first thursday street gallery

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By: Teresa Bergen

From April to October, the First Thursday Street Gallery takes over a few blocks of NW 13th in Portland’s Pearl District. The street is closed to cars and filled with art. This gallery is one of the best places in the city to shop for art, handmade jewelry, and clothes directly from the artists.

The Street Gallery has been setting up in Portland’s better weather months for more than a decade now. A small group of hardcore regulars vend their wares each time, regardless of rain or wind. If you go on a sunny summer evening, you’ll see the most art. On a good night in July, thousands of art lovers, browsers, and even a few dog walkers parade through.

A few standouts include the saturated colors and stark tree silhouettes of painter Jennifer Kapnek, Brian Echerer’s wall pieces and sculptural works made from recycled bicycle parts, and Skyler McCaughey’s wrist cuffs bearing impressions of ferns and other native Oregon plants.

Prices range from a few bucks for greeting card prints of work to more expensive, higher-end art pieces. Most vendors take credit cards. Wear comfortable shoes and prepare to meet lots of artists. The street gallery operates from 5 to 10 p.m.

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