Upcoming Exhibits + Events
Community Pint Night at Deschutes Brewery
Community Pint Night at Deschutes Brewery: $1 from every pint sold will go to North Pole Studio.
Mixed Media Collage Workshop with Davis Wohlford
Join artist Davis Wohlford from North Pole Studio for an expedition through mixed media collage!
Free, all materials provided, registration required due to limited spaces!
Exhibition Opening: Doug Wing
Join us in celebrating the opening of Doug Wing’s solo exhibit at Oregon Contemporary during their First Saturday Open House.
DANCE PARTY!
Join us in celebrating the close of North Pole Studio and Elbow Room’s exhibit at Oregon Contemporary with a DANCE PARTY! DJ Sylvester will be bringing the dancing tunes so we can close out the show in style! Open to all!
Studio Sale
Come spend First Thursday with us! We’re opening the studio for a special sale featuring discounted original artwork and NPS merchandise, with plenty to discover and take home. Wander the studio, meet NPS artists, enjoy seasonal treats and a hands-on art activity, and soak up a little fall atmosphere with a hint of Halloween. Stop by, stay awhile, and find something you love.
This event is free, and open to the public
Panel Discussion
In conjunction with the Converge 45 exhibit up at Oregon Contemporary featuring artists from North Pole Studio and Elbow Room, there will be a panel discussion moderated by Curator and Artist Kristan Kennedy.
The panelists will include NPS artist Aaron Cunningham, NPS Executive Director Carissa Burkett, Elbow Room artist Robin Hansen, ER Co-founder Quinn Gancedo and artist/dancer/writer Hannah Krafcik.
Join us from 6:00pm to 7:30pm on Tuesday, September 29th at Oregon Contemporary to dive into conversations surrounding disability aesthetics, access barriers for artists with I/DD, and more.
Free event, RSVP required!
Oregon Contemporary
8371 N Interstate Ave
Portland OR 97217
ASL translation services available with request 48hrs prior to event. Please email contact@northpolestudio.org to request ASL translation and any other access needs.
RSVP HERE
Max LaZebnik Artist Talk at the Reser
Join us for an Artist Talk by NPS Artist Max LaZebnik at the Reser!
Still Life Drawing Class with Dan Tran
Join us for a Still-Life Drawing Workshop at The Reser, led by NPS artist Dan Tran!
Montavilla Jazz Festival Presents North Pole Studio's Rhythm& Hues
The Montavilla Jazz festival will be presenting North Pole Studio’s second iteration of Rhythm and Hues. Rhythm & Hues is an annual collaboration in which North Pole commissions three local composer/musicians to compose a song in response to a North Pole Studio artist’s work. This year the project features John Niekrasz + Adam Richards, Kennedy Verrett + Joni Smith, and Maria E Olaya+ Davis Wohlford. These three songs will kick off the opening night of the festival, sharing the stage with PJCE’s presentation of Rebecca Sanborn's Shadow Work.
John Niekrasz & Adam Richards
John Niekrasz is a composer, percussionist, writer, and dancer. John is committed to improvisation both in performance and as a compositional approach. He bridges the musico-poetic divide through text-based composition and syllabic musical notation and is excited to translate Adam Richards' intricate symbols into sound and rhythm. John composes for and performs in ensembles, creates sound for film and theater and dance and jumped at the chance to work with Adam's imagery.
Maria Olaya & Davis Wohlford
Maria Olaya is a Latin Classical guitarist who became captivated by the sound of a Spanish guitar as a child. She studied with the late Colombian Maestro, Ramiro Isaza Mejía. Maria was immediately drawn to Davis Wholford's immersive and layered animal paintings. She will bring the animal environments of Davis' artistic world to life with her strings. For Maria, music has always been a means for genuine connection with others, a means to experience transcendence and connect to our humanness.
Kennedy Verrett & Joni Smith
As a composer and musician whose music conveys beauty, he will use emotional melodies and captivating rhythms to bring to life the vibrant, gestural marks of Joni Smith. Kennedy's diverse skills allow him to work effortlessly in concert halls, outdoor environments, motion pictures, and TV soundtracks and he is excited to collaborate with Joni to create a unique composition that will allow the audience to feel layers and movement in Joni's expressive drawings.
Brushstrokes & Bites: Urban Restaurant Group
Join Urban Restaurant Group for a special First Thursday benefiting North Pole Studio on September 3 at Venue 13 in the Pearl District. Enjoy themed bites from five local restaurants paired with curated wine offerings. Tickets are $35, with all ticket proceeds supporting North Pole Studio. Eventbrite link for registration will be available closer to the event.
Converge 45 Triennial Opening: Oregon Contemporary
Join us in celebrating the opening reception for a joint exhibit featuring work from North Pole artists and Elbow Room Artists
North Pole Studio artists Aaron Cunningham, Annie Rose Macer, and Dan Tran, along with Elbow Room artists Ricky Bearghost, Elmeater Morton, and Michelle Fromme, have been selected for Converge 45's 2026 Triennial, Here, To You, Now. Their work will be featured at Oregon Contemporary as part of the citywide exhibition, placing them among 28 artists participating in one of the Pacific Northwest's most significant contemporary art exhibitions.
