Portland’s newest citywide art event, the Portland Art Open (PAO) takes place the last weekend ofvSeptember. 2008’s PAO includes more than 70 artists putting on their own exhibits and art parties at more than 30 locations around Portland. The Art Open is 100% open to the public and free to attend.

General hours are Friday, 9/26 from 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM, Saturday/Sunday 9/27 & 28 from 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM. Participating artists and their locations can be viewed online at PortlandArtOpen.org; guides and maps are free and will soon be available at locations TBD as well as at exhibit sites.

Started on a shoestring budget - the Portland Art Open differentiates itself from the other Portland art happenings. “We want PAO to bridge some of the divides in the Portland art scene by including a wide spectrum of artists and media. At the same time, we are not just replicating an arts & crafts fair, or something like TBA,” says the (anonymous) event cofounder. Both emerging and established artistswere selected; including visual, conceptual, performance, traditional and cutting-edge, young and old, insider and outsider. “We’re very excited to have many artists who’ve never shown their work in Portland before…” says the cofounder. This includes recent arrivals, artists from other states, as well as some PDX resident outsiders.

The Portland Art open is free, open to all, and is meant to be FUN. Although many artists will be selling work – as they would in a gallery setting – the focus is on artists exhibiting themselves (using their own ideas about their work and how to present it) as well as on exposing the public to what the Portland art scene has on offer. More enjoyable and inviting than a gallery visit, but a more professional presentation than a craft fair or studio tour, the idea is to make the art viewing experience pleasurable - a part of life.

Participants were chosen from large pool of applicants and include both Portland and Oregon-based artists (as well as a few from other states). Exhibits will be held at artists’ studios, homes, & galleriesas well at two event hubs – Milepost 5 and the new Voodoo Doughnuts, where large events with multiple artists, musicians and performers will be featured. In fact, according to the founder, “if Gavin Shettler of Milepost 5 hadn’t come through with his generous offer of exhibit space for 20 PAO artists, this event might not have happened.” The Voodoo Doughnuts (Too) event will feature live group painting, music and more, all delivered in very Voodoo style.

The organizers want to retain a Portland-feel. “It’s a DIY town – people here are different, varied, independent – we weren’t looking to put on a generic craft fair or something sterile or overly-curated.”

They hope the first annual Portland Art Open becomes a permanent and major part of Portland’s art scene.