Here’s what’s going on around the Beaver State. Check out these events!
Portland Metro
1. A Choreographer Turns 40 Years of Dance Archives Into a Walk-Through Exhibit, Portland – thru Oct 22, 2026 (Converge 45)
Portland dance icon Linda K. Johnson transforms four decades of choreography into an immersive archive at Place Gallery, filling the space with reimagined soft sculptures, vintage performance costumes, and hand-drawn maps from her “Mycelium Dreams” project. The show anchors this year’s Converge 45 triennial, with more performances in September and October and a September 19 conversation alongside BodyVox co-founder Jamey Hampton. Portland Monthly
2. An Artist Traces Princess Diana’s Shoes Through a Portland Magic Trick, Portland – thru Dec 10, 2026 (Converge 45)
New York artist Rose Salane’s Converge 45 solo show at Reed College’s Cooley Gallery grew out of a strange real-world stunt: she carried a pair of Princess Diana’s shoes around the city, then had a Lloyd Center magician make them disappear on camera. The resulting installation riffs on the condolence albums cities filled out after Diana’s death, using Portland’s own civic memory as raw material. Cooley Gallery
3. Four Artists Explore Quiet Moments Through Painting and Ceramics, Portland – thru Sept 27, 2026
Nucleus Portland’s “Stillness” brings together four artists working in different registers of calm — Josh Stover’s vintage-inspired still-life paintings, Perro y Arena’s ceramic figures exploring the bond between humans and desert fauna, Wyatt Hersey’s ecology-minded illustration, and sculptor-painter Yudai Nishi’s work from his Aichi studio. The show opens with a reception September 4. Nucleus Portland
4. New Geometric Monotypes Pair With a Talk by Author Claire Dederer, Portland – thru Sept 26, 2026
PDX Contemporary Art shows Victoria Haven’s “THE HEROINES,” a new suite of monotype prints built from charged lines and energized negative space, made during a recent session at Portland’s Mullowney Printing. The September 12 opening doubles as a rare public conversation, with acclaimed author Claire Dederer (“Monsters: A Fan’s Dilemma”) joining Haven for an artist talk ahead of the reception. Portland Art Dealers Association
5. A Painter Leads His Own Walkthrough of New Work, Portland – thru Sept 26, 2026
Gallery 114 opens David Cohen’s “Relics: Recent Paintings” with a First Thursday reception September 3, followed two days later by an artist-led walkthrough on September 5 for visitors who want Cohen’s own account of the work. Portland Art Dealers Association
6. A Painter Reckons With Landscape and Memory, Portland – thru Sept 26, 2026
Laura Vincent Design & Gallery opens Kirk Weller’s “Earth Remembered” with a First Thursday reception September 3, plus a “Dialogue with the Artist” event September 19 for anyone who wants to hear Weller discuss the work directly. Portland Art Dealers Association
7. Portland’s Largest Outdoor Art Fair Marks 30 Years This Labor Day, Portland – Sept 5-7, 2026
Art in the Pearl celebrates three decades as Portland’s biggest outdoor fine art and craft fair, bringing 140 juried artists from the U.S. and Canada to the shaded North Park Blocks for Labor Day weekend. Started in 1997 by fifteen volunteer artists, it’s stayed artist-run ever since, with craft demonstrations and a hands-on pavilion for kids. Oregon ArtsWatch
8. Washington County Puts Out a Call for a Small-Works Group Show, Hillsboro – Sept 28, 2026
The Regional Arts & Culture Council is circulating a fresh call for artists prioritizing Washington County creators, open to artists of every ability level for a group exhibition of small-scale work. Submissions close September 28. Regional Arts & Culture Council
Willamette Valley
9. Two Painters Chase Coastal Light and Texture, Eugene – thru Oct 10, 2026
Painters Claire Burbridge and Tallmadge Doyle open a joint show of large-scale, light-driven abstractions at Karin Clarke Gallery — Burbridge’s pieces shift appearance with the changing daylight, while Doyle pivots from printmaking to layered watercolor-acrylic-oil-ink paintings inspired by the Oregon Coast near Cascade Head. An artist reception falls on September 4 during Eugene’s First Friday ArtWalk. Eugene Scene
10. Open Call for Teen Comic and Manga Artists, Salem – Sept 25, 2026
The Salem Art Association is inviting artists ages 8-18 to submit original work inspired by manga, comics, cartoons, and pop art for a juried show in the Bush Barn Art Center’s Annex Gallery. It’s free to enter, with notifications going out October 9 and an opening reception November 6. Salem Art Association
Oregon Coast
11. Three Sculpture Finalists Vie for a New Waterfront Plaza Commission, Lincoln City
Lincoln City’s Public Arts Committee has narrowed the field to three finalists for a major sculpture commission at the new Welcome Center plaza at the D River — Gregg Schlanger’s kite-inspired “Water Canopy,” Kevin Necessary’s glass-paneled “Terra Ellipses,” and Nathan William Lambdin’s sunset-activated “Your Seven Miles Smile.” Residents can review the proposals and weigh in through the city’s Connect Lincoln City portal before a winner is chosen. Oregon Coast TODAY
12. Indigenous Printmaking From Crow’s Shadow Institute Fills a Coos Bay Museum, Coos Bay – thru Oct 18, 2026
Coos Art Museum is showing “Multiplicity: Printmaking From Crow’s Shadow Institute of the Arts,” anchored by Pendleton-based artist, writer, and linguist Phillip Cash Cash, tracing how a single printed image can multiply into shifting statements on Indigenous identity and place. It’s a rare South Coast appearance for the renowned Crow’s Shadow print workshop, on view in the museum’s landmark 1936 Art Deco building. Coos Art Museum
Eastern/Central Oregon
13. Two New Solo Shows Open at La Grande’s Art Center East, La Grande – thru Oct 23, 2026
Baker City painter Tom Novak brings decades of introspective work in “The Things I Create Between Naps” to the Orlaske Gallery, while McMinnville’s Aaron Akers debuts “My Journey,” his first major showing since he began painting in 2021, in the Main Gallery next door. Both artists donated pieces for a raffle running through the show, with an opening reception September 4. La Grande Observer
14. A 28th Annual Juried Regional Show Opens at Crossroads Carnegie, Baker City – thru Sept 26, 2026
Crossroads Carnegie Art Center’s biggest show of the year returns, drawing nearly 100 juried entries from artists across Eastern Oregon, Washington, and Idaho. Walla Walla gallery co-owner Lauri Borer judges the show and gives an artist talk the morning after the September 4 opening reception, with awards including a $1,000 prize for work interpreting this year’s theme, “Through a Unique Lens.” Baker City Herald
PNW Extension
15. A Camas Gallery Calls for Tiny 8×8 Artworks From Anyone Who Wants to Make One, Camas, WA – Sept 15, 2026
Gallery 408 in downtown Camas — just across the river from Portland — is inviting artists of every level, from professionals to first-timers, to submit an 8-by-8-inch piece for its annual community showcase. Submissions close September 15, with the finished show opening October 2. The Columbian
