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1855 SW Broadway, 503-725-8013, pdx.edu/museum-of-art. 11 am–5 pm Tuesday–Wednesday and Friday–Saturday, 11 am–7 pm Thursday. Free.
This quiet, sleek, two-story space on the Portland State University campus offers a perfect respite from a busy day of classes, or an oasis for anyone downtown between meetings who needs to cleanse their palate with some fine art. In its nearly five years of existence, the museum’s exhibitions have included portraiture by the late Chinese American artist Hung Liu (from the collection of developer-philanthropist Jordan Schnitzer), the drawings of Louise Bourgeois, and paintings by Portlander Arvie Smith. The museum recently displayed Long Story Short, a showcase featuring work by 25 PSU bachelor of fine art students and six MFAs, which closed June 8. The artists grappled with gender, sexuality, consumer culture, generational trauma, colonialism and more. I left feeling empathy for the artists and gratitude that I survived my 20s. Extra points for the noticeably friendly and welcoming museum staffers at the front desk.
Don’t miss: After so much collegiate angst, unwind with a beverage at Case Study Coffee Roasters in the lobby.
Will kids like it? Depends on the show, but probably not.
