A HISTORY OF ENGAGEMENT:
THE Researched and Written by Sarah Lampen Edited by Jen Delos Reyes PORTLAND Illustrated and Designed by Olivia Serrill ART Layout by Amy Gadbois, Deborah Lee, Olivia Serrill, and Bryan Zentz MUSEUM
1892-2014 INTRODUCTION ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
“If you aren’t amazed most of the time First and foremost we must acknowledge the incredible research of the 2013- 2014 Portland Art Museum Kress Foundation Interpretive Fellow, Sarah Lampen. Thank you aren’t paying attention.” you for the many hours of work that have turned up such remarkable moments in the Museum’s history. Michael Lipsey, musician A huge debt of gratitude is owed to Stephanie Parrish, Mike Murawski, and the entire Education Department who have worked so closely with me and supported me to the What does it mean to be engaged? Engagement is a state of being. To be engaged is a utmost throughout my time as Artist in Residence. Their collaboration embodies promise. It is a commitment, an obligation. It is also a sense of involvement and par- their department’s commitment to supporting socially engaged art, and to creating ticipation. What does an engaged museum look like? It is a museum that is dedicated the space to push these practices further. Thank you to Debra Royer, Librarian in the to its publics. It is a museum that pays attention, and through that attentiveness Museum’s Crumpacker Family Library, who graciously assisted with recommending manages to call into action unexpected approaches that connect art and contempo- and locating archived materials. Also thank you to Ian Gillingham for his incredible rary life, and in turn creates engaged audiences that see the museum as part of their attention to detail when editing this text. everyday lives. Special thanks to Olivia Serrill for her beautiful illustrations and all of her work on This is a history that is about paying attention to the amazing moments of connec- this book, and to Kate Bingaman-Burt, Sean Schumacher, and everyone from Port- tion, big and small, that this institution has engaged in since 1892. This book traces land State University involved in Art+Design Projects. a strand of the Portland Art Museum’s history of engagement, with a focus on the work conducted by the Education Department. This selected timeline is by no means And last but not least, thank you to everyone whose work, legacy, and memory are exhaustive and instead focuses on strategies that move outside of standard practice, represented in this document. reach beyond the Museum to build relationships, foster community participation, and make clear that a museum can be a center of not only cultural engagement, but civic, social, and community activity.
To many more years of engaged museums,
Jen Delos Reyes RESEARCH SOURCES AND NOTES
This timeline is solely drawn from uncatalogued archives housed in the Portland Art Museum’s Crumpacker Family Library, as well as the personal papers of Robert Tyler Davis located at The Smithsonian Institution Archives. Thank you to Elliott Kai-Kee at the J. Paul Getty Museum for sharing copies of portions of the Robert Tyler Davis papers with Portland Art Museum staff.
This timeline is not an exhaustive account, but rather one attempt to capture the multiple histories of engagement at this historic institution that has seen many names and organizational configurations. For much of its history, the Museum was entwined with the Museum Art School (now the independent Pacific Northwest Col- lege of Art), and later with The Northwest Film Center. As you will notice, at different points these organizations shared one institutional name, including the Portland Art Association and Oregon Art Institute. Programmatic offerings were characterized by collaboration across the three organizations, and each complemented the other’s work. This document offers a glimpse of selected moments of public engagement, with a particular focus on the work of the Portland Art Museum. 1892–1902 Henry W. Corbett, Dr. Holt C. Wil- son, Henry Failing, William M. Ladd, Winslow B. Ayer, Rev. Thomas L. The Museum and School were Eliot, and C.E.S. Wood founded the referred to collectively as the Port- Portland Art Association. land Art Association. 1895 The Museum acquired its first objects, a col- lection of plaster casts, and displayed them in the upper hall of the new library building on Southwest Stark Street and Broadway.
1905 1909–10 The Museum moved from The Museum began to offer evening lectures. The the library to a new build- building was open three evenings a week for public ing on Southwest Fifth viewing, and the Museum also offered ongoing Avenue and Taylor Street. Wednesday morning art classes for the public.
The Museum Art School—now the Pacific Northwest College of Art— opened. The School developed from 1910–11 the Sketch Club, which met in the In 1910 the Museum galleries to sketch from the Museum’s collection of plaster casts and hear began to offer free art history lectures. Anna B. Crocker was Principal of the School as well days. The Museum as the Museum Curator, and she was also began a partner- responsible for the Museum’s early educational offerings. ship with the YMCA. Continuing the Museum’s commit- ment to youth access to art, chil- 1915–16 1911–12 dren’s memberships were offered at reduced rates. In 1915 the Museum became one of the first The Museum increased its lecture Lecture highlights from the year in the country to have a museum docent em- include a talk for teachers titled “Art as an Ultimate Interpretation,” and ployed by the Portland School Board. The series and work with Portland Public another called “The Psychophysical Annual Report began to publish a letter from Effect of a Work of Art.” Schools. These lectures included a the docent—Ione Dunlap—that discussed her 1914–15 experiences at the Museum. One such letter Sunday afternoon civic lecture series In 1914 the Museum hosted an reflected upon a collaborative program with Artistic Vaudeville Show. Acts were The School for the Deaf, an early example of on city planning, as well as talks about titled: “Egyptian Wall Painting, Greek Vase, Morning in an Art accessibility programming at the Portland Show, Modern Tendencies, and local artists and regional exhibitions. Moving and Stationary Pictures.” Art Museum.
