Portland Art Museum

Your eyes, your ideas, one artwork at a time. Slow your pace in the galleries and join a Look With Me conversation. These 20-minute, drop-in sessions focus on one artwork, just enough time to notice things you might normally breeze past. Our volunteer guides invite your perspective, spark questions, and help the whole group see something new.

Sessions take place every 30 minutes from Noon to 2 p.m.Look for signs in the galleries to join.

• 12 p.m. Hoshino Satoru, Spring Snow No. 12 (Rothko Pavilion, Level 2, Grand Gallery 200)
• 12:30 p.m. Florine Stettheimer, Portrait of My Teacher, Fräulein Sophie von Prieser (South Wing, Level 2, Gallery 202)
• 1 p.m. Phyllis Yes, Dusty Cleaning the Tub (South Wing, Level 2, Gallery 207)
• 1:30 p.m. Tim Leura Tjapaltjarri, Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri, Spirit Dreaming Through Napperby Country (South Wing, Level 1, Schnitzer Courtyard)

Come for one session or stay for a few. You’ll be surprised by what you start to notice.

Third Sundays: Look With Me + Art in ASL
Once a month, some sessions are led in American Sign Language (ASL) and others in English. Every session includes ASL/English interpretation.

Portland Art Museum invites the community to join a Free First Thursday event, offering free admission to the museum for all, plus a Live Wire event as part of the Literary Arts Portland Book Festival. Visitors can take in the afternoon gallery pop-ups, the evening show, or both!

4:30 – 6 p.m. — Free, pre-show, pop-up performances will take place throughout the Museum’s galleries. Performers are poet and rapper Dessa, bestselling children’s author Mac Barnett, Pulitzer Prize Finalist Ed Park, and Portland comedian Mx. Dahlia Belle.

Free First Thursday tickets can be reserved online one week in advance and are also available at the door.

7 p.m. — Enjoy a fully seated, ticketed Live Wire taping hosted by Luke Burbank with announcer Elena Passarello, featuring a blend of interviews, comedy, and music performed live for the audience, then edited into an episode for broadcast to over 200 public radio stations nationwide. Performers are poet and rapper Dessa, bestselling children’s author Mac Barnett, Pulitzer Prize Finalist Ed Park, and Portland comedian Mx. Dahlia Belle. Doors will open at 6:30pm.

GA Tickets are $15. Preferred Seating is $40. Discounts available to Portland Book Festival passholders.

Dessa is a singer, rapper, and writer who fell in love with language as a toddler—and just never got over it. Now, she works in fields that traffic in words: she’s recorded rap bangers as part of the fiercely independent Doomtree collective, released a live album with the Grammy-winning Minnesota Orchestra; contributed to The New York Times and National Geographic Traveler; delivered a TED Talk on the intersection of romance and neuroscience that’s notched more than 4 million views; hosted 2 seasons of behavioral science podcast Deeply Human (BBC/American Public Media); and published a memoir recounting most of the above called My Own Devices (Penguin Random House).

Mac Barnett, the 2025–2026 National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, is a New York Times bestselling author of stories for children. Mac’s books have won many prizes, including two Caldecott Honors, three New York Times/New York Public Library Best Illustrated Children’s Book Awards, three E. B. White Read Aloud Awards and the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award, as well as several international prizes. He lives in Oakland, California. His latest book, illustrated by X. Fang, is Tom Nancy: The Sheep Who Swapped Brains with a Boy. From two of the most exciting picture book makers today comes a hilarious trickster tale and Freaky Friday switcheroo story: a sneaky, cheeky sheep named Tom Nancy has a brain swap proposal for an innocent farm boy named Felix that will change both of their lives forever. Laugh-out-loud, subversive, and totally unexpected.

Ed Park is the author of the novels Personal Days and Same Bed Different Dreams. He is a founding editor of The Believer, and has worked in newspapers, book publishing, and academia. His writing appears in The New Yorker, The New York Review of Books, Harper’s Magazine, The Atlantic, and elsewhere. Profound, wily, and beautifully wrought, his new book Three Tenses: A Transmission from the Nineties is a meeting of memory and myth, confession and obfuscation, coalescing to offer a singular picture of creativity in action.

