Community Events
Window Into Solitary at The BLACK Gallery
Window Into Solitary
March 14 - April 30
___________
A photography exhibition sharing the stories of 17 people who survived solitary confinement, revealing the human cost of isolation.
Window Into Solitary is a photography exhibition that documents the lived experiences of 17 men and women who survived long-term solitary confinement. Through striking portraits and first-person testimony, the exhibition invites us to confront the human cost of isolation while honoring the resilience of those who endured it.
Each image is paired with powerful written reflections from participants about their time in solitary confinement and their perspectives on its widespread use across the U.S. carceral system. Together, these stories create a rare and urgent window into an often hidden reality.
This exhibition is presented in conjunction with Ending Isolation: The Case Against Solitary Confinement — a new book by Christopher Blackwell, Prof. Deborah Zalesne, Kwaneta Harris, and Dr. Terry Kupers. The book and exhibition together expose the cruel and unusual punishment faced by close to 125,000 people each day inside American prisons and call us to action.
Hosted by
The BLACK Gallery PDX: Don't Shoot Portland is an arts and education organization that promotes social justice and civic participation. Our mission is to harness the power of creative expression to inspire, educate, and mobilize communities towards equity, justice, and transformative social impact. The BLACK Gallery powered by DSPDX is an extension of this programming, centering art as activism to showcase underrepresented artists.
Look2Justice (Christopher Blackwell): Look2Justice provides peer-led civic education and empowerment programs to currently and formerly incarcerated people and their families. We work to empower directly impacted people with the skills and knowledge to navigate legislative, policy, and narrative change so that they may advocate on their own behalf.
Social Documentary Network / ZEKE Magazine (Glenn Ruga): Glenn Ruga is a photographer, graphic designer and curator. He founded the Social Documentary Network (SDN) as a web platform for a globalcommunity of documentary photographers to present their work online. As a photographer, he has created traveling and online documentary exhibits on the struggle for a multicultural future. In 2015, Ruga launched ZEKE: The Magazine of Global Documentary, a printand digital magazine published by SDN presenting the best stories from the Social Documentary Network.
Photography by
Deborah Espinosa (Seattle), Lori Waselchuk (Philadelphia), Brian Branch-Price (New York), Brian Frank (San Francisco)
Exhibition Details
Opening Reception on March 14 from 5-8pm // FREE RSVP
March 14, 2026 through April 30, 2026
Gallery hours are Thursday through Sunday from 12 to 5pm by appointment - please send an email to info@theblackgallerypdx.com to confirm your visit
Address: 916 NW Flanders St, Portland, OR 97209
Open Hours at the Black Cultural Library
Our reference library holds an expansive collection of rare and limited literary works from civil rights advocates, artists and scholars.
The Black Cultural Library will host open hours on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of every month, but is also available for groups or research appointments.
For more information or to schedule your visit outside of our open hours, please email blackmemorylab@dontshootpdx.org
Portland in Black: Free Archiving Workshop with Don't Shoot Portland!
Join us for a hands-on community archiving session to preserve personal and collective histories. In partnership with City of PDX Archives.
Archiving Is Resistance ✊🏾 Memory Work Matters!
Join us for a series of hands-on community archiving sessions to preserve personal and collective histories. Memory workers from Don’t Shoot PDX and the Portland City Archives will be on-site to offer guidance. Coffee and light refreshments provided.
☕️ Coffee and Collections
Saturday, May 23 from 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
The Black Memory & Preservation Lab
510 SW 3rd Avenue, Suite 400 | Portland, OR 97203
________________
Don’t Shoot Portland is an arts and education organization that promotes social justice and civic participation. Our mission is to harness the power of creative expression to inspire, educate, and mobilize communities towards equity, justice, and transformative social impact. The BLACK Gallery powered by DSPDX is an extension of this programming, centering art as activism to showcase underrepresented artists. @dontshootpdx @theblackgallerypdx
Open Hours at the Black Cultural Library
Our reference library holds an expansive collection of rare and limited literary works from civil rights advocates, artists and scholars.
The Black Cultural Library will host open hours on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of every month, but is also available for groups or research appointments.
For more information or to schedule your visit outside of our open hours, please email blackmemorylab@dontshootpdx.org
Open Hours at the Black Cultural Library
Our reference library holds an expansive collection of rare and limited literary works from civil rights advocates, artists and scholars.
The Black Cultural Library will host open hours on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of every month, but is also available for groups or research appointments.
For more information or to schedule your visit outside of our open hours, please email blackmemorylab@dontshootpdx.org
Juneteenth Fundraiser + Exhibit for Don't Shoot Portland!
Juneteenth Fundraiser + Exhibit for Don't Shoot Portland!
Come celebrate 10 years of advocacy with Don’t Shoot Portland with a live concert from LaRhonda Steele at Expensify in downtown Portland. Enjoy music, art and become acquainted with the work of this community-based organization. For 10 years, Don’t Shoot Portland has shown up for families experiencing violence and discrimination.
This fundraiser is determined to ensure the work continues.
Portland in Black: Free Archiving Workshop with Don't Shoot Portland!
Join us for a hands-on community archiving session to preserve personal and collective histories. In partnership with City of PDX Archives.
Archiving Is Resistance ✊🏾 Memory Work Matters!
Join us for a series of hands-on community archiving sessions to preserve personal and collective histories. Memory workers from Don’t Shoot PDX and the Portland City Archives will be on-site to offer guidance. Coffee and light refreshments provided.
☕️ Coffee and Collections
Saturday, June 27 from 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
The Black Memory & Preservation Lab
510 SW 3rd Avenue, Suite 400 | Portland, OR 97203
________________
Don’t Shoot Portland is an arts and education organization that promotes social justice and civic participation. Our mission is to harness the power of creative expression to inspire, educate, and mobilize communities towards equity, justice, and transformative social impact. The BLACK Gallery powered by DSPDX is an extension of this programming, centering art as activism to showcase underrepresented artists. @dontshootpdx @theblackgallerypdx
Open Hours at the Black Cultural Library
Our reference library holds an expansive collection of rare and limited literary works from civil rights advocates, artists and scholars.
The Black Cultural Library will host open hours on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of every month, but is also available for groups or research appointments.
For more information or to schedule your visit outside of our open hours, please email blackmemorylab@dontshootpdx.org
Open Hours at the Black Cultural Library
Our reference library holds an expansive collection of rare and limited literary works from civil rights advocates, artists and scholars.
The Black Cultural Library will host open hours on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of every month, but is also available for groups or research appointments.
For more information or to schedule your visit outside of our open hours, please email blackmemorylab@dontshootpdx.org
Portland in Black: Free Archiving Workshop with Don't Shoot Portland!
Join us for a hands-on community archiving session to preserve personal and collective histories. In partnership with City of PDX Archives.
Archiving Is Resistance ✊🏾 Memory Work Matters!
Join us for a series of hands-on community archiving sessions to preserve personal and collective histories. Memory workers from Don’t Shoot PDX and the Portland City Archives will be on-site to offer guidance. Coffee and light refreshments provided.
