RACC Blog

Two Oregon Artists Chosen to Create Large-Scale, 2D Public Artworks at Portland International Airport

Written by

Left: Portrait of Ryan Pierce by Sadie Wechsler. Right: Portrait of James Lavadour by Walters Photographers, Pendleton, Oregon.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact Information

Portland, OR —June 23rd, 2025. In collaboration with the Port of Portland, the Regional Arts & Culture Council (RACC) is proud to announce that Oregon artists James Lavadour and Ryan Pierce have each been chosen to create a large-scale, 2D public artwork for Portland International Airport (PDX), anticipated to be installed in late 2025 and debut to the public in 2026. Both artists were selected by the PDX Terminal Core Redevelopment (TCORE) Public Art Committee.

The renovation of the airport’s main terminal aims to increase the capacity, flexibility, and resilience of the airport, while improving the travel experience and adding more of what people love about PDX–including more art. Pierce’s and Lavadour’s artworks are among several exciting new public art projects RACC is managing within the new PDX.

Lavadour’s work will be featured in the south entry hall, greeting both entering and exiting visitors to PDX. With its contemporary abstraction of landscapes, Lavadour’s painting will become a companion piece to the abstract landscape mural by Louis Bunce originally commissioned for the airport in 1958 that will be displayed in the north entry hall.

Located at the north end of baggage claim, Pierce’s artwork will greet passengers exiting international arrivals and will also be prominently visible from a waiting lounge for travelers to meet family, friends, and colleagues. The work will welcome passengers to Portland, and provide a first impression of Oregon.

“RACC is proud to partner with the Port of Portland to bring James Lavadour’s and Ryan Pierce’s visionary works to PDX. Lavadour’s Conduit honors our region’s landscapes and Indigenous artistic legacy, while Pierce’s Liberated Luggage invites travelers to engage with the resilience and playfulness of our natural world. These installations exemplify RACC’s commitment to ensuring public art reflects the diversity of our communities and enhances our shared spaces,” says Kristin Law Calhoun, Director of Partnerships and Programs at the Regional Arts & Culture Council.

“Our essential partnership with RACC continues to enrich cultural experiences at PDX by providing new opportunities for artists to exhibit their incredible work in public places,” said Wendy Given, Art Program Manager at the Port of Portland. “It is an absolute honor to gain large-scale installations for the Port’s permanent collection from celebrated regional artists James Lavadour and Ryan Pierce. Sharing the spirit, creativity, cultures, and pride of the Pacific Northwest with travelers and visitors is our responsibility.”

About the Artists & Artworks

James Lavadour (Walla Walla; b. 1951, Pendleton, OR) is a self-taught artist whose painting practice is informed by an intimate attention to and deep connection with the natural world. Lavadour’s paintings are created through a process of improvisation, resulting in abstract landscapes of rich colors and broad brushstrokes. His publicly commissioned artworks are carefully considered compositions made up of multiple paintings installed in relationship to one another in linear or grid formations.

Lavadour’s work has been featured in numerous solo and group exhibitions and can be found in many collections including the Whitney Museum of American Art (New York, NY), Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian (Washington, DC), Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art (Bentonville, AR), Seattle Art Museum (Seattle, WA), Microsoft Corporation (Redmond, WA), Portland Art Museum (Portland, OR), and University of Oregon (Eugene, OR). Awards and recognitions include a Hallie Ford Fellowship of The Ford Family Foundation, an Oregon Arts Commission fellowship, an Oregon Governor’s Arts Award, the Betty Bowen Memorial Recognition Award, and an Honorary Doctorate of Human Letters from Eastern Oregon University (La Grande, OR). Lavadour is the co-founder, past president, and past board member of Crow’s Shadow Institute for the Arts (CSIA). Located on the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, CSIA is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization committed to preserving and promoting contemporary and traditional Indigenous cultural practices and is a nationally recognized studio known for advancing Native voices in contemporary fine art printmaking. Lavadour is represented by PDX Contemporary Art gallery.

