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Perspectives

Black and white photo of a man's back. He is raising his right fist in the air and a crowd of people stand on a bridge in front of him.
Emery Barnes, Solidarity, 2020, pigment print, courtesy of the artist, © Emery Barnes
Jul 16, 2022 - Nov 13, 2022
Portland Art Museum
1219 SW Park Ave, Portland, OR
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Overview

In Summer 2022, the Portland Art Museum presents a special exhibition of more than 60 works by local BIPOC photographers made during the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020. Artists Emery Barnes, Joseph Blake, Linneas Boland-Godbey, Daveed Jacobo, Mariah Harris, and Byron Merritt share their perspectives and purpose in this exhibition:

In solidarity with the national response to George Floyd’s murder during the late Spring of 2020, Portlanders were called to show up for Black lives and dismantle white supremacy—inherently perpetuated by our conventional systems and institutions that for centuries worked against Black human beings. 

Through the growing pains of organizing and sustaining hundreds of direct community action events, the fire in Portland never ceased to burn. The fire that fueled righteous rage and passion in the hearts of those who participated, bore witness, and were inspired to make change.

Captured here are various moments during the 2020 Black Lives Matter Protests through the eyes of local BIPOC Artists in Portland, Oregon. 

“As history rolls along and goes into rewrites, this show is a must-see – if you were here in 2020, and more especially if you were not.”

Joseph Gallivan, Preview Art Magazine

We ask that you follow along this journey, relive these moments, listen to the stories shared, and open yourself up to the perspectives represented. 

There is a great transformation underway, and it is never too late to be on the correct side of history. Together in this mass realignment, we uplift the values of our cause and the people for whom we stand up—Black human beings. 

—Emery Barnes, Joseph Blake, Linneas Boland-Godbey, Daveed Jacobo, Mariah Harris, Byron Merritt

Organized by the Portland Art Museum and curated by Julia Dolan, Ph.D., The Minor White Curator of Photography. Generous donations to the Museum’s Exhibition Series and Artist Fund make exhibitions like these possible. Additional support for the exhibition is provided by the McGeady Family Foundation and Rena and Cheryl Tonkin in memory of Alan Baron Tonkin.

“A journey through the Portland Art Museum’s fierce and piercing show of work by photographers of color about the city’s 2020 racial justice protests.”

Perspectives’: Remembering What Matters by Christopher Gonzalez
in Oregon ArtsWatch

Resources

A group of protesters with three young women at the front, holding signs. The one in the middle looks like she's screaming.
Mariah Harris, Scream for Justice, 2020, pigment print, courtesy of the artist, ©Mariah Harris
Perspectives Reflection Guide
Download
A group of people holding up their cell phones with lights on. The person in front has blue hair and tears in their eyes.
Mariah Harris, Tears for Breonna, 2020, pigment print, courtesy of the artist, ©Mariah Harris
Resources for Further Learning
View resource

Exhibition images

A person sitting on the steps in front of a yellow house with a white door. They are wearing a mask, a grey shirt, black pants, and black combat boots and have their legs spread out in front of them.
Linneas Boland-Godbey, Untitled, 2020, pigment print, courtesy of the artist, ©Linneas Boland-Godbey
A group of people holding up their cell phones with lights on. The person in front has blue hair and tears in their eyes.
Mariah Harris, Tears for Breonna, 2020, pigment print, courtesy of the artist, ©Mariah Harris
Black and white photo of a line of police wearing face shields to the left. At the end of the line is a person holding a video camera and a sign that says "Stop Racism Now."
Daveed Jacobo, Who Do You Serve, 2020, pigment print, courtesy of the artist, ©Daveed Jacobo
Black and white photo of person in a graduation gown and cap facing a wall of graffiti.
Byron Merritt, Untitled, 2020, pigment print, courtesy of the artist, ©Byron Merritt
Black and white photo of a bridge from above. The bridge is packed with protesters.
Joseph Blake, Untitled, 2020. ©Joseph Blake.