Please join us in the gallery for an event with Mike Vos, who will be signing his new book Somewhere In Another Place during the December First Thursday extended hours.

This event will take place in the gallery, mask is encouraged.

“Mike Vos presents a new sort of landscape photography, one for the Anthropocene, one that is a practice of both time and place, and one which seeks contextual transcendence by altering what and how we see. Somewhere In Another Place distills more than three years of work and countless miles traveled across the continent into 49 double exposure photographs which represent nearly 100 distinct locations. We are invited into a procession of carefully invented places, to witness their visual echoes, to see their waters mirror ancient shapes. Here you’ll find vessels mixed with mountains, waterfalls framed by windows, stalactites crossed with a satellite dish, geologic formations stitched with ephemeral human structures on their way out of existence. Because all imagery is composed, overlaid, and captured manually on a large-format camera, Vos plays an existential tetris of fitting together immersive new terrains and opening a unique plane to consider the mesh of interactions between landscape, the built environment, and the self. With an afterword elaborating on his process and a reading list of literature which inspired the series, to experience this book is to join Vos on his journeys, to explore and behold as you never have.”

Mike Vos (b. 1986) is a photographer, visual artist and musician from Portland, OR.

Drawing inspiration from various literary movements and themes, Vos uses traditional and experimental 4x5 film techniques, multi-channel video, field recordings and instrumentation to craft complex narratives that advocate for the preservation of wild spaces. Constantly pushing the capabilities of film photography, analog video and sound, Vos creates immersive experiences to draw viewers into surreal representations of physical places.

Traditional landscape photography lacks the ability to fully translate the complex emotions that come when viewing places firsthand that are ancient, beautiful, and strange. Much like variant adaptations of the same subject matter, Vos interprets landscapes into ethereal and otherworldly dreamscapes to capture the awe and wonder that exists in nature.

Vos has been awarded artist residencies at esteemed institutions such as MASS MoCA, The Akureyri Art Museum in Akureyri, Iceland, Bær Arts Center in Hofsós, Iceland, Cobertizo in Mexico, Vermont Studio Center, Jentel Arts in Wyoming, and in his home state of Oregon: Caldera Arts and The Sitka Center for Art & Ecology.

His work has received support from grants through the Regional Arts & Culture Council, The Ford Family Foundation, The Puffin Foundation and the Oregon Arts Commission. In 2024 he was awarded a fellowship with The Sitka Center for Art & Ecology and released his debut monograph “Somewhere in Another Place” through Buckman Publishing.

Please join the Blue Sky staff on Zoom for a 2025 Pacific Northwest Drawers Application Q&A session. This is the perfect opportunity to ask questions about the application whether you are a first time or returning applicant.

This event will take on Zoom.

Join us in the gallery and meet participating 2024 Pacific Northwest Drawers Artists on Sat, Nov 16 from 1 - 4 PM. The holiday season is around the corner, this print walk is a perfect opportunity to sprinkle artistic touches to your shopping cart as most prints will be available for sale. We look forward to seeing you in the gallery!

This event is FREE and open to the public.

Please join us on Zoom for an artist talk from Charles Xelot, whose exhibition, White Water, will be on view at Blue Sky from Nov 7 - Dec 21.

This artist talk will take place on Zoom.

Please join us in the gallery for an artist talk from Pierre Dalpé, whose exhibition, Wigstock, will be on view at Blue Sky from Nov 9 - Dec 21.

This artist talk will take place in the gallery, masks are encouraged.

Join us in the evening to celebrate the opening of our November exhibitions

5 - 8 PM | This is an in-person event, masks are encouraged.

Blue Sky honors Exhibition Committee member Stan Gilula, who passed away in February 2024. You are invited to join a memorial in the gallery to celebrate his life and art practice. His collection of photograph is on view on the Community Wall through Sat, Nov 2.

Stan’s life began in Herrin, Illinois in 1947. As one of seven siblings in a competitive and complicated family, Stan was eager to forge his own path. One of the first steps on his voyage of discovery was enrolling at Southern Illinois University to study design under the renowned architect and futurist R. Buckminster Fuller. A highlight of these college years was the opportunity to assist his teacher in the construction of a geodesic dome, a type of structure popularized by Fuller that became very influential in the 1960s and early 70s. After completing his studies at Southern Illinois University, Stan went on to earn an MA in graphic design and a MFA in painting and photography from UCLA in 1972.

After graduating from UCLA Stan moved to Northampton, Massachusetts, with the goal of eventually living in New York City. He accomplished this in 1977, and there he supported himself in the construction industry. He eventually established his own firm that provided project management and construction renovation services for high-end retail, commercial, office, and restaurant projects. Notable clients included: Prada,Bergdorf Goodman, actor Bill Murry, Ralph Lauren, and Danny Meyer’s Restaurants.

As chance would have it, while in New York, Stan found himself renovating the home of the well known photographer and filmmaker Robert Frank. This meeting turned into a lifelong friendship and a source of inspiration. Stan also became close with Robert Frank’s wife, the painter June Leaf, who made several portraits of him.

