The Converge 45 Biennial Opens This August in Portland
There was a moment, years before the COVID-19 pandemic, when it felt like a new art biennial was popping up every week. Different cities, unique offerings, and the promise of innovation often summarized these ambitious events. With the advent of COVID, there seemed to be a fear surrounding how often people would travel once restrictions were lifted, and how this might influence the ways in which people would experience culture and art post-pandemic. Thankfully, the world is in a place where traveling is safer, but still, there still seems to be a lingering hesitation to restart the need for constant travel; people seem a bit more selective about where they should go, and which biennials and art fairs they should commit to visiting. A relatively new biennial in Portland, OR is making its case as a show that’s not to be missed.
Founded in 2015, Converge 45 has sought to celebrate the city’s vibrant arts scene, made up of new, smaller galleries and not-for-profit organizations, as well as established museums, by offering a biennial that is helping shed light on the wealth of world-class offerings throughout Portland. This is accomplished through key partnerships and inventive programs that engage in a city-wide cultural conversation between creative minds and incredible artists.
Their upcoming edition, entitled “Social Forms: Art as Global Citizenship” and organized by writer and curator Christian Viveros-Fauné, brings together a remarkable line-up of artists who are responding to the issues of their times through art, installations, and public works. Opening on August 24, 2023 the show will present a series of new commissions and major activations by more than 50 artists at 15 sites across the city of Portland.
We spoke with Converge 45 founder Liz Leach for an inside scoop into what to expect at this year’s edition, as well as some information about the history of this important organization that continues to innovate exciting programs throughout the city of Portland.
Sara Siestreem (Hanis Coos), “they would prefer to be a cloud, fastened to the rock,” 2013-2022, acrylic, graphite, Xerox transfer on panel board, 88 x 176 inches overall, photo by Mario Gallucci courtesy of the artist and Elizabeth Leach Gallery.
WHITEWALL: What was the impetus for creating Converge 45?
LIZ LEACH: Portland has a strong cultural ethos with a number of galleries and non-profit art institutions centered in the Pearl District near downtown and within walking distance of each other. The vibrant energy of the artists and arts organizations in Portland is inspiring. Artist-initiated spaces continue to emerge in Portland, primarily on the east side, such as SE Cooper Contemporary.
The more I traveled, the more I realized how rare it is now for a city, of any size, outside of New York City to have a core of visual arts organizations in the heart of a city. This realization motivated me to start Converge 45, art on the 45th parallel, to draw attention to the vibrant arts ecosystem of Portland and the surrounding region. The audience is multifold. First, to invite the residents of the city, many newcomers, to explore the region’s abundance in the visual arts. Second, to invite the art world to convene in Portland in August for opening weekend and beyond. Third, to create opportunities for artists and art students in the region to view the best contemporary art around. Overall, the experience in Portland in the summer and fall is sublime, with the proximity of nature in and near the city.
WW: Have the ideas and goals you set out for the organization changed over time, or have the artists and partners you’ve collaborated with over time influenced the way in which you have expanded the program?
LL: The goals and ideas for Converge 45 have remained true to the initial vision. Christian Viveros-Fauné is the third Guest Curator for Converge 45. Kristy Edmunds was the first, and Lisa Dent the second Guest Curator, which was interrupted by the pandemic.
The cycle of mounting an ambitious project that is city wide has influenced the timing of the exhibition to a longer engagement with the Guest Curator. The goal is to develop a rich relationship with the Guest Curator so that the artists, the art community benefit from this interaction as well as the artists in the exhibition who need time to create their work.
The collaborating institutions such as PICA, the Cooley at Reed College and numerous other non-profits have been generous in their partnership with Converge 45. Portland is and continues to be a very collaborative city in the arts.
Engaging the Portland Art Community with a Free, City-Wide Exhibition
WW: How important is community outreach and engagement, both to the organization as a whole as well as to each artist participating?
LL: Community outreach is critical to the organization, our partners, and the artists in the exhibition. The city-wide exhibition is physically held in every quadrant of the city with the intention to reach into all areas of the city including the outer east side where we will support APANO with their newspaper publication and North Portland where Tavares Strachan and Sam Hamilton will exhibit at Oregon Contemporary. Beyond being physically inclusive we are reaching out to numerous schools including Portland Public Schools and all the higher educational institutions in the region as well to inform the students. Sam Hamilton’s project Te Moana Meridian which will be sited at Oregon Contemporary in North Portland interfaces with indigenous groups and the United Nations. There are also panel discussions and talks scheduled throughout the year that create opportunities to engage with multiple communities.
