Current & upcoming shows
September 18 - October 17, 2026
Front & Center Galleries
A Good Universe Next Door – A redacted past, a precarious present, and an uncertain future
Curated by Melanie Stevens and Celeste Noche, featuring new work by Amber Capwell, Ebony Frison, Maryanna Hollomon and Orlando Almanza.
Opening Reception: Saturday, September 19, from 1–3 p.m.
Artist Talk: Saturday, October 10 at 2 p.m.
“In the midst of a redacted past, a precarious present, and an uncertain future, we invited four Portland-based artists to reflect on the ways in which they experience and interpret utopia/dystopia in their lives: the dichotomy between the devastating and the extraordinary, systemic barriers and reparations, and how these delineations function within their existence.” – Celeste Noche & Melanie Stevens
Orlando Almanza imagines futures built on safety, connection, and community. “I dream of a place where my people can have picnics next to the river, to rest, to laugh,” he writes. “Sueño con el día que pueda ver a mi familia reunida, en la tierra que nos vio nacer” (I dream that one day my family can be reunited, in the land that birthed us).
Ebony Frison approaches utopia and dystopia as “conditions that coexist within the same historical moment.” Working with archival research, printmaking, photography, and artist books, Frison examines how Black histories persist despite erasure, describing utopia as “a practice of rememory—an active engagement with ancestral knowledge, community care, and historical reclamation.”
Amber Capwell creates sculptural works that envision utopian possibilities through Tarot readings for endangered Pacific Northwest flora and fauna. “These sculptures exist as a reminder to care,” they write. Their work incorporates queer and trans identities as part of this ecological futurism that demands “a utopia existing where we are allowed to live and thrive.”
Maryanna Hollomon highlights the aftermath of war for children. “In this period of global capitalism we are faced with endless war and impending climate collapse,” she writes. “A utopia cannot be achieved without working in solidarity with those most oppressed,” she writes. Her work asks viewers to consider militarism’s impact and to imagine new forms of resistance and collective care.
Future Exhibits
2026
October 23 – November 28, 2026
Front Gallery – Lettie Jane Rennekamp
Center Gallery – The Reprintery (Charlotte Flory & Michelle Freedman)
Reception – Thursday, October 29, 6-8 p.m.
November 6 – December 31, 2026
Front Gallery – MAC Showcase, a group exhibition by MAC staff and instructors.
2027
January 15 – February 20, 2027
Front Gallery – Malini Gupta
Center Gallery – Chelsea Ferguson & Torea Frey
February 26 – April 3, 2027
Front & Center Galleries – A group show featuring artists from North Pole Studio & Elbow Room
April 9 – May 15, 2027
Front Gallery – Ajit Aserappa
Center Gallery – Baba Wague Diakite
May 21 – June 19, 2027
Front & Center Galleries – A group show curated by Midori Hirose & Master Artist Michael Bernard Stevenson Jr.
June 25 – July 31, 2027
Front Gallery – Avery Deering-Frank & Brittany Powell
Center Gallery – Biz Miller & Russ Musser
August 6 – September 11, 2027
Front & Center Galleries – a group show featuring photography by Zemula Barr, Willy Paul, Sophie Spinelle, Sonal Dhingra, Mika Martinez, Don Jacobson, Courtney Maulding & Benjamin Stewart.
September 17 – October 23, 2027
Front Gallery – Rachael Allen & Lael Salaets
Center Gallery – Just Listen, a group show by 50 artists from the Columbia Basin Basketry Guild and the Damascus Fiber Arts School
October 29 – November 27, 2027
Front Gallery – A group show by MAC staff & instructors. On display through 12/31.
Center Gallery – MAC Instructor Biennial Exhibition
2028
January 7 – February 12, 2028
Front & Center Galleries – A group show featuring textile and fiber arts by Anastacia Postema, Andrea Alonge, Hannah Kennedy, Hillary Gilbert, Mary Beth Giraci, Michelle Jackson, Mona Monroe & Nan Bobernac.
February 18 – March 25, 2028
Front Gallery – Joy Cartier
Center Gallery – Keith Van Norman
March 31 – May 6, 2028
Front Gallery – Elizabeth Laskey
Center Gallery – Nancy C. Helmsworth