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Throughlines: Connections in the Collection

Feb 8, 2024 - Nov 1, 2024
1219 SW Park Ave, Portland, OR
Included with general admission
General Accessibility

Please note: Elevator access to the Throughlines exhibition will be unavailable from April 4 – 28. The staircase to Throughlines is 34 steps with a landing in between and handrails. Throughlines will be off view temporarily from April 29 – June 12. View the artworks in the exhibition anytime in our online collections

Overview

Throughlines embraces wonder and curiosity, bringing together artworks from across the Museum’s collections to explore the range of artistic innovation. From diverse geographies, cultures, and time periods, artists have consistently created images, objects, and experiences that ask us to consider ourselves and the world around us from different perspectives. Visitors will encounter playful groupings that reveal how artists shape processes, materials, and forms into compelling and meaningful artworks. Organized by themes of portraiture and representation, views of the land and environment, and unexpected uses of imagery, ephemeral materials, and color, the exhibition prompts us to think about the objects in the collection as jumping off points for stories and conversations that foster a greater sense of connection among us.

Woven chromogenic prints and linen tape on board.
Dinh Q. Lê (American, born Vietnam, born 1968), Buddhas and Ankgor Temple, 1996, woven chromogenic prints and linen tape on board, frame: 40 in x 30 in, The Carol and Seymour Haber Collection, © Dinh Q. Lê, 2018.51.1
Wooden sculpture of a rooster
Korea, unknown artist (Korean), Phoenix-shaped Kkokdu for a Funerary Bier, late 19th/early 20th century, wood with polychrome pigments, 15 1/4 in x 10 1/2 in x 4 5/8 in, Gift of Virginia Nelson. Portland Art Museum, Portland, Oregon, 2002.2.1
Bronze bust
Kehinde Wiley (American, born 1977), Likunt Daniel Ailin (The World Stage: Israel), 2013, bronze, 45 in x 23 in x 19 in, Museum Purchase: Funds provided by patrons of the 2014 New for the Wall, © Courtesy of the artist and Roberts Projects, Los Angeles, California, 2014.125.1

This exhibition provides a glimpse of the exciting growth ahead as we look forward to the Mark Rothko Pavilion, a multi-year expansion and renovation project that will make the Museum more accessible and inclusive. While the galleries undergo this significant transformation, the Curatorial team, the Learning and Community Partnerships department, and PAM CUT colleagues have come together to present a collaboratively designed exhibition and event series that showcases our art collections and programs in a new light. After construction is complete, visitors will enjoy a fresh take on the collections as the curators reimagine, reassess, and transform the galleries throughout the Museum campus. Throughlines: Connections in the Collection will preview just some of the new approaches and collaborations we are undertaking.

Accompanying the exhibition, programming with artists’ talks and residencies, event-based experiences, multimedia presentations and screenings, and other moments of discovery expand the opportunities for visitors to engage with the joy and wonder of the artistic process.

Throughlines: Connections in the Collection is supported by the Museum’s Exhibition Series Sponsors.

Resources

Oil painting of three children carrying boxes.
View the works in our permanent collection
Print of a fluffy cat laying on its back on a patterned red rug
Throughlines in the Poster Project