Together, the three leaders bring more than 55 years of experience at the Portland Art Museum. This tenure brings not only institutional knowledge but also confidence in the Museum’s future. “Our donors, members, and supporters are the foundation that carries us forward,” said Burch. “That collective generosity continues to make the Museum’s work possible.”

With the support of the board, staff, and members, the Museum remains on a solid financial footing, and fiscal responsibility will continue to guide decision-making. “It’s an honor to help steward the Museum during this moment,” said Nevitt. “Fiscal responsibility and transparency remain core values for us.”

The Museum’s work is carried forward by teams across Collections, Exhibitions, Learning, and Curatorial, whose dedication and expertise shape every visitor experience. “Their passion, commitment, and expertise are what make this Museum so special,” said Urquhart. Individuals like Julia Dolan, Minor White Senior Curator of Photography, exemplify the depth of talent and leadership within the institution, and we are pleased that she has assumed the interim chief curator role. 

Leading together, Burch, Nevitt, and Urquhart are committed to continuity, thoughtful collaboration, and keeping art at the center of everything the Portland Art Museum does. Learn more about them below.

Karie Burch
Karie Burch has been with the Museum since 2007 and has led its philanthropy through fundraising and strategic partnerships that support long-term growth and sustainability. She brings deep experience in nonprofit leadership and in connecting people to the Museum’s mission. Under her leadership, the Museum completed the historic $146 million Connection Campaign, which funded the recent campus transformation. She is committed to supporting the people and partnerships that make the Museum’s work possible and to advancing the role of arts and culture in the community.

Gareth Nevitt
Gareth joined the Portland Art Museum in 2008 and since then has been responsible for its financial management through the great recession, repaying previous construction loans, weathering the pandemic, and financing the construction of the Rothko Pavilion. He began his career with 14 years in public accounting, and prior to coming to the Museum, he served as the COO of the Oregon Trail Chapter of the American Red Cross.

Donald Urquhart 
Don joined the Museum in 2004 to complete the renovation of the Mark Building and to grow its ambitious exhibition program. Trained in Museum Studies and shaped by experience in museums across California and Washington, he leads a talented team dedicated to collection stewardship, exhibitions, learning, and community engagement. He is deeply committed to building strong relationships, cultivating international partnerships, and developing people and teams across the Museum. He brings curiosity, passion, and a constant eye toward what comes next.

The post Leadership in Transition: Introducing PAM’s Co-Interim Directors appeared first on Portland Art Museum.

With 2022 coming to a close, we have much to reflect on and to celebrate, including the Museum’s 130th anniversary, which we marked with a Miller Family Free Day on December 11th. These last months of the year have been full of activity in our galleries and spaces. The powerful combination of works by Native American artists Oscar Howe and Jeffrey Gibson is sparking conversations and introducing our community to new art as well as to our important Native American Art collection. 

I am also so pleased to see the great success of Symbiosis at PAM CUT. It’s an honor to be the U.S. premiere presenter of such a dynamic, creative, and immersive experience. And to see it sold out so quickly lets us know that there is an appetite for boundary-pushing projects. Read on for more details about ways that we’ve been connecting with each other through art. 

Sincerely, 
Brian Ferriso 

P.S. Enjoy this short, uplifting year-in-review video. More than 45,000 youth and students visited the Museum for free!

Program Highlights & News 

Dakota Modern: The Art of Oscar Howe

Dakota Modern: The Art of Oscar Howe introduces new generations to one of the twentieth century’s most innovative Native American painters. Howe (1915–1983) committed his artistic career to the preservation, relevance, and ongoing expression of his Yanktonai Dakota culture.

Jeffrey Gibson: They Come From Fire 

An immersive, site-responsive installation by multimedia artist Jeffrey Gibson, They Come From Fire transforms the exterior windows on the facade of the museum’s main building as well as our two-story interior Schnitzer Sculpture Court. This dynamic work celebrates Portland’s Indigenous history, presence, and vitality through the use of suspended glass panels, text, and photographic imagery. A companion installation of Gibson’s performance-based work To Name An Other is another vibrant expression of Gibson’s inclusive focus on community, empowerment, and visibility.

Programs to expand knowledge around these artists’ work and to celebrate our local Native community include: 

• Team Howe: Panel Discussion, held on October 30, was a lively discussion between the curators and colleagues who worked on the exhibition and book.
  
  
• Symposium: Oscar Howe. On April 14 and 15, 2023, scholars, curators, writers, and artists will share their research and thinking about the life and work of Oscar Howe, in honor of his contributions to the contemporary Native American art field. This event includes a public keynote lecture by contemporary artist and curator Dyani White Hawk.
  
  
• Dakota Modern activity guide: PAM staff collaborated with Native American educators to create a guide for youth and students (who always visit for free) to spark conversation and encourage further learning.
  
  
• Community photo shoot: The photographic imagery in They Come From Fire was developed in partnership with local Indigenous, BIPOC, LGBTQ+ artists, and other community members on and around the empty monument pedestals in the Park blocks in front of the museum.
  

• Voices Like Thunder: An Afternoon of Poetry with the Native Arts and Cultures Foundation, held on November 6, was an event to celebrate the release of NACF’s first published anthology The Larger Voice – Celebrating Native Arts and Cultures Foundation Literature Fellows.
  