☕️ Coffee and Collections
Saturday, July 25 from 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
The Black Memory & Preservation Lab
510 SW 3rd Avenue, Suite 400 | Portland, OR 97203
________________
Don’t Shoot Portland is an arts and education organization that promotes social justice and civic participation. Our mission is to harness the power of creative expression to inspire, educate, and mobilize communities towards equity, justice, and transformative social impact. The BLACK Gallery powered by DSPDX is an extension of this programming, centering art as activism to showcase underrepresented artists. @dontshootpdx @theblackgallerypdx
Open Hours at the Black Cultural Library
Our reference library holds an expansive collection of rare and limited literary works from civil rights advocates, artists and scholars.
The Black Cultural Library will host open hours on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of every month, but is also available for groups or research appointments.
For more information or to schedule your visit outside of our open hours, please email blackmemorylab@dontshootpdx.org
Window Into Solitary at The BLACK Gallery
Window Into Solitary
March 14 - April 30
___________
A photography exhibition sharing the stories of 17 people who survived solitary confinement, revealing the human cost of isolation.
Window Into Solitary is a photography exhibition that documents the lived experiences of 17 men and women who survived long-term solitary confinement. Through striking portraits and first-person testimony, the exhibition invites us to confront the human cost of isolation while honoring the resilience of those who endured it.
Each image is paired with powerful written reflections from participants about their time in solitary confinement and their perspectives on its widespread use across the U.S. carceral system. Together, these stories create a rare and urgent window into an often hidden reality.
This exhibition is presented in conjunction with Ending Isolation: The Case Against Solitary Confinement — a new book by Christopher Blackwell, Prof. Deborah Zalesne, Kwaneta Harris, and Dr. Terry Kupers. The book and exhibition together expose the cruel and unusual punishment faced by close to 125,000 people each day inside American prisons and call us to action.
Hosted by
The BLACK Gallery PDX: Don't Shoot Portland is an arts and education organization that promotes social justice and civic participation. Our mission is to harness the power of creative expression to inspire, educate, and mobilize communities towards equity, justice, and transformative social impact. The BLACK Gallery powered by DSPDX is an extension of this programming, centering art as activism to showcase underrepresented artists.
Look2Justice (Christopher Blackwell): Look2Justice provides peer-led civic education and empowerment programs to currently and formerly incarcerated people and their families. We work to empower directly impacted people with the skills and knowledge to navigate legislative, policy, and narrative change so that they may advocate on their own behalf.
Social Documentary Network / ZEKE Magazine (Glenn Ruga): Glenn Ruga is a photographer, graphic designer and curator. He founded the Social Documentary Network (SDN) as a web platform for a globalcommunity of documentary photographers to present their work online. As a photographer, he has created traveling and online documentary exhibits on the struggle for a multicultural future. In 2015, Ruga launched ZEKE: The Magazine of Global Documentary, a printand digital magazine published by SDN presenting the best stories from the Social Documentary Network.
Photography by
Deborah Espinosa (Seattle), Lori Waselchuk (Philadelphia), Brian Branch-Price (New York), Brian Frank (San Francisco)
Exhibition Details
Opening Reception on March 14 from 5-8pm // FREE RSVP
March 14, 2026 through April 30, 2026
Gallery hours are Thursday through Sunday from 12 to 5pm by appointment - please send an email to info@theblackgallerypdx.com to confirm your visit
Address: 916 NW Flanders St, Portland, OR 97209
Hughes Food Forest Work Party!
Learn More: Hughes Food Forest
Historically, Northeast Portland is known as once being the heart of the city’s Black community, but today those families have been forcefully displaced through redlining, with many far removed from where they once called home. Don’t Shoot Portland seeks to uplift and sustain Hughes Community Church and the surrounding neighborhood through implementing this Food Forest as a symbol of common unity.
All ages are welcome!
111 NE Failing Street behind Hughes Community Church
Sunday, April 26 from 10am-12pm
This community program is hosted in partnership by Don't Shoot Portland, PDX Food Forest and other coalition partners. Contact us to get involved by emailing hughesfoodforest@dontshootpdx.org!
Window Into Solitary: A Deep Look Into Multnomah County's Jail Conditions
Window Into Solitary: A Deep Look Into Multnomah County's Jail Conditions
This Saturday, April 25 from 2:30 to 4pm at The BLACK Gallery powered by DSPDX
Following a well attended kick off to Don't Shoot Portlands' series on solitary confinement, our second community listening session invites the Multnomah County Auditor's Office to share their extensive reports on jail conditions, which highlights issues with race-related implicit bias, escalated use of force against inmates of color, over-classification of those experiencing mental health conditions and more.
The Multnomah County Auditor’s Office will be available to:
Give a brief overview of the 2022 Jail Conditions audit report, which included recommendations to end solitary confinement.
Answer questions about the 2025 Department of Community Justice Adult Probation and Parole audit.
Offer opportunities to learn more about or sign up to be interviewed for the upcoming audits of Corrections Health and jail visitations.
Share information about how to contact the Ombudsperson, the independent investigator overseeing fairness and accountability in the city of Portland.
The BLACK Gallery’s exhibit, Window into Solitary presented by Look2Justice, will be the host of this focused intervention.
The BLACK Gallery powered by Don't Shoot Portland
Don’t Shoot Portland is an arts and education nonprofit that promotes social justice and civic participation. Our mission is to harness the power of creative expression to inspire, educate, and mobilize communities towards equity, justice, and transformative social impact. The BLACK Gallery powered by DSPDX is an extension of this programming, centering art as activism to showcase underrepresented artists. @dontshootpdx @theblackgallerypdx
Mutlnomah County Auditor's Office
The Multnomah County Auditors Office independently examines county programs; receives and investigates reports of fraud, waste, and abuse of position; and serves as an impartial resource to help people resolve issues with county programs.
May Day Art Build!
📢 As coalition partners for 2026 International Workers Day, we invite you to a free, all day sign making event for the upcoming May Day Coalition March!
🗓️ Drop by on Saturday April 25 from 12:00-4:00pm for remarks and a new collection of work from Simran the artist, learn about the Center of Injustice on view through July 5, and join us in a community building day of art and solidarity.
📺 Come be a part of our photobooth activation from Media Pollution!
Window Into Solitary at The BLACK Gallery
Window Into Solitary
March 14 - April 30
___________
A photography exhibition sharing the stories of 17 people who survived solitary confinement, revealing the human cost of isolation.
Window Into Solitary is a photography exhibition that documents the lived experiences of 17 men and women who survived long-term solitary confinement. Through striking portraits and first-person testimony, the exhibition invites us to confront the human cost of isolation while honoring the resilience of those who endured it.
Each image is paired with powerful written reflections from participants about their time in solitary confinement and their perspectives on its widespread use across the U.S. carceral system. Together, these stories create a rare and urgent window into an often hidden reality.
This exhibition is presented in conjunction with Ending Isolation: The Case Against Solitary Confinement — a new book by Christopher Blackwell, Prof. Deborah Zalesne, Kwaneta Harris, and Dr. Terry Kupers. The book and exhibition together expose the cruel and unusual punishment faced by close to 125,000 people each day inside American prisons and call us to action.
Hosted by
The BLACK Gallery PDX: Don't Shoot Portland is an arts and education organization that promotes social justice and civic participation. Our mission is to harness the power of creative expression to inspire, educate, and mobilize communities towards equity, justice, and transformative social impact. The BLACK Gallery powered by DSPDX is an extension of this programming, centering art as activism to showcase underrepresented artists.