1912–13 1913–14 1916–17 In 1912 the Museum hosted a lecture titled “The Rela- The Museum began to invest more in its The Annual Report’s docent letter tion Between Art Museums and Public Education” by discussed the benefit to society if Henry Turner Bailey as part of its visiting teachers relationship with Portland Public Schools. children are educated. This reflects and educators lecture series. Other highlights from the the widespread interest in children’s year included a lecture on design and its application to School visits were provided along with rights and development at the turn craftwork, a lecture on playgrounds presented by the assistance to teachers in the form of lists of the century. Collegiate Alumni Association, and talks for “car men.” On Sundays, all conductors and motor men, as well as of pictures, ongoing loans of photographic 1922–23 their families and friends, were invited to the Museum, which demonstrated the Museum’s early interest in reproductions of paintings to classrooms, Lecture highlights from this engaging diverse audiences. year include “Illustrative and consultations with educational Material in the Teaching of organizations such as the Education English,” “The Psychology The Museum partnered with Reed College and offered of Child’s Art,” and “Design an extension course, Education and the Citizen. Department of the Public Library. and its Use and Abuse.” 1924–25 The Museum published an 1932 essay about the importance of The Museum completed the first art to child development in its Annual Report. phase of a new Museum building de- signed by Pietro Belluschi on the site 1927–28 of its current home at Southwest Park The Museum Art School began Avenue and Jefferson Street. a five-year joint teacher training course with Reed College.
Lecture highlights from the year include “The Use of Books in 1933 Understanding Painting” and “Architecture as Modern Art.” The Garden Club created flower arrangements for 1932 the Museum’s galleries as The Museum completed the first phase of a new Museum build- part of the Rose Festival. ing designed by Pietro Belluschi on the site of its current home at Southwest Park Avenue and 1934 Jefferson Street. The Museum ceased offering a regular sched- ule of public school visits, though Portland Public Schools assigned one of its teachers to 1930 provide teacher-guided school tours. The Museum offered Girl Scout and Campfire Girls tours. 1937 The Education Department was estab- lished at the Art Museum, and a docent was hired to give school tours.
The Museum was The Museum hosted 12 open until 10 p.m. on free Sunday afternoon Wednesday nights. concerts for the public.
The Portland Garden Club held its annual daffodil show 1939 at the Museum. Many other Robert Tyler Davis, a spe- social and civic events were cialist in Native American also held at the museum, such art, became the Director as meetings of the Superin- of the Museum. He was tendent of Schools and the concerned with local is- Council of Churches. sues and needs and saw the The Museum Art School performed twelve tab- Museum as an educational leaus of well-known paintings in the Museum’s galleries. The students designed the costumes and laboratory. During his ten- backgrounds themselves. ure, community services The Museum featured an ex- increased, which included hibition of work by local art- the open consultation ists created for the Works hours he held every week Progress Administration. for members of the public. The Bureau of Parks loaned plants to the Museum in an effort to make the galleries more “human.” 1940 The public was invited to submit work to an exhibi- tion of artwork created in Oregon. All artists were assured that at least one piece would be exhibited, and the submissions were available for sale in order to promote the work Robert Tyler Davis want- of artists residing in all ed to undermine preten- areas of Oregon. sion through a direct personal or emotional As a continuation of this theme of participa- response to art, and strove to make the Mu- tion and democratic process, children from seum an integral part of the Catlin School voted on which painting life, rather than a stop on a sight-seeing tour. they would like to borrow from the Museum. 1941 The Museum began to broadcast radio The Museum’s auditorium The Museum began to acquire works by discussions from the Sculpture Court was outfitted as an air raid Northwest artists and dedicated a gal- lery to this collection area “in the belief each Sunday morning that were called shelter, and activities and that, in a community of this size, visitors “Make Up Your Mind.” Professors from gallery hours were reduced should always be able to see works by art- ists of the region in the local museum.” Reed College and the University of because students and staff Oregon would discuss two objects on were called to assist in The Museum hosted view with Robert Tyler Davis in order war efforts. sculpture classes for to teach listeners to make aesthetic blind children, whose Studio space was set aside during the summer judgments. Posters with questions for servicemen, and the Museum exhibited the work was then exhibited. work they produced. In addition, exhibitions of directed toward visitors were stationed Museum objects were organized for day rooms During an exhibition of works by Paul next to featured objects in the galleries. in nearby camps and servicemen’s centers. Klee, Robert Tyler Davis organized discus- sion forums led by well-known laymen These broadcasts were briefly inter- The Museum hosted an annual Field Day for from business and professional fields. high school students interested in a career as After a panel discussion about Klee’s chal- rupted by the War. an artist. lenging work, audience members were invited to ask questions, give answers, and share opinions. This panel discus- 1942 In response to a visitor’s assertion of sion represented an effort to include the The Museum established the Arts Bureau with the goal to regis- voice of the visitor in interpretation that is ter artists for service to the community, and to seek contexts in traditionally provided by an expert. “my kid could do that” during a Joan which artists could be valuable and civically engaged. The Arts Bureau managed a series of free Sunday concerts as a reprieve A passage in the Annual Bulletin articu- for war-weary citizens and soldiers stationed nearby. Miró exhibition, Robert Tyler Davis lates the importance of art in times of war, equating it with the quality of life that troops were fighting for in World In response to wartime interest, the Museum held lectures on placed a table with paint and paper in War II, and referring to it as “one of the the subject of American art during the Revolutionary War and great stabilizing forces of contempo- organized an exhibition of political posters. The Museum and rary life.” The Portland Art Association Arts Bureau also hosted free morale-boosting daily noon-time the gallery and invited visitors to try promised to continue to serve the com- concerts, as well as a Sunday radio program that explored the munity during wartime. place of artists in wartime. to replicate Miró’s style. 1943 The Museum began the process of ac- quiring a collection of animal sculptures in order to create a children’s collection. The Animals of All Ages exhibition was installed at children’s eye level. Continuing to assist in the war effort, the Museum Bulletin functioned as a community news source and published requests for radios, pianos, etc. The Museum collaborated with the Red Cross to train teachers to develop arts and skills programs at military hospitals, and played a leading role in organizing Red Cross arts classes.
