Laurel Reed Pavic

Laurel Reed Pavic is an art historian. Her academic research dealt with painting in 15th and 16th century Dalmatia. After finishing her PhD, she quickly realized that this niche, while fascinating, was rather small and expanded her interests so that she could engage with a wider audience. In addition to topics traditionally associated with art history, she enjoys considering the manipulation and presentation of cultural patrimony and how art and art history entangle with identity. She teaches a variety of courses at Pacific Northwest College of Art including courses on the multiple, the history of printed matter, modernism, and protest art.

Naoko Fukumaru at the Portland Japanese Garden

The exhibition "Kintsugi: the Restorative Art of Naoko Fukumaru" features the Japanese approach to repair in which breaks or imperfections are highlighted rather than hidden. The artist emphasizes the healing capacities of the practice.

‘Bardo Project’ at Portland Arts Collective

Marne Lucas is an artist and end-of-life doula. In her ongoing 'Bardo Project' she collaborates with artists facing life-limiting illnesses. In 2015, photographer Chris Brunkhart was her first collaborator.

Waves of meaning in PAM’s French modernism shows

Lloyd DeWitt's first shows as curator of European and American Art Pre-1930 at the Portland Art Museum offer crowd-pleasing beauty and deep questions about what museums and audiences look for in art.

Cool shoes at Portland Art Museum

The shoes in 'Future Now: Virtual Sneakers to Cutting-Edge Kicks' are visually intriguing and push the boundaries of what constitutes a shoe. Laurel Reed Pavic has questions about arch support.

Helen Frankenthaler’s prints at OJMCHE

Seventeen prints, made between 1961 and 2005, showcase both the artist's prowess in print media and the arc of the print renaissance in the United States.

African Fashion and a ‘rocket launch’ of Black Artists of Oregon

At the Portland Art Museum, a shining show of fashion from Africa, an energetic celebration of Black artists that feels like the start of a much bigger picture – and a third show, "Throughlines," that mixes and matches from the museum collections.

Bush House Museum’s historical reboot

The Salem Art Association opens the Waldo Bogle Gallery in the Bush House and unveils the two latest paintings in Jeremy Okai Davis's portrait series. The house's original owner and namesake would not be pleased.

In memoriam: George Johanson

Remembering an artistic life well and truly lived: The Northwest artist died in October of 2022; his memorial service is June 11 at the World Forestry Center.

Jeffrey Gibson and Oscar Howe at PAM

The exhibitions "Dakota Modern: the Art of Oscar Howe" and "Jeffrey Gibson: They Come from Fire" offer interrelated reflections on identity and the historical record. Laurel Reed Pavic reviews.

Elizabeth Leach Gallery at 40

The Portland art scene has, understandably, changed since the gallery's opening in 1981. Laurel Reed Pavic sits down with Elizabeth Leach to get her perspective on the last 40 years.

Downtown Portland: Michelangelo v. dinosaurs

"Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel: the Exhibition" is currently on view in 28 cities around the globe, including Portland. What's the draw and rationale?

Art review: Yoshi Kitai’s “Ambivalence”

The artist continues his "Conflux" series with his signature Gansai dots and gilded clouds in this June show at Froelick Gallery.

Sixty years of Judy Chicago

All of the works in the mini retrospective "Judy Chicago, Turning Inward" now open at the Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education come from the collections of the Jordan Schnitzer Family Foundation.

An ideal addition: Murals and Mexican Modernism

The best part of "Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, and Mexican Modernism" is in the museum's Schnitzer Sculpture Court, before you enter the exhibition.

Wallpaper and babies: The Nabis at Portland Art Museum

"Private Lives: Home and Family in the Art of the Nabis, Paris 1889-1900" highlights the early careers of four artists.

Art review: “Beyond Van Gogh” at the Oregon Convention Center

Immersive Van Gogh exhibits are all the rage in 2021. What do they offer viewers?

Herring Carnival: Recent paintings by Morgan Walker

The painter's show "Carnival of the Animals" features dinosaurs, pigs, butterflies, and a revised outlook.

VR from Venice: Portland Art Museum Goes Back to the Future (with Mixed Results)

The virtual-reality extravaganza has bright moments, but is often brought down by ... technology.

Venice returns to Portland, virtually

The virtual reality competition of the Venice International Film Festival will be on view in Portland in September.

Updating Ansel Adams

Laurel Reed Pavic reviews "Ansel Adams in Our Time" on view at the Portland Art Museum.

European art and the baggage claim

The Portland Art Museum has had a European collection since its founding. What does it mean to exhibit European art in Portland in 2021?

Dawson Carr’s Portland adventure

After 8 years, Dawson Carr retires as Portland Art Museum's curator of European art. A look at his impact here.

Golden Road Arts: Ready, set, pivot

An arts education nonprofit set out to film demonstrations in grade-school classrooms. Then came the pandemic.

Another one bites the dust

A monument on Mt. Tabor to pioneering editor Harvey Scott was toppled. Is it worth putting back up?

After the statues come down

At least 5 sculptures have been pulled down or removed in Portland in recent months. What should we do with them?

Signs and Portents: The urge for color

Laurel Reed Pavic hits the First Thursday gallery shows and breaks out of the the post-twinkle winter slump.

$10 million for the Portland Art Museum

Longtime patron Arlene Schnitzer makes a major donation to help fund the Rothko Pavilion.

Art review: Beneath the surface seductions

Arvie Smith: 2 Up and 2 Back at Disjecta and 'The Absence of Myth' at Upfor Gallery dazzle then invite deeper, darker reflections.

Vision 2020: Yaelle Amir

A promising curator makes her mark. Her job disappears. She rolls up her sleeves and makes her mark again.

Whose land is it, anyway?

"This IS Kalapuyan Land" at the newly renamed Five Oaks Museum makes an emphatic case for a reclaimed history.