Best Walls in Portland, OR.

Being a PDX native, I’ve seen Portland street art blossom into an expectation around every corner. New murals are constantly popping up throughout this artsy city, and I’ve wandered around and compiled a list of the best [Instagrammable] walls in PDX.  Whether you live in town or are just visiting the Rose City, be sure to check out some of these listed spots for your next photoshoot or to add some artistic pizazz to your Insta!

Note that my list doesn’t include ALL of the gorgeous public artwork in Portland; there are so many and I had to narrow down the list to my personal favorites. But if I’ve missed a spectacular spot or if you have a favorite mural that’s not listed please share in the comments below!

To help locate each of these amazing walls, I created a map for reference. Most can be found in inner-city Portland, but one requires a trip out to the suburbs (Beaverton, lol).

I also recently decided that I was going to try and give YouTube a shot, so I made a fun video to go along with this post. It’s my very first video, so let me know what you think and I hope you enjoy!

1. Woodstock Street Art Project

A collection of three murals all near the corner of SE 46th & Woodstock. The half mandala is outside of Red Fox Vintage. The other two murals not pictured can be found outside of Delta Cafe and next to Cloud City Ice Cream.

2. Graffiti Wall – The Drawing Studio

This wall takes first prize in my book. I was on my way to a completely different wall when I stumbled upon this gigantic graffiti mural outside of The Drawing Studio on SE 36th & Division. And it looks fantastic in Portrait Mode.

3. Blue Brick Wall

On SE 36th & Hawthorne right next to Red Light, across from the Waffle Window. While simple, the turquoise color of this wall is spectacular and really makes any subject pop without being too distracting.

4. Hawthorne Arrows

You can find these decorative arrows on SE Hawthorne in the middle of the block between 9th & 10th. Art by Blaine Fontana.

5. Dumbbell PDX

This building, which takes up a whole block on NE 3rd & Couch/Burnside, was completed near the end of 2017 and was “designed for taking risks, keeping it real, and making cool stuff together.” Makes sense that the exterior would have a whimsical pattern in bright, bold colors. Wander around the whole block to find the best backdrop for you. (Below one is in shade, one in sun).

6. Zoom Care Hand & Nest Mural

Found on NE Hoyt between Grand & MLK on the wall of a Zoom Care. Art by Blaine Fontana.

7. Nike World Campus – NYC Garage

If you’re willing to take a short drive out to Nike World Campus in Beaverton, you’ll find some amazing walls at the brand-new NYC parking garage that opened Jan 2018. Nike brought in international artists to create a graffiti montage of over 15 murals for the new garage. See my video or click here to see them all, below are my top favorites. To get to this garage, just turn into Nike campus off of Walker Road and you can’t miss the structure. Walk through it to find the murals on the first and ground floors outside.

8 – 12 ALBERTA DISTRICT

The Alberta District is one of Portland’s most artistic neighborhoods, featuring numerous sculptures, painted trash cans, art studios and some of PDX’s most well-known murals. You could spend a whole day walking up and down NE Alberta and not see every single piece of street art. Here are the ones you definitely don’t want to miss.

8. Community Cycling Center

You’ll easily spot this giant colorful mural on NE 17th & Alberta. Lead artist Robin Corbo.

Want more street art? Check out my post on Best Murals of Nashville

9. To Oregon With Love

This mural on NE 22nd & Alberta is a close second favorite of mine, the color scheme is so bold and retro. I’m especially drawn to the sections pictured below with the colorful triangles and the Oregon skull. Art by Blaine Fontana.

10. Clary Sage Herbarium Flower Wall

Stunning whimsical flowers painted on the side of Clary Sage Herbarium on NE 29th & Alberta. Art by Jon Stommel & Travis Czekalski.

11. Baroque Rose Wall

On NE 23rd & Alberta right next to Cruzroom (used to be an antique store that is now closed). Not the most detailed mural but I thought it made an amazing backdrop and it has a funky rustic vibe.

12. La Bonita Mural

Found on the side of La Bonita restaurant between 28th & 29th & Alberta. Don’t worry – even though it seems like you’re trespassing on someone’s private property to get up close to this mural, you’re not! The house next door is a business and they’re used to spectators snapping pics of this colorful, “bonita” wall. Art by Jon Stommel & Travis Czekalski.

Honorable Mention: 13. Keller Fountain (not a wall, but makes a killer backdrop)

This is a popular tourist attraction in PDX so it’s tough to get a good pic without people in the background, but it provides a really beautiful calming backdrop. Find this landmark on SW 3rd & Clay.

I had so much fun taking pictures and compiling content for this post. As mentioned above, if you have a favorite Instagrammable wall or mural in PDX that didn’t make it onto my list, please share with me! Maybe I’ll compile enough to make a Part 2 🙂

And as always, thank you for reading! XOXO

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