Parfumerie (scent+film)
- Mind Marrow (scent + book + film)
- MENOPUNKS (doc + podcast)
- Estella Tse (VR/AR)
- Women In FIlm (film org /collective for women)
- NW Docs (doc org)
- Open Signal (community media center)
- AE PDX (motion design and animation community org)
- LIMINAL Music (record and music shop inspired by japan + more)
- KOOP radio (community radio hub)
- Tape Op Magazine (music recording magazine)
- Buckman Journal (publisher of artists and illustrators)
- Floating World Comics (comics shop)
- Nathan Mckee (paper cut/ layered images and screen prints)
- Sketchy People (illustrators)
- Kory Bing Illustration (risographs, zines, mostly about animals alive and extinct)
- Studio Mantissa (comics)
- S Mirk Comics (queer/nonbinary zines and comics maker/teacher)
- MADRE Linen (artisen linens/hometextiles)
- Mai Ide (the art of mending, sewing and kintsugi)
- Grilka Press (screen printers)
- Broccoli (art magazine)
- Storyboard Books + Art Supplies (book and art supplies for storytellers)
- Selected Stories (book store)
- Microcosm Publishing (beloved indie publisher)
- Sous les pavés la page (secondhand books and periodicals)
- Pink Tiger Games (founder/creator of former XOXO festival, pink tiger is primarily card games)
- PIGSquad (coming with three tables and an interactive projector)
- Nucleus Portland (contemporary art gallery)
- Mardeluna (art prints, apparel, plushies, giant mascot costumes)
- Lil Planets (360 photography art)
- Lauren Johnson Fine Art (cyanotypes, film+digital+watercolor images)
- Indui (fantasy art)
- Art Headliner (has murals all over NE portland that are rad!)
- Hustle Home Decor (electric colored sun catchers and mirror art)
- Swana Rose Center (Southwest Asia +North African art/culture community org)
- Portland Art Museum
- PAM CUT // Center for an Untold Tomorrow
- Kickstarter
- Portland Films and Events
Rainy Rider Photo Contest & Raffle
Biking in the rain is not only possible, it's fun too! Text BIKE followed by a photo of yourself and your bicycle in the rain to 888-520-0526 for the chance to win waterproof or high-visibility gear.
Clark County Open Studios Tour, Nov. 7-8
One Nation
One Nation brings together contemporary artists who explore the ideals and contradictions embedded in the American promise. Drawing on the national motto E Pluribus Unum — “Out of Many, One” — the exhibition reflects on how a diverse society strives toward unity while confronting social, political, and cultural divisions.
Across painting, photography, sculpture, textile, and mixed media, the artists consider themes central to American civic life: immigration and belonging, protest and dissent, labor and economic justice, religious freedom, racial inequality, and the enduring power of democratic ideals.
Personal histories and collective memory intersect throughout the exhibition. Portraits of leaders and everyday citizens appear alongside symbolic images of journeys, borders, and shared responsibility. Together, these works ask viewers to consider not only what unites Americans, but also what challenges the nation’s commitment to liberty and justice, and invites reflection on the role individuals and communities play in shaping the country’s future.
Join for a free guided tour on August 16. RSVP here.
November First Thursday
Join us in the evening to celebrate the opening of November 2026 exhibitions5 - 8 PM
Yukai Chen brings The Factory of Desire to Blue Sky
Yukai Chen, Offering, 2024
Ashley Peña’s Ebb and Flow comes to Blue Sky
Ashley Peña, Enshrouded In Blue Matter., 2025 ]]>
Gons: The Pictures, Mechanisms, and Camera Works of Doug Wing
Together
To celebrate the reopening of the Portland Art Museum and a return to community gatherings within its many spaces, Together features photographs of people in community with one another. Drawn from the permanent collection of more than 10,000 photographs, the works span the nineteenth century to today. Many are recent acquisitions and are on view at the Museum for the first time.
Photography has been a social practice from its very beginnings. One of the earliest and most valued uses of the medium was for portraiture. Millions of daguerreotype, tintype, carte-de-visite, and cabinet-card images circulated during the second half of the nineteenth century, offering people portable, permanent likenesses of the ones they loved. As technology changed and improved, people could be photographed outside of the professional portrait studio, creating a market for candid snapshots. Twentieth-century photographers captured the many ways people interacted with one another in public places, like city streets or in the private residences filling new American suburbs. Some noted the isolation that came with modernization, while others recorded how thousands of protestors regularly joined together to demand societal change.
Today, photographers continue to capture notions of togetherness. As the world grapples with the isolation induced by technology, Together reminds us of the power of community.
Scenes of Serenity: Photography by Mathieu Rossi
Experience the quiet wonder of scenes from Portland Japanese Garden’s autumnal landscape in Scenes of Serenity, featuring the work of Mathieu Rossi, Portland Japanese Garden Photography Member, on display from October 29, 2026, through January 18, 2027.
Sapphic Singles
Hosted at June in Beaverton, this gathering welcomes queer women, sapphic people, and trans and nonbinary individuals in an affirming space. Expect relaxed conversation alongside playful activities designed to make introductions comfortable and fun. It is not a speed dating format. Participants rotate through small groups of three to six and take part in Q&A prompts, trivia, simple crafts, puzzles, and similar icebreakers. The goal is to encourage connections that can lead to friendships or relationships while strengthening community bonds. Event photography will occur, and attendance indicates consent to be photographed and to the use of images for future promotional purposes.
Mirror Mirror: Silver in the 20th Century
Silver has had special status in European and world art for thousands of years. Besides coins and jewelry, silver was used for objects of practical use, and families often held their wealth in a collection of silver spoons, teapots and other items. When stainless steel, aluminum and titanium became common, the meaning of a family hoard of silver plate shifted. At the same time new industrial uses of silver were discovered, as medical antiseptic and above all, photography. Artisans still make everyday objects out of silver in new and creative ways because the soft, warm, clear and reflective surfaces have enduring appeal. In this gallery modern silver is paired with silver print photography to demonstrate how radically the use and appreciation of silver has changed.
This display highlights the gift of Portland native Margo Grant Walsh, who donated nearly all the modern silver in the Museum’s collection.
Artist Talk: Yukai Chen
Please join us on Zoom for an artist talk from Yukai Chen, whose 2025 En Foco Fellowship exhibition, The Factory of Desire, will be on view at Blue Sky from Nov 5 - 28, 2026.This artist talk will take place on Zoom.
Sign up for this event
Yukai Chen, Bedroom, Tiger ,Sailor Moon ]]>
Photography Club
First Saturday: Intro to photography. Get to know your camera with Q/A.
Second Saturday: YOUTH ONLY. Club is facilitated by teen staff this week.
Third Saturday: Art in photography. Try out new concepts, film, DIY hacks.
Fourth Saturday: Women & non-binary photographers only this week.
Fifth Saturday (if applicable): Photography Walk! Get out and take pics with a guided stroll around town.