Oregon Contemporary

Closed this week‼️ Due to illness, we will be closed the remainder of the week and reopen September 9th for our new regular hours Wednesday-Saturday 12-5pm.

Thank you for your understanding!

A reminder- we are not having First Saturday for September with having just been open for the Converge Triennial events of last week.

ON VIEW 🔥 Converge 45: 𝑯𝒆𝒓𝒆, 𝑻𝒐 𝒚𝒐𝒖, 𝑵𝒐𝒘⁠
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🕛️ Wednesday-Saturday 12:00-5:00pm

Gallery 1 🖼️ Amy Ruhl: 𝘖𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘚𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘴

Brooklyn-based interdisciplinary artist Amy Ruhl presents 𝘖𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘚𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘴, a scenographic environment developed through artist-convened reading groups. Centered on a panoramic video installation, the work draws on collective inquiry into speculative fiction—especially the “ambiguous utopias” imagined by Ursula K. Le Guin—as a site of political possibility.

Gallery 2 🖼️ 𝘖𝘯𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘭: Artists of North Pole Studio + Elbow Room
A concurrent group exhibition curated by Lumi Tan highlights North Pole Studio and Elbow Room, two local organizations dedicated to supporting the professional careers of artists with autism and intellectual or developmental disabilities. Featuring vibrant paintings, drawings, and sculptures by Ricky Bearghost, Aaron Cunningham, Michelle Fromme, Annie Rose Macer, Elmeater Morton, and Dan Tran, the exhibition offers a warm introduction to their unique perspectives, persistence, and long-standing presence in Portland’s creative landscape.

It has been a year y’all.

We’ve had some of the highest highs and definitely some of the lowest lows. We are so grateful for everyone who has supported us, visited us, and rallied behind us over the past year.

We are giving our staff a much needed break for July and are excited to welcome you back in August for Converge 45’s Here, To you, Now.

More about our past year:

During the past year, we've celebrated remarkable milestones, including our most-attended exhibition in 25 years — A Larger Reality: Ursula K. Le Guin; advocacy that helped secure $1.6 million in restored arts funding for Portland organizations, and the success of the 2026 Artists' Biennial: The Price of the Ticket.

This year has also tested Oregon Contemporary in profound ways — from federal funding cuts and reduced city support, to the devastating injury suffered by our Exhibitions Director, Dustin Williams. Through it all, our community has shown extraordinary generosity and solidarity.

Read the full End-of-Year letter from our Executive & Artistic Director Blake Shell's for reflections on this pivotal year, gratitude for our community, updates on Dustin's recovery, and how you can help sustain Oregon Contemporary's mission. More on our website.

CONVERSATION�🗳️ The Price of the Ticket & Democracy
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🗓️ Saturday July 4th
🕑️ 2:00-4:00pm⁠
📍 Oregon Contemporary
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To begin the closing of the 2026 Oregon Artists Biennial, we invite the Portland community to a conversation on democracy, voting rights, & civic embodiment between Audrey de Coursey, President of the League of Women Voters of Portland, TK Smith, Curator of the Artists’ Biennial and artist, Katherine Longstreth.

Join us to learn more about the League of Women Voters, the 2026 Oregon Artists' Biennial, or to register to vote!

THIS SATURDAY 📣 Forum on the 4th: Closing celebration of the 2026 Artists' Biennial⁠
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📅 Saturday, July 4th⁠
🕓️ 4:00-8:00pm⁠
📍 Oregon Contemporary⁠
✔️ Free and open to all, please RSVP on website
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Join us this weekend for Forum on the 4th, the closing celebration of the 2026 Oregon Artists' Biennial.

Experience an afternoon of community reflection on the semiquincentennial, public readings by participating artists, and a conversation led by curator TK Smith as we gather to mark the close of this year's Biennial.

The celebration culminates with the final performance of Fifty Clocks Made to Strike Together by DeepTime Collective—a powerful concluding moment as we discover whether the Biennial can truly close on one accord.

Don't miss your last chance to experience the Biennial together.

WORKSHOP�⬛️ the gesture and the shout: community printing, collages and design techniques⁠ with Marcelo Fontana + Wave Contemporary

🗓️ Thursday July 2nd
🕑️ 2:00-5:00pm
📍 Multnomah County Central Library

Tired of endless scrolling and digital noise? This workshop will help bring our message out of the digital ether and into the public sphere, reminding us that in a scattered world with distant posts, there's a lot of power in a real, shared action.

In this hands-on workshop, you'll learn the basics of wheat-pasting, collage and design. We'll create our own images, designs and messages and put them directly on the street. It's a chance to turn ideas into a collective act of presence. Come join us, make something real, and find your voice in the physical world.⁠
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Ages 14+

Forum on the 4th 📣 Closing celebration of the 2026 Artists' Biennial

📅 Saturday, July 4th
🕓️ 4:00-8:00pm
📍 Oregon Contemporary

We invite the Portland community to join us for Forum on the 4th, a closing celebration of the 2026 Oregon Artists’ Biennial, with community reflections on the semiquincentennial and public readings by participating artists, led by curator TK Smith.

The Forum will culminate in the final performance of DeepTime Collective’s Fifty Clocks Made to Strike Together, in which we will see if the biennial can close on one accord.

This event, in celebration of the closing of the 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘛𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘵 exhibition, will provide an open forum for engagement in response to the 250-year anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. There will be speakers—participating artists, writers and community members—throughout the day.

Free and open to all, please RSVP at link on website ✔️

Biennial Events in July 🔥 The Biennial is coming to close with some exciting programming
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Workshop: the gesture and the shout ⬛ July 2nd��
🕕 2:00-5:00PM�
📍 Multnomah County Central Library

Tired of endless scrolling and digital noise? This workshop will help bring our message out of the digital ether and into the public sphere. In this hands-on workshop, you'll learn the basics of wheatpasting, collage and design. Come join us, make something real, and find your voice in the physical world. Ages 14+

A RACE TALKS Heritage Tour and Cultural Archive 🌆 July 3rd�
🕕 10:00 AM-3:00 PM�
📍 begins at Oregon Contemporary

RACE TALKS presents a curated community transit experience that explores the juxtaposition of American independence with the "price of the ticket" paid by Black Portlanders. This tour serves as a mobile archival intervention, documenting the erasure of the Albina district while honoring the resilience of those who remain.

The Price of the Ticket & Democracy 🗳️ July 4th
Conversation about democracy, voting rights & civic embodiment
🕔 2:00–4:00 PM
📍 Oregon Contemporary

To kick off the closing of our 2026 Oregon Artists Biennial, join us for a special conversation between Audrey de Coursey, President of the League of Women Voters of Portland, TK Smith, Curator of the Artists’ Biennial and artist, Katherine Longstreth. Join us to learn more about the League of Women Voters, the 2026 Oregon Artists' Biennial, or to register to vote!

Forum on the 4th ✨ July 4th
A Closing Celebration of the 2026 Artists' Biennial
🕔 4:00–8:00 PM
📍 Oregon Contemporary

We invite the Portland community to join us for Forum on the 4th, an exciting afternoon of public readings, community reflections, performance, and delicious local bites as we celebrate the closing of The Price of the Ticket. Gather with artists, curators, and neighbors to reflect on the ideas, stories, and connections that have shaped this remarkable Biennial.