Portland Art Museum Rothko Pavilion | Complete

[maccoinnich]

Portland Art Museum expansion will restructure its galleries, unveil nearly 300 unseen pieces



When the Portland Art Museum wraps up its $111 million campus expansion project next year, it won’t just be unveiling 95,000 square feet of upgraded space. It’ll also debut a brand new layout and nearly 300 unseen pieces by both Portland locals and international artists.

The project, which has been in the works since 2023, will transform the museum into a cultural centerpiece of downtown Portland by linking its two existing buildings (the Main Building and Mark Building) with a 22,000-square-foot glass pavilion.

Named for Latvian-born, Portland-raised painter Mark Rothko, the pavilion will increase accessibility between all four floors of gallery space. It’ll sit between plazas on its west and east side, creating two entrances and featuring new art like Swiss sculpture Ugo Rondinone’s “the sun.”

...continues at the Portland Art Museum.

[maccoinnich]

Construction update: Rothko Pavilion at the Portland Art Museum



Behind the fences at the Portland Art Museum, crews from Mortenson and a constellation of subcontractors are preparing to install seismic joints, floor-to-ceiling glass and elevators that will serve future patrons of the Portland Art Museum.

Construction workers are racing to get “dried in,” with a roof installed against Portland’s seldom-absent rain. For now, workers have installed temporary roof drains to direct rainwater away.

“Until you get dried in, until you get the roof on, that’s really the biggest problem,” said Jonathan Cruz, a Mortensen superintendent on the project.

The Rothko Pavilion project is a $141 million effort to knit together the museum’s two historic buildings with a modern glass plaza. It’s been years in the making, with a fundraising push that began in 2016.

A topping-out ceremony was held in July, and museum officials hope to open Rothko Pavilion in late 2025 (the museum remains open to visitors throughout construction). In the interim, museum and construction officials last week granted the DJC a behind-the-scenes look at the active construction project in downtown Portland.

...continues at the DJC ($).

[maccoinnich]

November 20th

Renovated Portland Art Museum finally has its fall opening date



After two years of careful curation and construction, the Portland Art Museum will debut its newly transformed campus this November.

The $111 million expansion project — which includes 95,000 square feet of new or upgraded space, restructured galleries and nearly 300 never-before-seen pieces of art — has been in the works since 2023.

“PAM is an essential cultural lifeline for our region,” museum director Brian Ferriso said in a Thursday morning press release. “The new PAM will create a dynamic destination for the arts, reinvigorating our city and offering expanded opportunities to engage audiences with art from around Oregon, the Pacific Northwest, and the world.”

...continues at the Oregonian.

[urbanlife]

Can't wait for this to be done, the museum under construction is so frustrating to navigate.

[downtownpdx]

PAM announces Coquelico by Providore Fine Foods as the cafe for the transformed campus

August 7, 2025
https://portlandartmuseum.org/blog/coquelico-by-providore-cafe/

coquelico-west-975x500 by Ryan Miller, on Flickr

The Portland Art Museum (PAM) announced today a partnership with well-known Portland, Oregon, culinary marketplace Providore Fine Foods to open Coquelico (ko-KLEE-koh), the cafe for the Museum’s newly transformed campus that will be unveiled to the public this November. Providore is located on Northeast Sandy Boulevard and provides unique groceries from around the world and elevated food for dine-in or take-out. Coquelico, the new must-visit downtown dining destination, takes its name from the French word for a reddish-orange poppy flower and pays homage to the palettes of the famous color field paintings by artist Mark Rothko, whose history in Portland is commemorated with the Mark Rothko Pavilion—the centerpiece of PAM’s expansion and renovation project.

Coquelico will be an experiential, modern European bistro offering an inspired, simple menu with breakfast, lunch, and dessert, plus seasonal offerings and rotating dishes inspired by exhibitions at the Museum. It will also offer full coffee service all day, featuring iconic Portland roaster Spella Coffee, who has created a custom roast available only at Coquelico and Providore, with wine, beer, vermouth, and non-alcoholic cocktail options in the afternoon and early evening. Coquelico is slated to open in mid-September, in advance of the Museum’s grand campus reopening on November 20.
...

For Wellman, who co-owns Providore with her husband, Kevin de Garmo, the opportunity to be part of a flagship institution invigorating the downtown core was a key part of their decision-making.

“I want to be part of people seeing downtown through a new lens. We want to show people, along with this spectacular remodel and reimagining of the museum, that Portland is not only an incredible, unique city, but one that stands tall during tough times,” Wellman said. “Museums are the cultural hubs of cities, and for us to be a part of the next chapter of PAM is super exciting.”

Coquelico will occupy a prime location on the Portland Art Museum’s new West Plaza with windows onto Southwest 10th Avenue and doors that open for al fresco dining and imbibing on the plaza. It is also adjacent to the brand-new Shop at PAM, which opens to the public on September 3. Together, the cafe and shop provide a continuous, flexible use space for Museum programs and rental events. The West Plaza, created by the addition of the Mark Rothko Pavilion, offers Museum entry from Southwest 10th Avenue, sculpture, and outdoor seating.

(continues)

[maccoinnich]

Indulge in a slice of ‘Rothko cake’ at Portland Art Museum’s new bistro-style café



Portland Art Museum’s soon-to-debut campus expansion honors once-local artist Mark Rothko in more than one way. Of course, there’s the project’s centerpiece: the 22,000-square-foot Rothko Pavilion that will offer museumgoers a glass passageway between buildings.

But for those who prefer to eat their art — perhaps, even, through a sugar-filled slice of Rothko-inspired cake — the museum has visitors covered in that arena, too.

Ahead of its full reopening in November — which will unveil 95,000 square feet of new or upgraded space and nearly 300 never-before-seen pieces of art — Portland Art Museum has been slowly rolling out some of its revamped areas. The remodeled gift shop opened earlier this month, and its new café is gearing up for a Sept. 20 soft opening.

Coquelico, the bistro-style museum café, comes as a partnership with Providore Fine Foods, the gourmet food market along Northeast Sandy Boulevard. Its menu pulls from a variety of European and Pacific Northwestern influences — but, most of all, from the art itself.

...continues at the Oregonian ($).

[maccoinnich]

With the Rothko Pavilion, the Portland Art Museum opens itself up to the city



Walking up downtown Portland’s Southwest 10th Avenue on a rainy late fall day, your head down against the wind, you might be surprised to see a reflection on the dark, wet bricks: A glint of sunlight, almost.

Look up.

A huge circle of gilded bronze, sculpted to look like tree branches bent into a perfect, spoke-less wheel, stands in front of the new Mark Rothko Pavilion. This is “the sun,” created in 2018 by Swiss sculptor Ugo Rondinone. It’s a bright light on a dark day and a glowing echo on a sunny day. Unlike the dark stone sculptures of historical figures that used to sit atop pedestals on the South Park Blocks, it’s warm no matter the weather, bouncing light instead of sucking it in.

And it is an aperture onto the pavilion, which connects disparate pieces and opens the Portland Art Museum to the city on all sides.

...continues at the Oregonian.

[urbanlife]

This is looking like a great expansion for the art museum and love this new sculpture. I got to see it close up during Bookfest

[downtownpdx]

Looks great, so much more of a presence now. Is the pavilion meant to be the main entrance now?