We Are All Brothers Opening at The Reser
Join us at the Opening Receptionfor We Are All Brothers an exhibition bringing together the work of North Pole Studio artists, Mark Bishop and Nathan Ueno, We Are All Brothers explores the enduring power of figuration as a language of allegory, memory, and collective imagination. At the center of the exhibition is the idea of community: not as a fixed structure, but as an evolving network of relationships shaped by struggle and care.
Walk With Us at Alberta's Last Thursday
Join North Pole Studio for an evening of art, community, and conversation during Alberta's Last Thursday.
We'll celebrate the opening of Immersive Worlds: Cities, Castles and Countrysides, a group exhibition curated by North Pole Studio artist Max LaZebnik, then continue the evening with a walk to Antler Gallery before ending at Salt & Straw.
📍 5:00–6:30 pm Alberta Street Gallery
🚶 6:30 pm Walk to Antler & Talon Galleries
🍦 7:00 pm Salt & Straw (ice cream available for purchase)
Bring a friend, join us along the way, or meet us at any stop!
RSVP HERE
NPS Friends & Family Night at McMenamins Hal's Cafe
50% of all dine-in sales at Hal's will go to NPS on this night, so let’s gather for a great night of hanging out,
eating cajun tots, and raising money for North Pole Studio!
Calm Collaging with Ocean
Join us at Cargo for a collage workshop taught by NPS artist Ocean Stever! Tap into your creative intuition in this relaxed workshop where Ocean will guide participants though a therapeutic voyage, exploring themes of nature, myth, and the divine feminine.
Unlike our in-house workshops, this opportunity is open to anyone, not just participants with autism and/or I/DD. The class fee is $35, including all materials and tools.
Purchase your tickets HERE
The Human Adventure Opening Reception
Join us for the Opening Reception of The Human Adventure, a whimsical collection of everyday moments, stitched together with curiosity, wonder, and a tender eye for detail. This exhibition of drawings traces the beautifully ordinary ways we spend our fleeting days.
The Kid Stuff Universe: James Enos at Passages Bookstore
Opening reception and Book Reading at Passages Bookstore.
NPS Flash Tattoo Fundraiser
North Pole Studio is throwing a Flash Tattoo Fundraiser Party at the studio! Some incredible local tattoo artists are generously donating their time and skills and will be donating the proceeds of 3 flash tattoos each to North Pole. The flash tattoos will be 2-3 inches on arms and legs only with a $100 minimum. We hope you join us to get an amazing new tattoo and donate to NPS at the same time!!
Participating Tattoo Artists:
RJ Miller @r.j.miller
Mary Sapp @sapppattack
Molly Gilbert @goodgollytattoos
Alexandra Sullivan @baby___goat
Grace Crofts @gracemtattoo
Kyle Jenkins @kylejenkinstattoo
Darrius Ramsey @kingbytradeink
Michael McCloskey @mmmtattoo
Shy Benedetti-Barnes @ladyshy_tattoos
Click here to sign up for a flash tattoo!
These are the NPS Flash Designs that will be available:
Black Matter Salon Opening Reception
NPS artist Mark Bishop has been selected through a call for artists for BLACK MATTER, a salon-style exhibition welcoming emerging and established artists and celebrating the breadth of Black artistic voices in Oregon today. The exhibition creates space for creative conversation and community.
Walk With Us!
Join us at North Pole Studio for a relaxed start to First Thursday on June 4. We’ll gather for light bites and refreshments before walking together to Studio 516 then Pacific Northwest College of Art for the opening of three amazing exhibitions featuring NPS Artists.
Afterward, continue the evening at your own pace. Dozens of galleries will be open throughout the Pearl District, along with the First Thursday Street Gallery on NW 13th Avenue.
Schedule
5:00–5:30pm — Gather at North Pole Studio
5:30pm - Walk together to Studio 516 (approx. 5-minute walk)
6:00pm — Walk together to PNCA (approx. 10-minute walk)
6:30pm onward — PNCA exhibitions + optional exploration
Where
North Pole Studio: 511 NW Broadway, Portland, OR 97209
Studio 516: 516 NW 14th Ave, Portland, OR 97209
Willamette/PNCA and Center for Contemporary Art and Culture:
Ed Cauduro Gallery & Dane Nelson Collection Studies Labs (rooms 137 and 138)
Court Of Dreams- Pop-Up Gallery
Come together for this free event brining the communication disability community together with Universal Design Lab /Portland State University!
Oregon Artists’ Biennial 2026 Open House Reception
Opening reception for The Oregon Artists’ Biennial 2026, Showing: April 3-July 5, 2026.
"Wild Classified" Opening Reception
Wild Classified is a partnership between North Pole Studio and Patricia Reser Center for the Arts. Join us for the opening reception of this installation from 6-9pm.
Learn more about this partnership Here!