Black Lives Matter art in Portland, Oregon

Public art in Portland, Oregon related to the Black Lives Matter movement

The George Floyd mural in Portland, Oregon, June 2020 Murals on boarded windows of Apple Pioneer Place

Many artworks related to the Black Lives Matter movement were created in Portland, Oregon, United States, during local protests over the murder of George Floyd and other Black Americans. Oregon Arts Watch contextualized the artistic works, stating that a "whitewashed pre-COVID lens" on American life, which obscured systemic racism, had been "cracked",[1] and describing artists' response to racial violence being brought into the public eye was a "marathon, not a sprint".[2]

## Background

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In mid 2020, during local protests over the murder of George Floyd, many boarded windows, sidewalks, and other structures in downtown Portland were graffitied with chalk and paint, or covered by posters. According to Benjamin Brink of Street Roots, "Messaging range[d] from anti-police and anti-racist rhetoric to motivational quotes and support for Black lives".[3] Many of the artworks depicted Floyd and other victims of police brutality in the U.S., or incorporated phrases associated with the Black Lives Matter movement such as "I can't breathe and "No justice, no peace".[3] Some of the murals were added by local businesses.[4]

## Artworks

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See also: Black Lives Matter art and List of Black Lives Matter street murals

### Sculpture and performance art

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The Thompson Elk Fountain, one of the most visible public artworks in Portland, located near frequent protests at the Multnomah County Justice Center, was removed for its protection. The elk has been used since as an antifascist symbol, perhaps most visibly in a sculpture dubbed "Nightmare Elk" erected in the Thompson Elk's place.[1]

The Trump Statue Initiative performed several "statues" at Tom McCall Waterfront Park in summer 2020.[1]

### Murals

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Black Lives Matter street mural

The Black Lives Matter street mural was painted in north Portland's St. Johns neighborhood in June 2020, and vandalized one month later. We Stand with You by Christian Grijalva was installed in northeast Portland's King neighborhood in June 2020. The mural depicts Ahmaud Arbery, Floyd and Breonna Taylor, and was vandalized in 2021.

#### Downtown

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Portrait of Breonna Taylor and other murals on the exterior of Pioneer Place Mural of Claudette Colvin in downtown Portland

Emma Berger painted portraits on boards protecting windows of Apple Pioneer Place (Southwest Yamhill Street and Fifth Avenue). She started with one of Floyd on June 1, 2020, and worked to recruit other artists and protesters to participate. A portrait of Arbery was added outside the store.[3] In the Pioneer Place vicinity, portraits depicted Kendra James, Deontae J. Keller, and Jason Washington, all of whom were shot to death by Portland Police Bureau officers, as well as Tony McDade and Anton Sterling, who were killed by officers in Tallahassee and Baton Rouge, respectively. Portraits of Rayshard Brooks, Elijah McClain, and Taylor also appeared.[3]

Mexican artist and mother Xochilt Ruvalcaba was commissioned by Lisa Schroeder, the owner of Mother's Bistro to paint a series of murals dedicated to Floyd and seven Black children who were killed by police, including Trayvon Martin and Tamir Rice.[5] Next to the portraits Ruvalcaba described the circumstances of their deaths.[6] Ruvalcaba's mural of the words “All Mothers were summoned when he called out to his mama” became the slogan of Moms United for Black Lives, who wore bright yellow T-shirts with the words "Summoned Mama - Black Lives Matter" to protests.[7] Ruvalcaba's mural also inspired the global George Floyd and Antiracist Street Art Database.[8]

#### Buckman neighborhood

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After someone tagged the Imago Dei nondenominational church in the Buckman neighborhood with the phrase "Black Lives Matter" on June 3, staff member and artist Heidie Ambrose converted the graffiti into a larger "vibrantly colored" mural. The names of Black people who "died at the hands of systemic racism... police brutality, racial injustice or white supremacy" were painted on individual bricks, including locals as well as Arbery, Martin Luther King Jr., Taylor, and Emmett Till.[9][10] By August, the mural had become a memorial.[10]

The church's associate pastor Michelle Jones said:

> The mural is part of this often difficult, ongoing project. And as the conflict over the last month in Portland between federal agents and protesters has intensified, the artwork feels even more necessary... At Imago, we're trying to keep the main thing the main thing. I think that's also why the mural is there ― to remind those who see it that with so many things happening at the same time, justice matters. These people on this wall ― and people like them ― matter.[10]

