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Oregon\u2019s art scene has plenty happening beyond the big museums and familiar galleries. From intimate photography exhibitions and experimental ceramics to artists finding inspiration in the forests, coastlines, and polar regions, there are always interesting things to discover if you know where to look. This roundup takes a look at some of the lesser-known exhibitions and art projects happening around the state, from Portland to Pendleton.<\/p>\n
Portland photographer Norm Eder spent years quietly shooting studio portraits of musicians and music-industry workers aided by the Jeremy Wilson Foundation, which helps people in the music community get back on their feet after a health crisis. A curatorial team at The Old Church narrowed his archive of 520 images down to 40 black-and-white portraits for this show. Oregon ArtsWatch<\/a><\/p>\n Tucked inside Wieden+Kennedy\u2019s headquarters, the tiny FISK Gallery closes out its 2026 season with \u201cHeaven Must Be Near,\u201d pairing illustrator Momo Gordon\u2019s graphite drawings of precariously furnished domestic scenes with sculptor Erasto Reyes-Silva\u2019s rough-hewn stoneware ceramics. Both artists normally work in commercial art \u2014 Gordon for clients like Acne Studios \u2014 making this free, appointment-friendly show a rare look at their unconstrained personal work. Willamette Week<\/a><\/p>\n Local artists and collectors have donated work for \u201cArt That Gives Back,\u201d a benefit exhibition and sale at the Chessman Art Gallery inside the Lincoln City Cultural Center, with all sale proceeds going straight back to the center. A reception was held October 16, and the show stays up through late November for anyone who wants to browse \u2014 and help the center \u2014 afterward. Newport News-Times<\/a><\/p>\n Olga Volchkova trained as a religious icon painter in Tver, Russia, before eventually settling in Eugene. In \u201cForest Communities\u201d at Karin Clarke Gallery, she applies traditional icon-painting techniques to 18 new paintings celebrating the relationships among native plants, animals and ecosystems of the Pacific Northwest. Her work draws on years of observing and researching nature, transforming familiar species and natural relationships into something resembling a collection of modern-day icons. The exhibition runs through November 28. Eugene Weekly<\/a><\/p>\n Pendleton\u2019s Arts Commission has launched \u201cArt in City Hall,\u201d a new quarterly program bringing two-dimensional work by local artists to the building\u2019s second-floor hallway, with no set theme for its inaugural run. The display is up for public viewing through late December, with a fresh lineup to follow each quarter. City of Pendleton<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\nGraphite Drawings and Stoneware Ceramics Fill an Ad Agency\u2019s Gallery, Portland \u2013 thru Nov 22, 2026<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Oregon Coast<\/strong><\/h2>\n
A Benefit Art Sale for Lincoln City\u2019s Cultural Center, Lincoln City \u2013 thru Nov 29, 2026<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Willamette Valley<\/strong><\/h2>\n
A Former Icon Painter Treats Forests as Sacred Ground, Eugene \u2013 thru Nov 28, 2026<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Eastern\/Central Oregon<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Pendleton City Hall Launches a Quarterly Local Art Showcase, Pendleton \u2013 thru Dec 23, 2026<\/strong><\/h3>\n