A New Perspective on Portland Art Museum’s Permanent Collection
Corita Kent (American, 1918-1986), somebody had to break the rules, 1967, color screenprint on Pellon, image/sheet: 29 7/8 in x 36 1/16 in, Museum Purchase: Print Acquisition Fund. Portland Art Museum, Portland, Oregon, 2016.89.1
Hoshino Satoru (Japanese, born 1945), Spring Snow No. 12, 2007, stoneware with white and copper-blue glazes, 20 in x 11 in diam., Gift of a private donor. Portland Art Museum, Portland, Oregon, 2013.8.53
If you’ve been to the Portland Art Museum recently, you’ll notice that something big is happening. Construction on the Mark Rothko Pavilion is underway—an expansion and renovation project to connect the Museum’s two buildings and create a more accessible experience for visitors. The project is among the most significant in the city, and a key part of downtown’s revitalization.
The Museum is open for business, and in fact, has an impressive slate of special exhibitions on view and on deck; however, the permanent collection had to be mostly packed up and put away because of construction impacts. So how could the curators offer visitors access to items across collection areas, and keep favorites on view? The answer—Throughlines: Connections in the Collection, an exhibition that will take up residence in the galleries that usually house the European collection.
Organized by themes of portraiture and representation, views of the land and environment, and unexpected uses of imagery, ephemeral materials, and color, the exhibition prompts us to think about the objects in the collection as jumping-off points for stories and conversations that foster a greater sense of connection among us.
Tim Bavington (American, born England, born 1966), Voodoo Child, Slight Return (solo), 2002, acrylic on canvas, 54 in x 72 in, Gift of the Contemporary Art Council. Portland Art Museum, Portland, Oregon, 2002.12
The exhibition offers a fresh look at the Museum’s collections, bringing together artworks from diverse geographies, cultures, and time periods that do not typically share a gallery. Throughout time and place, artists have created images, objects, and experiences that ask us to consider ourselves and our world from different perspectives. Leading with a sense of curiosity and wonder, the curatorial team searched the collections, reflecting on the ways art connects everyone across time.
“We asked one another: What does a video artwork share with a European oil painting? A conceptual art photograph with a Native American woven basket? A Chinese vase with a print emblazoned with a poetic message?” said Sara Krajewski, Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art. “We collaboratively developed four themes that allowed us to include each collection broadly and in surprising ways.”
Ka'ila Farrell-Smith (American, Klamath, and Modoc, born 1982), After Boarding School: In Mourning, 2011, oil on canvas, 36 in x 24 in, Museum Purchase: Funds provided by the Native American Art Council. Portland Art Museum, Portland, Oregon, 2012.100.1
Kehinde Wiley (American, born 1977), Likunt Daniel Ailin (The World Stage: Israel), 2013, bronze, 45 in x 23 in x 19 in, Museum Purchase: Funds provided by patrons of the 2014 New for the Wall. Portland Art Museum, Portland, Oregon, 2014.125.1
Drawing from portraits and figurative art, Pose looks at our desire to represent one another and to be represented. Environments explores how artists help us understand and honor nature and place. Expect the Unexpected shows how artists innovate with materials and explore unconventional processes in ways that broaden how art can be made and what it might mean. Color presents the powerful pop of pigments, paints, inks, glazes, and dyes, vibrantly lifting the senses.
An area of the gallery will be flexible and allow for artists’ talks and residencies, event-based experiences, and multimedia presentations and screenings. “We hope visitors will find Throughlines fun, inspiring, and thought-provoking,” said Krawjeski. As the PAM campus undergoes transformation, this exhibition previews the possibilities for collaborations and creative approaches in the Mark Rothko Pavilion, new Museum spaces, as well as in the original galleries.
Free admission for kids aged 17 and under.
