Promised Land

Subject

Promised Land

Artist

David Manuel

Materials

Bronze, Granite

Installation Date

1993

Acquisition Context

Commissioned by the Oregon Trail Coordinating Council. Donated to the City of Portland.

Where was it originally located?

Center of Chapman Square in downtown, directly west of the Justice Center

Was there engagement when it was created?

No public engagement. The Multnomah Arts Commission advised against accepting the art at the time of its donation.

What happened to it?

Following protests in downtown Portland, the monument was removed and placed in secure storage in 2020. The City of Portland choose to deaccession the work in 2023 and, in 2025, accepted a disposition recommendation to return it to its original creators, David and Lee Manuel. On October 16, 2025, Promised Land departed Portland in the early afternoon and arrived in Enterprise, Oregon later that evening. The artists plan to partner with Wallowa County students on a new skilled-trades program to restore the piece.

Representative feedback from public comments, testimony and City-led public conversations

“the depiction of subject matter was found to be [an] inappropriate and inaccurate portrayal of the settlers of Oregon, excluding the many other races and religions of those who have come to call Oregon home. It is also insensitive to the history of the indigenous peoples of the area.” - Report on Site Committee I Process in “Metropolitan Arts Commission Special Arts Project Files -- Promised Land Move." City of Portland Archives & Records Center, Portland, Oregon.

Status

On October 16, 2025, Promised Land departed Portland in the early afternoon and arrived in Enterprise, Oregon back with the original artists David and Lee Manuel that evening.