The City of Portland’s Office of Arts & Culture and its partner organizations held the Portland Monuments Symposium, hosted by Converge 45 at Portland Community College Cascade Campus in October 2024. We were thrilled that more than 100 attendees participated across two days of symposium programming, which included panel discussions, facilitated conversations, and a keynote speech from Hamza Walker. The event’s turnout underscored the desire for public dialogue about the role of monuments in public life. Conversations reflected deep engagement with and nuanced perspectives on the roles of art, history, and memory in our shared spaces.
Below, we’ll share what we heard from Portlanders at the symposium and how the City will leverage that feedback moving forward. We’ll also share a link to a new Portland State University report that catalogues their key findings from the event.
Portlanders’ perspectives on public art
Throughout the symposium, the City's Arts & Culture team heard several key themes emerge across all conversations, including:
🔷Portland residents hold diverse and passionate views about monuments, including what they should represent, who should decide their future, and how they should service the City of Portland’s values. A common theme was the call for a community-driven approach to ensure a broader range of voices help shape public art decisions. People want more than input—they want an active role in the selection, funding, and placement of monuments.
🔷How should Portland honor its history while making space for the future? That’s a question that rose to the surface time and time again. Many expressed concern that monuments have historically reflected dominant narratives, often sidelining the stories of Indigenous communities, communities of color, and historically marginalized groups. There was strong support for what rethinking a monument can be, from integrating nature-based commemorations to commissioning temporary, evolving artworks that engage directly with contemporary issues.
🔷There were clear calls for transparency and trust in decision-making. Many symposium participants voiced skepticism about how monument policies are created and whether public engagement will truly influence outcomes. This underscores the need for an accessible, ongoing conversation about how the City approaches these decisions.
🔷Portlanders also grappled with the complexities of public memory—whether some monuments should be recontextualized rather than removed and how new commemorations can embrace a fuller, more inclusive representation of Portland’s history. Some called for community-led voting processes to determine future monuments, while others encouraged the City to invest in dynamic, ever-changing installations that reflect the evolving perspectives of the city’s residents.
Check out the Portland Monuments Symposium recap
Portland State University’s report on the symposium
Portland State University's Regional Research Institute for Human Services compiled a detailed Portland Monuments Symposium report that dives deeper into conversations, takeaways, and findings from the event. Across nearly 40 pages, the report introduces the project, provides a summary of two days-worth of conversations, and goes in-depth on findings related to four key questions.
Moving forward together
As the Portland Monuments Project moves forward, the Office of Arts & Culture is committed to reflecting on these insights. Feedback from Portlanders at the Monuments Symposium participants will help shape future recommendations related to how the City approaches monuments in alignment with its core values. What we heard will also influence engagement strategies and help guide new commissions and interpretations of existing monuments. Bookmark the project's homepage, linked below, or sign up for Arts & Culture's monthly newsletter to stay updated on the latest developments.