Look2Justice (Christopher Blackwell): Look2Justice provides peer-led civic education and empowerment programs to currently and formerly incarcerated people and their families. We work to empower directly impacted people with the skills and knowledge to navigate legislative, policy, and narrative change so that they may advocate on their own behalf.
Social Documentary Network / ZEKE Magazine (Glenn Ruga): Glenn Ruga is a photographer, graphic designer and curator. He founded the Social Documentary Network (SDN) as a web platform for a globalcommunity of documentary photographers to present their work online. As a photographer, he has created traveling and online documentary exhibits on the struggle for a multicultural future. In 2015, Ruga launched ZEKE: The Magazine of Global Documentary, a printand digital magazine published by SDN presenting the best stories from the Social Documentary Network.
Photography by
Deborah Espinosa (Seattle), Lori Waselchuk (Philadelphia), Brian Branch-Price (New York), Brian Frank (San Francisco)
Exhibition Details
Opening Reception on March 14 from 5-8pm // FREE RSVP
March 14, 2026 through April 30, 2026
Gallery hours are Thursday through Sunday from 12 to 5pm by appointment - please send an email to info@theblackgallerypdx.com to confirm your visit
Address: 916 NW Flanders St, Portland, OR 97209
Open Hours at the Black Cultural Library
Our reference library holds an expansive collection of rare and limited literary works from civil rights advocates, artists and scholars.
The Black Cultural Library will host open hours on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of every month, but is also available for groups or research appointments.
For more information or to schedule your visit outside of our open hours, please email blackmemorylab@dontshootpdx.org
Portland in Black: Free Archiving Workshop with Don't Shoot Portland!
Join us for a hands-on community archiving session to preserve personal and collective histories. In partnership with City of PDX Archives.
Archiving Is Resistance ✊🏾 Memory Work Matters!
Join us for a series of hands-on community archiving sessions to preserve personal and collective histories. Memory workers from Don’t Shoot PDX and the Portland City Archives will be on-site to offer guidance. Coffee and light refreshments provided.
☕️ Coffee and Collections
Saturday, April 25 from 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
The Black Memory & Preservation Lab
510 SW 3rd Avenue, Suite 400 | Portland, OR 97203
________________
Don’t Shoot Portland is an arts and education organization that promotes social justice and civic participation. Our mission is to harness the power of creative expression to inspire, educate, and mobilize communities towards equity, justice, and transformative social impact. The BLACK Gallery powered by DSPDX is an extension of this programming, centering art as activism to showcase underrepresented artists. @dontshootpdx @theblackgallerypdx
Window Into Solitary at The BLACK Gallery
Window Into Solitary
March 14 - April 30
___________
A photography exhibition sharing the stories of 17 people who survived solitary confinement, revealing the human cost of isolation.
Window Into Solitary is a photography exhibition that documents the lived experiences of 17 men and women who survived long-term solitary confinement. Through striking portraits and first-person testimony, the exhibition invites us to confront the human cost of isolation while honoring the resilience of those who endured it.
Each image is paired with powerful written reflections from participants about their time in solitary confinement and their perspectives on its widespread use across the U.S. carceral system. Together, these stories create a rare and urgent window into an often hidden reality.
This exhibition is presented in conjunction with Ending Isolation: The Case Against Solitary Confinement — a new book by Christopher Blackwell, Prof. Deborah Zalesne, Kwaneta Harris, and Dr. Terry Kupers. The book and exhibition together expose the cruel and unusual punishment faced by close to 125,000 people each day inside American prisons and call us to action.
Hosted by
The BLACK Gallery PDX: Don't Shoot Portland is an arts and education organization that promotes social justice and civic participation. Our mission is to harness the power of creative expression to inspire, educate, and mobilize communities towards equity, justice, and transformative social impact. The BLACK Gallery powered by DSPDX is an extension of this programming, centering art as activism to showcase underrepresented artists.
Look2Justice (Christopher Blackwell): Look2Justice provides peer-led civic education and empowerment programs to currently and formerly incarcerated people and their families. We work to empower directly impacted people with the skills and knowledge to navigate legislative, policy, and narrative change so that they may advocate on their own behalf.
Social Documentary Network / ZEKE Magazine (Glenn Ruga): Glenn Ruga is a photographer, graphic designer and curator. He founded the Social Documentary Network (SDN) as a web platform for a globalcommunity of documentary photographers to present their work online. As a photographer, he has created traveling and online documentary exhibits on the struggle for a multicultural future. In 2015, Ruga launched ZEKE: The Magazine of Global Documentary, a printand digital magazine published by SDN presenting the best stories from the Social Documentary Network.
Photography by
Deborah Espinosa (Seattle), Lori Waselchuk (Philadelphia), Brian Branch-Price (New York), Brian Frank (San Francisco)
Exhibition Details
Opening Reception on March 14 from 5-8pm // FREE RSVP
March 14, 2026 through April 30, 2026
Gallery hours are Thursday through Sunday from 12 to 5pm by appointment - please send an email to info@theblackgallerypdx.com to confirm your visit
Address: 916 NW Flanders St, Portland, OR 97209
Hughes Food Forest Work Party!
Learn More: Hughes Food Forest
Historically, Northeast Portland is known as once being the heart of the city’s Black community, but today those families have been forcefully displaced through redlining, with many far removed from where they once called home. Don’t Shoot Portland seeks to uplift and sustain Hughes Community Church and the surrounding neighborhood through implementing this Food Forest as a symbol of common unity.
All ages are welcome!
111 NE Failing Street behind Hughes Community Church
Thursday, April 23 from 6-8pm
This community program is hosted in partnership by Don't Shoot Portland, PDX Food Forest and other coalition partners. Contact us to get involved by emailing hughesfoodforest@dontshootpdx.org!
Window Into Solitary at The BLACK Gallery
Window Into Solitary
March 14 - April 30
___________
A photography exhibition sharing the stories of 17 people who survived solitary confinement, revealing the human cost of isolation.
Window Into Solitary is a photography exhibition that documents the lived experiences of 17 men and women who survived long-term solitary confinement. Through striking portraits and first-person testimony, the exhibition invites us to confront the human cost of isolation while honoring the resilience of those who endured it.
Each image is paired with powerful written reflections from participants about their time in solitary confinement and their perspectives on its widespread use across the U.S. carceral system. Together, these stories create a rare and urgent window into an often hidden reality.
This exhibition is presented in conjunction with Ending Isolation: The Case Against Solitary Confinement — a new book by Christopher Blackwell, Prof. Deborah Zalesne, Kwaneta Harris, and Dr. Terry Kupers. The book and exhibition together expose the cruel and unusual punishment faced by close to 125,000 people each day inside American prisons and call us to action.
Hosted by
The BLACK Gallery PDX: Don't Shoot Portland is an arts and education organization that promotes social justice and civic participation. Our mission is to harness the power of creative expression to inspire, educate, and mobilize communities towards equity, justice, and transformative social impact. The BLACK Gallery powered by DSPDX is an extension of this programming, centering art as activism to showcase underrepresented artists.
Look2Justice (Christopher Blackwell): Look2Justice provides peer-led civic education and empowerment programs to currently and formerly incarcerated people and their families. We work to empower directly impacted people with the skills and knowledge to navigate legislative, policy, and narrative change so that they may advocate on their own behalf.
