It seems like the sun is finally here to stay! Spring is in full swing and before we know it, it’ll be summer! While the first week of May is expected to be on the chillier side, it leaves us perfect room to explore the various galleries and exhibitions this month. Just as we can’t appreciate the warm sunny days without the cold rainy ones, let’s take a moment to explore the theme of balance in the newest exhibitions. 

In Portland, explore the perfectly balanced compositions in Chefas Projects’, Love Notes from the Lurker. Another take on the theme is the balance of life and death at after/time with Erin Bodfish’s, At the Altar of my Own Love. On the other hand, the Portland Art Museum offers the opportunity to consider the push and pull – here between light and water and Impressionism and Japanese prints – inherent in balance, ideally expressed in Monet’s newly unveiled Waterlilies. Just outside of Portland in Lake Oswego, the balance of the natural world is prominent in WOODCORE at Artspace. 

Love Notes from the Lurker 
Jess Ackerman 
May 9- June 7
Chefas Projects 
134 SE Taylor St Suite 203, Portland, OR 97214 

Love Notes from the Lurker is a gift from the shadows, a reminder of the connection even if it goes unseen. Jess Ackerman’s centrally oriented compositions with strong borders (“vignette style”) reflect themes of observation, introspection, and contemplation about the things happening around oneself. The long-tendriled and spiraling plants in Ackerman’s paintings represent the vintage design motifs from quilting-inspired patterns. The plant motifs are not quite perfectly symmetrical, however, Ackerman evenly balances their compositions with beautiful repetition. This exhibition is a love letter to the self and to the self and one’s surroundings.

WOODCORE
Curated by Morgan Ritter 
May 9- July 11 
Artspace, Arts Council of Lake Oswego 
380 A Ave., Suite A, Lake Oswego, OR 97034

The natural world is the balance that holds the exhibit, WOODCORE together. This wood-based show features seven Oregon-based artists (Megita Denton, Bobby Mercier, Leroy Setziol, Monica Setziol-Phillips, Julian Watts, Ben Young, and Adam Zeek) who embody the energy of the Pacific Northwest. All of the works in this exhibition are made of ethically sourced wood from found scraps which speaks to the way these artists honor the land of the Pacific Northwest. This exhibition features a variety of woodworking and artistic techniques ranging from Indigenous carving practices to radical sculptural experimentation. 

Nut Job 
Maggie Chen, Morgan Ritter, Katya Kirilloff 
April 26- May 24 
Helen’s Costume 
7706 SE Yamhill St, Portland, OR 97215

Sponsor

 
Nut Job is Helen’s Costume first exhibition of 2025 and features artwork by Maggie Chen, Morgan Ritter, and Katya Kirilloff. This exhibition is balanced by similar mediums with widely different subject matters and appearances. Maggie Chen explores the role of the consumer with her vibrant drawings of the mascots of the Taiwanese Hot Kid snack brand. Multidisciplinary artist Morgan Ritter showcases her empathic drawing and paintings created with found objects including decorative glass remnants and junk mail. Katya Kirilloff features drawings and paintings from her series, Can of Worms inspired by the style of the wacky packaging of 1970s bubble gum trading cards. 

Home Ground 
James Lavadour 
May 1- 31 
PDX Contemporary 
1881 NW Vaughn St, Portland, OR 97209

James Lavadour exhibits paintings inspired by the time he has spent looking, hearing, and feeling the natural world. Lavadour feels one with the land where he lives and works on the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation. This attunement yields abstract expressionist paintings which he creates through additive and subtractive mark makings. Lavadour’s paintings are filled with bright, nourishing color which fuels the soul just like berries or salmon. Explore the balance of the natural world and the human connection to nature through these beautifully vibrant oil paintings.

At the Altar of my Own Love 
Erin Bodfish 
May 1- 30 
after/time 
735 SW 9th Ave. #110, Portland, OR 97205

At the Altar of my Own Love explores the act of mourning for past selves. The eternal balance of life and death is integral to Erin Bodifsh’s work. Through mark making and the suffusion of color, these paintings reflect processes of departure, rebirth, and love returning. The large scale of the works captures the breadth of grief, shedding a former self, and emerging anew. The reminder of death and the temporality of life is represented by the addition of sculpted live and dried flowers that are shown alongside the paintings, suggesting marks that both last and change. 

Photography at Oregon’s 47th Annual Exhibit and Auction
Various Artists 
May 2- 30
Dot Dotson’s Gallery
1668 Willamette St. Eugene, OR 97401

This May marks the 47th anniversary for Photography at Oregon’s 47th Annual Exhibit and Auction and features work from local and national artists. Photography at Oregon (PAO) is an organization that supports the art of photography by sponsoring exhibits, events, lectures, classes, and workshops. All works have been donated by the artists and auction proceeds go towards supporting and promoting photography events and exhibits hosted by PAO. Visit Dot Dotson’s Gallery in Eugene to see a wide range of photography from various artists and perhaps pick up a print of your own! 

Sponsor

Funky Town 
Erika Rier, Joel Fleminger, and Sarah Fine
May 1- 31 
Sidestreet Arts 
140 SE 28th Ave, Portland, OR 97214

Funky Town is a “funkalicious, freak-tastic and far-out show,” featuring ceramicists Erika Rier and Sarah Fine, and painter Joel Fleminger. Each artist was given the prompt Funky Town and created work based on the title and theme of the show. This funky show is balanced by silly ceramic pieces and weird abstract paintings. Erika Rier uses her personal take on surrealism to exhibit the inner lives of women in her wall-hanging plates and mugs. Sarah Fine, previously a graphic designer, displays her ceramic creations of brightly colored and engaging cat ladies, old jalopies, and cats lurking about. Joel Fleminger’s dream-like acrylic abstract paintings explore the weirdness of cloudscapes and other dimensions.

In Spite of One’s Self 
Anthony Roberto 
May 3- June 1 
Well Well Projects 
8371 N Interstate Ave #1, Portland, OR 97217 

In Spite of One’s Self is Anthony Roberto’s second solo exhibition with Well Well Projects. Explore the balance of technology and art with this exhibition featuring 3D-printed plastic figurative sculptures that extend Roberto’s years-long body of work called Object, Model, Figure, Form. These tiny sculptures stand only about an inch tall each and explore the individual’s relationship to the crowd.

Monet’s Floating Worlds at Giverny 
March 1- August 10 
Portland Art Museum 
1219 SW Park Ave, Portland, OR 

After 65 years, Portland Art Museum’s Waterlilies by Claude Monet is finally displayed without varnish, the way the artist intended. To celebrate the restoration of this iconic painting, the Portland Art Museum displays it alongside the historical context that inspired Monet. Japanese “floating world” prints were integral to Monet and the impressionist movement and were heavily used for inspiration and decentering the European painting traditions. Visitors will experience being surrounded by the recreation of the hundreds of Japanese woodblock prints that Monet decorated his house with in Giverny, France. Experience the beautiful balance between the prints that inspired the iconic paintings and the newly restored painting.