For the PDX airport, Lavadour has been invited to create a site-specific large-scale painting composition. Lavadour’s largest public artwork to date, the piece will be composed of 36 individual painted 24” x 30” panels in a grid formation that create one unified, complex painting. Conduit, the title of the painting, represents the idea of a passage or connector. Meaningful in the context of the airport, “conduit” as a theme is also personally significant to the artist: aware of the significant challenges faced by Indigenous artists trying to gain the recognition of mainstream galleries, Lavadour founded Crow’s Shadow Institute of the Arts in 1989, the only professional printmaking studio on a reservation in the USA, to provide a conduit for Native artists. Painted in Lavadour’s signature expression over a period spanning more than 10 years, the assembled panels represent the depth and breadth of Lavadour’s painting practice, his commitment to uplifting Native artists, and a welcome to visitors. In Lavadour’s words, “I think of this painting as similar to a beaded belt to be given as a welcoming gift to all that pass. This homeland is open and welcome to all.”

Ryan Pierce‘s paintings, prints, and experimental artist books envision a world recovering from human industry amid the throes of climate chaos. He draws on influences from ecological theory, literature, and folk art to create scenes that portray the resilience of the natural world. His work has been shown nationally and internationally, including solo exhibitions at Elizabeth Leach Gallery and Nine Gallery in Portland, and Lademoen Kunstnerverksteder (Trondheim, Norway). His work has also been shown in group exhibitions at the Schneider Museum of Art (Ashland, OR), STREAM Gallery (New York, NY), the Henry Art Gallery (Seattle, WA), and Irvine Contemporary (Washington, DC). In 2019, Pierce was selected to participate in the inaugural exhibition of the Portland Art Museum’s regional triennial titled the map is not the territory…

Pierce received an MFA from California College of the Arts and a BFA from Oregon College of Art and Craft. Recognitions and awards include grants from the Joan Mitchell and San Francisco Foundations, an Individual Artist Fellowship from the Oregon Arts Commission, and a fellowship at the Jordan Schnitzer Printmaking Residency at Sitka Center for Art & Ecology (Otis, OR). Pierce currently chairs the low-residency MFA in Visual Studies at Pacific Northwest College of Art and is represented by Elizabeth Leach Gallery, both in Portland.

For the PDX airport, Pierce will paint Liberated Luggage, an original panoramic landscape to be translated into kiln-formed glass in collaboration with Glasmalerei Peters Studios (Portland/Paderborn, Germany). The composition is inspired by the question: What if your luggage got to Oregon before you, and your things were already having a good time? The landscape leads travelers on a visual journey through the ecoregions of Oregon from the Coast to The Great Basin. Endemic flora and fauna populate the composition, as do the things travelers carry: roller bags, duffels, and backpacks, whose vacationing contents are representative of international destinations linked to PDX. Those who stop to look closer will discern a story that’s quirky, playful, and rooted in the pride of place that makes travel as rewarding as coming back home.

Please find a folder of images for use here.

About the Regional Arts & Culture Council (RACC): For decades, RACC has aimed to serve every neighborhood of our region to ensure that arts and culture are accessible to all. Our nationally acclaimed public art program enlivens parks, community centers, government buildings, libraries and health clinics; brings people and communities together; and makes our region a more vibrant and welcoming place to be. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, we work to elevate the voices and visibility of individual artists, creative organizations and arts nonprofits – especially those that serve underrepresented communities – amplifying their impact through grants, professional development and other vital resources. Through strategic partnerships, our team works to build coalitions and lead new initiatives, crafting a shared vision for an equitable future for arts and culture in our region. For more information, please visit racc.org.

About Port of Portland:  With three airports, three active marine terminals, and five business parks, the Port of Portland is an economic engine for transforming the region into a place where everyone is welcome, empowered, and connected to the opportunity to find a good job or grow their business. The Port works to pull down barriers and provide access to people and local businesses who have been left out of the region’s economic growth—including people of color, low-income workers, and people with disabilities. Collectively, the Port leads big projects in the region, including building a new PDX with a community-centered approach; transforming a former marine terminal into a site for innovation in the housing construction and mass timber industries; and providing more options for Pacific Northwest businesses to send their products around the world. For more information, visit www.PortofPortland.com.

