Black Lives Matter art in Portland, Oregon

The Thompson Elk sculpture, one of the most visible public artworks in Portland, located near frequent protests at the Multnomah County Justice Center, was removed for its protection. The elk has been used since as an antifascist symbol, perhaps most visibly in a sculpture dubbed "Nightmare Elk" erected in the Thompson Elk's place.[1]

The Trump Statue Initiative performed several "statues" at Tom McCall Waterfront Park in summer 2020.[1]

Portrait of Breonna Taylor and other murals on the exterior of Pioneer Place

Mural of Claudette Colvin in downtown Portland

Emma Berger painted portraits on boards protecting windows of Apple Pioneer Place (Southwest Yamhill Street and Fifth Avenue). She started with one of Floyd on June 1, 2020, and worked to recruit other artists and protesters to participate. A portrait of Ahmaud Arbery was added outside the store.[3] In the Pioneer Place vicinity, portraits depicted Kendra James, Deontae J. Keller, and Jason Washington, all of whom were shot to death by Portland Police Bureau officers, as well as Tony McDade and Anton Sterling, who were killed by officers in Tallahassee and Baton Rouge, respectively. Portraits of Rayshard Brooks, Elijah McClain, and Breonna Taylor also appeared.[3]

Mexican artist and mother Xochilt Ruvalcaba was commissioned by Lisa Schroeder, the owner of Mother's Bistro to paint a series of murals dedicated to Floyd and seven Black children who were killed by police, including Trayvon Martin and Tamir Rice.[5] Next to the portraits Ruvalcaba described the circumstances of their deaths.[6] Ruvalcaba’s mural of the words “All Mothers were summoned when he called out to his mama” became the slogan of Moms United for Black Lives, who wore bright yellow T-shirts with the words “Summoned Mama - Black Lives Matter” to protests.[7]

After someone tagged the Imago Dei nondenominational church in the Buckman neighborhood with the phrase "Black Lives Matter" on June 3, staff member and artist Heidie Ambrose converted the graffiti into a larger "vibrantly colored" mural. The names of Black people who "died at the hands of systemic racism... police brutality, racial injustice or white supremacy" were painted on individual bricks, including locals as well as Arbery, Martin Luther King Jr., Taylor, and Emmett Till.[8][9] By August, the mural had become a memorial.[9] The church's associate pastor Michelle Jones said:

The mural is part of this often difficult, ongoing project. And as the conflict over the last month in Portland between federal agents and protesters has intensified, the artwork feels even more necessary... At Imago, we're trying to keep the main thing the main thing. I think that's also why the mural is there ― to remind those who see it that with so many things happening at the same time, justice matters. These people on this wall ― and people like them ― matter.[9]

The "Black Lives Matter" mural in St. Johns (July 23, 2020)

People writing text within the mural's yellow block letters

On June 18, Nick Lloyd painted the phrase "Black Lives Matter" in large bright yellow block letters on North Edison Street in St. Johns. Inspired by Washington, D.C.'s Black Lives Matter Plaza, the 336-foot (102 m) mural spanned an entire block,[10] and had "detailed historic facts about the treatment of minorities in Portland" written in smaller text within individual letters.[11] The following text appeared within the letter "B":

1800 – The Cowlitz people live nearby when the first Black visitor arrives in 1802. His name is York. He's on the Lewis and Clark expedition, and he's enslaved – William Clark has owned him since birth. These roads 1st appear on a map in 1865 – While Oregon has an annual tax on every nonwhite resident. Those who can't pay are forced to work for the state.[10]

Written on the letter "A" was "1923 — This neighborhood is 100% white. Over 9,000 belong to the KKK. The state bans Japanese and Chinese immigrants from owning property". A statement about when voters changed the Constitution of Oregon to eliminate the original ban on Black residents (2001) was written on one of the "T" letters, and another letter displayed the text "In 1988, PDX banks make only 9 mortgage loans in the district from Irvington to Woodlawn."[11]

Lloyd did not seek permission to paint the mural, and city officials did not plan to remove the artwork, as of June 25.[10] He said of his work:

We are all a part of history you can find your birth date somewhere between these letters and see that the story continues... I think we all make history, whether we mean to or not. All of us are part of the story of the rest of us. By relating the events of this area and this region to this very bit of ground, it highlights how much each of us has a choice in what we be a part of. We are all a part of a longer story. It started before us, it will continue after us and we only can control the portion that's in front of us.[10]

In August, local businessman and philanthropist Jordan Schnitzer announced a $150,000 Black Lives Matter grant program to award 60 artists in Oregon and Washington $2,500 each.[12][13] The program is accepting proposals "for new work or projects, or recently created work directly responding to the current Black Lives Matter movement, responding to marginalized communities; experiences with systemic racism and inequality" until September 30, and grant recipients will be announced on October 31.[14] Museums at Portland State University, University of Oregon, and Washington State University will each award 20 grants and display the newly created artworks upon reopening.[12][15] In a press release, Schnitzer said, "I have often said artists are chroniclers of our time. We all feel anguish about the death of George Floyd and many others at the hands of racial oppression. We, more than ever, need artists to help us understand this issue and help us heal."[14]