For a mid-size city with a bite-size art market, Portland maintains a consistently high ratio of cool and exciting art per capita. How do we manage to stay so awesome? The secret is artists! The leaders of our scene are the folks who make the art, and they’re all in cahoots with one another—artist-run galleries, studio collectives, residencies, and community engagement are just a few of the ways Portland artists show up for each other and our city, using their powers of creativity to offer visions of solidarity, survival, and of course, beauty. We’ve collected some spring highlights from this lively scene so you can join the party too.
Lunchtime Gets Creative in This Apartment Gallery
Hide and Seek gallery is aptly named, considering its low-profile location in a North Portland warehouse-loft apartment. The space may be relatively new on the scene, having opened just over a year ago, but it’s already made its mark with four terrific shows and a signature Friday lunch series that invites the public to snack with featured artists in a cozy and casual atmosphere every week. Recent shows have highlighted artists working in community with one another, such as the SE Portland painting crew from January’s group show Enjoy and Get It On, and a trio of sculptors—Molly Bernstein, Libby Rosa, and Portland-based Nick Norman—whose work is on view through March 30 in a sweet show titled Leave the Porch Light. (Hide and Seek Gallery, 2638 N Interstate, Unit B, through March 30, hideandseekgallery.com)