When Stan retired in 2016 he made his way to Portland, where he took up residence in the Honeyman Hardware Lofts, just a few blocks away from the Blue Sky Gallery.

Before he left New York, Robert Frank suggested he visit The Blue Sky Gallery, and this association opened another chapter in his life. Stan became a devoted and grateful member of the Exhibition Committee where he found community, friendship, and meaning in the Portland art scene. We miss him.

Please join us in the gallery for an artist talk from Ashley McLean, whose 2023 En Foco Fellowship exhibition, Seeking you in other bodies.., will be on view at Blue Sky from Oct 3 - Nov 2.

This artist talk will take place in the gallery, masks are encouraged.

Join us in the evening to celebrate the opening of our 2023 En Foco Fellowship exhibitions

5 - 8 PM | This is an in-person event, masks are encouraged.

10 artists will each have 10 minutes to show and tell their 10 artworks in the 2024 Pacific Northwest Drawers on Sat, Sep 21 from 3 - 5 PM in the gallery.

This event is FREE and open to the public.

Participating Artists

Neil DaCosta

John Francis

Claudia Hollister

Julian Jollon

Laura Kurtenbach

Vanessa Marsh

Brian McGloin

John Ritchie

Steve Rosenberg

Heléna Dupre Thompson

Mark your calendars for an upcoming book launch event co-hosted by Blue Sky and Converge 45.

This event takes place at DeSoto Building Rooftop Terrace

Entrance: 720 NW Davis Street, Portland, OR 97209

We’re excited to host this end-of-summer rooftop celebration, featuring food, beverages, music, book signings, and perhaps a few other surprises. This special occasion will showcase the debut of the 2023-24 edition of the Blue Sky Yearbook along with the 2023 Social Forms: Art as Global Citizenship catalog from Converge 45's latest triennial program. These two publications beautifully capture the heart of the Portland art scene and are important additions to any art-lover’s collection. Save the date for a memorable evening embracing art, culture, and community.

Please join us in the gallery for an artist talk from Zach Oren, whose exhibition, Ides of Gender, will be on view at Blue Sky from September 5 - 28.

This artist talk will take place in the gallery, masks are encouraged.

Please join us in the gallery for an artist talk from Xavi Bou, whose exhibition, Ornithographies, will be on view at Blue Sky from September 5 - 28.

This artist talk will take place in the gallery, masks are encouraged.

Join us in the evening to celebrate the opening of our September exhibitions

5 - 9 PM | This is an in-person event, masks are encouraged.

Blue Sky is teaming up with Pro Photo Supply and 2024 Pacific Northwest Drawers artist Claudia Hollister to bring you a fun and unique cyanotype workshop.

This event takes place at Pro Photo Supply Event Center

NW 18th Ave, Portland, OR 97209

What is a cyanotype?

Cyanotype prints are an exciting non-toxic, alternative photographic process using light-sensitive iron salts and UV light to develop a blue-colored image. Cyanotype prints have no emulsion, instead, the light-sensitive iron salts have been infused into the paper fibers while a negative film placed on the sensitized paper is exposed to UV light. Once the image has finished being exposed it must be washed out in water to reveal a positive image. The blues are unique to this process and can’t be duplicated in any other medium.

The cyanotype process was invented by Sir John Herschel in 1842 to create architectural blueprints. Before the invention of photography, scientists utilized detailed descriptions and other artistic processes (typically illustrations or engravings) to record botanical specimens. In 1843, Anna Atkins printed the first cyanotype prints documenting plant and sea life. Anna self-published her detailed and meticulous botanical images using the cyanotype photographic process in her 1843 book, Photographs of British Algae: Cyanotype Impressions. With a limited number of copies, it was the first book ever to be printed and illustrated by photography.

About this Class

This is a 4-hour workshop designed to take you through the process of creating your own photographic cyanotype prints. In this workshop, you will learn how to create both a positive and negative transparency film from a photograph, and what photographs are likely to give you a successful cyanotype print.

Please join us in the gallery for an artist talk from 2023 Sitka Residency Artist Christian Orellana Bauer. Their body of work ¿Imataq Sutiy? // What is My Name? is on view on the Community Wall through Sat, Aug 31.

This artist talk will take place in the gallery, masks are encouraged.

Christian Orellana Bauer (b. Cuenca, Ecuador, 1995, they/he/any) is an interdisciplinary poet, visual artist, filmmaker, and musician working in a wide variety of mediums. They are interested in the intersections between many subjects some of which include language and its relationship to culture, ethnocentrism v.s ethnorelativism, ecology and climate collapse, the idea of cultural belonging and its relationship to race, melancholy, play/humor, as well as the various tensions embedded within and produced by the concepts of post-modernism and neo-liberalism.

Their work has appeared in the Regional Arts and Culture Council’s (RACC) public works collection and has exhibited in galleries and events throughout Oregon as well as in national publications. They have been supported by the Oregon Arts Commission, The RACC, The Nat Turner Project, as well as their family, friends, and community members always.