 

Make your voice heard to protect $300k in arts funding!

Written by

Funding from Multnomah County enables RACC to empower local creativity in our county, creating entry points for underserved communities when other resources aren’t available. As a tri-county arts economy, the proposed cuts to Multnomah County’s funding to the Regional Arts & Culture Council will deeply impact artists and arts and culture organizations that reside in and across the borders Multnomah, Clackamas, and Washington Counties. When one county weakens its support, the ripple effects are felt throughout the entire region. 

Sign up today to give in-person or virtual oral testimony for Multnomah County’s upcoming budget meeting. The meeting will take place on Thursday, June 12th from 9:30 am to 12:00 pm PT. Select “Agenda Item” and “R5” on the form.

The deadline to sign up for oral testimony is Wednesday, June 11th at 4 pm PT. If slots fill up for oral testimony, please join us in person! Multnomah County Board meetings take place in the Multnomah Building at 501 Southeast Hawthorne Blvd., Portland, Oregon, in Boardroom 100.

Can’t attend or testify on Thursday morning?  Submit written testimony here. Select “Agenda Item” and “R5” on the form.  Meetings are live-streamed and archived here. 

Show up in person if you can. Signage, apparel, or anything visual that shows your reason for attending makes a difference. Even without public comment, presence is power.

If you live in Clackamas, Washington, Clark, or elsewhere but:

  • Rely on commissions, shows, or grants that come through Multnomah County,
  • Contract artists or rely on talent who live in Multnomah County,
  • Collaborate with artists, organizations, or clients in Portland or elsewhere in the county,
  • Had to move out of Multnomah due to the cost of living but still work here,
  • Or you’re an arts supporter who knows your neighbors, employees, or collaborators benefit from RACC…

You can still help by doing the above actions! Your voice is powerful.

Cuts to arts and culture in one county create instability for all of us. Public testimony from community leaders and employers will underscore the real economic and cultural loss these cuts would bring.

In Solidarity with the NEA and a Unified Call for Federal Arts Support

Written by

In the wake of devastating federal decisions that have shuttered the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), and amid mounting concern over targeted attacks on the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), we at the Regional Arts & Culture Council (RACC) stand in firm solidarity with our national, state, and local partners in the arts and cultural sector.

On Friday May 2nd, many arts organizations in Oregon and across the country received abrupt notices from the NEA rescinding previously awarded grants. The justification given—that funding is being redirected toward projects that “reflect the nation’s rich artistic heritage and creativity as prioritized by the President”—delivers a chilling message: that essential, congressionally approved support for diverse, community-rooted arts practices is being erased under political pressure.

These actions, following recent eliminations of critical institutions like NEH and IMLS, further jeopardize the already fragile ecosystems that uplift community storytelling, education, heritage, creativity, and healing. We echo the statement issued last week by the Oregon Arts Commission, which called the rescissions “devastating” and emphasized the loss to artists and organizations who depend on federal investment to serve their communities.

At RACC, we issued our own statement on April 25, reaffirming the importance of local voices, local investment, and sustained federal partnership in protecting a vibrant cultural future. Read our full statement here.

Let it be known: the erosion of federal support for the arts does not diminish the resolve of our communities. In Oregon, our creative sector has responded with urgency, unity, and advocacy. This was never clearer than during Arts and Culture Advocacy Day in Salem, on April 15th, where we joined hundreds of advocates under the leadership of the Cultural Advocacy Coalition of Oregon (CACO) to urge lawmakers to take bold action in the face of federal abdication.

During our meetings with legislators, one of our coalition members distilled the stakes succinctly:

“You may not be able to save all the sectors impacted by federal cuts to critical services, but for less than $25 million, you can support arts, culture, heritage and humanities — and keep Oregon from going feral.”

