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.