Art Space Disjecta Has Rebranded as Oregon Center for Contemporary Art

The organization will host its first art show under its new name later this month.

cloudofpetals-visualarts-Disjecta (Disjecta)
By Shannon Gormley

After 20 years as Disjecta, one of Portland’s biggest art spaces now has a new name.

The Kenton arts hub and organizer of the Portland Biennial announced today it has rebranded as Oregon Center for Contemporary Art.

“The new name and symbol speak to the caliber of art presented at Oregon Contemporary,” executive director Blake Shell said in a statement, “And project our vision for the future of the organization: reaching new audiences while increasing equity and accessibility.”

Disjecta started off as a scrappy art presenter in 2000, moving around to various locations until 2008, when it settled in its current spot, a 12,000-square-foot building on North Interstate Avenue. At the end of 2016, the organization’s founding artistic director, Bryan Suereth, was ousted by the organization’s board of directors. Shell took over in 2017.

According to an interview with the The Oregonian, Disjecta was considering a name change before Shell was hired, but it wasn’t until this year that the nonprofit had the resources to pull it off.

Oregon Center for Contemporary Art will host its first show under its new name on June 26, when there will be an open house for a new exhibit curated by Shell.

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