FROM THE DIRECTOR Welcome to the Fall edition of Portal. I am thrilled that we are able to share this magazine with you, our most loyal members. Thank you again for your ongoing belief in our Museum and Film Center, demonstrated by your unwavering support during this crisis. Because of your generosity, the Museum has been able not only to survive during this challenging time, but to move forward in presenting major exhibitions and important programs that had been planned before the pandemic—in particular, a pair of magnificent special exhibitions opening in October. Queen Nefertari’s Egypt, a beautiful exploration of a culture and time over 3,000 years ago, is an immersive experience of nearly 230 objects from the world-renowned Museo Egizio of Turin, Italy. The exhibition not only sheds light on the favored wife of Ramesses II—who called her “the one for whom the sun shines”—but also explores the Valley of the Queens, a site in Egypt where the wives of pharaohs were buried, and the many aspects of daily life of this time and place that continues to intrigue. Private Lives: Home and Family in the Art of the Nabis, Paris, 1889-1900 is a critically acclaimed exhibition organized and co-curated with profound scholarship and insight by Mary Weaver Chapin, the Museum’s Curator of Prints and Drawings. It presents major new acquisitions and loans from throughout the U.S. and Europe by the Nabis, a significant although not readily known group of postImpressionist artists who focused their vision inward into their domestic lives as a means to expressing their emotions and thoughts through their art. Though long planned, the many-faceted views of home life in Private Lives resonate even more deeply in this extended time of careful separation. Elsewhere in the Museum, Mesh continues our exploration of important contemporary Native artists who are challenging us to think more expansively and critically about the past and to see a future that celebrates the richness of Native American culture. APEX: Sharita Towne and A Black Art Ecology of Portland is a revelatory view into the work of artists and community organizations that, together with an adjacent community gallery expanding our robust partnership with The Numberz FM, broadens our appreciation and understanding of Black creative life in Portland and beyond. This diverse group of exhibitions showcases how art can help us not only fortify ourselves and our connections in this time, but strengthen our community’s creative vision as we rebuild for the future. Although the pandemic and the related Museum shutdowns have been a significant setback in all areas of our operations, there remains a powerful resilience among our staff and Board of Trustees to fulfill our mission and connect in more meaningful and deeper ways with our community. In particular, the logistics surrounding all of these exhibitions have been extremely complex and challenging, and I am so proud that we are able to realize our plans, thanks in large part to the tireless efforts of many who work behind the scenes, including our installation team, led by Matthew Juniper, and the collections and exhibitions team, led by Donald Urquhart and Julia Guariglia. A big thank you to them for their exceptional work. I very much hope you are able to visit and participate in all of these offerings as they continue to reinforce the power of art to connect us to our shared humanity.
Brian J. Ferriso Director and Chief Curator
BACK ROW, left to right: Arabella Mayrer, Assistant Preparator; Michael Smith, Creative Director; Anne Crouchley, Associate Registrar; Beckey Chapman, Assistant Preparator; Julia Guariglia, Exhibitions Registrar; Allison Dittmar, Assistant Registrar; Rosie Bergeron, Assistant Preparator; Evan Tewinkel, Preparator Supervisor; Annamarie Leon, Assistant Preparator. FRONT ROW, left to right: Matthew Juniper, Chief Preparator; Mary Weaver Chapin, Ph.D., Curator of Prints and Drawings; Brian Ferriso, Director and Chief Curator.
