Portland Art Schools

When the American pioneer spirit called for westward expansion and Manifest Destiny took hold, the Oregon Trail became a ready symbol for possibility and discovery. That same trailblazing spirit can be still be found in Oregon’s city of Portland, where free spirits celebrate individualism and autonomy, qualities not even the incessant rain can extinguish. The “City of Roses”, so named because it is ideal for rose growing and home to the International Rose Test Garden, is the ideal place for many art students as its neighborhoods are eclectic, its population is young, and its art scene is active and diverse. For example, the Pearl District in the city’s Northwest quadrant has recently transformed itself from a rundown, industrial area to a new and active art district. Within the Pearl, art students can not only attend Pacific Northwest College of Art or the Art Institute, but also take advantage of the Portland Institute of Contemporary Art, the Portland Classical Chinese Garden, Powell’s (the nation’s largest independent bookstore), or one of the numerous art spaces created within the district’s converted warehouses. The Pearl is also home to the Gallery Hop, occurring every First Thursday, as well as Art in the Pearl and the local Farmers Market. Additionally, art students can enjoy the city’s Cultural District, located in the Southwest quadrant of the city. This area is home to Portland State University, the Portland Art Museum, the Portland Center for the Performing Arts, and a great variety of galleries. Finally, the Northeast quadrant, specifically Alberta and Broadway, offers the greatest number of galleries, as well as the Last Thursday Artwalk and the annual Art Hop, which brings over 10,000 visitors each year.  More than anything else, however, the residents of “Puddletown” are as welcoming as they are unique. To experience this firsthand, an art student need only find his or her way to one of the thirty-three local microbrews or independent coffee houses and enjoy the atmosphere, the conversations, and the ubiquitous local artistry that so often embellishes the walls.