Best of 2023

The Top 4 Portland Arts Moments of 2023 (You Can Still See Two!)

This year, we just wanted to feel something. Here are the Portland experiences that stuck with us.

12/27/2023 By Matthew Trueherz and Rebecca Jacobson

Culture

Want to Support the Arts? 7 Steps to Becoming an Arts Benefactor (Yes, You)

Prolific arts donor Ronni Lacroute tells us how to become a rookie arts benefactor.

09/25/2023 By Arianne Cohen Illustrations by Lars Leetaru

Arts

Arts Insiders Share Their Culture Picks for Fall 2023

No need to guess. We cribbed the must-see arts and music plans of Portlanders in the know.

09/07/2023 Illustrations by Lars Leetaru By Arianne Cohen

It's Madness

Why Are Portland Fall Arts Festivals So Unusual This Year?

This year's programming looks very different—yet the city is slated for its biggest arts autumn ever. We dove in to untangle the chaos.

08/25/2023 By Matthew Trueherz

Cheat Sheet

Where to Go and What to See at the Converge 45 Biennial

Your guide to the free citywide arts biennial, with events across Portland.

08/23/2023 By Matthew Trueherz

Q & A

Ripping the City with Elan Hagens

The mycophile and Portland native dishes on her favorite Portland spots and the worst advice she's ever received.

08/09/2023 By Dalila Brent

Events

Some of Portland’s Biggest Spring 2023 Concerts and Events

An incomplete guide to Portland’s best cultural offerings this spring, including onetime locals Ari Shapiro and Yeat

03/15/2023 By Dalila Brent, Margaret Seiler, and Matthew Trueherz

Light a Fire 2022: Extraordinary Volunteer

This Arts Advocate Reminds Us There’s a Lot Happening in Rural Oregon

Baker City’s Ginger Savage helped steer millions in COVID relief funding to arts groups all over the state, not just to Willamette Valley heavy hitters.

12/29/2022 By Matthew Trueherz

Q&A

Ripping the City with Anela Malik

The influencer and entrepreneur voices her opinion on Portland and dishes on her newly discovered favorites in and around the city.

11/07/2022 By Dalila Brent

Dance

This Contemporary Dance Festival Is Ready to Broaden Portland’s Horizons

Now in its fifth year, Union PDX concentrates global talent in Southeast Portland.

11/07/2022 By Fiona McCann

Q&A

Ripping the City With Jordan Thierry

The Portland-born author, filmmaker, and creative director shares his go-tos and the changes he's looking forward to most in the city.

10/20/2022 By Dalila Brent

Cinemas

The Hollywood Theatre Gets a Makeover

The iconic cinema’s façade receives a long-awaited renovation.

10/11/2022 By Conner Reed

Feature

Remembering Vampira and Tarantula Ghoul, Oregon’s Scream Queens

Inside the legacies of two locally grown horror hosts

10/03/2022 By Conner Reed Illustrations by Patrick Leger

Fall Arts

Preview: Jeffrey Gibson’s ‘They Come From Fire’ at Portland Art Museum

The artist’s photography project is a sprawling celebration of Oregon’s Indigenous communities, past and present.

09/28/2022 By Rebecca Jacobson

fall arts

Get Ready for Portland’s First Full-Blown Theatrical Season since 2019

Portland Center Stage, Artists Repertory Theatre, Profile, Lakewood, and other companies have big plans for local stages.

09/02/2022 By Conner Reed

Development

6 Big Development Projects to Watch In Portland and Beyond This Fall

Kah-Nee-Ta gears back up, PAM CUT's getting a new home, the Vancouver Waterfront is getting a new hotel, and more.

09/01/2022 By Julia Silverman

Music

Portland Monthly’s Essential Summer 2022 Playlist

Summer songs from Portlanders old and new to spin this season

06/24/2022 By Conner Reed

Development

Think the Portland Metro Area's Done For? These 11 Developments Beg to Differ

New apartment complexes, restored theaters, downtown music venues, and more are in the works.

02/16/2022 By Julia Silverman

Design

Portlander Shawna X Is Painting Mini Cooper Rooftops for Public Consumption

Catch her latest work on a Coop, a building just north of the Moda Center, or at two different spots in the Big Apple.

11/10/2021 By Cami Hughes

Interview

Got a Message? Bellagram Telegrams Will Sing It for You.

‘If [people] start crying, I feel like I’ve done a good job of the mission…. Tears are like gold in this business.’

08/04/2021 By Marty Patail