This message resonated, and we saw progress:

  • $10 million requested for grants through the Oregon Arts Commission
  • $5.5 million for matching investments in Oregon’s anchor arts organizations
  • $8.3 million to fund critical capital projects across the state

As we continue our outreach to legislators and reinforce these requests, we call on our community to stay engaged. We watch for weekly updates from the CACO Policy Committee, whose weekly calls began this month. Please consider renewing your advocacy support — as we have learned in the wake of COVID, advocacy remains one of the most powerful tools we have.

We urge all community members to remain vigilant. Stay informed (here is one link shared nationally via Arts Alliance’s Federal Updates and Rapid Responses), support your local arts organizations, and raise your voice where it counts — locally, statewide, and nationally.

We believe in an arts ecosystem that is expansive, inclusive, and rooted in the people it serves. This is not the time to shrink. It is the time to rise.

Patricia Rojas to Serve as the Regional Arts & Culture Council’s New Executive Director

Written by

Photo Credit: Lanning Photography

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 14, 2025

Contact:

Meech Boakye, Communications Lead, Regional Arts & Culture Council, mboakye@racc.org

Portland, OR – The Regional Arts & Culture Council (RACC) is pleased to announce that, following a national search, Patricia Rojas has been named its next Executive Director, effective August 1st. RACC received a highly competitive pool of 50 applications. Rojas was selected after an extensive recruitment process led by a 13-member staff-board committee, which included multiple rounds of interviews, in-depth reference checks, and a final interview phase that included community partners.

For thirty years, RACC, an independent nonprofit, has served as the designated arts and culture agency for several regional governments and as a cultural institution throughout the greater Portland Metro area. In response to recent shifts in the political and funding landscape, RACC has refocused its mission on managing public art programs, providing professional development for artists and arts organizations, and strengthening regional arts advocacy. RACC currently has 18 employees (16 FTE) and an annual budget of $5.4M, which includes $1.3M in RACC grant awards to other organizations.

“Patricia Rojas emerged from a highly competitive national search as the clear choice to lead RACC into its next chapter,” said Kathleen Holt, RACC’s Board Chair. “Her demonstrated leadership in public service, commitment to equity, and strength in relationship-building reflect the values that define RACC’s work. We are confident in her ability to steward this organization with thoughtfulness and drive, and we look forward to the impact of her leadership across the region’s cultural landscape.”

Patricia Rojas brings a strong track record in public leadership, with experience in coalition-building, fundraising, and organizational transformation. Most recently, she led strategic housing initiatives at Metro Regional Government, fostering collaboration among diverse stakeholders to implement a major public funding initiative. Previously, as Executive Director of El Programa Hispano Católico, she guided the organization’s transition to independent nonprofit status and successfully tripled its operating budget.

“Art is a pillar of strength that binds us as a community, bridges across difference and builds resilience. It is a reflection of who we are and who we dream to be. RACC is nationally recognized for work in public arts, has been a catalyst for elevating the arts and supported artists in our region. I am thrilled and honored to join the RACC team where we will continue to build upon this strong foundation and innovate new approaches that grow the role of the arts in our community.” said Patricia Rojas.

Rojas is known for cultivating strong, values-driven teams and building systems that advance equity across all aspects of organizational practice. Passionate about the value of the arts and culture in fostering inclusive, thriving communities, she brings a leadership style grounded in collaboration, strategic vision, and a deep commitment to social impact. As RACC continues a transformative chapter, Rojas will work with its skilled team and community partners to advance this change, build strategic partnerships, and guide our organization into a newly defined role in the regional arts ecosystem.

“It is a privilege to welcome Patricia Rojas as the next Executive Director of RACC,” said Greg Netzer, RACC’s Interim Executive Director. “Her record of strategic leadership, coalition-building, and advancing equity in complex public and nonprofit environments positions her well for this moment. I admire her ability to navigate systems with clarity, compassion, and purpose and I have full confidence in her capacity to lead RACC with integrity and vision.”

