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 Photo courtesy of Rejoice! Diaspora Dance Theater by Jingzi Zhao
Arts organizations and their work are vitally important to Portland’s past and present—and critical to its future. In Portland, the arts play an outsized role in revitalizing downtown; creating an active, vibrant, and welcoming central core; and building community connectedness across town. With that, the City of Portland's Office of Arts & Culture recently announced that it would be awarding $2,805,000 in General Operating Support funding to 79 local arts organizations in Portland for fiscal year 2025-26.
“Portland-based arts organizations are an asset to our community. I'm inspired by their work: from murals and activations throughout town, to the performances hosted at Portland'5 venues. They also buoy our larger efforts to renew and invigorate the central city and beyond,” said Portland Mayor Keith Wilson. “The City is one of the region’s largest arts funders, and the return on that investment ripples through every corner of Portland.”
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 Photo courtesy of RACC by Macadam Forbes
The City of Portland and its partners are opening up a call for artists at the CityFleet facilities on Swan Island. The Regional Arts & Culture Council (RACC), with CityFleet and Arts & Culture, invite artists and artist teams to submit their qualifications for one or both of the opportunities mentioned below.
Made possible by the City of Portland’s Percent for Art Program, which specifies that up to 2% of qualifying infrastructure project budgets be dedicated to public art, this call for artists includes two separate opportunities: (1) Artwork that will attach to two functional aluminum gates and (2) a large-scale sculpture. The budget for each opportunity is $150,000.
The submission due date is Monday, November 24, 2025.
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 Photo courtesy of Portland Art Museum
The Portland Art Museum is set to unveil its major expansion and renovation to the public on November 20, 2025, with four days of free admission and activities! Tickets to the four-day celebration, November 20-23, are available for reservation beginning on November 1.
Here's what we all have to look forward to: On November 20, the transformed museum will officially reopen with a ribbon ceremony at noon, marking the opening of the new, nearly 22,000-square-foot Mark Rothko Pavilion. The museum will be open and free to the public from noon to 5 p.m. on opening day, plus a free after-hours celebration from 5-9 p.m. with food, music, and art inspiration. The celebration will continue November 21-23 with a range of activities including curator conversations, happy hours, and educator-led programs.
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 Understory by Isabella Saveedra at Mt Scott Community Center, photo courtesy of RACC by Mario Gallucci
Portlanders recently celebrated the grand re-opening of the renovated Mt Scott Community Center, which now boasts more light in its interior spaces, improved ADA accessibility, the addition of new classrooms, meeting spaces, and an event hall, and more.
The center also features 22 new public artworks, including a large mixed-media textile piece titled Understory in the lobby's main stairwell by Portland-based artist Isabella Saavedra, the reinstallation of the beloved 25-year-old sculptural relief artwork by Gail Simpson and Aristotle Georgiades, and 2-D works on the 1st and 2nd floor corridors by 16 local artists.
The addition of these artworks was made possible by the City’s Percent for Art Program, which specifies that up to 2% of qualifying infrastructure project budgets be dedicated to public art, all done in partnership between RACC, Portland Parks & Rec, and Arts & Culture.
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 Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall c/o Portland'5 Centers for the Arts
As part of the larger Reimagining Downtown Performing Arts project, the City of Portland and its partners are exploring opportunities and challenges associated with the Portland’5 Centers for the Arts, including the Keller Auditorium and other large-scale performing arts venues in downtown.
You can help us by taking this five-minute survey about the types of performing arts programming you seek out, your experiences as a patron of the performing arts, and your ideas for a reimagined performing arts experience in downtown Portland.
Help shape the future of Portland’s performing arts!
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 If you’ve got experience with public art and are passionate about urban design and architecture, Portland’s Design Commission encourages you to apply for one of their open volunteer positions—where you’ll sit alongside a team of experts to review major developments within Design overlay zones.