The Museum established a chil- Lecture series were suspended due to a drop in interest and dren’s art department. Students attendance during the War. made and loaned paintings to the 226th Military Police Company station at St. Johns.
1944 1944 was a big year for community In the same spirit of accessibility, the Mu- partnerships and activities. Director seum adopted an experimental approach to Robert Tyler Davis made a case for gallery interpretation in which docents were community partnerships as something stationed in the Museum’s upper-level galler- the Museum is best suited for, and ies to answer visitors’ questions. argued for the importance of training staff in order to expand these activi- As part of the Museum’s connection to the ties. An example of a new community war effort, the Museum mounted exhibitions partnership was a radio broadcast titled of photographs from the Air Corps, the Ma- “An Art Treasure Hunt.” This partner- rine Corps, and the Navy. Exhibitions were ship between the Museum, the Benson also planned to acquaint Portland with the Polytechnic High School station KBPS, life and culture of the Allies. and the Art Department of Portland Public Schools targeted seventh- and eighth-grade classrooms. The Museum Both the Museum and the Public Library prepared a small relevant exhibition for mounted exhibitions related to civic plan- each broadcast, and the radio station ning in Portland. created study sheets for teachers. The Annual Report asserted that this pro- Lecture highlights from the year include gram inspired many visitors to come to “Whom are we Educating, for Whom are the Museum for the first time to see the we Building,” “Architecture of the Modern small exhibitions. School,” and “Development and Psychology.” The Museum continued to activate the Children’s Gallery with Gallery Games, 1945 1946 a collaboration with Junior League The Portland Art Museum expanded its The Museum mounted volunteers meant to help students learn aesthetic awareness through play related foray into radio. The Museum created an exhibition of Portland to the collection. broadcasts that accompanied small artists who had fought Director Robert Tyler Davis resigned to exhibitions in the Museum, which acti- overseas, and included assume a post as the Director of the Mon- treal Museum of Fine Arts and Professor vated institutional history, as well as work created in combat. of Fine Arts at McGill University. the history of Old Portland. The first full-time docent was hired in an effort to provide in-person assistance and conversation to those visitors who needed it.
Saturday morning gallery talks for chil- dren were instituted to encourage youth to become museum-goers. 1948-49 Throughout the 1940s, the Museum col- laborated frequently with curators from the Museum of Modern Art in New York. In 1948 the Museum moved the Chil- 1947 dren’s Gallery to the main floor and ex- A series of 26 dramatized stories was broadcast every Sunday. The series, “The hibited children’s artwork. The work Man Behind the Masterpiece,” featured stories about artists’ lives that were composed of a mixture of scholarship and was selected by a jury of 10 children drama. It was geared toward students and teachers and was recorded by New York Additionally, “For Home and School” aired on KWJJ five days a University Professor, Bernard Myers. The who drew works from private, public, week. This series of 13 broadcasts targeted a high school audience Museum’s library presented a display of and featured works of art in the Museum’s permanent collection. books to accompany each radio show. and parochial schools. The walls of the Museum became more permeable as the Museum spilled out into the city, and new audiences were brought in. “Our Art 1953-54 Museum” was a program prepared by the Museum docent that was The Museum began to increase then delivered by a student over the school broadcasting system at its television production, airing Benson Polytechnic High School. This broadcast later took the form weekly programs on KOIN-TV. of a discussion between a student and the docent. Topics included:
1. The Northwest Native American Collection A new Wednesday evening series The docent gave a talk The Museum’s new Publicity Director 2. Palmyrene Sculptures was created featuring performances about the Museum created “Gallery Gossip,” a radio program 3. The Amateur in Art by the Opera, the Symphonic Choir, to Bonneville Power meant to generate interest in exhibitions, 4. Egyptian Scarabs in the Collection the University of Oregon Chamber Company employees and “Careers in Art,” targeted toward 5. Museum Reproductions of Northwest Native Choir, and other local musicians. at their facilities. high school audiences. American Sculptures 6. A Pre-Easter Program on Crucifixion in Art 7. The Small Wood-Carvings of C.S. Price 1949-50 8. Sculptures from Artists of Oregon 1954 In 1949 the Museum welcomed Thom- 1951-52 9. Style Program as C. Colt, Jr., as its new director. In the In 1951 the Museum expanded its media 10. Sculptures by Children early days of his post he wrote an entry 11. Paintings from Saturday Art Classes in the foreword to the Annual Report arm through the creation of programs in- questioning the necessity and value of the docent program. Shortly after, the volving film and television. The Museum 1955 cancellation of the docent program began to host film programs. The Museum once again began 1956 was announced because Colt felt that to offer gallery tours for adults The Museum partnered with community a single docent on staff could not meet With the arrival of television, companies seeking a channel assignment and children throughout the the demand for tours. approached the Museum about producing a regular Museum program. year. The school tours were groups to create educational activities related In 1952 the Museum debuted its first television program recorded at delivered by a group of volun- to the exhibition Design in Scandinavia. KPTV studios, a promotion for an auction. teer docents who were members 1950-51 of the Junior League of Portland. Lecture highlights from the year in- The Museum hosted weekly radio broadcasts from the galleries, includ- The Portland Art Museum’s do- 1958 clude “Art in Advertising,” delivered by ing one called “Looking for Pleasure.” The program took the form of an cent program has been running The Museum began offering an Alvin Lustig. That same year the Guild informal conversation between the Director of Public Affairs at KOIN and continuously since this moment, “After-Church” gallery lecture series of Advertising Artists held meetings at a visiting specialist or a guest from the community. The broadcasts were though it is no longer affiliated in response to high attendance dur- the Museum. meant to stimulate interest in Museum exhibitions and collections. with the Junior League. ing the early afternoon on Sundays. 1959 This was the first year there was a section of the Annual Report devoted to the Department of Educa- tion. The Museum hired a Curator of Education.