Social Documentary Network / ZEKE Magazine (Glenn Ruga): Glenn Ruga is a photographer, graphic designer and curator. He founded the Social Documentary Network (SDN) as a web platform for a globalcommunity of documentary photographers to present their work online. As a photographer, he has created traveling and online documentary exhibits on the struggle for a multicultural future. In 2015, Ruga launched ZEKE: The Magazine of Global Documentary, a printand digital magazine published by SDN presenting the best stories from the Social Documentary Network.
Photography by
Deborah Espinosa (Seattle), Lori Waselchuk (Philadelphia), Brian Branch-Price (New York), Brian Frank (San Francisco)
Exhibition Details
Opening Reception on March 14 from 5-8pm // FREE RSVP
March 14, 2026 through April 30, 2026
Gallery hours are Thursday through Sunday from 12 to 5pm by appointment - please send an email to info@theblackgallerypdx.com to confirm your visit
Address: 916 NW Flanders St, Portland, OR 97209
Window Into Solitary at The BLACK Gallery
Window Into Solitary
March 14 - April 30
___________
A photography exhibition sharing the stories of 17 people who survived solitary confinement, revealing the human cost of isolation.
Window Into Solitary is a photography exhibition that documents the lived experiences of 17 men and women who survived long-term solitary confinement. Through striking portraits and first-person testimony, the exhibition invites us to confront the human cost of isolation while honoring the resilience of those who endured it.
Each image is paired with powerful written reflections from participants about their time in solitary confinement and their perspectives on its widespread use across the U.S. carceral system. Together, these stories create a rare and urgent window into an often hidden reality.
This exhibition is presented in conjunction with Ending Isolation: The Case Against Solitary Confinement — a new book by Christopher Blackwell, Prof. Deborah Zalesne, Kwaneta Harris, and Dr. Terry Kupers. The book and exhibition together expose the cruel and unusual punishment faced by close to 125,000 people each day inside American prisons and call us to action.
Hosted by
The BLACK Gallery PDX: Don't Shoot Portland is an arts and education organization that promotes social justice and civic participation. Our mission is to harness the power of creative expression to inspire, educate, and mobilize communities towards equity, justice, and transformative social impact. The BLACK Gallery powered by DSPDX is an extension of this programming, centering art as activism to showcase underrepresented artists.
Look2Justice (Christopher Blackwell): Look2Justice provides peer-led civic education and empowerment programs to currently and formerly incarcerated people and their families. We work to empower directly impacted people with the skills and knowledge to navigate legislative, policy, and narrative change so that they may advocate on their own behalf.
Social Documentary Network / ZEKE Magazine (Glenn Ruga): Glenn Ruga is a photographer, graphic designer and curator. He founded the Social Documentary Network (SDN) as a web platform for a globalcommunity of documentary photographers to present their work online. As a photographer, he has created traveling and online documentary exhibits on the struggle for a multicultural future. In 2015, Ruga launched ZEKE: The Magazine of Global Documentary, a printand digital magazine published by SDN presenting the best stories from the Social Documentary Network.
Photography by
Deborah Espinosa (Seattle), Lori Waselchuk (Philadelphia), Brian Branch-Price (New York), Brian Frank (San Francisco)
Exhibition Details
Opening Reception on March 14 from 5-8pm // FREE RSVP
March 14, 2026 through April 30, 2026
Gallery hours are Thursday through Sunday from 12 to 5pm by appointment - please send an email to info@theblackgallerypdx.com to confirm your visit
Address: 916 NW Flanders St, Portland, OR 97209
Solitary Confinement in Oregon: A Community Listening Session & Poster Making Workshop
Solitary Confinement in Oregon: A Community Listening Session & Poster Making Workshop
Saturday April 18 from 1:00 - 3:00pm
at The BLACK Gallery powered by Don’t Shoot Portland
Join legal workers, criminal justice advocates and fellow community members for a critical conversation on incarceration and human rights. Learn about solitary confinement, upcoming legislation from OJRC, and take in the experiences of those who have lived through this function of state sanctioned violence and are now advocating for its end. The BLACK Gallerys’ exhibit, Window into Solitary presented by Look2Justice, will be the host of this focused intervention.
Free to all, RSVP strongly encouraged.
Don't Shoot Portland / The BLACK Gallery
Don’t Shoot Portland is an arts and education nonprofit that promotes social justice and civic participation. Our mission is to harness the power of creative expression to inspire, educate, and mobilize communities towards equity, justice, and transformative social impact. The BLACK Gallery powered by DSPDX is an extension of this programming, centering art as activism to showcase underrepresented artists. @dontshootpdx @theblackgallerypdx
Look2Justice
Look2Justice is a network of system-impacted leaders transforming the criminal legal system through education, advocacy, and narrative change.
Oregon Justice Resource Center
The Oregon Justice Resource Centerwas founded in 2011 by Bobbin Singh and Erin McKee. Our goal is to promote civil rights and improve legal representation for communities that have often been underserved in the past: people living in poverty and people of color among them. We work in collaboration with like-minded organizations to maximize our reach to serve underrepresented populations, to train future public interest lawyers, and to educate our community on issues related to civil rights and civil liberties.
Metropolitan Public Defender
Metropolitan Public Defender has been on the cutting edge of public defense since our inception in 1971. Formed as a non-profit law firm, MPD contracts with the State of Oregon for public defense services. MPD was the first public defender organization under this system. MPD is the largest single provider of trial level public defense services in the state of Oregon, with offices in both Multnomah and Washington counties.
Oregon Justice Network
Oregon Justice Network is an alliance built and staffed by criminal legal system impacted people advocating for the well-being of people affected or at-risk of being affected by carceral systems.
Window Into Solitary at The BLACK Gallery
Window Into Solitary
March 14 - April 30
___________
A photography exhibition sharing the stories of 17 people who survived solitary confinement, revealing the human cost of isolation.
Window Into Solitary is a photography exhibition that documents the lived experiences of 17 men and women who survived long-term solitary confinement. Through striking portraits and first-person testimony, the exhibition invites us to confront the human cost of isolation while honoring the resilience of those who endured it.
Each image is paired with powerful written reflections from participants about their time in solitary confinement and their perspectives on its widespread use across the U.S. carceral system. Together, these stories create a rare and urgent window into an often hidden reality.
This exhibition is presented in conjunction with Ending Isolation: The Case Against Solitary Confinement — a new book by Christopher Blackwell, Prof. Deborah Zalesne, Kwaneta Harris, and Dr. Terry Kupers. The book and exhibition together expose the cruel and unusual punishment faced by close to 125,000 people each day inside American prisons and call us to action.
Hosted by
The BLACK Gallery PDX: Don't Shoot Portland is an arts and education organization that promotes social justice and civic participation. Our mission is to harness the power of creative expression to inspire, educate, and mobilize communities towards equity, justice, and transformative social impact. The BLACK Gallery powered by DSPDX is an extension of this programming, centering art as activism to showcase underrepresented artists.
Look2Justice (Christopher Blackwell): Look2Justice provides peer-led civic education and empowerment programs to currently and formerly incarcerated people and their families. We work to empower directly impacted people with the skills and knowledge to navigate legislative, policy, and narrative change so that they may advocate on their own behalf.