The princess of Portland comedy, best known for her breakout performance on the popular Netflix special Hannah Gadsby’s Gender Agenda, Mx. Dahlia Belle has been compared to a Swiss Army knife—different tools to extract sharpness, softness, vulnerability, hope, and wicked wit. She’s been declared one of “11 Trans Comedians… Funnier Than Dave Chappelle” by Out Magazine, repeatedly featured on NPR, and has written for Cosmopolitan Magazine, The Guardian, The Stranger, and Portland Mercury. Her live performances have included NW Black Comedy Festival, Upper Left Comedy Festival, SF Sketchfest, and an awkward conversation with John Waters and Piers Morgan. In the upcoming live taping of her comedy special Affirmed at Polaris Hall on November 22nd, Mx. Dahlia Belle delivers 60 new minutes of stand-up to celebrate and affirm being human in the modern world through a combination of the wholesome and mundane, anecdotes about house cats, liscivious foibles of the LGBT community, and an unapologetic account of her personal journey with gender-affirming care, all delivered with her trademark free form wit.

Free First Thursdays at the Museum and PAM CUT’s Tomorrow Theater aligns with the revitalization of the long-standing Portland art galleries’ tradition of opening their doors for openings, receptions, and events on the first Thursday of each month. In recent months art and culture organizations have joined to bring back this popular activity, including the Pacific Northwest College of Art and the Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education in the North Park Blocks.

Generous support provided by Art Bridges Foundation’s Access for All program.

Live Wire teams up with the Portland Art Museum during First Thursday and the Portland Book Festival. From 4:30 to 6 p.m., complimentary pop-up performances roam the museum galleries, no ticket needed. At 7 p.m., host Luke Burbank and announcer Elena Passarello lead a seated, ticketed taping with poet and rapper Dessa, children’s author Mac Barnett, Pulitzer Prize finalist Ed Park, and Portland comedian Mx. Dahlia Belle. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.. Portland Book Festival passholders get 10% off.

BOOK FEST IS SOLD OUT.

For more than a decade, Portland Art Museum has been proud to partner with Literary Arts and serve as a home base for the Portland Book Festival, bringing thousands of writers, readers, and book lovers downtown for one of the city’s biggest literary celebrations.

Festival activity fills the PAM campus and Cultural District throughout the day, making it an especially lively time to visit.

How does PAM ticketing work on Portland Book Festival Day?

With regular Museum admission (including PAM member admission), visitors can enjoy the galleries along with select festival activities happening in them, including:

• Pop-up author readings thematically paired with artworks, 11 a.m.–4 p.m.
• KMHD Jazz Radio Listening Lounge in Gallery 300, 12–4 p.m.

PAM members receive their usual free Museum admission; a Festival Pass is required for full festival access.

Visit the Portland Book Festival website for the complete schedule.

Doors open at 6:15 pm

A Proclamation for Peace joins poetry, global languages, and music to produce a short film advancing cultural exchange, education and global peace. The project draws on a poem by Oregon Poet Laureate 2018-2020, Kim Stafford, adapted into a vocal score by Theresa Koon and realized in a lyrical film by Ron Bourke.

The film is a gift from Oregon to the world that will inspire individual commitment to peacefulness everywhere. On this special evening we’ll present the first public preview of the film. Please join us in a toast to the many musicians, crew members, and supporters who’ve helped to turn our passion for poetry, music, film and peace into a reality. Poet Kim Stafford, composer Theresa Koon and filmmaker Ron Bourke will join a post film conversation. Many of the principal artists and performers will be in attendance. Tickets are free but very limited and must be procured in advance.

Portland Art Museum celebrates the Deaf Community with Art in ASL on the 3rd Sunday of every month. Deaf Community members and their companions enjoy complimentary admission all day and are invited to participate in guided Look with Me sessions in the galleries between 12-3pm. Visitors of all ages are welcome.

Some Look with Me sessions will be led in ASL and some will be led in English. All sessions will have interpretation. Look for signs in the galleries to find locations of each session.

Join us for slow looking sessions from 12-3 pm then come to the Finley Studio for artmaking and social time from 3-5 pm.

Look With Me does not require special tickets. Museum tickets can be purchased online or at the box office.

Accessibility:
The museum galleries are wheelchair, mobility device, and stroller accessible. Complimentary stools, folding chairs, manual wheelchairs, and assistive technology are available upon request. All museum accessibility info is available here. Please contact us with any additional access needs at [email protected] or leave a videophone message at 503-420-3169.

Art in ASL is presented in partnership with the Deaf Look Club, a program of Bridge City Montessori.

Panel discussion featuring MacArthur Fellows Sterlin Harjo and Reginald Dwayne Betts.

