The Portland Art Museum
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Recently, Paul and I decided we needed to travel more and explore the Pacific Northwest. We both scoured the internet looking for somewhere to go with the kids that was within driving distance of our Washington home.
I knew exactly where I wanted to go when I started looking for an art museum field trip.
Portland!
The Portland Art Museum is hosting an Andy Warhol exhibit from October 8, 2016-January 1, 2017. We spent all of our art time in October learning about Andy Warhol and pop art so this was a perfect weekend trip for our family.
I like to review field trips so that I can hopefully help other parents. I can’t be the only parent that googles field trip locations looking for tips and suggestions!
Portland Art Museum with Kids
Parking
It was surprisingly easy to find a parking space right next to the Portland Art Museum. There is street parking directly in front of the museum, but there is also a parking lot off to the side. There were many spots available around noon on a Saturday, which was completely unexpected! We paid $8 to park all day.
I will note that there seems to be a large population of homeless people that congregate at the park across the street. One lady was clearly mentally ill and began yelling at me while I was paying for parking. She wasn’t wearing any pants…so that was interesting.
This seems to be fairly standard for all large cities lately, not just Portland. Just keep your kids nearby and watch your surroundings.
Cost
Adult tickets cost $19.99. Children under 18 are admitted free. There are occasionally days that are free or have reduced pricing, so check out the events calendar before you go.
Scavenger Hunt
I created a Portland Art Museum Scavenger Hunt for my kiddos. It gave them a list of 14 things to find. Looking at art can seem like an abstract thing to do for kids, but having a specific task helps keep boredom away. I created this scavenger hunt for use in the Portland Art Museum, but really it can be used in any art museum. Print a copy of the scavenger hunt from the Scavenger Hunt Bundle post.
Andy Warhol Exhibit
I thought this exhibit was fantastic. The collection contains roughly 250 pieces of artwork – everything from small doodlings of shoes to the iconic Campbell’s Soup Can prints. It was really neat to see so many familiar pieces of art in person. The artwork was much larger than I expected.
Andy Warhol’s version of pop art reminds me of a newspaper from that time period. There is art that looks like an advertisement, such as the Campbell’s Soup Cans. There is art that shows movie stars, such as the Marilyn Monroe art. Then there is the political art. The Portland Art Museum Andy Warhol exhibit houses political works such as Race Riot, Electric Chair, and Flash-November 22, 1963. Political art provides a chance to touch on history while observing art.
I will offer one caution. On the second floor, right off of the Andy Warhol exhibit, is a room with sexually explicit artwork. Thankfully, there is a sign at the entrance to the room so we did not go into that room by mistake. Unfortunately, two explicit sketches are visible from the Andy Warhol exhibit. My children definitely noticed and commented on those works of art. Once I knew it was there, I was able to distract the kids when we walked by again. I definitely wouldn’t avoid the Portland Art Museum because of this; just be aware that this room exists.
Rest of the Museum
The Portland Art Museum is huge. The museum is technically two buildings that are connected by an underground link. The buildings flow well, though.
We started out at the top of the Main Building and worked our way down. Then we crossed over to the Mark Building and worked our way up. We let the kids set the pace, and we saw almost everything in about 2 hours. The kids did not linger. They kept moving most of the time. Occasionally we would call them over to a painting to discuss technique or themes, but in general we followed the kids’ lead.
The Portland Art Museum is home to many types of art. There is everything from Asian art (with samurai armor), English Silver, Native American art, European art, Impressionism, Modern art, and Photography. We even saw an exhibit about how deaf people can feel music through art.
There is a gift shop located on the first level of the Main Building. There are a few postcards, prints, jewelry, and books available for sale. They do have a children’s section, but you can find most of those items cheaper on Amazon. The gift shop is perfect though if your child wants to sketch a work of art and you forgot the sketch pad and pencils.
My favorite part of the gift shop was the Andy Warhol display. Did you know there is an Andy Warhol puzzle? It is stored in a soup can replica. There is also a Where’s Warhol book that I love. It is like Where’s Waldo, but with Andy Warhol.
Portland Art Museum Tips:
- There is a restroom on every floor of the Main Building, but they are tucked away and hard to find. There are no bathrooms in the Mark Building except on the underground link.
- Read Uncle Andy’s: A Faabbbulous Visit with Uncle Andy before your trip. This picture book is the perfect introduction to Andy Warhol.
- Bring your camera! The Portland Art Museum allows photography of most of the artwork as long as you do not use the flash.
- Remind your kids of proper art museum etiquette before arriving. The staff at the Portland Art Museum are friendlier than at other art museums we have visited, but you still want to be a good guest. That means no running, no touching, and no food or drinks in the galleries.
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