Look With Me Offers 20-Minute Guided Art Conversations

The Portland Art Museum is hosting “Look With Me,” a series of 20-minute, drop-in conversational sessions designed to slow the pace of gallery visits by focusing on a single artwork at a time. These guided discussions occur every 30 minutes from Noon to 2 p.m., inviting visitors to notice details often missed during a standard walkthrough.

By limiting the scope to one piece of art for a short duration, the program aims to spark questions and incorporate the perspectives of the visitors themselves, rather than relying solely on a lecture-style delivery from a guide.

Scheduled Gallery Conversations

The program utilizes volunteer guides to lead groups through specific works across different levels and wings of the museum. The schedule for these sessions is structured as follows:

12:00 p.m.: Hoshino Satoru, Spring Snow No. 12 (Rothko Pavilion, Level 2, Grand Gallery 200)
12:30 p.m.: Florine Stettheimer, Portrait of My Teacher, Fräulein Sophie von Prieser (South Wing, Level 2, Gallery 202)
1:00 p.m.: Phyllis Yes, Dusty Cleaning the Tub (South Wing, Level 2, Gallery 207)
1:30 p.m.: Tim Leura Tjapaltjarri and Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri, Spirit Dreaming Through Napperby Country (South Wing, Level 1, Schnitzer Courtyard)

Visitors can participate in a single session or remain for multiple rotations. The museum indicates that signs are posted within the galleries to alert guests to the start of these conversations.

Museum Integrates ASL Interpretation for Inclusive Art Conversations

The museum has integrated specific accessibility measures to ensure the conversations are inclusive of the Deaf and hard-of-hearing community. On the third Sunday of each month, the program expands into “Look With Me + Art in ASL.”

During these monthly events, the museum alternates the leadership of the sessions; some are led in American Sign Language (ASL) and others in English. Regardless of the primary language of the leader, every session on these designated Sundays includes full ASL/English interpretation.

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