Social Documentary Network / ZEKE Magazine (Glenn Ruga): Glenn Ruga is a photographer, graphic designer and curator. He founded the Social Documentary Network (SDN) as a web platform for a globalcommunity of documentary photographers to present their work online. As a photographer, he has created traveling and online documentary exhibits on the struggle for a multicultural future. In 2015, Ruga launched ZEKE: The Magazine of Global Documentary, a printand digital magazine published by SDN presenting the best stories from the Social Documentary Network.
Photography by
Deborah Espinosa (Seattle), Lori Waselchuk (Philadelphia), Brian Branch-Price (New York), Brian Frank (San Francisco)
Exhibition Details
Opening Reception on March 14 from 5-8pm // FREE RSVP
March 14, 2026 through April 30, 2026
Gallery hours are Thursday through Sunday from 12 to 5pm by appointment - please send an email to info@theblackgallerypdx.com to confirm your visit
Address: 916 NW Flanders St, Portland, OR 97209
Window Into Solitary at The BLACK Gallery
Window Into Solitary
March 14 - April 30
___________
A photography exhibition sharing the stories of 17 people who survived solitary confinement, revealing the human cost of isolation.
Window Into Solitary is a photography exhibition that documents the lived experiences of 17 men and women who survived long-term solitary confinement. Through striking portraits and first-person testimony, the exhibition invites us to confront the human cost of isolation while honoring the resilience of those who endured it.
Each image is paired with powerful written reflections from participants about their time in solitary confinement and their perspectives on its widespread use across the U.S. carceral system. Together, these stories create a rare and urgent window into an often hidden reality.
This exhibition is presented in conjunction with Ending Isolation: The Case Against Solitary Confinement — a new book by Christopher Blackwell, Prof. Deborah Zalesne, Kwaneta Harris, and Dr. Terry Kupers. The book and exhibition together expose the cruel and unusual punishment faced by close to 125,000 people each day inside American prisons and call us to action.
Hosted by
The BLACK Gallery PDX: Don't Shoot Portland is an arts and education organization that promotes social justice and civic participation. Our mission is to harness the power of creative expression to inspire, educate, and mobilize communities towards equity, justice, and transformative social impact. The BLACK Gallery powered by DSPDX is an extension of this programming, centering art as activism to showcase underrepresented artists.
Look2Justice (Christopher Blackwell): Look2Justice provides peer-led civic education and empowerment programs to currently and formerly incarcerated people and their families. We work to empower directly impacted people with the skills and knowledge to navigate legislative, policy, and narrative change so that they may advocate on their own behalf.
Social Documentary Network / ZEKE Magazine (Glenn Ruga): Glenn Ruga is a photographer, graphic designer and curator. He founded the Social Documentary Network (SDN) as a web platform for a globalcommunity of documentary photographers to present their work online. As a photographer, he has created traveling and online documentary exhibits on the struggle for a multicultural future. In 2015, Ruga launched ZEKE: The Magazine of Global Documentary, a printand digital magazine published by SDN presenting the best stories from the Social Documentary Network.
Photography by
Deborah Espinosa (Seattle), Lori Waselchuk (Philadelphia), Brian Branch-Price (New York), Brian Frank (San Francisco)
Exhibition Details
Opening Reception on March 14 from 5-8pm // FREE RSVP
March 14, 2026 through April 30, 2026
Gallery hours are Thursday through Sunday from 12 to 5pm by appointment - please send an email to info@theblackgallerypdx.com to confirm your visit
Address: 916 NW Flanders St, Portland, OR 97209
Window Into Solitary at The BLACK Gallery
Window Into Solitary
March 14 - April 30
___________
A photography exhibition sharing the stories of 17 people who survived solitary confinement, revealing the human cost of isolation.
Window Into Solitary is a photography exhibition that documents the lived experiences of 17 men and women who survived long-term solitary confinement. Through striking portraits and first-person testimony, the exhibition invites us to confront the human cost of isolation while honoring the resilience of those who endured it.
Each image is paired with powerful written reflections from participants about their time in solitary confinement and their perspectives on its widespread use across the U.S. carceral system. Together, these stories create a rare and urgent window into an often hidden reality.
This exhibition is presented in conjunction with Ending Isolation: The Case Against Solitary Confinement — a new book by Christopher Blackwell, Prof. Deborah Zalesne, Kwaneta Harris, and Dr. Terry Kupers. The book and exhibition together expose the cruel and unusual punishment faced by close to 125,000 people each day inside American prisons and call us to action.
Hosted by
The BLACK Gallery PDX: Don't Shoot Portland is an arts and education organization that promotes social justice and civic participation. Our mission is to harness the power of creative expression to inspire, educate, and mobilize communities towards equity, justice, and transformative social impact. The BLACK Gallery powered by DSPDX is an extension of this programming, centering art as activism to showcase underrepresented artists.
Look2Justice (Christopher Blackwell): Look2Justice provides peer-led civic education and empowerment programs to currently and formerly incarcerated people and their families. We work to empower directly impacted people with the skills and knowledge to navigate legislative, policy, and narrative change so that they may advocate on their own behalf.
Social Documentary Network / ZEKE Magazine (Glenn Ruga): Glenn Ruga is a photographer, graphic designer and curator. He founded the Social Documentary Network (SDN) as a web platform for a globalcommunity of documentary photographers to present their work online. As a photographer, he has created traveling and online documentary exhibits on the struggle for a multicultural future. In 2015, Ruga launched ZEKE: The Magazine of Global Documentary, a printand digital magazine published by SDN presenting the best stories from the Social Documentary Network.
Photography by
Deborah Espinosa (Seattle), Lori Waselchuk (Philadelphia), Brian Branch-Price (New York), Brian Frank (San Francisco)
Exhibition Details
Opening Reception on March 14 from 5-8pm // FREE RSVP
March 14, 2026 through April 30, 2026
Gallery hours are Thursday through Sunday from 12 to 5pm by appointment - please send an email to info@theblackgallerypdx.com to confirm your visit
Address: 916 NW Flanders St, Portland, OR 97209
Window Into Solitary at The BLACK Gallery
Window Into Solitary
March 14 - April 30
___________
A photography exhibition sharing the stories of 17 people who survived solitary confinement, revealing the human cost of isolation.
Window Into Solitary is a photography exhibition that documents the lived experiences of 17 men and women who survived long-term solitary confinement. Through striking portraits and first-person testimony, the exhibition invites us to confront the human cost of isolation while honoring the resilience of those who endured it.
Each image is paired with powerful written reflections from participants about their time in solitary confinement and their perspectives on its widespread use across the U.S. carceral system. Together, these stories create a rare and urgent window into an often hidden reality.
This exhibition is presented in conjunction with Ending Isolation: The Case Against Solitary Confinement — a new book by Christopher Blackwell, Prof. Deborah Zalesne, Kwaneta Harris, and Dr. Terry Kupers. The book and exhibition together expose the cruel and unusual punishment faced by close to 125,000 people each day inside American prisons and call us to action.
Hosted by
The BLACK Gallery PDX: Don't Shoot Portland is an arts and education organization that promotes social justice and civic participation. Our mission is to harness the power of creative expression to inspire, educate, and mobilize communities towards equity, justice, and transformative social impact. The BLACK Gallery powered by DSPDX is an extension of this programming, centering art as activism to showcase underrepresented artists.
Look2Justice (Christopher Blackwell): Look2Justice provides peer-led civic education and empowerment programs to currently and formerly incarcerated people and their families. We work to empower directly impacted people with the skills and knowledge to navigate legislative, policy, and narrative change so that they may advocate on their own behalf.
