In our continuing effort to increase communication and transparency around equity and inclusion work at the Portland Art Museum and Northwest Film Center, this update from the Equity Team (covering summer 2021) recounts initiatives, partnerships, programs, and exhibitions that are moving our racial equity work forward. Our hope remains, that by sharing honestly and openly,… Read more
Tag: equity
Portland Trail Blazers star Carmelo Anthony was named the winner of the first Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Social Justice Champion award in recognition of his work for civil rights, Black empowerment, and racial equity. Last week’s NBA announcement was reported by local, national, and international outlets including The Oregonian, ESPN Global, ABC News, and Sports Illustrated. In… Read more
For the past few years, Ted Smith, longtime Portland Art Museum Visitor Services Lead has been marking Juneteenth by doing one of the many things that he does so well—connecting Museum visitors with art and making connections to our shared history of slavery and its lasting impact on our society. June 19th is Juneteenth, the… Read more
Written in collaboration by Jaleesa Johnston and Stephanie Parrish from the Portland Art Museum and DJ Ambush from The Numberz FM A central component of our work at the Museum is building meaningful relationships that strengthen the bridge between art and community. This guiding principal has been at the core of an ongoing partnership with… Read more
In an effort to increase communication and transparency around equity and inclusion work at the Portland Art Museum and Northwest Film Center, the Equity Team will be sharing semi-regular updates here on the blog. We are committed to bringing the entire organization along on the path of racial equity learning and change. We acknowledge, however, that… Read more
We have no words that can express the magnitude and range of emotions that our BIPOC community members are feeling following the guilty verdicts handed down this past Tuesday. The news comes both as a relief and reminder of pain as we continue to see the brutal murders of Black and brown people. We hold… Read more
The staff of the Portland Art Museum and Northwest Film Center are deeply saddened and angered by the murder of eight people, including six Asian American women in the Atlanta, Georgia, area on Tuesday night. Together we mourn the senseless loss of these lives and condemn the sharp rise in racist, anti-Asian violence and hate… Read more
Approaching this year’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day, I am called to gather my thoughts more intentionally on what this day offers us in this particular moment in time. As one of the few Black stories acknowledged in US history books throughout childhood, the work of Dr. King cements him as a fixture in political… Read more
Portland Art Museum teams with local public agencies and community partners to share artist Carrie Mae Weems’s messages of COVID-19 impact, equity, and hope. On the walls and windows of the Portland Art Museum and Northwest Film Center, and on billboards all over town, a prominent artist’s messages are harnessing public art to protect public… Read more
The Museum and Northwest Film Center stand with the Black Lives Matter movement. As we prepare to reopen after these past few months of closure due to COVID-19—a time when we saw massive protests against police brutality in our city and around the world—we share a symbol of our support. What is Black Lives Matter?… Read more