Summer has left us, but the colors and coziness of autumn have begun to show up while there are still leaves on the trees and some sunny days. Whether you break out your fall jacket to browse the First Thursday openings or you take a meditative stroll through the Lan Su Chinese Garden to see their exhibition of beautiful flower paintings, this October offers up a rich variety of group exhibitions, solo shows, and even a textile symposium!

Olivia Kincaid: Perpetuating Family Systems
Through October 25
White Gallery
Portland State University
1825 SW Broadway

Portland State University MFA candidate Olivia Kincaid’s mixed-media paintings appropriate familiar forms of contemporary portraiture, like the family snapshot or the senior portrait, and transform them into explorations of the concept of “family” itself. PSU’s White Gallery presents Kincaid’s latest work in a show curated by Safiyah Maurice that should be both an opportunity to reflect on the ties that bind us to our kin as well as a great chance to see brand new painting by one of Portland’s emerging talents. 

Mums & More Botanical Art Exhibition
October-November
Lan Su Chinese Garden
239 NW Everett St.

As part of the American Society of Botanical Artists’ 25th anniversary, local chapter Oregon Botanical Artists presents an exhibition of contemporary botanical illustration at Portland’s Lan Su Chinese Garden. The show will focus on chrysanthemums and other plants that evoke autumn or that have significance in Asian cultures. In contrast to the usual “white cube” typical of most contemporary art galleries, this will be a chance to see the work of 17 Oregon artists in a unique setting that complements and contextualizes their subjects.

Jenene Nagy: Box Breathing
October 2-November 2
PDX Contemporary
925 NW Flanders

Jenene Nagy’s poetic compositions are made with monochromatic graphite and  folded paper, arranged in grids and nesting squares that are simple in conception but contain surprising depths of light and texture. PDX Contemporary presents some of her latest pieces in box breathing, which will please those who are into process-based and post-minimalist artwork as well as anyone who appreciates the beauty of subtlety. 

Ancestral Connections
October 4-October 29
Multnomah Art Center
7688 SW Capitol Hwy

This multimedia group show, curated by Bobby Fouther, envisions the African Diaspora residing in Portland as an extended family, or a village, complete with elders, students, parents, and peers. At the same time, Fouther’s curation celebrates the diversity of this community by featuring artists of varying age, medium, and style. Works ranging from paintings to quilts to spoken word share individual stories that contribute to a larger picture of a shared ancestral heritage. Look for muralist Jamaali Roberts’ unique collages and the precocious paintings of Hobbs Waters.

Somethings Together
October 4, 6-9 pm; October 5 & 12, 1-4 pm
Tropical Contemporary
1120 Bailey Hill #11
Eugene, OR

Tropical Contemporary’s October show, “Somethings Together,” is only open for a short time but is definitely worth a visit if you happen to be in Eugene during gallery hours. The artist-run space has been a platform for emerging Oregon artists since 2015 and their latest show features four artists whose work plays off each other visually and conceptually. The mediums they use vary and range from colorfully painted and shaped canvases to architecturally-informed sculpture and even fabric constructions. Surreal humor ties them all together.

Mark Flores and William E. Jones: Perverted By Language
October 5-November 8
Opening Reception: Saturday, October 5, 5-7 pm
Private Places
2400 NE Holladay St.

Private Places will host Los Angeles artists Mark Flores and William E. Jones for their second collaborative show. Both artists have multi-decade careers under their belts already but have departed from their usual mediums and methods to create new works that incorporate collage, painting, and 1970s pop culture icons like David Bowie and Blondie’s Debbie Harry. The result is vivid and cool. The show is accompanied by a screening of Jones’ films at Yale Union on Sunday, October 6, at 7pm.

Witness to Wartime: The Painted Diary of Takuichi Fujii
October 19, 2019 through January 5, 2020
High Desert Museum
58900 US-97
Bend, OR

The illustrated diary of the late Washington artist Takuichi Fujii, on display this month at Bend’s High Desert Museum, is a moving personal document of the Japanese-American experience during World War II. Fujii was one of the many Americans who were imprisoned in internment camps by the United States government without charge simply because of their heritage. During his three years in the camps he wrote and painted over 400 pages that detail both despair and strength. This exhibition also includes examples of Fujii’s surreal and abstract paintings from both before and after his time in the camps, providing a fuller picture of this talented artist whose life was profoundly affected by the mistakes of those in power at the time. 

Textile Connections Symposium
October 26, 10am-6pm; October 27, 12-4 pm
Pacific Northwest College of Art
511 NW Broadway

October is Textile Month in Portland, and the festivities come to a close with the Textile Connections Symposium, a gathering of international fiber artists and makers. The first day features panel discussions and keynote speakers, including Palestinian embroidery experts Feryal Abbasi-Ghnaim and Wafa Ghnaim. Sunday is “community day” which means a makers market with dozens of local and visiting vendors, demonstrations of textile tools and techniques, and plenty of opportunities to meet fellow fiber-arts lovers. This event aims to bring the regional textile community together to celebrate their achievements while fostering innovation and collaboration in the future.