Artists For Black Lives

05/26/2026

Forensic pollen evidence may link an unidentified woman found in Vancouver, B.C.’s English Bay in 2022 to the Portland or Seattle area. Investigators are renewing a cross-border push to identify her and notify her family. https://www.kptv.com/2026/05/25/forensic-pollen-evidence-links-unidentified-woman-found-vancouver-bc-water-portland-area/

05/19/2026

🗓️ PDX, put this one in your calendar!! Quency is stopping in the city as part of their (On (Un-) Becoming world tour. I am excited to talk to overall STAR & my former slam teammate on Saturday, May 30th at the You can catch their feature performances at on the 28th and on the 29th in preparation. Free event 🙂 You coming?

05/13/2026

PORTLAND IN BLACK
Documenting Our Lives in: City of Roses Work on your personal archives projects with us!
(Register at Link https://www.eventbrite.com/e/portland-in-black-free-archiving-workshop-with-dont-shoot-portland-tickets-1976531457797?aff=oddtdtcreator)
The Black Memory Lab
510 SW 3rd Avenue
🗓️: May 23, 2026 | 10:00 - 12:00

04/20/2026

Save The Date ☝🏽 Saturday, April 25 from 2:30 to 4pm at The BLACK Gallery powered by DSPDX 🗓️
(https://www.eventbrite.com/e/window-into-solitary-a-deep-look-into-multnomah-countys-jail-conditions-tickets-1987783004476?aff=oddtdtcreator)

📸: .martinezphoto

Following a well attended kick off to our series on solitary confinement, our second community listening session invites the Multnomah County Auditor’s Office to share their extensive reports on jail conditions, which highlights issues with race-related implicit bias, escalated use of force against inmates of color, over-classification of those experiencing mental health conditions and more.

The Multnomah County Auditor’s Office will be available to:
• Give a brief overview of the 2022 Jail Conditions audit report, which included recommendations to end solitary confinement.
• Answer questions about the 2025 Department of Community Justice Adult Probation and Parole audit.
• Offer opportunities to learn more about or sign up to be interviewed for the upcoming audits of Corrections Health and jail visitations.
• Share information about how to contact the Ombudsperson, the independent investigator overseeing fairness and accountability in the city of Portland.

02/13/2026

That the system puts us against each other, when the enemy is something much larger than us. Like, white people who are poor and disenfranchised are being taught that all their plights in life are due to Black people. But if we work together, these multi-millionaires can’t use us to fight each other.

[What follows is one of the many articles in the Mercury's Black Innovators & Changemakers issue. Find a print copy here, subscribe to get a copy mailed to you here, and if you're feeling generous and want to keep these types of articles coming, support us here.—eds.] Sometimes celebrating Bla...

02/12/2026

👏🏾‼️ Last weekend to see this amazing exhibition ‘If We Could Talk’ by local members of our community in partnership with Oregon Metro!!

Thank you The Oregonian / OregonLive.com 🗞️
https://youtu.be/i4AY9U3-7Ak

Taishona Carpenter doesn’t consider herself an artist. Yet, art is almost her whole life. It’s because she’s not only the director, but also a founder and cu...

01/27/2026

🎨 For Artists of Color
An Unaffiliated Exhibition of Student artwork, By and for Students of Color
Hosted by The Black Gallery

Exhibition Dates: February 22nd, 2026 - March 7th, 2026
Opening Reception: First Thursday, March 5th 2026 6pm - 9pm

What is art without activism? What is art without resistance? What is art without protest?

For Artists of Color is an exhibition showcasing artwork from local Portland-Based artists. This exhibition is curated exclusively by and for students of color. On February 14th, 2025 a letter was sent out by the United States Department of Education.

This letter imposed a view of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion as being discriminatory towards white students because they cannot “equally benefit” from race and ethnicity based measures that intended to create a more equitable playing field for students of color.

Many universities and arts organizations pushed back and fought against this letter, suing the department of education. The students in this exhibition were told that their institution wasn’t fighting for them.

Rather than support their community of student artists and defend their right to hold exhibitions solely for the Black, Indigenous and community of color they were told they couldn’t. This exhibition stands as a counter, a push back against them, if you don’t want our community then you won’t have us.