## Museum grant program

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In August, local businessman and philanthropist Jordan Schnitzer announced a $150,000 Black Lives Matter grant program to award 60 artists in Oregon and Washington $2,500 each.[11][12] The program is accepting proposals "for new work or projects, or recently created work directly responding to the current Black Lives Matter movement, responding to marginalized communities; experiences with systemic racism and inequality" until September 30, and grant recipients will be announced on October 31.[13] Museums at Portland State University, University of Oregon, and Washington State University will each award 20 grants and display the newly created artworks upon reopening.[11][14] In a press release, Schnitzer said, "I have often said artists are chroniclers of our time. We all feel anguish about the death of George Floyd and many others at the hands of racial oppression. We, more than ever, need artists to help us understand this issue and help us heal."[13]

## References

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1. ^ a b c Jankowski, Andrew; Maurice, Safiyah (August 20, 2020). "The lens is cracked: Art and protest in the summer of 2020". Oregon Arts Watch. Retrieved September 14, 2020.
2. ^ Hicks, Bob (July 30, 2020). "Through the tear gas, darkly". Oregon Arts Watch. Retrieved September 14, 2020.
3. ^ a b c d Brink, Benjamin (July 11, 2020). "Photos: Art of the uprising". Street Roots. Archived from the original on September 15, 2020. Retrieved September 10, 2020.
4. ^ Gusinow, Sander (July 23, 2020). "BLM Protests Transform Face of Portland Business District". Oregon Business. Archived from the original on August 6, 2020. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
5. ^ "Painting the town: Murals meet the moment". Oregon ArtsWatch. November 11, 2020. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
6. ^ Edlin, Venus (September 18, 2020). "Public art thrives on boarded-up storefronts". The Pioneer Log. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
7. ^ Grzeszczak, Jocelyn (July 23, 2020). "The "Wall of Moms" protecting protesters are spreading beyond Portland". Newsweek. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
8. ^ "George Floyd's death sparks street art movement". CBS News. May 21, 2021. Retrieved May 23, 2021.
9. ^ Brobst, Scout (August 6, 2020). "Someone Tagged "Black Lives Matter" Outside a Church in Southeast Portland. Staff Decided to Keep It—and Turn It Into a Mural". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on August 30, 2020. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
10. ^ a b c Wong, Brittany (August 10, 2020). "Instead of Painting Over Black Lives Matter Graffiti, This Church Memorialized The Message". HuffPost. Archived from the original on September 3, 2020. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
11. ^ a b Clerkley, Bryant (August 5, 2020). "Jordan Schnitzer establishes Black Lives Matter artist grant program at PSU". KGW. Archived from the original on August 9, 2020. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
12. ^ Jasper, David (August 13, 2020). "Grants offered for Black Lives Matter art". The Bulletin. Archived from the original on August 17, 2020. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
13. ^ a b Acker, Lizzy (August 4, 2020). "Jordan Schnitzer announces Black Lives Matter artist grant program". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on August 9, 2020. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
14. ^ "Portland philanthropist announces Black Lives Matter artist grant program". KPTV. August 4, 2020. Archived from the original on September 15, 2020. Retrieved September 11, 2020.

## External links

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* Oregon portal
* Visual arts portal

* Artists create Black Lives Matter mural outside Portland, Oregon store, ABC News
* George Floyd and Antiracist Street Art Archive

* v
* t
* e

Black Lives Matter

People|

* Melina Abdullah
* Tay Anderson
* Cat Brooks
* Cori Bush
* Gwen Carr
* Benjamin Crump
* Patrisse Cullors
* Aalayah Eastmond
* Johnetta Elzie
* Bruce Franks Jr.
* Darnella Frazier
* Erica Garner
* Alicia Garza
* Elle Hearns
* Sandy Hudson
* Blair Imani
* Natalie Aleta Jackson
* Marissa Johnson
* Sasha Johnson
* Jari Jones
* Tishaura Jones
* Mariame Kaba
* Colin Kaepernick
* Brittany Kamai
* Janaya Khan
* Shaun King
* Nekima Levy Armstrong
* Eva Lewis
* Tamika Mallory
* Philip McHarris
* DeRay Mckesson
* Muhiyidin Moye
* Bree Newsome
* Nikkita Oliver
* Ijeoma Oluo
* Brittany Packnett Cunningham
* Eugene Puryear
* Teressa Raiford
* Jen Reid
* Linda Sarsour
* Al Sharpton
* Samuel Sinyangwe
* Nova Stevens
* Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor
* John Thompson
* Ayọ Tometi
* Assa Traoré
* Syrus Marcus Ware

