Portland Travel Destination - Portland Art Museum

The Portland Art Museum or PAM as it is referred to, is located at 1219 SW Park Avenue in Portland, Oregon and should not be confused with the Portland Museum of Art in Maine. It was founded in 1892 under the name Portland Art Association and is one of the oldest museums on the western coast of the United States. Unlike most other museums in the country, the Portland Art Museum has been situated in the same building since its inception. Many additions and surrounding structures have since been built to hold the permanent collection numbering over 40,000 pieces as well as accommodate the many traveling exhibits which the PAM hosts. At a total of 240,000 square feet of floor space, this museum ranks as one of the largest in the country. The museum’s permanent collection includes works of: Asian art, European Art, Modern and Contemporary Art, Photography, Prints, Drawings, and Silversmithing. The museum is particularly proud of their comprehensive collections of Northwestern and Native American Art, which are both quite extensive. The Native American collection is comprised of over 5,000 pieces from more than 200 separate cultural groups. It also includes contemporary works of art by masters such as Maria Martinez and Charles Edenshaw who depicted native American life and culture through many different mediums. They are all housed in the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Center for Native American Art, which is dedicated to the collective Native American tribes of Oregon. The Arlene and Harold Schnitzer Center for Northwest Art was established in 2000. It is comprised of artwork either generated by people from the Northwest or depicting the Northwestern culture and history through many different visual mediums ranging all the way from the beginning of the 19th century to the present. Some of the more notable artists include the sculptor Alexander Phimister Proctor and the painter Maude Irvine Kerns. The Portland Art Museum has a reputation for always hosting at least one traveling exhibition at any one time. Previous exhibitions include big names in the art world such as the “Rembrandt and the Golden Age of Dutch Art” exhibition all the way from Amsterdam and the Quest For Immortality: Treasures of Ancient Egypt” exhibition. They also provide a wealth of educational programs art classes and family nights. These programs are aimed at people of all ages and levels of artistic ability to help them better understand and appreciate art as well as build on their artistic talents. Regardless of what times of year one attends, you’re bound to find something that’ll catch your interest.