All events listed occur on the first Friday of the month and are free and open to all visitors unless otherwise specified.
First Friday Art Ride | The Lobby at Ellen Browning Building
We will be doing a casual ride around to a handful of art galleries that are open for First Friday Art Walk. Biking is the best way to get around to these wonderful galleries as they are spread around inner SE/NE. Maybe grab something to eat afterwards. If you got a sound system bring it! I love music on group bike rides. This is a social ride, no one gets left behind.
https://www.shift2bikes.org/calendar/event-20288
Here are the galleries that are participating this month.
Sidestreet Arts
Bite Printmaking Studio
Pushdot
GaGallery
Splendorporium
KBOO Radio
Past Lives
L’Atelier Yaffe
East Creative Collective
Soliloquy fine arts
ADX Gallery
Ford Gallery
The Lobby at Ellen Browning Building
Manifestation
Colors PDX
Clinton St Coffeehouse
Grounded NW
Meet at The Lobby at Ellen Browning Building at 6:00 PM, ride at 6:15
End location: We’ll ride around until the art galleries close
For more info message me @lynntofu on Instagram. Do you also attend First Fridays and want to help me plan a route?
6 PM @ 2871 SE Division St., Portland, OR
AMERICAN TIMESCAPES: Kris Davidson | Pushdot Studio Gallery
Stories are the pillars of the self, revealing who we have been, who we are, and who we are becoming — yet they remain intangible, sliding across time and shapeshifting between fact and fiction. In my work, I am primarily concerned with the translation of stories across time, an investigation that draws me toward the concept of deep time. Through my photographic collages — slicing and reorganizing slivers of frozen time — I explore how our stories might inhabit the past, present, and future simultaneously.
In “American Timescapes,” I address the ephemerality of the American experience across deep time. Each piece in this series is constructed from three separate photographs of a landscape or region, taken minutes, hours, days, or even years apart. These images are then cut, folded, and combined to form 3-dimensional photo sculptures that visualize a compressing of time.
As we confront the realities of climate change and accelerate toward numerous technological breakthroughs — from gene editing to advances in AI and expanded space exploration — the narratives we create will shape who we are becoming. “American Timescapes” is an invitation to reflect on our relationship with all of time — the past, the present, and the deep future — and to reconsider how we are crafting the story of our existence.
KRIS DAVIDSON | BIO
Kris Davidson, a native of Sweden, spent her childhood between the Scandinavian subarctic and Texas. She spent 15 years as an editorial photographer before transitioning to an artistic practice that explores how stories are translated across the past, present, and future. Using collage and mixed media on photographic prints, Kris delves into storytelling and memory across deep time.
Her photography has been featured in National Geographic Traveler, Lonely Planet Traveler, and other major publications. Prior to her photography career, Kris worked as a branding professional in the San Francisco Bay Area for eight years. She is also an experienced educator, having collaborated with the National Geographic Society and the Academy of Art University in San Francisco.
Kris holds a BA from Loyola University in New Orleans and is currently pursuing an MFA at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, expected in 2025. She is based in Seattle, Washington
6 PM – 8 PM @ 2505 SE 11th Avenue, Suite 104 Portland, OR
Creature Feature | Sidestreet Arts
Come join us at Sidestreet Arts for our Creature Feature Art Opening event! Get ready to immerse yourself in a world of fantastical creatures and whimsical creations. Painters Amelia Opie and Jaclyn Evalds, and ceramicist Jeanette Zeis have put together a collection that will transport you to another realm. Whether you’re a fan of mythical beasts or adorable monsters, there’s something here for everyone. Don’t miss out on this unique opportunity to experience art that is out of this world!
5 PM – 7 PM @ 140 SE 28th Ave., Portland, OR
THE Tarot Show | Splendorporium Gallery
Splendorporium Gallery invites you to the opening of our annual Tarot Show on Friday, October 4th 2024, 7-9 PM.
This show features new work by oil painter Gavin Eveland and 33 other local artists exploring the themes and imagery of the Tarot.
Our Children’s Gallery (inside the main gallery) will be featuring the Day of the Dead Show, with new work by students in our Art4Life program.
We will have live piano music by Robert Bomstad,
Tarot readings by Ophelia Darkly and Kosmic
and Vegan Sushi by Radical Rolls.
The show hangs through October 24th.
Regular gallery hours are weekdays 11-5.
Pictured: The Priestess by Gavin Eveland
7 PM – 9 PM @ 3421 SE 21st Ave, Portland, OR
Still-Time | GAGALLERY
Still-Time considers the intersections between ecology and social construction through tapestry and collage on fabric. Using colorful abstraction and repetitive geometric shapes, the presented works depict varying degrees of scale and perception in discussing the ecological implications of human constructs such as time and money. Embroidered mosaics function like microscope slides or petri dishes for examining nature’s infinite methods of keeping time without the use of mechanical clocks; fabric medallions pasted like pointillism atop an old bed sheet create an undersea subconscious; and antique coins, imprinted with motifs of plant and animal life and arranged on muslin, suggest the flattening of life on earth by humanity’s relentless commodification of it. Collectively, the works highlight the beauty and necessity of patient accumulation and natural regenerative rhythms, rejecting the Western urgency to mechanize and insulate humanity from nature.