The Museum hosted poetry readings and discussions about the connections between poetry and visual art. 1963–64 During a Japanese screen exhibition, the Museum held tea ceremonies, cer- emonial dance performances, flower arranging classes, koto concerts, films, lectures, and paper-folding, doll-mak- ing, and bonsai demonstrations. 1975-76 The Museumsenses program Membership and Development staff 1970 was developed. It was composed attended naturalization proceedings of seven in-gallery sessions for to give new citizens information about groups from the Meek School, the Museum’s offerings. The Suitcase Museum which included treasure hunts for shapes, lines, and colors; imagi- program began. This nary interviews with characters in paintings; and bodily imitations of sculptural forms. The program program allowed Mu- aimed to help students to learn to enjoy the museum. seum staff to travel to off-site locations to give presentations on select objects from the Muse- um’s collection.
1971 The Museum instituted Urban Walk- 1972–73 ing Tours, which were environmental The Education Department established tours for students and adults de- signed to instill an awareness of the a new group of 70 volunteers called the economic, social, and environmental forces that create spaces. These tours Chamberlains. The Chamberlains were were sponsored by the Museum, the positioned in the galleries to provide infor- Women’s Architectural League, and the Oregon Historical Society. mation, hospitality, and additional security. The museum hosted a “Take Down Hoe Down” in celebration of the closure of 1976-77 the exhibition Master Works in Wood: The Museum worked The Twentieth Century. People wore with TriMet to orga- blue jeans and listened to country music nize Museum Month— while workers de-installed and packed anyone who bought a works of art for shipping. monthly pass received a free admission ticket to the Museum.
The Suitcase Museum program began to visit senior citizen homes. 1978 The Museum offered children’s movement classes in the galleries in connection with an exhibition of Alexander Calder’s work.
The Northwest Film Center was incorporated into the Portland Art Association, 1980 which included the Mu- Continuing its legacy of encouraging careers seum and Museum School. The Film Center had been in the arts, the Museum created Expanding founded in 1971. Artistic Potentials, a two-year program in 1979 which talented high school juniors and se- Before the Portland Art niors were offered a sample of professional Association acquired it, art school training with career advice. the Museum rented space in the adjacent Masonic The Museum hosted Tactile Textiles, a day-long workshop for sighted visitors, Temple (now the Mark as well as those with low vision. Building) to host Museum activities such as the vol- unteer docent program. 1985 In an attempt to extend the conversations about contemporary art to young audiences, adult visitors were invited to bring a grandchild or young friend to Art in Conversation, a recurring lecture series for senior citizens. Cur- rently, Art in Conversation is held on the third Thursday of every month. For two days, Museum experts and conservators made them- selves available in the Sculpture Court to evaluate the public’s art works and heirlooms for $5. No monetary appraisals were given.
Six local artists gave dance, music, and performance art performances in the Sculpture Court throughout October in conjunction with the Richard Brown Baker Collection exhibition.
In conjunction with the exhibition Henry Moore: The Reclining Fig- ure, the Museum hosted a program called Stones and Bones: A Fam- ily Sculpture Exploration. This event featured an introduction to sculpture that began with a discussion of interesting stones or bones that families brought with them. It also included gallery exploration, a screening of a short film, and a sculpture-making workshop. 1986 The Museum-affiliated Pacific Northwest College of Art offered a children’s edible art-making class titled Artists in the Kitchen. The Museum, Pacific Northwest College of Art, and the Northwest Film Center re-branded themselves as 1988 the Oregon Art Institute. An integral part of the life and activity of the Portland Art Mu- The Pacific Northwest College of Art offered seum, the Northwest Film Center created a series called Frames an extension course for children called The of Mind, which took a psychoanalytic approach to film. Psychi- Magic Within, taught by an artist and art atrists led post-film discussions. The Film Center also offered a therapist. Children worked on developing 1987 class on activism in the media taught by two-time Oscar winner their own “style” using color symbolism, The Museum hosted pro- Vivienne Verdon-Roe. Topics covered included building a grass- guided imagery, fantasy, and music. The roots fundraising campaign, recruiting volunteers, overcoming class was structured to provide “lifelong grams in conjunction with production hurdles, and distribution. This year also marked tools for maintaining self-esteem and the two exhibitions Lost and the seventh annual Contemporary Women Directors series. courage to create.” Found Traditions: Native Cheryl Samuel, one of the world’s authorities on Chilkat weaving American Art 1965-1985 and spinning, gave a lecture and a spinning demonstration. This and New Directions North- was associated with the Chilkat Robe in the Museum’s collection, west: Contemporary Na- which was about to go through a conservation treatment. tive American Art. These included invocations and blessings, dancing, drum- ming, and singing per- formed by Native American leaders in the community.