Events|

| 2010s|

* Ferguson unrest
* 2015 Baltimore protests
* 2015–2016 University of Missouri protests
* Dismissal of Robert Rialmo
* 2016 Donald Trump Chicago rally protest
* 2017 St. Louis protests

|

2020s|

* Breonna Taylor protests
* George Floyd protests
* changes made
* name changes
* removal of monuments and memorials
* reactions
* trial of Derek Chauvin
* violence and controversies
* Donald Trump photo op at St. John's Church
* police violence incidents
* Buffalo police shoving incident
* St. Louis gun-toting incident
* vehicle-ramming incidents
* Black Birders Week
* Blackout Tuesday
* Capitol Hill Occupied Protest
* Academic strike
* General strike
* Kenosha unrest
* shooting
* Athlete strikes
* 2020 Minneapolis false rumors riot
* 2020–2023 Minneapolis–Saint Paul racial unrest
* Orisha Land
* Daunte Wright protests
* 2021 Uptown Minneapolis unrest
* vehicle-ramming attack
* Tyre Nichols protests

Locations|

* Protests in New York City
* List of George Floyd protests
* United States
* outside the United States
* List of Daunte Wright protests

Deaths protested|

| 2009–2011|

* Oscar Grant
* Aiyana Jones
* James Anderson
* Mark Duggan
* Kenneth Chamberlain Sr.
* Anthony Lamar Smith

|

2012–2013|

* Ramarley Graham
* Trayvon Martin
* Rekia Boyd
* Jordan Davis
* Timothy Russell and Malissa Williams
* Tyrone West
* Larry Jackson Jr.
* Jonathan Ferrell
* Miriam Carey
* Renisha McBride

2014|

* Dontre Hamilton
* Eric Garner
* John Crawford III
* Michael Brown
* Ezell Ford
* Laquan McDonald
* Akai Gurley
* Tamir Rice
* Antonio Martin
* Jerame Reid

2015|

* Natasha McKenna
* Charley Leundeu Keunang
* Tony Robinson
* Anthony Hill
* Meagan Hockaday
* Eric Harris
* Walter Scott
* Freddie Gray
* William Chapman
* Charleston church shooting
* Jonathan Sanders
* Sandra Bland
* Samuel DuBose
* Mansur Ball-Bey
* Jeremy McDole
* Corey Jones
* Jamar Clark
* Mario Woods

2016|

* Greg Gunn
* Alton Sterling
* Philando Castile
* Joseph Mann
* Adama Traoré
* Abdirahman Abdi
* Paul O'Neal
* Korryn Gaines
* Jamarion Robinson
* Sylville Smith
* Elijah Doughty
* Terence Crutcher
* Keith Lamont Scott
* Alfred Olango
* Deborah Danner

2017|

* Jocques Clemmons
* Jordan Edwards
* Edson Da Costa
* Rashan Charles
* Patrick Harmon

2018|

* Anthony Weber
* Stephon Clark
* Marcus-David Peters
* Antwon Rose Jr.
* Markeis McGlockton
* Daniel Hambrick
* Botham Jean
* Tamla Horsford
* Jemel Roberson
* EJ Bradford Jr.

2019|

* George Robinson
* Willie McCoy
* Danquirs Franklin
* Javier Ambler
* Lassana Cisse
* Ronald Greene
* Pamela Turner
* Layleen Polanco
* Shukri Abdi
* Christopher Kapessa
* Elijah McClain
* Atatiana Jefferson

2020|

* Alvin Cole
* Ahmaud Arbery
* Manuel Ellis
* Breonna Taylor
* Daniel Prude
* Nina Pop
* George Floyd
* Dion Johnson
* Tony McDade
* Regis Korchinski-Paquet
* James Scurlock
* David McAtee
* Oluwatoyin Salau
* Carlos Carson
* Rayshard Brooks
* Julian Lewis
* Dijon Kizzee
* Marcellis Stinnette
* Chaniece Wallace
* Walter Wallace
* Andre Hill
* Dolal Idd

2021|

* Marvin Scott
* Adam Toledo
* Daunte Wright
* Lindani Myeni
* Ma'Khia Bryant
* Andrew Brown Jr.
* Winston Boogie Smith
* Leneal Frazier

2022|

* Amir Locke
* Patrick Lyoya
* Jayland Walker
* Donovan Lewis

2023|

* Keenan Anderson
* Tyre Nichols
* Irvo Otieno
* Jordan Neely
* Ricky Cobb II
* Johnny Hollman
* Ta'Kiya Young
* Leonard Cure