The Office of Arts & Culture is supporting this process by nominating an applicant with public art experience to the commission, who would then go on to be appointed by Mayor Keith Wilson and confirmed by City Council.
Apply by Thursday, November 20, 2025.
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 (L-R) Artists Britt Howard, Emily Counts, and Sharita Towne c/o Multnomah County Libraries
Multnomah County Library and RACC are expanding their efforts to bring community-centered artwork to libraries throughout the county. Part of the voter-approved 2020 Library building bond, Belmont Library will more than double in size and St. Johns Library is growing to approximately 8,500 square feet.
As part of this work, local artists are creating unique installations that represent each neighborhood’s history, culture, and diversity. Britt Howard will create an interior, site-specific, 3D soft sculpture that’ll be suspended from the ceiling of the Belmont Library’s new teen area. Emily Counts will create a site-specific project adjacent to Howard’s suspended work that will extend along the full length of one of the interior walls within the main reading room. At the St. Johns Library, Sharita Town is conceiving a series of small site-specific sculptures that will adorn the exterior of the library.
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 Christopher Russell’s art is shaped by Portland, a bikeable city that integrates the wild and urban landscape. From the expansive Forest Park to the transportive Lan Su Chinese Garden, Russell is inspired by the city’s public places, microcosms of landscape that provide a way to commune with nature in urban life.
Art Rambler Blueprint (2024) depicts Russell’s bike, set up as a mobile studio used to paint landscapes around Portland. This piece is one of 21 works by 11 artists recently acquired the City of Portland's Visual Chronicle of Portland, a collection of works on paper that serve as an eclectic view of life in Portland and a record of artists working in the city dating back to 1985. The Collection features 463 works by 270 artists, which are displayed in City-owned spaces throughout Portland.
Arts & Culture contracts RACC to curate, manage, and maintain the City of Portland’s public art collection, including the Visual Chronicle of Portland.
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Add it to your calendar 🗓️
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October 30
This Portland Monuments Project partner event hosted by Portland Parks Foundation at Literary Arts will explore the complex history of Portland's iconic Thompson Elk.
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November 8
The Pacific Northwest’s largest celebration of books and storytelling, this year's festival will host 80+ featured authors talks, plus drop-in workshops, pop-up readings, and more
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Through November 9
Portland’s longest-running Día de los Muertos celebration turns 30 this year. Each year, Milagro observes Día de los Muertos with the premiere of a new production, altar displays, and community events with the 5th annual Central Eastside Muertos Celebration.
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Grant opportunities and open calls 📣
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Portland Panorama | Submission deadline: November 7, 2025
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Community Cultural Participation (CCP) Grants from Multnomah County Cultural Trust | $3,000 | Application deadline: November 9, 2025
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Pillars Artist Fellowship from Pillars | $40,000 | Application deadline: November 17, 2025
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CityFleet Art Opportunity from RACC | $150,000 | Application deadline: November 24, 2025
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Call for Plaza Partners from PBOT | Application deadline: December 1, 2025
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Small Grants from Portland Children's Levy | Application deadline: December 1, 2025
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Alchemy Artist Residencies from Alchemy Arts Center | Application deadline: December 8, 2025
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Mini Grants for Libraries from Oregon Humanities | $25,000 | Application deadline: January 16, 2026
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2025/2026 Portland Festivals & Screenings Grant from Portland Events & Film | $500-$,5000 | For events taking place before June 30, 2026
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Traducción e Interpretación | Biên Dịch và Thông Dịch | अनुवादन तथा व्याख्या
口笔译服务 | Устный и письменный перевод | Turjumaad iyo Fasiraad
Письмовий і усний переклад | Traducere și interpretariat | Chiaku me
Awewen Kapas
Translation and Interpretation: 311
The City of Portland ensures meaningful access and reasonably provides: translation, interpretation, modifications, accommodations, alternative formats, auxiliary aids and services. To request these services, call 311 for Relay Service or TTY: 711.
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