Social Documentary Network / ZEKE Magazine (Glenn Ruga): Glenn Ruga is a photographer, graphic designer and curator. He founded the Social Documentary Network (SDN) as a web platform for a globalcommunity of documentary photographers to present their work online. As a photographer, he has created traveling and online documentary exhibits on the struggle for a multicultural future. In 2015, Ruga launched ZEKE: The Magazine of Global Documentary, a printand digital magazine published by SDN presenting the best stories from the Social Documentary Network.
Photography by
Deborah Espinosa (Seattle), Lori Waselchuk (Philadelphia), Brian Branch-Price (New York), Brian Frank (San Francisco)
Exhibition Details
Opening Reception on March 14 from 5-8pm // FREE RSVP
March 14, 2026 through April 30, 2026
Gallery hours are Thursday through Sunday from 12 to 5pm by appointment - please send an email to info@theblackgallerypdx.com to confirm your visit
Address: 916 NW Flanders St, Portland, OR 97209
Author Talk + Workshop with Dr. Shani Evans
Join Don't Shoot Portland and the Black Memory Lab for an afternoon with Dr. Shani Adia Evans, author of We Belong Here: Gentrification, White Spacemaking, and a Black Sense of Place.This landmark study draws on dozens of interviews to show how longtime Black Portland residents experienced and responded to gentrification and racial neighborhood change in Northeast Portland neighborhoods.
Reading + Signing from 4:00-5:00pm
Interviewing Workshop with the Author from 5:00-6:30pm
Although Portland, Oregon, is sometimes called “America’s Whitest city,” Black residents who grew up there made it their own. The neighborhoods of Northeast Portland, also called “Albina,” were a haven for and a hub of Black community life. But between 1990 and 2010, Albina changed dramatically—it became majority White.
In We Belong Here, sociologist Shani Adia Evans offers an intimate look at gentrification from the inside, documenting the reactions of Albina residents as the racial demographics of their neighborhood shift. As White culture becomes centered in Northeast, Black residents recount their experiences with what Evans refers to as “White watching,” the questioning look on the faces of White people they encounter, which conveys an exclusionary message: “What are you doing here?” This, Evans shows, is a prime example of what she calls “White spacemaking”: the establishment of White space—spaces in which Whiteness is assumed to be the norm and non-Whites are treated with suspicion—in formerly non-White neighborhoods. Evans also documents Black residents’ efforts to create and maintain places for Black belonging in White-dominated Portland. While gentrification typically describes socioeconomic changes that may have racial implications, White spacemaking allows us to understand racism as a primary mechanism of neighborhood change. We Belong Here illuminates why gentrification and White spacemaking should be examined as intersecting, but not interchangeable, processes of neighborhood change.
Shani Adia Evans is author of We Belong Here: Gentrification, White Spacemaking, and a Black Sense of Place. Dr. Evans is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at Rice University. She formerly taught at Reed College in Portland Oregon. She completed a PhD in Sociology and Education at the University of Pennsylvania.
Don’t Shoot Portland is an arts and education organization that promotes social justice and civic participation. Our mission is to harness the power of creative expression to inspire, educate, and mobilize communities towards equity, justice, and transformative social impact. The BLACK Gallery powered by DSPDX is an extension of this programming, centering art as activism to showcase underrepresented artists. @dontshootpdx @theblackgallerypdx
Window Into Solitary at The BLACK Gallery
Window Into Solitary
March 14 - April 30
___________
A photography exhibition sharing the stories of 17 people who survived solitary confinement, revealing the human cost of isolation.
Window Into Solitary is a photography exhibition that documents the lived experiences of 17 men and women who survived long-term solitary confinement. Through striking portraits and first-person testimony, the exhibition invites us to confront the human cost of isolation while honoring the resilience of those who endured it.
Each image is paired with powerful written reflections from participants about their time in solitary confinement and their perspectives on its widespread use across the U.S. carceral system. Together, these stories create a rare and urgent window into an often hidden reality.
This exhibition is presented in conjunction with Ending Isolation: The Case Against Solitary Confinement — a new book by Christopher Blackwell, Prof. Deborah Zalesne, Kwaneta Harris, and Dr. Terry Kupers. The book and exhibition together expose the cruel and unusual punishment faced by close to 125,000 people each day inside American prisons and call us to action.
Hosted by
The BLACK Gallery PDX: Don't Shoot Portland is an arts and education organization that promotes social justice and civic participation. Our mission is to harness the power of creative expression to inspire, educate, and mobilize communities towards equity, justice, and transformative social impact. The BLACK Gallery powered by DSPDX is an extension of this programming, centering art as activism to showcase underrepresented artists.
Look2Justice (Christopher Blackwell): Look2Justice provides peer-led civic education and empowerment programs to currently and formerly incarcerated people and their families. We work to empower directly impacted people with the skills and knowledge to navigate legislative, policy, and narrative change so that they may advocate on their own behalf.
Social Documentary Network / ZEKE Magazine (Glenn Ruga): Glenn Ruga is a photographer, graphic designer and curator. He founded the Social Documentary Network (SDN) as a web platform for a globalcommunity of documentary photographers to present their work online. As a photographer, he has created traveling and online documentary exhibits on the struggle for a multicultural future. In 2015, Ruga launched ZEKE: The Magazine of Global Documentary, a printand digital magazine published by SDN presenting the best stories from the Social Documentary Network.
Photography by
Deborah Espinosa (Seattle), Lori Waselchuk (Philadelphia), Brian Branch-Price (New York), Brian Frank (San Francisco)
Exhibition Details
Opening Reception on March 14 from 5-8pm // FREE RSVP
March 14, 2026 through April 30, 2026
Gallery hours are Thursday through Sunday from 12 to 5pm by appointment - please send an email to info@theblackgallerypdx.com to confirm your visit
Address: 916 NW Flanders St, Portland, OR 97209
Open Hours at the Black Cultural Library
Our reference library holds an expansive collection of rare and limited literary works from civil rights advocates, artists and scholars.
The Black Cultural Library will host open hours on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of every month, but is also available for groups or research appointments.
For more information or to schedule your visit outside of our open hours, please email blackmemorylab@dontshootpdx.org
Window Into Solitary at The BLACK Gallery
Window Into Solitary
March 14 - April 30
___________
A photography exhibition sharing the stories of 17 people who survived solitary confinement, revealing the human cost of isolation.
Window Into Solitary is a photography exhibition that documents the lived experiences of 17 men and women who survived long-term solitary confinement. Through striking portraits and first-person testimony, the exhibition invites us to confront the human cost of isolation while honoring the resilience of those who endured it.
Each image is paired with powerful written reflections from participants about their time in solitary confinement and their perspectives on its widespread use across the U.S. carceral system. Together, these stories create a rare and urgent window into an often hidden reality.
This exhibition is presented in conjunction with Ending Isolation: The Case Against Solitary Confinement — a new book by Christopher Blackwell, Prof. Deborah Zalesne, Kwaneta Harris, and Dr. Terry Kupers. The book and exhibition together expose the cruel and unusual punishment faced by close to 125,000 people each day inside American prisons and call us to action.