Lecture highlights from the year include “Healing-Art- Medicine,” and “What is the Role of Art in Native Ameri- can Art Today?” The Suitcase Museum program began Lecture highlights from the year include the 1989 to emphasize Northwest Coast Native Alan Ostrow Memorial The Museum Bulletins began to include information about the controversy surrounding Lecture, which focused the National Endowment for the Arts after it funded a controversial Robert Mappletho- American art and culture and acquired on the social and political rpe exhibition. The Museum asked members to write their representatives to stress the a hand-carved Haida-style bear rattle, issues surrounding large- Museum’s need for NEA funding and to express disapproval of censorship in the arts. scale public monuments. The Museum also asked members to support the Museum through contributions. a replica bentwood box, a woven bas- ket, and Dentalium shells used for bar- Lecture highlights from the year include a panel discussion titled “Public Arts Funding: What Now?” The panel addressed the public criticism of the National Endowment for the Arts’ support of two controversial exhibitions of ter. In addition, the docents created a work by Andres Serrano and Robert Mapplethorpe. Topics discussed included the legislation introduced by Sen. cart of objects visitors could touch for Jesse Helms that would have changed the NEA’s process for awarding grants to arts institutions. the Native American galleries. 1990 In conjunction with the exhibition New Look to Now: Senior citizens began to receive French Haute Couture 1947-1987, the Museum orga- free admission nized Saturday afternoon French teas at the Heathman on Thursdays. Hotel, which were followed by tours of the exhibition. The Museum recognized A Day With- out Art 1990 on December 1. This was the second year of a national event that asked art organizations to draw atten- tion to the AIDS crisis and its particu- lar relevance to the arts community. The Museum draped the front façade with three black banners and exhibited several sections of the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt, including the panel for Keith Haring, who died of AIDS in early 1990.
Lecture highlights from the year include an architectural lecture series and forum called “Blueprints for Growth: Suburbs to Super- blocks, Ranch House to Row House.” Other notable lectures include a talk given by George Segal titled “Public and Private Sculpture,” a lecture by Lorna Simpson, and a talk by Krzysztof Wodiczko.
The Museum hosted the exhibition Access to Art: Bringing Folk Art Closer, which was organized by the Museum of American Folk Art and was part of the Access to Art program designed by Irma Shore, a blind art-lover and museum-goer. When touring the exhibition, visi- tors were able to learn about folk art by touching objects, listening to an audio guide, looking at high-contrast black-and-white prints, and reading labels printed in braille. Objects were displayed at table level so that they were visible to visitors in wheelchairs. In conjunction with this exhibition, the Museum organized a free day for visitors with disabilities and their companions. 1991 Museum members could schedule an “expertising” appointment with curatorial staff on the second Thursday of most months. In these sessions curators would discuss works of art owned by mem- bers, though they would not offer appraisals.
The Film Center’s ongoing Video/Filmmaker-in-the- The Park Block Revels—an annual holiday Schools program collaborated with Outside-In, a Portland celebration hosted by businesses located in the resource center for homeless youth. Artist in Residence South Park Blocks—had a Japanese theme and Kristy Edmunds helped three homeless youth create a video the Sculpture Court was set up like a street in documentary about homelessness through a three-week Japan with booths that offered demonstrations residency that covered all aspects of video production. The of Japanese art forms. documentary included interviews with and portions of per- formances by a performance art group that held a residency The name of the Museum, Art School, and Film at the Museum, the Los Angeles Poverty Department. The Center changed from the Oregon Art Institute to film debuted at Butters Gallery. the Portland Art Museum.
1992 The Tibetan Foundation of Oregon and Southwest Washington presented its first annual Tibetan Cultural Festival at the Museum and the adjacent Masonic Temple. The Festival featured perfor- mances, mandala making, videos, a dinner, and other demonstra- tions. Monks from Namgyal Monastery worked 10- to 12-hour days for a month to create a Kalachakra sand mandala on the sec- ond floor of the Museum. The Museum presented Native American Heri- The Museum celebrated its 100th tage Day at Museum Family Sunday. Members of the Klamath, Warm Springs, and Umatilla tribes birthday during the Park Block 1993 provided dance and art demonstrations. Artists The Museum hosted Museum represented in the galleries presented performance Revels. The party featured music, pieces and participated in book readings. dance performances, and “100 Magic, a competitive horti- culture show presented by In keeping with the politically charged art world of Will Celebrate 100.” One hundred the time, and in conjunction with the 50th anni- people of diverse backgrounds, the Portland Garden Club. versary of the death of Anne Frank, the Museum organized a contemporary art exhibition titled Dis- ages, and professions shared their sent, Difference and the Body Politic. The exhibition The Museum held a Family Sunday called explored issues of multiculturalism, race, gender, thoughts about their favorite Collect & Recycle, which focused on the and sexuality, and was organized in support of the works in the collection in the form theme or recycling resources. The Family “community-wide effort to explore the diversity of Day included art-making activities, a puppet American culture and mobilize against hate crime of five-minute gallery talks. Visi- show titled “We’ve Been Trashed,” and a and prejudice.” The Film Center organized a film performance by Youth for Environmental series to go with the gallery exhibition, and Barbara tors who took TriMet public trans- Awareness—YEA! The YEA! program was Kruger’s work appeared on local billboards, bus ads, portation to the Museum were designed by 4 children, ages 9 to 12, and was and matchbooks. A poetry and fiction reading called meant to inspire and empower people to save “Reading the Body” was held in the auditorium. given a ticket for a free ride home. the earth’s resources. The Museum solicited recipes from members and An exhibition of photographs support councils to create a cookbook called Col- lector’s Choice that was illustrated with art from the taken by gang-affected youth 1994 Museum’s collection. was installed in the Sculpture Portland-born Carrie Mae Weems The Museum held the Tem- Court. It was organized by the spoke in conjunction with the exhi- ple’s Treasures Garage Sale. Straight-Shooting Gang Youth bition Carrie Mae Weems: Portraits Objects, fixtures, and furni- Photo Project. Portland Commu- of African American Life. Her talk ture found in the Masonic nity College provided the facili- was accompanied by jazz and gospel Temple were sold while pa- ties and supplies, and the teens songs performed by local choirs. trons were entertained with were matched with professional photographers who acted as Weems was involved with community music and enjoyed catering. outreach directed towards young people The sale helped to prepare the mentors. Straight-Shooting was in African-American neighborhoods in Northeast and North Portland. She held Masonic Temple for occupa- presented by the Portland Trail a residency for high school students who Blazers and coordinated by the were affiliated with Self-Enhancement tion by the Museum after it Inc., a community-based program for acquired the building. Oregon Community Children at-risk youth. Students explored the re - lationships between family history, folk- and Youth Services Commission. lore, and photography. The photographic Museum Family Sunday was called Hispanic books and storyboards they created were Mascarada and was planned to coincide with His- later exhibited at the Museum. Students panic Cultural Month events. Teatro Milagro, the also received tours of the exhibition led premier bilingual family theater in the Northwest, by the artist. gave a performance about Diego Rivera’s life.
