Since the 1980s, the first Thursday of the month has belonged to art in Portland’s Pearl District. As evening falls, dozens of galleries throw open their doors — free — for new exhibition openings, and the streets fill with collectors, students, street performers and the simply curious.
The Pearl’s converted warehouses make grand gallery spaces: Blue Sky’s photography, Elizabeth Leach’s contemporary showcases and Froelick’s Northwest masters anchor a circuit that spills into Jamison Square and the brewery blocks. Many shows debut work by Oregon artists, and the artists themselves are usually there, wine in hand, happy to talk.
It’s the most civilized party in Portland — and the most democratic. Dress up or dress down; the art doesn’t mind, and neither does the Pearl.
