In the mid-1980s, as Portland’s Northwest Industrial Triangle underwent urban renewal, one art gallery owner, Thomas Augustine, likened the burgeoning exhibition spaces nestled within grungy former warehouses to pearls inside of oysters (and Pearl was the name of a friend, too). Just like that, the Pearl District was born.
Today, that metaphor and creative magic remains strong, preserved in public spaces like The Lovejoy Columns, as well as in museums and private showrooms.
Here is a selection of galleries that are worth a visit:
