The City of Portland's Office of Arts & Culture is excited to announce a new slate of events—community conversations and public engagement opportunities—developed by and with Portland Monuments Project partners. This fall series of events invites Portlanders to reflect on how we remember, what we honor, and how public art can serve as a gathering place for civic life.
“Since 2020, Portlanders have been asking thoughtful questions about the stories we elevate,” said Darion Jones, Arts & Culture's Assistant Director. “This fall’s programs bring people together activating communities—on the waterfront, in our parks, and in conversation—to listen, learn, and help shape the future of monuments and public art in our city.”
Fall 2025 Portland Monuments Project partner events
September 27: Placing Memory, Making Place at Peninsula Park
The season opens with Portland Parks Foundation at Peninsula Park on Saturday, September 27 at 1:00 p.m. (near the gazebo). Presenters Dave Hedberg, Julie Hammond, Mark Smallwood, and Pat Forbes will lead a field-day style program exploring how memory is made—and remade—in public space. The event will be free and open to all.
Fall 2025—Spring 2026: Traveling with Our Ancestors at Tom McCall Waterfront Park
In October 2025, the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde unveiled Traveling with Our Ancestors, a temporary art installation along Tom McCall Waterfront Park near the Portland Spirit dock. The work invites visitors to listen, reflect, and share community memory, including experiences from Canoe Journey. The installation will be on view through spring 2026, and the exhibit is free and open for all.
October 17-25: York Fest at various locations
Over nine days, Oregon Black Pioneers will present York Fest, a citywide celebration of York the explorer and his place in Oregon’s exploration story. The series opens on October 17 with The Unraveling of York, a community conversation featuring Vin Shambry and Todd McGrain at Alberta House, continues on the river with the York River Loop Tour — Boating with Bubba at Broughton Beach in collaboration with Flossin Media and the Soul District Business Association, and culminates on October 25 with the world premiere of York the Explorer by Aaron Nigel Smith and Dr. Renee Mitchell at the Patricia Reser Center for the Arts—inviting Portlanders into dialogue, reflection, and celebration across multiple venues.
October 30: Through the Eyes of the Elk: Social, Structural, Ecological Histories at Literary Arts
Portland Parks Foundation will convene a public conversation at Literary Arts from 6-8 p.m. on the city’s iconic Thompson Elk Fountain—its meaning to Portlanders and how monuments function as symbols and gathering places. Panelists include David Harrelson (Oregon Arts Commission Vice Chair), Keith Egger (Marion Dean Ross Professor of Architectural History), and Milo Reed (Oregon focused historical researcher, writer & oral historian). Adam Davis, Oregon Humanities’ Executive Director will moderate. The event is free and open to all.
November 8: Community survey at Portland Book Festival at Literary Arts
During the Portland Book Festival on Saturday, November 8, Literary Arts will invite festival-goers and community members to share perspectives on history, memory, place, and public art—both at festival venues and at the newly redesigned Literary Arts building on Portland’s eastside. The event is a ticketed event that is open to all. Survey engagement at the bookstore is free and open to all.
About the Portland Monuments Project
The City of Portland is engaged in a national dialogue about public art, history, monuments, and memorials. With support from the Mellon Foundation, the Portland Monuments Project is a multi-year, inclusive public engagement and policy initiative driven to:
- Decide on the future of seven monuments that were damaged, toppled, or removed following demonstrations in Portland in 2020-2021.
- Develop community-centered policy changes.
- Foster new dialogue to reimagine and transform the purpose of monuments and memorials in Portland.