What is more shapeshifting than the truth? Sterlin Harjo & Reginald Dwayne Betts join PAM CUT for a MacArthur Fellows Panel. Presented as part of PAM CUT’s PLUS PLUS Festival, join us for a FREE hosted discussion exploring questions like: What are truths? What makes them true? In this moderated conversation, we ask multidisciplinary artists Sterlin Harjo and Reginald Dwayne Betts to consider truth and truthiness.

Sterlin Harjo (Seminole/Mvskoke) is a MacArthur Fellow, award-winner, writer, director, and showrunner from Holdenville, Oklahoma. Most recently, Sterlin created, wrote, directed and is the executive producer of THE LOWDOWN, currently airing on FX and Hulu, starring Ethan Hawke. Previously, he was the showrunner, co-creator with Taika Waititi and director of the Emmy-nominated RESERVATION DOGS for FX. The series ran for three seasons and received numerous awards including a Gotham Award, a Peabody Award, two Independent Spirit Awards and honors from the Television Academy.

Reginald Dwayne Betts is a poet, lawyer, and founder and CEO of Freedom Reads. At sixteen, he was sentenced to nine years in adult prison for an armed carjacking, where he discovered poetry and the law. His work since then has been one long inquiry into how a child ends up in prison and what it takes to come home, pursued through poetry, memoir, theater, photography, and film. A MacArthur Fellow, Betts has authored six books, including A Question of Freedom and Doggerel (W.W. Norton, 2025). His solo theater work Felon: An American Washi Tale has been performed at San Quentin and the Perelman Performing Arts Center. He earned his J.D. from Yale Law School, where he is an Associate Research Scholar. Freedom Reads is the only organization in the country dedicated to building libraries inside prison cell blocks. Each Freedom Library is handcrafted, often by people who have served time themselves, and placed within arm’s reach of the people it serves. Betts founded it on a simple conviction: freedom begins with a book.

Defying Boundaries: MacArthur Fellows at 45: This moment calls for creative courage. For 45 years, MacArthur Fellows have expanded the boundaries of possibility by questioning conventions, crossing disciplines, and driving collective progress. Throughout 2026, the Foundation is celebrating the ground- breaking work of the Fellows and inspiring public dialogue through a series of nationwide events and conversations. Learn more at macfound.org/fellows-45.

The MacArthur Foundation boldly invests in creative solutions to urgent challenges, sparking hope for our future. We strive toward transformative change on some of the world’s most pressing social issues, including the existential threats of climate change, criminal justice reform, revitalizing local news in the U.S., expanding who creates, uses, and benefits from artificial intelligence, and strengthening the well-being of Native communities. In addition, we maintain enduring commitments in our hometown Chicago, where we invest in people, places, and partnerships to build a more inclusive Chicago and in journalism and media, where we invest in more just and inclusive news and narratives. We also make awards to extraordinarily creative individuals through the MacArthur Fellows program and for solutions to critical problems of our time through 100&Change.

Join us before the film for artmaking in conjunction with this Saturday’s ScreenPlay family programming, Cinema Paradiso! Visitors are invited to drop in to the studio to paint and collage directly on existing film strips. Join us in creating new, hybrid scenes! All materials provided!

ScreenPLAY! is PAM CUT @ The Whitsell’s kids, teens, and family monthly program – sharing cinematic art for all ages.

• PAM CUT @ The Whitsell x Screenings & experiences Cinema Paradiso (1988) x ScreenPLAY! General accessibility

  Nov 29, 2026

  1219 SW Park Ave

Cinema Paradiso (1988) Directed by Giuseppe Tornatore. 2hr 35min. Rated PG.

This November at PAM CUT @ The Whitsell, catch the ultimate cinematic love letter to the magic of the movies, Cinema Paradiso (1988)—as part of our teen + family programming, ScreenPLAY! The film is a beautiful, nostalgic, and enchanting coming-of-age portrait of a young boy’s childhood home, his love for movies, and his bond with the local projectionist.

As part of ScreenPLAY! @ The Whitsell, films will be accompanied by art making in the Finley Learning Studio. Artmaking is free and open to the public.

• Classes & camps Frame by Frame: Painted Film Strips Artmaking General accessibility

  Nov 29, 2026

  1219 SW Park Ave

We do not generally provide advisories about subject matter or potentially triggering content in films, and films exhibited don’t necessarily reflect the views of PAM CUT or the Portland Art Museum. In addition to the synopses, trailers, and other links on our website, further information about content and age-appropriateness for specific films can be found on sites like Common Sense Media, IMDb, and DoesTheDogDie.com.

