Oregon Experience: The Art Makers

Timeline: Important Dates In Oregon Art History 1847-1959

From Ginny Allen and Jody Klevit, Oregon Painters: The First Hundred Years, 1859–1959 (Portland: Oregon Historical Society Press, 1999)
1847
Nancy M. Thornton teaches the region's first art classes in Oregon City.
1856
Washington County Agricultural Society sponsors the region’s first exhibition with award categories in art.
1859
Benton and Linn County Fairs begin recording exhibit award recipients, leaving the earliest record of artists' names.
1860
Willamette University offers the first college art classes in the Pacific Northwest.
1861
State Agricultural Society sponsors the first Oregon State Fair. This fair provided early opportunities for public art and photography exhibitions, awards, and recognition.
1863
Portland City Directories begin publishing artist listings.
1867
William T. Shanahan, thought to be the first art dealer in the Pacific Northwest, opens the Shanahan Galley.
1874
Thaddeus Welch travels to Europe to study, making him the first Oregon artist to study art abroad.
1875-91
The West Shore magazine begins publication with a staff of professional artists.
1877
Portland public schools offer first art courses.
1877-78
The Portland Mechanics Fair is established. This fair not only featured local artwork, but also included internationally known artists.
1885
The Portland Art Club is established, forming the first organization of artists in the Pacific Northwest.
1886
The Portland Library Association acquired Edward Espey’s Repose. It is the first work of an Oregon artist to be purchased by an Oregon civic organization. Repose is currently housed in the Central Library.
1888
The Skidmore Fountain, by Olin Warner, is Oregon’s first public art. The fountain sits at SW 1st and SW Ankeny in Portland.
1889
The Oregonian employs Edgar Felloes as its full-time staff illustrator.
The Eastern Oregon District Agricultural Society holds its first fair in Baker County.
1890
The first Southern Oregon Agricultural Fair is held in Central Point.
1892
The Portland Art Association is founded.
1895
The Portland Art Museum opens its doors, becoming the first art museum in the Pacific Northwest.
The Portland Sketch Club is founded. It later became the Oregon Art Students League.
The Oregon Art Association is formed.
1898
Pacific Monthly, a magazine highlighting art and literature, is established. It merged with Sunset magazine in 1911.
1905
The Lewis and Clark Centennial and American Pacific Exposition and Oriental Fair is held in Portland. The Fine Arts Exhibit featured international masterwork paintings of Barbizon, Impressionist, and other schools.
1907
The Arts and Crafts Society and School in Portland is founded.
1907-41
The Spectator magazine is established in Portland.
1908
The Portland Art Association purchases its first oil painting, Afternoon Sky, Harney Desert, by Childe Hassam.
1911
The Circle A Art Club is founded.
1912
The Society of Oregon Artists is formed.
1913
Selections from the New York Armory Show are featured at the Portland Art Museum, including Duchamp’s Nude Descending A Staircase.
1913-14
The School of Architecture and Allied Art is established at the University of Oregon.
1914
The Mutual Art Association is established.
1915
The Panama-Pacific International Exposition, which featured an exhibit of Oregon Painters, is held in San Francisco.
1919
The Salem Art League is founded.
1923
The Futurism exhibit at the Portland Art Museum features works by Picasso, Matisse and other examples of modern art.
The Portland Art Commission is established.
1925-70
The Attic Club is formed.
1926
The Oregon Society of Artists is established; First annual exhibit is held in 1927.
1930
The University of Oregon establishes its Museum of Art.
The American Artists Professional League establishes Portland and Oregon chapters.
1932
The Portland Art Museum Building, designed by Pietro Belluschi, opens to the public.
1933
The American Artists Professional League sponsors American Art Week in Portland. This later becomes a statewide, and then national, event.
The Public Works of Art Project begins in Oregon.
1935
The Works Progress Administration creates the Federal Art Project (FAP) in Oregon.
Fire destroys the State Capitol building in Salem, including the artwork inside.
Southern Oregon Art Association is established in Medford.
1936
The Skidmore Fountain Artists Association is established.
1937
The Oregon Ceramic Studio is established in Portland. It later merged with the Contemporary Crafts Gallery.
Timberline Lodge opens to the public, featuring the work of Oregon artists.
1941
The Lincoln County Arts Center is established at DeLake.
1944
The Oregon Guild of Painters and Sculptors is formed.
1949
The Eugene Art Center opens. It later becomes the Maude Kerns Art Center.
1950
The Coos Artist League is founded. The group later established the Coos Art Museum.
1951
The Oregon Art Alliance is established in Portland.
The Oregon chapter of the Artist Equity is formed.
1957
The Master Watercolor Society of Oregon is formed.
1958-62
The New Gallery of Contemporary Art opens in Portland.
1959
The Rental Sales Gallery opens in the Portland Art Museum.
Oregon’s Centennial is celebrated with statewide art exhibitions and gallery shows.
About the Program
Explore the art and the artists that paved the way for today's Oregon art scene
Gallery
Browse the artwork featured in the program
Timeline
Review a timeline of significant dates in Oregon art history
Essay
Read Roger Hull's essay on "Region, Expression, and 'Oregon Art' -- 1930-1970"
Program Credits

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