Portland Institute for Contemporary Art facts for kids
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| Established | 1995 |
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| Location | 15 NE Hancock St., Portland, Oregon, USA |
The Portland Institute for Contemporary Art (PICA) is an organization in Portland, Oregon that focuses on modern art. It shows exciting new performances and visual art. PICA started in 1995.
Every September since 2003, PICA holds the annual Time-Based Art Festival (TBA). This festival brings together many types of art. You can see visual art, dance, theater, films, music, and more. Artists from Portland, across the U.S., and around the world share their work.
Contents
How PICA Started and Grew
PICA was founded in 1995 by Kristy Edmunds. At first, PICA didn't have its own building. Instead, it used different empty spaces or rented places all over Portland. This way, PICA could bring art to many parts of the city.
For seven years, PICA put on yearly performance shows. A fun event during this time was the Dada Ball. This was a costume party fundraiser held in different vacant buildings.
PICA's offices moved a few times. From 1995 to 2001, they were at Boora Architects. Then, they moved to the Wieden+Kennedy headquarters. PICA stayed there until 2012. They even had a special art space there for a few years.
The Time-Based Art Festival
In September 2003, PICA started its big annual event. This was the Time-Based Art Festival, or TBA. It's a ten-day festival that shows modern performance and visual art. It's similar to big art festivals in places like Edinburgh.
The TBA Festival continued PICA's idea of using many different places. It used venues all over the city. One famous spot was the old Washington High School building.
In 2012, PICA moved to a new space on Southwest 10th Avenue. This new place was special. It served as offices, a library, and also a gallery or performance space when needed.
Then, in 2016, PICA got a wonderful gift. A donor gave them a 20-year, rent-free lease on a large building. This new building is in Northeast Portland. PICA started using this space for the 2016 TBA Festival. It became a box office, performance venue, and gallery. In 2017, PICA's main offices also moved to this new, renovated building.
PICA's Leaders Over Time
Kristy Edmunds, who started PICA, left in 2005. She went on to lead other big art festivals. After her, two guest artistic directors, Mark Russell and Cathy Edwards, helped lead PICA until 2011.
Angela Mattox became PICA's permanent artistic director in 2011. She led the Time-Based Art Festival for six years. She left PICA in 2017.
On November 28, 2017, PICA announced its new artistic directors. These were Roya Amirsoleymani, Erin Boberg Doughton, and Kristan Kennedy. They had all worked at PICA for a long time in different roles.
What PICA Shows and Does
PICA presents many different kinds of art. It shows both performances and visual art. It also hosts educational events for the public. These include talks, discussions, and workshops led by artists.
Amazing Performances
PICA has shown works by many famous performance artists and musicians. Some of these include Philip Glass, Laurie Anderson, and Marina Abramović.
PICA used to have regular performance seasons. But when the Time-Based Art Festival started in 2003, the seasonal shows stopped. PICA still presents some performances throughout the year, outside of the festival.
Exciting Visual Art
PICA has also shown art by well-known visual artists. These include William Pope.L, Francis Alÿs, and Carlos Motta. Since 2005, Kristan Kennedy has been in charge of PICA's visual art programs.
Like its performances, PICA's visual art shows often moved around. For a few years, from 2000 to 2004, PICA had a gallery space. This was inside the Wieden+Kennedy Building. During that time, artists like Janine Antoni showed their work there.
Since 2006, the Time-Based Art Festival has included visual art. This part of the festival is called "On Sight." These exhibitions often feature art that involves performance or isn't shown in a typical gallery. The "On Sight" shows usually stay open for a few weeks after the festival ends. For example, in 2016, the "Makeup on Empty Space" exhibition featured videos, performance art, and an artist residency.
Learning and Community Programs
PICA offers many programs for learning and connecting with the community. These often go along with the art shows.
The Institute and Field Guide
As part of the annual TBA Festival, PICA has a special program called "the Institute." This brings together festival artists, experts, and writers. They have workshops, discussions, and talks. Since 2013, there's also the "Field Guide" series. In this series, experts help the public explore specific performances or programs in depth.
Precipice Fund: Helping Artists
In 2011, PICA started a program to help small art projects. It's called the Precipice Fund. This fund gives money to artists for their visual art projects. These are projects that might not get funding in other ways. PICA started giving out these grants in 2013. By 2016, the fund had given over $225,000 to 57 different projects.
The Resource Room
Since 2000, PICA's offices have included a public library called the Resource Room. This room has over 4,000 art books and magazines. It also has videos of PICA's art shows from its 20-year history. From 2012 to 2015, artists could even do special projects in the Resource Room.