Join us before the film for artmaking in conjunction with this Saturday’s ScreenPlay family programming, White Christmas! Visitors will craft personalized holiday postcards or mini art prints using photocopies of vintage sheet music (including classic Irving Berlin tunes!), watercolor washes, Mod Podge, stamps, and winter motifs. You can take your creations home to send off to loved ones for the holidays or use them as ornaments for your tree or garlands, etc. All materials provided!

ScreenPLAY! is PAM CUT @ The Whitsell’s kids, teens, and family monthly program – sharing cinematic art for all ages.

• PAM CUT @ The Whitsell x Screenings & experiences White Christmas Sing-A-Long (1954) x ScreenPLAY! General accessibility

  Dec 20, 2026

  1219 SW Park Ave

Portland Art Museum celebrates the Deaf Community with Art in ASL on the 3rd Sunday of every month. Deaf Community members and their companions enjoy complimentary admission all day and are invited to participate in guided Look with Me sessions in the galleries between 12-3pm. Visitors of all ages are welcome.

Some Look with Me sessions will be led in ASL and some will be led in English. All sessions will have interpretation. Look for signs in the galleries to find locations of each session.

Join us for slow looking sessions from 12-3 pm then come to the Finley Studio for artmaking and social time from 3-5 pm.

Look With Me does not require special tickets. Museum tickets can be purchased online or at the box office.

Accessibility:
The museum galleries are wheelchair, mobility device, and stroller accessible. Complimentary stools, folding chairs, manual wheelchairs, and assistive technology are available upon request. All museum accessibility info is available here. Please contact us with any additional access needs at [email protected] or leave a videophone message at 503-420-3169.

Art in ASL is presented in partnership with the Deaf Look Club, a program of Bridge City Montessori.

White Christmas (1954) Directed by Michael Curtiz. 2hr 5min. Not Rated. Sing-A-Long Edition.

Join PAM CUT @ The Whitsell for a very special sing-a-long edition of the timeless holiday classic White Christmas (1954). Join the fun and sing along with Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney, and Vera-Ellen for a musical Christmas in Vermont.

As part of ScreenPLAY! @ The Whitsell, films will be accompanied by art making in the Finley Learning Studio. Artmaking is free and open to the public.

• Classes & camps Vintage Sheet Music & Festive Postcard Artmaking General accessibility

  Dec 20, 2026

  1219 SW Park Ave

We do not generally provide advisories about subject matter or potentially triggering content in films, and films exhibited don’t necessarily reflect the views of PAM CUT or the Portland Art Museum. In addition to the synopses, trailers, and other links on our website, further information about content and age-appropriateness for specific films can be found on sites like Common Sense Media, IMDb, and DoesTheDogDie.com.

Portland Art Museum celebrates the Deaf Community with Art in ASL on the 3rd Sunday of every month. Deaf Community members and their companions enjoy complimentary admission all day and are invited to participate in guided Look with Me sessions in the galleries between 12-3pm. Visitors of all ages are welcome.

Some Look with Me sessions will be led in ASL and some will be led in English. All sessions will have interpretation. Look for signs in the galleries to find locations of each session.

Join us for slow looking sessions from 12-3 pm then come to the Finley Studio for artmaking and social time from 3-5 pm.

Look With Me does not require special tickets. Museum tickets can be purchased online or at the box office.

Accessibility:
The museum galleries are wheelchair, mobility device, and stroller accessible. Complimentary stools, folding chairs, manual wheelchairs, and assistive technology are available upon request. All museum accessibility info is available here. Please contact us with any additional access needs at [email protected] or leave a videophone message at 503-420-3169.

Art in ASL is presented in partnership with the Deaf Look Club, a program of Bridge City Montessori.

Portland Art Museum celebrates the Deaf Community with Art in ASL on the 3rd Sunday of every month. Deaf Community members and their companions enjoy complimentary admission all day and are invited to participate in guided Look with Me sessions in the galleries between 12-3pm. Visitors of all ages are welcome.

Some Look with Me sessions will be led in ASL and some will be led in English. All sessions will have interpretation. Look for signs in the galleries to find locations of each session.

Join us for slow looking sessions from 12-3 pm then come to the Finley Studio for artmaking and social time from 3-5 pm.

