Art Gym the Marylhurst University

The Marylhurst Art Gym is a non-​profit gallery with a lot of space and high ceilings that specializes in mid-​career regional artists. Visiting is free, but they close in Summer.
If you are an artist, scanning their shows is a good look at what other artists are doing. If you are a collector visiting from out of town, it’s worth a visit. You can see catalogs of earlier shows and see what’s cool. They are unique in having the same curator for 30 years.
They are trying to show more younger emerging artists too. For instance a recent show had musician and illustrator Julianna Bright. They have a big space for installations, which is totally impractical for your home, even most galleries. One such installation had all the possessions of an artist’s relative, some remade or altered by the artist:
. The same show had all the items that survived a house fire that destroyed the artists’ home. So yes, this runs to contemporary art, and if you don’t think it’s art, «I could do that myself», that’s fine, but I’ve found almost every show I’ve seen there very good.
Many of the artists shown here have out of town representation, almost all in town representation. More than a few have shown at noted competitive biennials or internationally. So if you need a rundown of the history of contemporary art in Portland, peruse the library of documentation and talk to the curator.
Great repurposing of a gym to art. Especially since I always was bored in school gym class. Good to wander over to the art department studios too if you are there.