Graffiti

An Interview with Queso Queso

The graffiti artist tagged practically every sidewalk in the city in Spanish and became a Portland folk hero.

08/19/2026 By Matthew Trueherz

Grafiti

Entrevista con Queso Queso

El grafitero que firmó en español en prácticamente casi todas las aceras de la ciudad y se convirtió en un héroe popular.

08/19/2026 By Matthew Trueherz

Local Legends

If Portland’s Thompson Elk Statue Could Talk

In 1900, the bronze monument to the Oregon Humane Society decorated a fountain. Then it watched as the city went up around it.

08/12/2026 By Matthew Trueherz Photography by Michael Novak

Local Legends

A Big Whoop-Whoop for the Portlandia Statue

Who? How the belle of 1985 fell out of favor.

03/02/2026 By Matthew Trueherz

Transit Trip

An Escape to Estacada on TriMet’s Southernmost Bus

A lakeshore stroll, murals galore, doughnuts made with love, and shouts of ‘fore!’

04/02/2025 By Margaret Seiler

For Kicks

Back to the Future and into the Metaverse: 100-Plus Years of Sneakers at PAM

Marty McFly’s Nikes, those Big Red Boots, and a few pairs that literally don’t exist have plenty to tell us about ourselves.

04/12/2024 By Matthew Trueherz

Private Collection

A Halloween Art Show Opens in an Unlikely Place

A Shriek of Color draws inspiration from Edvard Munch and opens in the lobby of a luxury retirement residence.

10/19/2023 By Matthew Trueherz

Visual Art

A New Gallery Examines the Eternal Pull of Flowers

Flowers, in all their shapes and forms, are on view at The Earth Laughs exhibition at the Lobby.

11/04/2022 By Isabel Lemus Kristensen

Visual Art

PAM’s Frida Kahlo Exhibit Is More Than a Study in History

To supplement the main exhibition, the museum is tapping a slew of local artists to generate new pieces that nod to Kahlo's legacy.

04/08/2022 By Conner Reed

News You Can Use

5 Oregon Stories To Watch This Week, October 11-19

Who gets to decide the fate of downtown statues, the Blazers face preseason bumps, and nurses at Kaiser-Permanente consider going on strike.

10/11/2021 By Julia Silverman

Film

Inside the Clinton Street Theater’s Agnès Varda Festival

Inspired by a public art project that took off this spring, the festival will feature five of Varda's films and host a number of Varda-centric events.

08/10/2021 By Conner Reed

Design

After 35 Years, the Hollywood Transit Center Is Finally Getting a Redesign

The new Hollywood Hub will focus on equity, inclusion, and community.

07/14/2021 By Gabriel Granillo

Art

Take a Walk Down Alberta with This Animal Art Map

Goodbye, Google Maps; hello, adorable frog sculptures

07/03/2020 By Jordyn Mayer

Sculpture

Displaced by a Skate Park, a Treasured Piece of Public Art Finds a New Home

Finding a (new) contemplative place for Contemplative Place

11/26/2019 By Conner Reed

Street Art

Could the Industrial East Side Become Portland’s Mural District?

Fresh paint is coming to a viaduct near you.

06/25/2019 By Sam Pape

Coastal Road Trip

The Oregon Coast's Next Trail Is All about Public Art

A tourism agency hatches a plan to lure off-season visitors. It hinges on a rather existential question. (So, like, what is art?)

04/26/2018 By Sarah Hutchins

Memorial

How Should We Commemorate Portland's Fatal MAX Attack?

TriMet plans a street-art tribute at the Hollywood Transit Center.

04/24/2018 By Sarah Hutchins

Public media

Portland Community Media Is Reborn as Open Signal

In its bright, newly renovated quarters, Open Signal offers public access to media equipment and education, with a focus on social impact.

02/23/2017 By Fiona McCann

Mental Health

Two New Portland Murals Fight Depression Stigma

Local muralists Rather Severe and Blaine Fontana teamed up with Kaiser Permanente to foster mental illness awareness through public art.

01/05/2017 By Tuck Woodstock

Park Life

A Pop-Up Park Encourages Portlanders to Celebrate Hard Feelings

A three-day project at Pioneer Courthouse Square involves bright lights, yoga, life coaching, and puppy playtime.

11/17/2016 By Rebecca Jacobson