Portland and the federal government

Learn about our sanctuary city status, efforts to block federal overreach: Portland.gov/Federal

Arts & Culture

Bureau/Office
Community and Economic Development
The Office of Arts & Culture celebrates and supports Portland’s creative economy, expanding opportunities for Portlanders to participate in creative experiences of all kinds. Our mission is to put arts at the center of public life in Portland.
Two people in a dark room covered in colorful, neon artwork, which is covering the walls View full size image

Featured content

A smiling woman and small child both using paint brushes to apply blue paint to the street with other participants in the background

Arts education

Musician playing a keyboard with a large crowd of spectators around the front of the stage

Arts events

A convening of community members in a large room participating in a conversation about cultural planning

Cultural planning

A group of people sitting in a park watching a musical performance with their backs to the camera

Grantmaking

Office of Arts & Culture arts in parks page

Parks & Recreation's arts programs

Arts & Culture's logo alongside the image of a ballerina lifting a second ballerina into the air

Performing arts venues

An artist installing their works

Public art

Portland's Office of Arts & Culture logo on top of greyscale image of the Chinatown Gateway in Portland, Oregon.

About the Office of Arts & Culture

A collage of Portland public art, including the Beverly Cleary statue, alongside Arts & Culture stylistic branding elements

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News

City launches request for information to explore new operating models for Portland’5

Individuals and groups within the performing arts venue landscape are invited to express their interest through March 9, 2026.

Updated News article

Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall

Sign of the Times

Rosa Parks Way got a new look recently. Meet the legendary Portland artist who designed the street toppers. With vivid colors and striking images, Arvie Smith challenges us to look beyond the surface and see the strength, resistance, and resilience of the oppressed.

News article

Artist Arvie Smith and two assistant painters stand in front of a vibrant mural showing young people looking to the future.

City releases market feasibility study examining the future of performing arts venues in Portland

The study provides recommendations about the most viable pathway for large-scale venue development to serve the region.

News article

Keller Auditorium by Jason Quigley

$1.4M awarded by Office of Arts & Culture’s Small Grant Program partners for 2025-26

322 Portland-based artists, arts and culture organizations, and creative businesses are slated to receive funding through the City’s grantmaking partners.

News article

Header image (L-R): Lo Pony c/o the artist, ariella tai c/o Friends of IFCC, and Eric Griswold c/o Lyndsay Hogland via RACC
More news

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