Additionally, Weems worked with lo- The Museum was open until 9 cal drama students to produce an audio tour of her exhibition “that reflect[ed] p.m. on Thursday nights. Lo- the diversity of voices that Weems’ work cal musicians performed, and represents.” The audio tour also featured performances by Portland school choirs light beverages were served. and became part of the exhibition. Carrie Mae Weems worked with the Young Artist Proj- ect, a community outreach initiative managed by the Pacific Northwest College of Art. Fifteen artistically tal- ented students received arts instruction in their schools and met with Weems before The Museum’s series of summer programs was called “The Portland viewing the exhibition with Art Museum takes you to…” and their families. its tagline was “This summer, the Museum has no walls.” Programs included visits to Dark Horse Com- The July/August Bulletin announced the sepa- ics, the Japanese Garden for a tea ration of the Museum and the Pacific North- ceremony, Bullseye Glass Company, west College of Art, which had been in progress Will Vinton Studios, and private col- for two years. The Museum maintained its lections. The Museum also hosted affiliation with the Northwest Film Center. walking architecture tours and 1995 drawing and watercolor lessons en plein air. All programs were orga- In conjunction with the exhibition Alexis nized by the Education Department. Rockman: Second Nature, which included a large painting titled Evolution, the Museum The August/Septem- hosted scientific lectures and a Museum ber/October Bulletin Family Sunday titled Bugs, Beasts, and Oth- announced that the er Wild Things, which included facilitated Portland Art Museum interactions with live reptiles and animals. was on the Internet. 1996 1997 The Museum offered Family FunPacks free of The Museum created its first CD- charge with admission. The FunPacks contained ROM, titled Taking Art Apart, with self-guided activities and games.
51 works of art from the collection. It In conjunction with the exhibition Lená Taku Wasté, the Museum hosted a seminar on collect- was designed for children in grades ing Native American art and presented a Living five through eight and was distrib- Traditions series in which Native artists demon- strated their art forms in the galleries. A Family uted to all middle schools in Oregon Workshop included a tour of the exhibition and the creation of Native American headdresses. A and Southwest Washington. The Museum Family Sunday also included art-mak- CD-ROM was also available in the ing activities. Gift Shop for a suggested donation of $20. Proceeds funded educational In conjunction with the Gold, Jade, programming. Forests: Costa Rica exhibition, the Museum Family Sunday in April was titled Celebración de Arte y Fa- milia, and included Latin American- themed art-making activities and per-- formances of music and dance. Two tours were conducted in Spanish. 1998 1999 With the addition of 2001 the Kinney Classroom, A new lecture series Art Explorers (ArtX) was a new program In conjunction with Empire of the Sul- the Museum began to titled Learning to for high school sophomores, juniors, and tans: Ottoman Art from the Khalili Col- organize consistent Look at Contempo- seniors that allowed students to learn lection, the Museum hosted a concert art-making classes for rary Art was initiat- about museums from the inside, while of traditional Turkish and Sufi music, a children, as well as ed and delivered by acting as volunteers. For the pilot year, 30 culinary lecture and tasting, as well as a family drop-in hours the Curator of Con- students were selected to help design the lecture about Karagöz, traditional Otto- that offered families a temporary Art. program for future members. man shadow puppetry. space to create, play, or
Inspirations: Flowers and Art 1999 paired flower arrangements with just relax. The Music in the Museum con- artworks in the collection. The arrangements were judged as part of a cert series debuted. Local musi- competition organized by the Portland Garden Club. cians performed an original composition that was inspired 2000 by a work in the collection. In conjunction with Stroganoff: The Palace and Collections of a Russian Noble Fam- ily, the Genealogical Forum of Oregon helped the local Russian population and Museum visitors trace their roots to Eastern Europe.
To celebrate the grand reopening of renovated galleries, the Museum organized many perfor- mances and concerts, as well as a game called the West End Walk-About. The public could pick up a passport at participating local stores and match retailers with works of art in the permanent col- lection. Visitors with a completed passport re- ceived discounts at affiliated stores. 2002 Art-making programs For Family Day, and in con- In conjunction with the Stuff of Dreams were available for every exhibition, the Museum hosted a panel dis- cussion in which four local designers chose age group, from 3-year- junction with The Triumph of two works in the exhibition to discuss. The olds to adults. A drawing panel was moderated by the pop-culture French Painting, the Tears of reporter from The Oregonian. class held before opening hours was available for The Film Center launched Joy Puppet Theater performed both children and adults. Flicker: A Film Club for the 17th-century French fairy Teens, which provided 2003 teens with a forum in In celebration of the Museum’s 110th an- tale Cinderella. niversary, the Museum published a Family which to screen and dis- Guide for the Northwest Galleries. cuss films, meet local Docent-led Family Tours were introduced. 2004 filmmakers, discuss film A Parent Workshop in- As part of the 2004 meeting of the production techniques, Mr. Kasen Yoshimura, Head Master of the American Institute for Conserva- Ryusei-ha School of Ikebana from Tokyo, troduced caregivers to the tion of Historic and Artistic Works, and learn about courses surveyed the Sculpture Mall and the en- a panel discussion titled “Should We Museum and taught them of study and careers. The vironment surrounding the Museum and Clean Art? Why? How? A Panel of created “an art of place” installation. This techniques to engage chil- Experts” was held at the Museum. club was open to all teens consisted of a variety of large and small The lecture was free to the public. works created from plant and miscellaneous dren with art. aged 15 to 19. materials he brought to the site. An art-making class titled During the renovation of the Mark The Museum hosted Japan Summerfest on the occasion of Building (a former Masonic Temple), the Splendors of Imperial Japan: Arts of the Meiji Period from Painting Then and Now Family Days were held at community the Khalili Collection exhibition. Japan Summerfest featured centers and libraries throughout performances and activities in locations all over the city. was organized for seniors. Portland, and were free of charge. Concerts, dance and Kabuki performances, traditional craft Locations included the Blazers Boys demonstrations and workshops, and lectures were planned and Girls Club in Northeast Portland, for the Museum. The exhibition featured an audio guide for the Hillsboro Public Library, and the adults, and another for children and families. West Linn Library. 2005 Parent and Child Tours with The renovated Mark Building opened, an art-making component along with the Jubitz Center for Modern and Contemporary Art. The first two were available for free. weeks of October were free to the public in celebration of this milestone. Martin Luther King Jr., Presidents’, and Memorial Days featured free admission to the Museum.