Hosted by
The BLACK Gallery PDX: Don't Shoot Portland is an arts and education organization that promotes social justice and civic participation. Our mission is to harness the power of creative expression to inspire, educate, and mobilize communities towards equity, justice, and transformative social impact. The BLACK Gallery powered by DSPDX is an extension of this programming, centering art as activism to showcase underrepresented artists.
Look2Justice (Christopher Blackwell): Look2Justice provides peer-led civic education and empowerment programs to currently and formerly incarcerated people and their families. We work to empower directly impacted people with the skills and knowledge to navigate legislative, policy, and narrative change so that they may advocate on their own behalf.
Social Documentary Network / ZEKE Magazine (Glenn Ruga): Glenn Ruga is a photographer, graphic designer and curator. He founded the Social Documentary Network (SDN) as a web platform for a globalcommunity of documentary photographers to present their work online. As a photographer, he has created traveling and online documentary exhibits on the struggle for a multicultural future. In 2015, Ruga launched ZEKE: The Magazine of Global Documentary, a printand digital magazine published by SDN presenting the best stories from the Social Documentary Network.
Photography by
Deborah Espinosa (Seattle), Lori Waselchuk (Philadelphia), Brian Branch-Price (New York), Brian Frank (San Francisco)
Exhibition Details
Opening Reception on March 14 from 5-8pm // FREE RSVP
March 14, 2026 through April 30, 2026
Gallery hours are Thursday through Sunday from 12 to 5pm by appointment - please send an email to info@theblackgallerypdx.com to confirm your visit
Address: 916 NW Flanders St, Portland, OR 97209
Window Into Solitary at The BLACK Gallery
Window Into Solitary
March 14 - April 30
___________
A photography exhibition sharing the stories of 17 people who survived solitary confinement, revealing the human cost of isolation.
Window Into Solitary is a photography exhibition that documents the lived experiences of 17 men and women who survived long-term solitary confinement. Through striking portraits and first-person testimony, the exhibition invites us to confront the human cost of isolation while honoring the resilience of those who endured it.
Each image is paired with powerful written reflections from participants about their time in solitary confinement and their perspectives on its widespread use across the U.S. carceral system. Together, these stories create a rare and urgent window into an often hidden reality.
This exhibition is presented in conjunction with Ending Isolation: The Case Against Solitary Confinement — a new book by Christopher Blackwell, Prof. Deborah Zalesne, Kwaneta Harris, and Dr. Terry Kupers. The book and exhibition together expose the cruel and unusual punishment faced by close to 125,000 people each day inside American prisons and call us to action.
Hosted by
The BLACK Gallery PDX: Don't Shoot Portland is an arts and education organization that promotes social justice and civic participation. Our mission is to harness the power of creative expression to inspire, educate, and mobilize communities towards equity, justice, and transformative social impact. The BLACK Gallery powered by DSPDX is an extension of this programming, centering art as activism to showcase underrepresented artists.
Look2Justice (Christopher Blackwell): Look2Justice provides peer-led civic education and empowerment programs to currently and formerly incarcerated people and their families. We work to empower directly impacted people with the skills and knowledge to navigate legislative, policy, and narrative change so that they may advocate on their own behalf.
Social Documentary Network / ZEKE Magazine (Glenn Ruga): Glenn Ruga is a photographer, graphic designer and curator. He founded the Social Documentary Network (SDN) as a web platform for a globalcommunity of documentary photographers to present their work online. As a photographer, he has created traveling and online documentary exhibits on the struggle for a multicultural future. In 2015, Ruga launched ZEKE: The Magazine of Global Documentary, a printand digital magazine published by SDN presenting the best stories from the Social Documentary Network.
Photography by
Deborah Espinosa (Seattle), Lori Waselchuk (Philadelphia), Brian Branch-Price (New York), Brian Frank (San Francisco)
Exhibition Details
Opening Reception on March 14 from 5-8pm // FREE RSVP
March 14, 2026 through April 30, 2026
Gallery hours are Thursday through Sunday from 12 to 5pm by appointment - please send an email to info@theblackgallerypdx.com to confirm your visit
Address: 916 NW Flanders St, Portland, OR 97209
Window Into Solitary at The BLACK Gallery
Window Into Solitary
March 14 - April 30
___________
A photography exhibition sharing the stories of 17 people who survived solitary confinement, revealing the human cost of isolation.
Window Into Solitary is a photography exhibition that documents the lived experiences of 17 men and women who survived long-term solitary confinement. Through striking portraits and first-person testimony, the exhibition invites us to confront the human cost of isolation while honoring the resilience of those who endured it.
Each image is paired with powerful written reflections from participants about their time in solitary confinement and their perspectives on its widespread use across the U.S. carceral system. Together, these stories create a rare and urgent window into an often hidden reality.
This exhibition is presented in conjunction with Ending Isolation: The Case Against Solitary Confinement — a new book by Christopher Blackwell, Prof. Deborah Zalesne, Kwaneta Harris, and Dr. Terry Kupers. The book and exhibition together expose the cruel and unusual punishment faced by close to 125,000 people each day inside American prisons and call us to action.
Hosted by
The BLACK Gallery PDX: Don't Shoot Portland is an arts and education organization that promotes social justice and civic participation. Our mission is to harness the power of creative expression to inspire, educate, and mobilize communities towards equity, justice, and transformative social impact. The BLACK Gallery powered by DSPDX is an extension of this programming, centering art as activism to showcase underrepresented artists.
Look2Justice (Christopher Blackwell): Look2Justice provides peer-led civic education and empowerment programs to currently and formerly incarcerated people and their families. We work to empower directly impacted people with the skills and knowledge to navigate legislative, policy, and narrative change so that they may advocate on their own behalf.
Social Documentary Network / ZEKE Magazine (Glenn Ruga): Glenn Ruga is a photographer, graphic designer and curator. He founded the Social Documentary Network (SDN) as a web platform for a globalcommunity of documentary photographers to present their work online. As a photographer, he has created traveling and online documentary exhibits on the struggle for a multicultural future. In 2015, Ruga launched ZEKE: The Magazine of Global Documentary, a printand digital magazine published by SDN presenting the best stories from the Social Documentary Network.
Photography by
Deborah Espinosa (Seattle), Lori Waselchuk (Philadelphia), Brian Branch-Price (New York), Brian Frank (San Francisco)
Exhibition Details
Opening Reception on March 14 from 5-8pm // FREE RSVP
March 14, 2026 through April 30, 2026
Gallery hours are Thursday through Sunday from 12 to 5pm by appointment - please send an email to info@theblackgallerypdx.com to confirm your visit
Address: 916 NW Flanders St, Portland, OR 97209
Window Into Solitary at The BLACK Gallery
Window Into Solitary
March 14 - April 30
___________
A photography exhibition sharing the stories of 17 people who survived solitary confinement, revealing the human cost of isolation.
Window Into Solitary is a photography exhibition that documents the lived experiences of 17 men and women who survived long-term solitary confinement. Through striking portraits and first-person testimony, the exhibition invites us to confront the human cost of isolation while honoring the resilience of those who endured it.
Each image is paired with powerful written reflections from participants about their time in solitary confinement and their perspectives on its widespread use across the U.S. carceral system. Together, these stories create a rare and urgent window into an often hidden reality.
This exhibition is presented in conjunction with Ending Isolation: The Case Against Solitary Confinement — a new book by Christopher Blackwell, Prof. Deborah Zalesne, Kwaneta Harris, and Dr. Terry Kupers. The book and exhibition together expose the cruel and unusual punishment faced by close to 125,000 people each day inside American prisons and call us to action.