###

About the Regional Arts & Culture Council (RACC): For decades, the Regional Arts & Culture Council has worked to serve every neighborhood in the Portland Metro region, ensuring that arts and culture are accessible to all. A 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, RACC supports artists, creatives, and arts organizations through advocacy, grants, professional development, and strategic resources. RACC’s nationally recognized public art program enlivens parks, community centers, libraries, health clinics, and government buildings—fostering connection and creativity throughout the region. Learn more at racc.org.

RACC Statement on Federal Arts Funding and the Importance of Local Voices

Written by

The Regional Arts & Culture Council (RACC) stands in deep solidarity with our national and local partners as the arts and culture sector faces yet another wave of uncertainty—this time at the federal level. We have learned that DOGE has made its way to the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), and a reduction in force is anticipated. With that comes the real concern of significant cuts to the NEA’s grants budget.

As with our partners, we encourage all organizations that hold an NEA grant agreement, we encourage you to log into your grants portal immediately and request any outstanding disbursements or reimbursements.

At a time when we’re already seeing shifts in state-level support, the potential loss of federal investment is particularly alarming for our small and mid-sized organizations—many of which are led by BIPOC, immigrant, LGBTQIA+, and disabled creatives who’ve long been doing the grassroots work of cultural stewardship. These are the organizations keeping our region vibrant, connected, and evolving. All our arts, culture, and heritage organizations need our collective support more than ever.

In this critical moment, we also want to amplify the effort by Americans for the Arts (AFTA) to gather data through its National Pulse Survey, which seeks to understand how federal and state policy decisions are impacting your work, your organization, and your community.

Take the survey by May 9, 2025:

https://surveys.AmericansForTheArts.org/s3/ImpactOfFederalPolicies

It matters:

  • It will give voice to local challenges and provide nationwide insight into how policies are affecting communities like ours.
  • Results will be publicly available and sortable by geography, discipline, and organization size.
  • The survey takes only 6 minutes to complete and is available in Spanish to expand accessibility.

Your voice is essential. The more voices from Portland and across our broader region that  include Clackamas, Washington, Multnomah, and even Clark Counties to respond, the clearer our shared story becomes.

We see you. We’re with you. And we will continue advocating for the support you deserve at every level – local, regional, state, and federal.

With gratitude for all that you do,
The RACC Team

Portable Works Installed at Portland’s City Hall

Written by

La Señora by Hampton Rodriguez (2023).

Portland’s City Hall serves as a vibrant cultural hub, reflecting the city’s essence through artwork that encapsulates its people, landscapes, urban evolution, diverse cultures, and their interconnections. RACC’s curation, led by Ivan Salcido, our 2D Curator & Collections Manager, aims to celebrate a spectrum of artists, from some of the city’s most established artists to rising talents exclusively from the region, who embody the richness of Portland’s artistic community. The artworks offer a compelling representation of what it means to live, work, and play in Oregon.

The Mayor’s suite features a curated collection of Oregon-themed artwork, blending seasoned artists with emerging talents. In the Commissioner’s offices, the curation focus shifts to the new districts of Portland. Each office features works specifically tailored to reflect the character and spirit of its respective community. Within the Conference Rooms suite, the theme of Portland’s identity continues through another curated mix of established and emerging artists.

All of the artworks installed come from two main collections: the Portable Works Collection, which features hundreds of regional artists’ two and three-dimensional pieces spread across City and County buildings; and the Visual Chronicle of Portland, a collection that captures the city’s evolving social and urban landscapes.