About the Sitka Residency

The Blue Sky/Sitka Center Photography Residency was created to increase Sitka’s visibility in the photography community through a collaboration with Blue Sky Gallery, one of the most well-known photography galleries in the Pacific Northwest. Each year, Sitka offers 2 alumni of Blue Sky’s exhibitions and Drawers program the opportunity to be in residence at Sitka Center for up to a month. Residents are selected through a jury of Sitka Center and Blue Sky staff, along with a Blue Sky Residency alum.

Learn more about past residency artists.

Please join us in the gallery for an artist talk from Eli Craven, whose exhibition, Touching, will be on view at Blue Sky from August 1 - 31.

This artist talk will take place in the gallery, masks are encouraged.

Join us in the evening to celebrate the opening of our August exhibitions

5 - 9 PM | This is an in-person event, masks are encouraged.

Please join us in the gallery for an artist talk from Kristina E. Knipe, whose exhibition, The Lusty Lady, will be on view at Blue Sky from Jul 3 - 27.

This artist talk will take place in the gallery, masks are encouraged.

Please join us in the gallery for an artist talk from Kristina E. Knipe, whose exhibition, Talisman, will be on view at Blue Sky from Jul 3 - 27.

This artist talk will take place in the gallery, masks are encouraged.

Join us in the evening to celebrate the opening of our July exhibitions

5 - 9 PM | This is an in-person event, masks are encouraged

Meet participating 2024 Pacific Northwest Drawers Artists on Sat, Jun 22 from 1 - 4 PM. Chat with them about their prints and get an inside look into their creative process.

It’s a perfect moment to give the gift of photography while supporting our Pacific Northwest Artists. We look forward to seeing you!

This event is FREE and open to the public.

Participating Artists

Please join us in the gallery for an artist talk from Ivan McClellan, whose exhibition, Eight Seconds, will be on view at Blue Sky from Jun 6 - 29.

This artist talk will take place in the gallery, masks are encouraged.

Please join us in the gallery for an artist talk from Mikael Owunna, whose exhibition, Imagine Fresh Darkness, will be on view at Blue Sky from Jun 6 - 29.

This artist talk will take place in the gallery, masks are encouraged.

Join us in the evening to celebrate the opening of our June exhibitions

5 - 9 PM | This is an in-person event, masks are encouraged

Mark your calendars for our Blue Sky Membership Day on Saturday, May 18 from 1 - 3 PM. Join us for some light refreshments as we celebrate the members that make up the community of Blue Sky. This is a great opportunity to meet other members, and consider leveling up your membership to help support Blue Sky's annual programming. Bring a friend!

This is an in-person event, masks are encouraged.

Come pick up your exclusive membership benefits
and meet the rest of the Blue Sky Community!

CHAMPION MEMBERS

Become a member and pick up your membership “card.”
Meet the rest of the Blue Sky community and mingle
with everyone who helps make our programming possible. 

BOOK MEMBERS

Pick up your copy of our 2024 Artist Monograph, The Fog Has Lifted by Marie Smith.

PRINT & HERO MEMBERS

Select your annual print from our Blue Sky Print Program!
You will get the first pick from a collection of Blue Sky past exhibiting artists. 

Not a member? Consider joining.

Members at every level receive monthly exhibition postcards, invitations to member-specific events, eligibility to participate in our annual Members Exhibition, discounts with our community partners via our Reciprocal Benefits Program, and more!

We hope to see you here!

Please join us on Zoom for an artist talk from Dylan Hausthor, whose exhibition, What The Rain Might Bring, will be on view at Blue Sky from My 2 to Jun 1.

This artist talk will take place on Zoom.

Celebrate May the 4th and Sol Neelman’s exhibition Weird Sports at Blue Sky Gallery with an artist talk, book signing, lightsaber classes, and photo op with the Unipiper.

This is an in-person event, masks are encouraged.

At 1PM, Sol will be at the gallery to have a virtual fireside chat about his photo book series with BFF and D.C. photographer, Melissa Lyttle. Following that, Sol will answer your questions and sign copies of his latest book, More Weird Sports. There will be two 45-minute lightsaber tutorials, one beginning at 2PM and the other at 4PM. Each session is limited to 24 students. Lightsabers will be provided for the class. Kids 13-17 may participate with an adult (18+) parent / guardian. Reservations can be made by clicking the button above. Come dressed up as your favorite Star Wars character and have your photo taken with Portland’s favorite unicycling bagpiper. The Unipiper will make his appearance at 3PM.

We suggest a $10 donation per lightsaber student reservation.

We look forward to your attendance, and of course, May the Force be with you!

Event Timeline 

1 - 1:45 PM

In-Person Artist Talk with Sol Neelman and D.C. Photographer Melissa Lyttle (Zoomed in)
&
Book Signing

2 - 2:45 PM

First Lightsaber Class (24 Spots Available)

3 - 4 PM

Unipiper Performance/Photo Op

4 - 4:45 PM

2nd Lightsaber Class (24 Spots Available)