Richard Mosse, “Broken Spectre,” photo by Jack Hems, courtesy of the artist and Converge 45.
WW: When selecting artists to participate, how collaborative is the experience of producing works for the exhibition? Do you have an idea in mind for what an artist will contribute, or is it a bit more of a surprise what you’ll end up seeing in the end?
LL: This question is more appropriate for the Guest Curator. However, I do know that several of the artists commissioned for large-scale sculpture installations, including Malia Jensen and Marie Watt and a few others have been able to realize some ideas that these artists have long desired to make. I also am aware that there are multiple conversations between many of the artists and Christian Viveros-Faune and Converge 45’s Artistic Director, Derek Franklin. The process is very involved in some cases and lots of details to attend to!
The decision by Christian Viveros-Fauné, who has organized this next edition, to focus on the ways in which artists respond to the challenges of their time, feels particularly pressing in a city like Portland, which has been a hotbed for political turmoil, specifically over the last few years.
WW: Can you talk about working with Christian Viveros-Fauné on this project in this particular climate?
LL: Christian is the perfect guest curator for Converge 45 and Portland at this moment. His city-wide exhibition, Social Forms: Art As Global Citizenship, is engaging the community on many levels. The exhibition spotlights the ideas of the artists in the show, whether it be climate change which is addressed in Richard Mosse’s four-channel film Broken Spectre or addressing the horrors of war as in the work of Jorge Tacla shown at the Reser Art Center in Beaverton and Yishai Jusidman exhibiting at the Oregon Jewish Museum in the Pearl District; and, of course, the late Hung Liu’s mini-survey at the museum at Portland State University. Regional artists address the challenges in our city and many cities at this time and are featured in the group show at the Jordan D. Schnitzer warehouse space in WE ARE THE REVOLUTION.
Marie Watt, “Companion Species (Envelop),” 2021, vintage Italian glass beads, industrial felt, thread, 13.5 x 112 inches, photo by Kevin McConnell, courtesy of the artist and Converge 45.
Converge 45 Portland, Art on the 45th Parallel
WW: It seems like a differentiator between Converge 45 and other biennials is how it doesn’t just operate as a standalone show, but a city-wide initiative that seems a bit hard to simply define as an art exhibition. Is this intentional?
LL: The inspiration for Converge 45 is from European models such as the Skulptur Projekte in Munster, where one gets a map and bicycles around to discover the artworks all over the town and experience the city as well. Prospect in New Orleans is also a model. Prospect collaborates with the city’s museums and outdoor spaces to mount exhibitions of importance. In both instances and in Converge 45, viewers get a broader feeling of a place than if an exhibition was mounted in one interior space.
WW: What are some of the unique qualities of Portland and its art scene that make it an exciting place to visit?
LL: Portland is much like a European city. One can land at our airport, take light rail into the heart of the city center, and walk everywhere. The blocks are 200 feet long and designed for walking. Nature is close by with forest park, the largest urban park in the country, and with the urban growth boundary we have an abundance of riches in weekly farmers markets throughout the urban core. This lush urban environment is complemented by a vibrant cultural community with numerous events such as literary readings, art openings, music and dance performances. Gardens such as the world class Japanese Garden, Lan Su, the walled Chinese Garden, the Rose Garden along with the proverbial stop at Powell’s bookstore, the largest independent bookstore in America, create an enriching experience.
WW: I’m sure it’s impossible to pick, but are there any projects you are most excited for this year?
LL: I am very excited about the Tavares Strachan neon piece One Hundred More Fires showing at Oregon Contemporary and also Malcolm Peacock’s interactive piece at SE Cooper Contemporary as well as the group shows at Parallax, Stelo Arts, and PNCA, and the paintings by Jessie Murry curated by Lisa Yuskavage and Jarrett Earnest, at the Cooley Gallery at Reed College.
WW: How might you define success for this next iteration of the biennial?
LL: For me, the success of this Converge 45 is to see the light go on in people about the significance of art in our world; for people to experience art as a way to confront pressing contemporary issues, to open hearts and minds, and create economic pathways to success. Connecting people to art is what motivates me. Hopefully reaching young people at schools like Rosemary Anderson and creating opportunities for them as well as creating opportunities for the artists featured in the exhibition.
Locating Portland as a significant center for relevant conversions about art in the world would be an achievement.