Artists

Artist Portfolio Link
Aaron Wessling http://aaronwessling.com/
Alison Bremner https://alisonobremner.com/
Álvaro Tarragó https://www.instagram.com/tarrago_art/
Amy Bay http://www.amybay.com/
Bobby Fouther https://about.me/bobby.fouther
Cameron Hawkey https://www.cameronhawkey.com/
Carolyn Hazel Drake https://carolynhazeldrake.com/home.html
Craig Conahan https://www.instagram.com/salaciousbcraig/
David Robert Boxley https://davidrobertboxley.com/
Dennis Cunningham https://www.arts.wa.gov/artist-collection/?request=record;id=1864;type=701
eatcho http://eatcho.com/blog/
Ed Archie NoiseCat https://noisecatart.com/
Epiphany Couch https://www.epiphanycouch.com/
Future Prairie (Brett Brown, Onry, Saeeda, and Joni Whitworth) http://www.futureprairie.com/
Hampton Rodriguez http://www.hamptonrodriguez.com/about-hampton-rodriguez/
Holly Andres https://www.hollyandres.com/
Isaka Shamsud-Din https://www.isakashamsuddin.com/
Jeremy Okai Davis https://www.instagram.com/jeremyokaiart/
Jo Hamilton https://www.johamiltonart.com/
Joe Cantrell https://www.instagram.com/joem.cantrell/
Joe Feddersen https://www.joefeddersen.com/
Jolene Cleo Thompson https://publicartarchive.org/artist/Jolene%20Cleo%20Thompson
Josh Gates https://www.joshgatesart.com/
Judith Pacheco-Lujano https://publicartarchive.org/artist/Judith%20Pacheco-Lujano
Kanani Miyamoto https://www.instagram.com/mamakanani/
Kristine L. Kordell http://www.klkfineartstudio.com/
Latoya Lovely https://llovely.artspan.com/artwork-gallery/-3588650/neon-woman.html
Lehuauakea Fernandez https://lehuauakea.com/
Lli Wilburn https://www.pernoctalian.com/
Marne Lucas https://www.marnelucas.com/
Matthew Earl Williams https://www.mearlwilliams.com/
Melanie Stevens http://melanie-stevens.squarespace.com/
Menka Desai https://www.msmonocles.com/
Michael Espinoza https://www.michaelespinozaart.com/
Mike Vos https://www.mikevos.com/
Nancy Watterson Scharf https://www.nwattersonscharf.com/
Onry http://www.onrymusic.com/
Paul Harcharik https://publicartarchive.org/artist/Paul%20Harcharik
Rankin Renwick http://www.odoka.org/
Rebecca Rodela https://www.instagram.com/rebeccaarte/
Rene Rickabaugh https://www.russoleegallery.com/artists/ren-rickabaugh
Sadé DuBoise https://sadeduboisestudio.com/
Samantha Wall https://www.samanthawall.com/
Sarah Bouwsma http://www.neuhengen.net/sarah/
Shelbie Loomis https://www.shelbieloomis.info/
Shobha Jetmalani https://www.shobhajetmalani.com/
Simone Fischer https://www.simonef.com/
Stephen Hayes https://www.stephenhayes.net/
Terrance Burton https://publicartarchive.org/artist/Terrance%20Burton
Terrence Gasca https://terrencegasca.com/home.html
Terry Toedtemeier https://www.oregonencyclopedia.org/articles/toedtemeier_terry_1947_2008_/
William Kucha https://freedgallery.com/artists/bill-kucha/

Touch Glass: Urban Foraging with Kate Newby

Written by

11 am – 1 pm, Sunday, May 4

Portland Institute for Contemporary Art

15 NE Hancock St, Portland, OR 97212

 

You’re invited to participate in the creation of a large-scale, permanent 2D public artwork for Portland International Airport (PDX)! Artist Kate Newby has been commissioned to create “The Sound of Trees,” a 76-foot-long mural that evokes Oregon’s forested landscape through a richly textured surface of glazed ceramic tiles, for PDX Airport. Community members are invited to participate in “Touch Glass,” an urban foraging workshop led by Newby, in partnership with Portland Institute for Contemporary Art and the Regional Arts & Culture Council. During the workshop, participants will collect discarded glass, which will be embedded into the clay tiles and fired, becoming a permanent part of the mural. The mural is anticipated to be installed in late 2025 and debuted to the public in 2026.

