About

The Front & Center Galleries at MAC serve as an educational venue for the public and a supportive environment for artists to share their work. Artists who show here are residents of Oregon and southwest Washington. The exhibition calendar is created via an annual Call for Art. 

History
 

The Multnomah Arts Center has operated a regional gallery since 1982. With support from the community, the original space underwent significant renovations in 2013. In 2024, MAC created an additional exhibition space in the main lobby of the building. The two exhibition spaces were named the Front & Center Galleries. 

Guiding Principles

We work with artists across differences in age, gender, ethnicity, race, language, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, ability, and socio-economic status.

Artists are selected to exhibit based on the merit of their work. They may be just starting out, or may have been exhibiting professionally for years. Should they wish to sell their work as part of the exhibition, they retain 65% of any sales they make. The remaining 35% is used by MACA, our volunteer-run nonprofit organization, to support arts access.

Calls for Art are free. No application fee is charged to participate. Other barriers to participation are addressed wherever possible.

The community shapes the exhibition calendar and related programming. Each year, two regional curators are invited to collaborate with MAC’s gallerist in reviewing applications from the Call for Art. They also co-curate a group exhibition with the theme of their choosing. These two community members are chosen based on their commitment to the arts and connection to their communities. MAC prioritizes working with people who have lived experiences that are historically under and/or misrepresented in mainstream art spaces.

Gallery hours

Monday – Thursday, 9 AM – 9:30 PM; Friday – Saturday 9 AM – 5 PM; closed on Sunday.

Contact

For more information, please email gallery@multnomahartscenter.org or call MAC at 503-823-2787.

The Front & Center Galleries at MAC serve as an educational venue for the public and a supportive environment for artists to share their work. Artists who show here are residents of Oregon and southwest Washington. The exhibition calendar is created via an annual Call for Art. 

History
 

The Multnomah Arts Center has operated a regional gallery since 1982. With support from the community, the original space underwent significant renovations in 2013. In 2024, the Center created an additional exhibition space in the main lobby of the building. The exhibition spaces were names the Front & Center Galleries. 

Guiding Principles

We work with artists across differences in age, gender, ethnicity, race, language, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, ability, and socio-economic status.

Artists are selected to exhibit based on the merit of their work. They may be just starting out, or may have been exhibiting professionally for years. Should they wish to sell their work as part of the exhibition, they retain 65% of any sales they make. The remaining 35% is used by MACA, our volunteer-run nonprofit organization, to support arts access.

Calls for Art are free. No application fee is charged to participate. Other barriers to participation are addressed wherever possible.

The community shapes the exhibition calendar and related programming. Each year, two regional curators are invited to collaborate with the MAC gallerist in reviewing applications from that year’s Call for Art. They also co-curate a group exhibition with the theme of their choosing. These two community members are chosen based on their commitment to the arts and connection to their communities. MAC prioritizes working with people who have lived experiences that are historically under and/or misrepresented in mainstream art spaces.

Gallery hours

Monday – Thursday, 9 AM – 9:30 PM; Friday – Saturday 9 AM – 5 PM; closed on Sunday.

Contact

For more information, please email gallery@multnomahartscenter.org or call MAC at 503-823-2787.

(photograph at top) Amber K. Ball (Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians), pictured in this photo, was one of the featured artists in “Ancestors.” This group show was curated by Kanani Miyamoto and Steph Littlebird (Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde) in 2024. The photograph was taken by Joe Cantrell.

(photograph at top) Amber K. Ball (Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians), pictured in this photo, was one of the featured artists in “Ancestors.” This group show was curated by Kanani Miyamoto and Steph Littlebird (Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde) in 2024. The photograph was taken by Joe Cantrell.