Look With Me does not require special tickets. Museum tickets can be purchased online or at the box office.

Accessibility:
The museum galleries are wheelchair, mobility device, and stroller accessible. Complimentary stools, folding chairs, manual wheelchairs, and assistive technology are available upon request. All museum accessibility info is available here. Please contact us with any additional access needs at [email protected] or leave a videophone message at 503-420-3169.

Art in ASL is presented in partnership with the Deaf Look Club, a program of Bridge City Montessori.

Portland Art Museum celebrates the Deaf Community with Art in ASL on the 3rd Sunday of every month. Deaf Community members and their companions enjoy complimentary admission all day and are invited to participate in guided Look with Me sessions in the galleries between 12-3pm. Visitors of all ages are welcome.

Some Look with Me sessions will be led in ASL and some will be led in English. All sessions will have interpretation. Look for signs in the galleries to find locations of each session.

Join us for slow looking sessions from 12-3 pm then come to the Finley Studio for artmaking and social time from 3-5 pm.

Look With Me does not require special tickets. Museum tickets can be purchased online or at the box office.

Accessibility:
The museum galleries are wheelchair, mobility device, and stroller accessible. Complimentary stools, folding chairs, manual wheelchairs, and assistive technology are available upon request. All museum accessibility info is available here. Please contact us with any additional access needs at [email protected] or leave a videophone message at 503-420-3169.

Art in ASL is presented in partnership with the Deaf Look Club, a program of Bridge City Montessori.

Portland Art Museum celebrates the Deaf Community with Art in ASL on the 3rd Sunday of every month. Deaf Community members and their companions enjoy complimentary admission all day and are invited to participate in guided Look with Me sessions in the galleries between 12-3pm. Visitors of all ages are welcome.

Some Look with Me sessions will be led in ASL and some will be led in English. All sessions will have interpretation. Look for signs in the galleries to find locations of each session.

Join us for slow looking sessions from 12-3 pm then come to the Finley Studio for artmaking and social time from 3-5 pm.

Look With Me does not require special tickets. Museum tickets can be purchased online or at the box office.

Accessibility:
The museum galleries are wheelchair, mobility device, and stroller accessible. Complimentary stools, folding chairs, manual wheelchairs, and assistive technology are available upon request. All museum accessibility info is available here. Please contact us with any additional access needs at [email protected] or leave a videophone message at 503-420-3169.

Art in ASL is presented in partnership with the Deaf Look Club, a program of Bridge City Montessori.

Portland Art Museum celebrates the Deaf Community with Art in ASL on the 3rd Sunday of every month. Deaf Community members and their companions enjoy complimentary admission all day and are invited to participate in guided Look with Me sessions in the galleries between 12-3pm. Visitors of all ages are welcome.

Some Look with Me sessions will be led in ASL and some will be led in English. All sessions will have interpretation. Look for signs in the galleries to find locations of each session.

Join us for slow looking sessions from 12-3 pm then come to the Finley Studio for artmaking and social time from 3-5 pm.

Look With Me does not require special tickets. Museum tickets can be purchased online or at the box office.

Accessibility:
The museum galleries are wheelchair, mobility device, and stroller accessible. Complimentary stools, folding chairs, manual wheelchairs, and assistive technology are available upon request. All museum accessibility info is available here. Please contact us with any additional access needs at [email protected] or leave a videophone message at 503-420-3169.

Art in ASL is presented in partnership with the Deaf Look Club, a program of Bridge City Montessori.

Portland Art Museum celebrates the Deaf Community with Art in ASL on the 3rd Sunday of every month. Deaf Community members and their companions enjoy complimentary admission all day and are invited to participate in guided Look with Me sessions in the galleries between 12-3pm. Visitors of all ages are welcome.

Some Look with Me sessions will be led in ASL and some will be led in English. All sessions will have interpretation. Look for signs in the galleries to find locations of each session.

Join us for slow looking sessions from 12-3 pm then come to the Finley Studio for artmaking and social time from 3-5 pm.

Look With Me does not require special tickets. Museum tickets can be purchased online or at the box office.

Accessibility:
The museum galleries are wheelchair, mobility device, and stroller accessible. Complimentary stools, folding chairs, manual wheelchairs, and assistive technology are available upon request. All museum accessibility info is available here. Please contact us with any additional access needs at [email protected] or leave a videophone message at 503-420-3169.

Art in ASL is presented in partnership with the Deaf Look Club, a program of Bridge City Montessori.