RSVP Here

Learn more about the commissioned artwork for PDX airport

Kate Newby (b. 1979, Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland, Aotearoa, New Zealand; based in San Antonio, TX) is a sculptor known for her site-responsive installations, architectural interventions, and material-driven explorations. Working primarily with glass, ceramics, and found materials, Newby engages with space’s physical and atmospheric qualities, creating sculptures that emerge from sustained engagement with a place. Her work incorporates elements reflecting a site’s social and environmental rhythms—wind, light, rain, and human and non-human activity traces.

Two Artists Chosen to Create Large-Scale, 2D Public Artworks for Portland International Airport’s Main Terminal

Written by

Left: Portrait of Dyani White Hawk courtesy of the artist / Copyright Dyani White Hawk. Right: Portrait of Kate Newby ©Atsushi Nakamichi, Nacása & Partners Inc./ Courtesy of Fondation d’entreprise Hermès

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – March 25, 2025

Portland, OR — In collaboration with the Port of Portland, the Regional Arts & Culture Council (RACC) is proud to announce that Dyani White Hawk and Kate Newby have been chosen to create large-scale, 2D public art works for Portland International Airport (PDX), anticipated to be installed in late 2025 and debut to the public in 2026. Newby and White Hawk were selected through a competitive process by the PDX Terminal Core Redevelopment (TCORE) Public Art Committee from an applicant pool of over 110 artists and artist teams from across the United States.

The renovation of PDX’s new main terminal  aims to increase the capacity, flexibility, and resilience of the airport, while improving the travel experience and adding more of what people love about PDX–including more art.. White Hawk and Newby’s artworks are two of several exciting new public art projects RACC is managing during the airport’s redevelopment.

The unique works will be located on walls along the north and south exit routes for travelers, where greeters wait after security, with each spanning over 50-feet long. Not only will they provide natural wayfinding cues for travelers, but the works will also be an impactful, beautiful welcome to PDX for locals and visitors alike.

“The selection of artists Dyani White Hawk and Kate Newby reflects our commitment to curating impactful public art—works that resonate with our region’s landscapes, histories, and communities,” said Kristin Law Calhoun, Director of Partnerships and Programs at the Regional Arts & Culture Council. “Guiding a committee of artists, community members, and Port employees through this thoughtful selection process reinforced the power of collaborative decision-making in shaping public spaces. These works will create a uniquely  PDX experience as enduring landmarks that will welcome and inspire visitors and residents alike.”

“We are honored to have work from Kate and Dyani as part of the airport’s permanent collection, which aims to celebrate everyone’s life experiences, voices, and cultures,” said Wendy Given, Art Program Manager at the Port of Portland. “The proposals from each artist retain their unique voices, are strongly tied to the Pacific Northwest region and our community, and will further enrich PDX’s forest-inspired design.”

About the Artists and Artworks

Dyani White Hawk (Sičáŋǧu Lakota) is a visual artist based in Minneapolis, MN. White Hawk earned a MFA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (2011) and BFA from the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, NM (2008). Her artistic work is multidisciplinary, drawing from her cross-cultural experiences as a woman of Sičangu Lakota and European American ancestry raised within Native and urban American communities.

Support for White Hawk’s work includes a Guggenheim Fellowship, a Creative Capital grant, and a MacArthur Foundation Fellowship along with many others. White Hawk’s work is in the collections of the Guggenheim Museum, Brooklyn Museum, Museum of Modern Art, and the Whitney Museum of American Art,  among other public and private collections. She is represented by Bockley Gallery in Minneapolis, MN.

White Hawk’s 55-foot long symmetrical glass and natural stone mosaic draws on the materiality of beading and weaving traditions as well as her own abstract painting practice to realize an abstracted view of the majestic silhouette of Mt. Hood reflected and situated in day and night cycles. The  artwork incorporates rich colors, lines, and patterns that prioritize Indigenous practices of abstraction within contemporary artistic expression.