2024|

* Dexter Reed
* Roger Fortson
* Sonya Massey

Other cases
protested|

* Kalief Browder
* 2015 Texas pool party incident
* Shooting of Charles Kinsey
* Shooting of Jacob Blake
* Shooting of Ralph Yarl
* Rankin County torture incident

In popular culture|

| Art|

* New York City
* Bust of George Floyd
* Portland, Oregon
* George Floyd mural
* We Stand with You
* Say Their Names
* Statue of George Floyd

| Street murals|

* Cincinnati
* Indianapolis
* Portland, Oregon
* Salt Lake City
* Santa Cruz, California
* Seattle
* Capitol Hill
* City Hall
* Springfield, Massachusetts

|

Books|

* All American Boys
* Black Software
* Blackout
* Brit(ish)
* Dear Martin
* The Hate U Give
* His Name Is George Floyd
* I Can't Breathe: A Killing on Bay Street
* Rest in Power: The Enduring Life of Trayvon Martin

Film|

* 16 Shots
* 3 1/2 Minutes, 10 Bullets
* American Son
* Bars4Justice
* Fruitvale Station
* Generation Revolution
* The Hate U Give
* Rest in Power: The Trayvon Martin Story
* Stay Woke: The Black Lives Matter Movement
* Stranger Fruit
* Two Distant Strangers
* Whose Streets?

Music|

* "Alright"
* "Angel Down"
* "The Bigger Picture"
* "Black Parade"
* "Can't Put It in the Hands of Fate"
* "Chains"
* "Cop vs. Phone Girl"
* "Don't Shoot"
* "Formation"
* "Freedom"
* "Hell You Talmbout"
* "I Can't Breathe"
* "Lavender (Nightfall Remix)"
* "Loyal Like Sid & Nancy"
* "Otherside of America"
* "Riot"
* "Rockstar (BLM Remix)"
* The Seven Last Words of the Unarmed
* "Snow on tha Bluff"
* "This Is America"
* "What They'll Say About Us"
* "White Privilege II"

Other|

* Colin in Black & White
* 8:46
* "Holding a Black Lives Matter Sign in America's Most Racist Town"
* Our Lady of Ferguson
* Taking a Stand in Baton Rouge
* Woke (TV series)

Activist groups|

* 8 to Abolition
* Assata's Daughters
* Black Feminist Future
* Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation
* Black Visions Collective
* BlackinChem
* BYP100
* Campaign Zero
* Don't Shoot Portland
* Millennial Activists United
* Mothers of Gynecology Movement
* Mothers of the Movement
* Movement for Black Lives
* Peoples Power Assemblies
* #SayHerName
* Stop Cop City
* Street Riders NYC
* Taking the Initiative Party
* Wall of Moms
* White Coats for Black Lives

Proposed
legislation|

* BREATHE Act
* Commission for Diversity in the Public Realm
* Ending Qualified Immunity Act
* George Floyd Justice in Policing Act
* George Floyd Law Enforcement Trust and Integrity Act
* Safety, Accountability, Fairness and Equity-Today Act
* List of police reforms related to the George Floyd protests

Groups associated
with opposition|

* All Lives Matter
* Alt-right
* Black Guns Matter
* Blue Lives Matter
* Patriot Front
* Russian disinformation campaigns
* Trump administration
* United Citizens' Alarm
* White Lives Matter

Related|

* 2020 deployment of federal forces in the United States
* 2020–2023 United States racial unrest
* list of incidents
* Black Lives Matter Plaza
* Black maternal mortality in the United States
* Criminal stereotype of African Americans
* Defund the police
* Driving while black
* Running while Black
* shopping while black
* Ferguson effect
* George Floyd Square
* Hands up, don't shoot
* I can't breathe
* National anthem protests
* Native Lives Matter
* No justice, no peace
* Police abolition movement
* 2021 Minneapolis Question 2
* Police accountability
* blue wall of silence
* gypsy cops
* police perjury
* qualified immunity
* Police brutality
* militarization
* pain compliance
* use of deadly force
* use of torture
* Police misconduct
* false arrest
* racial profiling
* ticket quota
* Racial bias in criminal news
* Rest in power
* Save the Boards
* Taking the knee
* Terry stop
* The talk
* Woke