Lecture highlights included David Byrne, who discussed his new book/DVD set— Envisioning Emotional Epistemological 2007 Information—which featured works he created using PowerPoint. The Museum offered a before-hours tour of The Quest for Immortality: Treasures 2006 of Ancient Egypt for blind and partially- sighted visitors. This included a guided The ArtSpeaks program touch tour using objects from the Mu- sent lecturers to offices, seum’s study collection, as well as verbal community, and senior descriptions. centers to give free slide presentations about Mu- The Discovery Project allowed schools with significant financial need from outside the Portland metro area to experience the cultural seum exhibitions. programming of the Art Museum, the Oregon Zoo, and the Oregon Historical Society. Fourth-grade students participated in a two-day overnight program that focused on interdisciplinary curriculum. With the opening of the Jubitz Center, This program was initiated by the Museum. the Museum initiated the Critical Voices Lecture Series, which brought distin- guished artists, critics, and scholars to The Northwest Film Center’s Young Filmmakers Program worked discuss the nature of contemporary art with Jefferson High School teens in North Portland to create a video practices and the role of artists and art in that highlighted the students’ commitment to their school, despite contemporary life. the public debate about its possible closure. The Museum launched a pro- 2008 gram for blind and partially- sighted visitors that took place 2009 Marie Watt, an artist represented in the Contemporary Northwest on second Fridays at 6 p.m. Adam Gopnik held a discussion with parents Art Awards exhibition, invited the public to help create her exhibi- Every Sunday the Museum of- titled “Museums, Children, and Meaning.” fered Family Tours, drop-in art tion installation as part of a public program. The installation was making, and story time. He spoke with parents over coffee about art constructed from wool blankets and referenced the Iraq war, story- and parenting. Parents could register their The Museum launched an Art telling, and remembrance. Access Endowment Initiative children for an art-making course that took in order to secure funding to provide free school tours for place at the same time as the discussion. children 17 and under, month- ly Free Fourth Friday evenings, Family Sundays featured and quarterly Miller Family outdoor art-making all The Museum began Community Free Days. Support summer, and the Miller to participate in social for this initiative was gener- Family Community Free ously provided by The Gordon Day in July celebrated the media and advertised D. Sondland and Katherine J. acquisition of a sculpture Durant Foundation, the Sharon of Ganesha—a Hindu de- the website’s new L. Miller Family, Bank of Amer- ity—by invoking the late multimedia page. ica, Ken & Joan Austin, and the summer Indian festival of Lamb Baldwin Foundation. Ganesha Chaturthi. Shine a Light: Night at the Museum was initiated. The Museum was open until midnight and hosted participatory art projects created for the evening by students in Portland State University’s Art and Social Practice MFA program. The evening also featured live music, and fami- lies were especially welcome. The Film Center screened a documenta- ry at the base of the Teddy Roosevelt statue in the Park Blocks.
Highlights included Serenades, a project developed by Ariana Jacob that invited musicians to create origi- nal songs for artworks and perform them live for the pieces they selected; and Art and Beer, a project by Eric Steen that invited local brewers to create beer inspired by works in the collection. This program has contin- ued as a regular annual event. In conjunction with an exhibition on 2010 M.C. Escher, the Museum developed In conjunction with Disquieted—an exhibition of contem- porary art that responded to compelling issues of the time— an interpretive space inside the ex- the Museum held Museum Meditation Week, a series of hibition where visitors could explore meditation sessions that encouraged visitors to check out a meditation cushion and find a quiet space for reflection in books, puzzles, and even play the Sony the Museum’s galleries.
PlayStation video game Echochrome, The Museum unveiled its During the summer, the Midday Art first app, which included conversational videos of Break tour and lecture program moved which was inspired by Escher’s im- educators, curators, and docents informally dis- outside and became Midday Art and Cart. possible structures. cussing works of art, as Scheduling the event to coincide with well as a map that iden- tified featured artworks the Wednesday Farmers Market, the Mu- and provided general information. The project seum hosted a food cart in its Sculpture was a collaboration be- Garden, and outdoor tours of sculpture tween the Museum and Smarthistory.org. and architecture were given.