  
• NAYA (Native American Youth and Family Center) Many Nations Academy visited the Oscar Howe and Jeffrey Gibson exhibitions with Erin Grant (Colorado River Indian Tribes), IMLS Curatorial and Community Partnerships Fellow, on November 10. The students created collage panels inspired by important people and places in their lives and by They Come From Fire.

PAM CUT // Center for an Untold Tomorrow

U.S. Premiere of Symbiosis: One of the first multi-sensory XR (extended reality) storytelling experiences, this SOLD OUT, award-winning performative, multi-user installation is taking the art of immersive storytelling to a whole new level. 

• Related: PAM CUT’s Intro to 360/VR Filmmaking class taught the skills needed for local creators to dive into this immersive medium. 

New Fiscal Sponsorship Program 

PAM CUT began its first fiscal sponsorship program as part of its professional development offerings for artists. Fiscal sponsorships provide an avenue for tax-deductible fundraising that is often not available or feasible for individual creators and small production teams in our community.

In the News

• Willamette Week honored Director Brian Ferriso in its cover story “The Arts List: 25 People Shaping the Arts in Portland”. Both Brian and Board Chair Alix Meier Goodman were interviewed for the article, and their quotes illuminate the human facets of leading a key cultural institution through more than one challenging time.
  
• Portland Monthly: Preview: Jeffrey Gibson’s ‘They Come From Fire’ at Portland Art Museum — “The artist’s photography project is a sprawling celebration of Oregon’s Indigenous communities, past and present.”
  
• OPB News: At this Portland art exhibit, you explore virtual worlds to save our real planet — “A new high-tech immersive installation [Symbiosis] takes on climate change in its U.S. premiere at the Portland Art Museum.”
  
• Perspectives artists Daveed Jacobo and Linneas Boland-Godbey were interviewed on OPB’s Think Out Loud.

The post Community Update: December 2022 appeared first on Portland Art Museum.

—Julia Dolan, The Minor White Curator of Photography

#ValentinesDay

The post Daily Art Moment: Valentine’s Day appeared first on Portland Art Museum.

We have two prompts to help you get started. As always, you can use one, both or neither. Just set a timer for 11 minutes and see what comes.

Between the lights… / Beyond the frame…

Writing in community is powerful. We are grateful to our longtime partner Write Around Portland for the writing prompts and inspiration. You can revisit past posts and look for continuing posts on alternate Sundays. Please share your work with us!  @writearoundpdx @portlandartmuseum  #RespectWritingCommunity #WriteAroundPAM

The post Write Around PAM: Dan Flavin appeared first on Portland Art Museum.

—Sara Krajewski, The Robert and Mercedes Eichholz Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art

The post Daily Art Moment: Judy Pfaff appeared first on Portland Art Museum.

—Grace Kook-Anderson, The Arlene and Harold Schnitzer Curator of Northwest Art

Jess Perlitz (American, born 1978), Burned Beast, 2017. Burned basswood. Gift of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, New York; Sculpture Purchase Funds, 2019, 2021.46.1

The post Daily Art Moment: Jess Perlitz appeared first on Portland Art Museum.

—Sara Krajewski, The Robert and Mercedes Eichholz Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art

The post Daily Art Moment: David Park appeared first on Portland Art Museum.

—Mary Weaver Chapin, Curator of Prints and Drawings

The post Daily Art Moment: Renée Sintenis appeared first on Portland Art Museum.

The January 1 edition of The Oregonian reflected on the recent past through words and photographs, but could only predict what might unfold in 1918. One editor foresaw an end to the Great War by 1920, and no one yet knew of the looming influenza pandemic. Its first cases would be recorded in Kansas that winter.

Although more than 100 years have passed since the day this photograph was made, we still can’t predict what the future will hold for us, but together we can hope and work for a healthier, more peaceful, and just year for all.

—Julia Dolan, The Minor White Curator of Photography

The post Daily Art Moment: William H. Walker appeared first on Portland Art Museum.

—Sara Krajewski, The Robert and Mercedes Eichholz Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art

The post Daily Art Moment: Constantin Brancusi appeared first on Portland Art Museum.

–Mary Weaver Chapin, Curator of Prints and Drawings

The post Daily Art Moment: Adolf Dehn appeared first on Portland Art Museum.

For the first part of this year, the brilliant yellow print Wókaǧe | Create was on view in the 2nd floor Native American art galleries and inspired a Write Around PAM prompt. It’s now been replaced by the dark blue Wówahokuŋkiya | Lead, as we rotate through the entire suite. 

Think about the four words in White Hawk’s series:

lead, create, protect, nurture. 

Then, write for 5 minutes about a time in your life when you felt called on to do one or more of these things. (It could be very small or quite big.) 

Finally, write for 5 minutes about a time when someone else played one of these roles for you. 

Learn more about the creation of the series Takes Care of Them in this video.

Writing in community is powerful. We are grateful to our longtime partner Write Around Portland for the writing prompts and inspiration. You can revisit past Sunday posts and look for continuing weekly posts through the year. Please share your work with us!  @writearoundpdx @portlandartmuseum #RespectWritingCommunity #WriteAroundPAM @dwhitehawk

The post Write Around PAM: Dyani White Hawk appeared first on Portland Art Museum.