* Category

* v
* t
* e

Public art in Portland, Oregon

Sculptures

* 118 Modules
* Ainu and Native American power boards
* Allow Me
* Alluvial Wall
* Along These Lines
* Artwall
* Ascension
* Awning
* Bell Circles II
* Broken Wall Memorial
* Brushstrokes
* Burls Will Be Burls
* The Burnside Nest
* Bust of York†
* Cairns
* Capitalism
* Cat in Repose
* Chinatown Gateway
* City Reflections
* Constellation
* Continuation
* Contact II
* Coraline's Curious Cat Trail
* Da Tung and Xi'an Bao Bao
* Daddy Long Legs
* Dog Bowl
* Driver's Seat
* Echo Gate
* Electronic Poet
* Facing the Crowd
* Farewell to Orpheus
* Festival Lanterns
* Floribunda
* Folly Bollards
* Fountain to a Rose†
* Friendship Circle
* From Within Shalom
* Garden Wreath
* Ghost Ship
* The Green Man of Portland
* Heart Beacon
* Holon
* Host Analog
* Howard's Way
* Ideals
* In the Shadow of the Elm
* Interlocking Forms
* Inversion: Plus Minus
* John Fitzgerald Kennedy Memorial
* Kerf
* Korean Temple Bell
* Kvinneakt
* Leland I
* Lewis and Clark Memorial Column
* Liberty Bell
* Little Prince
* Mago Hermano (Brother Wizard or Magician)
* Memory 99
* Mimir
* Nash
* Nepenthes
* Nightmare Elk†
* O Cruceiro
* Oregon Landscape
* Oregon Holocaust Memorial
* Oregon Irish Famine Memorial
* Passage
* Peace Chant
* People's Bike Library of Portland
* Perpetuity
* Pod
* Portland Immigrant Statue
* Portlandia
* The Promised Land†
* The Quest
* The Responsibility of Raising a Child
* Ring of Time
* The Rippling Wall
* River Legend
* Royal Rosarian
* Running Horses
* Salmon Cycle Marker
* The Scout
* Sculpture Stage
* Silicon Forest
* Silver Dawn
* Soaring Stones
* Solar Wreath
* Spanish–American War Soldier's Monument
* Spanish–American War Veterans Memorial†
* Stack Stalk
* Stratum
* Streetcar Stop for Portland
* Talos No. 2
* Tecotosh
* Terra Incognita
* Theodore Roosevelt Memorial†
* This All Happened More or Less
* Thor
* Three Figures
* Tikitotmoniki Totems
* Transcendence
* Tree of Life
* Triad
* Trio
* Trigger 4
* Unfolding Rhythms
* Untitled
* Killmaster
* Morrison
* West
* Upstream Downtown
* Urban Hydrology
* Uroboros
* Velosaurus
* Ventana al Pacifico
* Victory Bell
* Voices of Remembrance
* Water, Please
* We Have Always Lived Here
* Weather Machine
* Whistlestop for an Organ Teacher
* Wind Gate
* Winter Rider No. 2
* Yankee Champion
* You Are Here

| Fountains|

* Animals in Pools
* Charles Frederic Swigert Jr. Memorial Fountain
* Chiming Fountain
* The Dreamer
* Essential Forces
* Fountain for Company H
* Frank E. Beach Memorial Fountain
* Horse Trough Fountain
* Keller Fountain
* Lovejoy Fountain
* Loyal B. Stearns Memorial Fountain
* Memorial Fountain
* Pioneer Woman
* Salmon Street Springs
* Shemanski Fountain
* Skidmore Fountain
* Thompson Elk Fountain†

|

Portrait
statues|

* Paul Bunyan
* Captain William Clark Monument
* Coming of the White Man
* The Dream
* Benjamin Franklin
* Thomas Jefferson
* Joan of Arc
* Vera Katz
* Abraham Lincoln†
* Oddo Memorial
* Sacajawea and Jean-Baptiste
* Harvey W. Scott†
* Theodore Roosevelt, Rough Rider†
* George Washington†
* York: Terra Incognita

Murals

* Black Lives Matter street mural†
* Capax Infiniti
* Conduit
* The Continuity of Life Forms
* George Floyd mural†
* The Knowledge
* Lovejoy Columns
* Never Look Away
* Oregon History
* Packy mural†
* Portland Memorial Mausoleum Mural
* Tri It
* We Stand with You
* Women Making History in Portland
* Woodstock Mural

Related

* A Donkey, 3 Rocks, and a Bird.
* Art collection of Oregon Health & Science University
* Benson Bubbler
* Black Lives Matter art
* Elkhorn
* Graffiti in Portland, Oregon
* Horse rings
* Martini glass sign

Key: † No longer extant or on public display
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