5 PM – 7 PM @ 2035 SE Belmont St., Portland, OR
Occulture Art Exhibition | Past Lives Makerspace
A witchy group art show featuring a blend of local PNW artists, members of Past Lives Makerspace, and incarcerated artists. This month’s show centers around magic, the esoteric, and mystic knowledge; exploring themes of surrender and the natural cycle of life, death, and rebirth.
Expect to see a wide array of disciplines – paintings, encaustics, metalwork, ceramics, soft
sculpture, drawings, and collage.
Additionally, there will be live music on our gallery stage by Luneau, live dance performances by Katana Moon and Alexander Ramirez, tarot reading by Ann Heideman, pop up vendors, and complimentary refreshments.
7 PM – 10 PM @ 2808 SE 9th Ave., Portland, OR
First friday Pop-up gallery | kboo radio
We’re back with the third installment of our monthly pop-up galleries in collaboration with First Friday PDX! Come out next Friday to show your support for local creatives & enjoy some live music & cocktails from New Deal Distillery!
6 PM – 8 PM @ 20 SE 8th Ave., Portland, OR
Wilbert P. Lei Watercolor Exhibit Closing Celebration | Architectural Heritage Center
The AHC is hosting a closing celebration for our exhibit of architect Wilbert P. Lei’s watercolor renderings. Lei was a highly skilled architect as well as a watercolor artist, and was known for making the ordinary appear extraordinary.
The exhibit is on display until October 12. Thank you to Lei’s family for working with us to display these remarkable pieces.
Please join us to celebrate W. P. Lei on Friday, October 4th, 3-6 p.m.!
Register online at https://architecturalheritagecenter.app.neoncrm.com/np/clients/architecturalheritagecenter/eventRegistration.jsp?event=6761.
3 PM – 6 PM @ 701 SE Grand Ave., Portland, OR
Sadie Crume | Clinton Street Coffeehouse
October Artist: Sadie Crume @ArtyFartyBastard
Join us for live instrumental dreamscape music from Jay Ringer
Hello, I’m Sadielee, a passionate photographer with a penchant for black-and-white imagery that leans toward the surreal and unconventional. I recently graduated from Portland State and hope to expand my career in fine arts. My work thrives on the interplay of contrast, shapes, lighting, and perspective to create visual experiences that feel intriguingly off-kilter yet perfectly compelling. Growing up in rural Southern Oregon’s gorgeous landscapes, nature has profoundly influenced my artistic vision. I also find inspiration in the human form, using it to enhance the narrative and invite viewers to immerse themselves in the peculiar and thought-provoking essence of my photographs. My goal is to evoke a sense of wonder and personal connection through the subtle oddities that define my work.
5 PM – 7 PM @ 2706 SE 26th Ave., Portland, OR
New seasons labor union art show | THE ROLL UP
Workers at Seven Corners are keeping up the post-strike momentum with a fun night of art, music, and community at @Colours_PDX!
The Seven Corners store has a unique workplace culture that has encouraged art to thrive in its back rooms, with floor to ceiling drawings and writing, untouched by management for years. However, new management has brought changes in an attempt to
“clean up” the store. Wall artwork has been painted over, stickers scraped off, and most egregiously memorials for former co-workers were taken down.
The workers at Seven Corners are channeling their frustrations and their skills into something positive with a one night art show, symbolically pushing back against the freshly painted, art-free white walls. Come enjoy art, music from DJ Lauren, snacks, drinks, community and celebration of worker led independent unions
5 PM – 10 PM @ 2145 NE MLK Blvd., Portland, OR
Developed | L’Atelier Yaffe
Developed (@developedxfilm) is group exhibtion celebrating the rich artistry of Black and Brown film photographers from across the globe. With featured artists based in Portland, Chicago, and Accra, Ghana, this exhibition creates a powerful dialogue between distinct places, cultures, and perspectives—all unified by a shared love for the timeless craft of film photography.
At its core, the exhibition seeks to challenge traditional notions of framing photography, inviting visitors to experience a curated collection where each artist tells a unique visual story that transcends the boundaries of the frame.