Grounded in White Hawk’s identity as a Lakota woman and artist, the piece honors the aesthetic traditions of her own lineage while also honoring the land in which the work is situated. By drawing on motifs, patterns, and symbolism found within artistic languages of tribes indigenous to the Oregon region that are akin to the  aesthetics of her own lineage, she is able to speak to multiple and intersecting histories of Indigenous abstraction.

Kate Newby (b. 1979, Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland, Aotearoa, New Zealand; based in San Antonio, TX) is a sculptor known for her site-responsive installations, architectural interventions, and material-driven explorations. Working primarily with glass, ceramics, and found materials, Newby engages with space’s physical and atmospheric qualities, creating sculptures that emerge from sustained engagement with a place. Her work incorporates elements reflecting a site’s social and environmental rhythms—wind, light, rain, and human and non-human activity traces.

Newby has had solo exhibitions at institutions such as the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, Sydney; Klosterruine, Berlin; and the Kunsthalle Wien, Vienna, among others. She has participated in group exhibitions at venues including Mori Art Museum, Tokyo,  Blaffer Art Museum, Houston, and the Palais de Tokyo, Paris.  In 2018 she was included in the 21st Biennale of Sydney and currently has work in the Sharjah Biennial 16.

Kate has participated in numerous residencies, including The Chinati Foundation Artist in Residence in Marfa, TX; Artpace in San Antonio, TX; and Fogo Island Arts in Newfoundland. She won the Walters Prize, New Zealand’s most significant contemporary art award in 2012 and in 2019, she received a Joan Mitchell Foundation Painters & Sculptors Grant.

“The Sound of Trees,” is a 76 foot long mural that evokes Oregon’s forested landscape through a richly textured surface of glazed ceramic tiles. The work will conjure up a distinct color palette drawn from the state’s diverse vegetation with a focus on the season of fall.

At a distance, The Sound of Trees will give the impression of a large-scale abstract landscape. Textures and shapes from Oregon’s native foliage, impressed and incised into the clay, will create a sensory touchstone for PDX visitors. The work connects seamlessly with the interior landscaping and design of the new PDX Terminal, while creating a direct connection between airport visitors and Oregon’s majestic forests.

Community Engagement 

As part of The Sound of Trees, community members are invited to participate in urban foraging workshops led by Kate Newby in partnership with the Regional Arts & Culture Council and Portland Institute for Contemporary Art. Participants will collect discarded glass, which will be embedded into clay and fired, becoming a permanent part of the mural. Interested in learning more? Sign up to be notified about the urban foraging opportunities.

In addition, Newby is also collaborating with students at The Cottonwood School of Civics and Science. Through art and science curriculum, students will imprint mural tiles with natural elements gathered from the local environment, integrating hands-on fieldwork with classroom learning.

Find additional images of the artists’ work here

Contact Information

About the Regional Arts & Culture Council (RACC)

For decades, RACC has aimed to serve every neighborhood of our region to ensure that arts and culture are accessible to all. Our nationally acclaimed public art program enlivens parks, community centers, government buildings, libraries and health clinics; brings people and communities together; and makes our region a more vibrant and welcoming place to be. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, we work to elevate the voices and visibility of individual artists, creative organizations and arts nonprofits – especially those that serve underrepresented communities – amplifying their impact through grants, professional development and other vital resources. Through strategic partnerships, our team works to build coalitions and lead new initiatives, crafting a shared vision for an equitable future for arts and culture in our region. For more information, please visit racc.org.

About Port of Portland

With three airports, three active marine terminals, and five business parks, the Port of Portland is an economic engine for transforming the region into a place where everyone is welcome, empowered, and connected to the opportunity to find a good job or grow their business. The Port works to pull down barriers and provide access to people and local businesses who have been left out of the region’s economic growth—including people of color, low-income workers, and people with disabilities. Collectively, the Port leads big projects in the region, including building a new PDX with a community-centered approach; transforming a former marine terminal into a site for innovation in the housing construction and mass timber industries; and providing more options for Pacific Northwest businesses to send their products around the world. For more information, visit www.PortofPortland.com.