The Museum received a grant from the State of Oregon that was used to begin digitizing the col- lection so that it could be made available online. On the first Tuesday of The MetLife Foundation funded the Object Stories initiative, which every month, the Museum began to offer Baby Hour, which featured 45 min- aimed to engage new audiences in storytelling about the meaning of utes of docent-guided slow looking and discussion in the galleries. After the tour, personal objects. A booth was created to record visitors’ stories, which participants gathered for coffee in the Museum’s were later shared with the public in the Museum’s galleries and online. Discovery Center. The Museum continues to of- The project’s philosophy was articulated as: “Object Stories is an open- fer this program. ended inquiry into the relationship between people and things, and the Museum and its communities.” 2011 2012 In conjunction with The Museum hosted the opening The Body Beautiful, celebration for its Object Stories ini- In an effort to better serve the Portland tiative, which featured screenings, a special exhibition community, the Education Department a special exhibition storytelling, and readings by initial of ancient Greek and community partners Miracle invited members with ideas about how Theater Group and Write Around Roman sculpture, Portland. the Museum could stay relevant and reach the Museum hosted a The Museum hosted “Objectivi- new audiences to email suggestions to par- ty!” a night of storytelling around marathon community objects with Portland Mayor [email protected]. Sam Adams, Storm Large, and reading of The Iliad. other mystery guests. The event Object Stories from the Middle, a collaboration with the Right Brain Initia- was moderated by novelist and tive, was launched. Funded by a three-year grant from the Institute of Mu- humorist Marc Acito. seum and Library Services, this was the Museum’s first multi-visit school 2013 program. The Museum collaborated with middle school teachers in sev- The Museum hosted a program eral districts, docents, and artists to emphasize the connection between The Museum debuted a new event: NEW For the WALL: An Evening called Art/Words, in which local personal objects and museum objects using movement, writing, photogra- to Acquire Works for the Collection. Attendees viewed 7 works that writers shared their poetry and phy, and storytelling exercises. Students transformed written narratives had been selected by the Museum’s 7 curators as potential acquisi- short fiction in front of the objects into detail-rich oral stories that were recorded as part of the Object Stories tions for the collection. Each Curator presented his or her chosen that inspired their writing. initiative and made available to view in the Museum and online. artwork in an attempt to convince attendees to vote to acquire the work. The 2 works with the most votes were acquired for the collec- As a result of the success of Shine a Light, the Museum launched tion using funds generated by ticket sales. an Education Department Artist in Residence program. Lexa In conjunction with the bicycle de- Walsh, the first Artist in Residence, debuted Museum Tour sign exhibition Cyclepedia, bike field Re-Mix, a series of tours and activities that explored museum trips were organized, for which rent- pedagogy and what is possible in a museum. In addition, she col- al bikes were available. laborated with local bakers to create treats inspired by Museum Pedal tours included “Art for the Millions: The Enduring artworks that were sold in the Museum’s café. On Saturdays and Legacy of the WPA in Portland,” “Pedaling Toward a Healthier Free Fourth Friday nights, food carts served dishes inspired by Planet,” and “America’s Bicycle Capital: A Tour of Portland’s Many Bike Cultures.” The Museum also installed 150 extra works in the collection in the courtyard. bike racks to encourage visitors to bike to the Museum. The Museum partnered with organizers of the World Na- ked Bike Ride to begin its late- night ride in the South Park Blocks. The Museum offered a special admission rate to rid- ers ($1 per article of clothing, not including shoes.)
Almost 2,000 nude—or nearly nude—people entered the Museum to view the Cyclepedia exhibition. Object Stories Exchange brought together Museum and middle In conjunction with the Samurai! exhibition, the The fourth annual Shine a 2014 school communities in Portland and Mexico City to explore Museum hosted “DIY Samurai” helmet-making the role of personal and Museum objects in developing activities at the Portland Mini Maker Faire at the Light was planned in conjunc- In conjunction with Venice: The Golden Age of Art and cultural connections across time and place. Students shared Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, and at Music, the Museum organized an Object Stories interac- written stories about objects with pen pals. Students, Museum Miller Family Community Free Day at the Mu- tion with Open Engagement, tive exhibition titled Revival/ReMix: Portland’s Period staff, and teachers visited each other in Portland and Mexico seum. The bicycle helmets used to decorate the an international conference for Music Scene. The exhibition featured local instrument City. The project was funded by a Museums Connect grant Museum’s exterior during Cyclepedia were recycled builders, composers, and musicians reflecting on their administered by the American Alliance of Museums. to form the base of the Samurai helmets. socially engaged art, directed art and craft. Many of the individuals featured in the exhibition participated in the audio guide and/or public by Jen Delos Reyes. programs related to the special exhibition.
As part of the Education Department’s initiative to offer participatory and artist-conceived programming throughout the year, several “pop-up” programs were planned for Friday nights, which began to feature $5 admission after 5 p.m.
In connection with the exhibition Feast and Famine, which explored the power and politics of food, visitors were invited to participate in an artist- and local farmer- facilitated conversation inspired by two potato courses prepared by James Beard Award-winning chef Corey Schreiber. Cocktails were also inspired by the potato, and participants attended a gallery tour with Mary Weaver Chapin, Ph.D., Curator of Graphic Arts. The program was designed and implemented by artist Michelle Swinehart. As a part of a nine-month Education Department resi- Also as a part of Delos Reyes’ dency at the Museum, artist Jen Delos Reyes initiated a multi-faceted initiative called Talking About Museums in residency, she produced this Public. From June 6-13, 2014, TriMet riders could bring their ticket, monthly pass, or annual pass to the Portland publication that explores the Art Museum and receive one free admission. This free Museum’s history of public access to the Museum was inspired by a partnership from 1976-77 in which the Museum worked with TriMet to engagement, which was re- organize a Museum Month. searched and written by an Education Department staff member in an effort to famil- iarize the department and community with its history, and to inspire future public engagement initiatives.
The Portland Art Museum’s Education Department en- visions this document as a living record that will evolve and grow along with the institution as it continues to write its history.