Featured Photographers (a-z)
Luibelt Almeida (@luibeex3)
Nana Kwame Bampo (@kayb.nana)
Chantal Gutierrez (@cgutierrzz)
Daizsa Jackson (@adoseofdai)
Charity May (@hotboycharity)
Karrick Robinson (@karrick.creates)
Randiss Wonder (@randisswonder)
Alisa Wilbon (@justalisa)
6 PM – 9 PM @ 111 NE MLK Blvd., Portland, OR
THE EXPERIENCE OF BEING CLOSING RECEPTION | Soliloquy fine arts
THE EXPERIENCE OF BEING, our last exhibition for the year presents the work of 30 local artists interpreting the concept of life. Styles range from classical to contemporary, figurative to abstract, with all artwork unified by a thoughtful expression of what it means to be alive in today’s chaotic world. Please join us for an opening reception on First Friday, September 6 from 6-8 p.m. with the exhibition continuing through the closing party on First Friday, October 4, 6-8 p.m. The gallery will be open Thursdays and Fridays from 2-5:30 p.m., September 12 – October 3, 2024.
6 PM – 8 PM @ 2232 SE Clinton Street, back of building, Portland, OR
Playing the Cards | ADX
Join us on Friday, October 4th for our First Friday event! Playing the Cards is a wonderful open call opportunity for artists to flex their collage brains and create beautiful work.
Join us at 5:30 pm for a panel with some incredible artists, and stay until 7 to hear some tunes til 9!
Beverages and art and community! Come by
5 PM – 9 PM @ 417 Southeast 11th Ave., Portland, OR
First Friday | Bite Studio
Come join us on First Friday, October 4th 6-10 pm at Bite Studio! Not only will we have new prints from many of our fabulous printmakers, along with beverages and bites, but you can also see the awesome NEW MURAL that is adorning our building!! Join us, won’t you?!?
6 PM – 10 PM @ 2000 SE 7th Ave, Portland, OR
Cherry Bomb! Newsstand | FORD GALLERY PDX
First solo show in PDX from @princegnarls:
“Cherry Bomb! Newsstand” is a series of acrylic and digital paintings based on my love of magazines when I was growing up, and how they were the main catalyst for all my major influences shaping my artistic journey from comics, movies, anime, video games and more. This exhibition serves as a bit of nostalgia to the bygone era when print media was dominant, as well as a benchmark of my journey as an artist with this being my first solo show. The entirety of my teenage years were shaped by the many magazines I read, the Vogues and Vanity Fairs I practiced drawing from, and even the Playboys I wasn’t supposed to have. So for my first show, I am taking it back to the beginning.
Sprinkled throughout the works you’ll find articles borrowed from the obsessions of my youth; Dragonballs from Dragon Ball Z to make wishes, bold and varied lines akin to how some of my favorite comic artists draw them, and call backs to infamous magazine covers and ads from the 90’s. This body of work serves as the ultimate “thank you” to a younger me who never gave up and stayed true to what he believes and enjoys. Overall, this series asks the viewer to not take themselves too seriously, and revel in the nostalgia of a youthful spirit.”
Libations @backcountry.wine.tasting.room
Beats by @djscreendoor
6 PM – 9 PM @ 2505 SE 11th Ave., Portland, OR
GO FIGURE | FORD GALLERY PDX
GO FIGURE….A Group Art Show
Opening Night!
Libations @backcountry.wine.tasting.room
Beats by @djscreendoor
6 PM – 9 PM @ 2505 SE 11th Ave., Portland, OR
Artists’ open studios | east creative collectiv
Fall into Art at:
First Friday Artists’ Open Studios on October 4, 2024 from 6pm-9pm!
Bear down to the artistic cool on Friday night at: East
Creative Collective
211 SE Madison St in Portland Oregon.
New work, new artists, a new Summer!
We’re creating something different in painting, drawing, jewelry, photography and more!
See the artists and craftspeople then drop by @wonderlove_pdx for a bite after your hunger for art!
6 PM – 9 PM @ 211 SE Madison St., Portland, OR
Kim Birkland | Grounded NW
6 PM – 8 PM @ 1951 W. Burnside St., Portland, OR
Somewhere in the Middle | The Lobby at the Ellen Browning Building
There’s more than meets the eye in this piece “Fig. 8” 2019 by Erin Shirreff. Where is the boundary between mediums? Can sculpture become photography? Or vise versa? How do we separate sculpture from ceramics? What happens if one photographs art? How do artists transcend definition when they work with multiple mediums?
Don’t miss out on our exhibition Somewhere in the Middle’s final First Friday reception, tonight Friday 4th, 6PM-8PM
Featuring art by: Hayley Barker, Mark Flood, John Houck, Julia Isídrez, Claude Lalanne, Chris Ofili, Erin Shirreff, Didier William, Myrtle Williams, Jack Whitten
6 PM – 9 PM @ 2871 SE Division Street, Portland, OR
First Friday | Manifestation
6 PM – 9 PM @ 2020 SE Bush St., Portland, OR
Contact Us
We do our best to make the list as complete as possible, if you have an event or correction you would like to see listed please send show details to Info@FirstFridayPDX.org or use our easy online event submission form.