Hosted by
The BLACK Gallery PDX: Don't Shoot Portland is an arts and education organization that promotes social justice and civic participation. Our mission is to harness the power of creative expression to inspire, educate, and mobilize communities towards equity, justice, and transformative social impact. The BLACK Gallery powered by DSPDX is an extension of this programming, centering art as activism to showcase underrepresented artists.
Look2Justice (Christopher Blackwell): Look2Justice provides peer-led civic education and empowerment programs to currently and formerly incarcerated people and their families. We work to empower directly impacted people with the skills and knowledge to navigate legislative, policy, and narrative change so that they may advocate on their own behalf.
Social Documentary Network / ZEKE Magazine (Glenn Ruga): Glenn Ruga is a photographer, graphic designer and curator. He founded the Social Documentary Network (SDN) as a web platform for a globalcommunity of documentary photographers to present their work online. As a photographer, he has created traveling and online documentary exhibits on the struggle for a multicultural future. In 2015, Ruga launched ZEKE: The Magazine of Global Documentary, a printand digital magazine published by SDN presenting the best stories from the Social Documentary Network.
Photography by
Deborah Espinosa (Seattle), Lori Waselchuk (Philadelphia), Brian Branch-Price (New York), Brian Frank (San Francisco)
Exhibition Details
Opening Reception on March 14 from 5-8pm // FREE RSVP
March 14, 2026 through April 30, 2026
Gallery hours are Thursday through Sunday from 12 to 5pm by appointment - please send an email to info@theblackgallerypdx.com to confirm your visit
Address: 916 NW Flanders St, Portland, OR 97209
Window Into Solitary at The BLACK Gallery
Window Into Solitary
March 14 - April 30
___________
A photography exhibition sharing the stories of 17 people who survived solitary confinement, revealing the human cost of isolation.
Window Into Solitary is a photography exhibition that documents the lived experiences of 17 men and women who survived long-term solitary confinement. Through striking portraits and first-person testimony, the exhibition invites us to confront the human cost of isolation while honoring the resilience of those who endured it.
Each image is paired with powerful written reflections from participants about their time in solitary confinement and their perspectives on its widespread use across the U.S. carceral system. Together, these stories create a rare and urgent window into an often hidden reality.
This exhibition is presented in conjunction with Ending Isolation: The Case Against Solitary Confinement — a new book by Christopher Blackwell, Prof. Deborah Zalesne, Kwaneta Harris, and Dr. Terry Kupers. The book and exhibition together expose the cruel and unusual punishment faced by close to 125,000 people each day inside American prisons and call us to action.
Hosted by
The BLACK Gallery PDX: Don't Shoot Portland is an arts and education organization that promotes social justice and civic participation. Our mission is to harness the power of creative expression to inspire, educate, and mobilize communities towards equity, justice, and transformative social impact. The BLACK Gallery powered by DSPDX is an extension of this programming, centering art as activism to showcase underrepresented artists.
Look2Justice (Christopher Blackwell): Look2Justice provides peer-led civic education and empowerment programs to currently and formerly incarcerated people and their families. We work to empower directly impacted people with the skills and knowledge to navigate legislative, policy, and narrative change so that they may advocate on their own behalf.
Social Documentary Network / ZEKE Magazine (Glenn Ruga): Glenn Ruga is a photographer, graphic designer and curator. He founded the Social Documentary Network (SDN) as a web platform for a globalcommunity of documentary photographers to present their work online. As a photographer, he has created traveling and online documentary exhibits on the struggle for a multicultural future. In 2015, Ruga launched ZEKE: The Magazine of Global Documentary, a printand digital magazine published by SDN presenting the best stories from the Social Documentary Network.
Photography by
Deborah Espinosa (Seattle), Lori Waselchuk (Philadelphia), Brian Branch-Price (New York), Brian Frank (San Francisco)
Exhibition Details
Opening Reception on March 14 from 5-8pm // FREE RSVP
March 14, 2026 through April 30, 2026
Gallery hours are Thursday through Sunday from 12 to 5pm by appointment - please send an email to info@theblackgallerypdx.com to confirm your visit
Address: 916 NW Flanders St, Portland, OR 97209
Window Into Solitary at The BLACK Gallery
Window Into Solitary
March 14 - April 30
___________
A photography exhibition sharing the stories of 17 people who survived solitary confinement, revealing the human cost of isolation.
Window Into Solitary is a photography exhibition that documents the lived experiences of 17 men and women who survived long-term solitary confinement. Through striking portraits and first-person testimony, the exhibition invites us to confront the human cost of isolation while honoring the resilience of those who endured it.
Each image is paired with powerful written reflections from participants about their time in solitary confinement and their perspectives on its widespread use across the U.S. carceral system. Together, these stories create a rare and urgent window into an often hidden reality.
This exhibition is presented in conjunction with Ending Isolation: The Case Against Solitary Confinement — a new book by Christopher Blackwell, Prof. Deborah Zalesne, Kwaneta Harris, and Dr. Terry Kupers. The book and exhibition together expose the cruel and unusual punishment faced by close to 125,000 people each day inside American prisons and call us to action.
Hosted by
The BLACK Gallery PDX: Don't Shoot Portland is an arts and education organization that promotes social justice and civic participation. Our mission is to harness the power of creative expression to inspire, educate, and mobilize communities towards equity, justice, and transformative social impact. The BLACK Gallery powered by DSPDX is an extension of this programming, centering art as activism to showcase underrepresented artists.
Look2Justice (Christopher Blackwell): Look2Justice provides peer-led civic education and empowerment programs to currently and formerly incarcerated people and their families. We work to empower directly impacted people with the skills and knowledge to navigate legislative, policy, and narrative change so that they may advocate on their own behalf.
Social Documentary Network / ZEKE Magazine (Glenn Ruga): Glenn Ruga is a photographer, graphic designer and curator. He founded the Social Documentary Network (SDN) as a web platform for a globalcommunity of documentary photographers to present their work online. As a photographer, he has created traveling and online documentary exhibits on the struggle for a multicultural future. In 2015, Ruga launched ZEKE: The Magazine of Global Documentary, a printand digital magazine published by SDN presenting the best stories from the Social Documentary Network.
Photography by
Deborah Espinosa (Seattle), Lori Waselchuk (Philadelphia), Brian Branch-Price (New York), Brian Frank (San Francisco)
Exhibition Details
Opening Reception on March 14 from 5-8pm // FREE RSVP
March 14, 2026 through April 30, 2026
Gallery hours are Thursday through Sunday from 12 to 5pm by appointment - please send an email to info@theblackgallerypdx.com to confirm your visit
Address: 916 NW Flanders St, Portland, OR 97209
Window Into Solitary at The BLACK Gallery
Window Into Solitary
March 14 - April 30
___________
A photography exhibition sharing the stories of 17 people who survived solitary confinement, revealing the human cost of isolation.
Window Into Solitary is a photography exhibition that documents the lived experiences of 17 men and women who survived long-term solitary confinement. Through striking portraits and first-person testimony, the exhibition invites us to confront the human cost of isolation while honoring the resilience of those who endured it.
Each image is paired with powerful written reflections from participants about their time in solitary confinement and their perspectives on its widespread use across the U.S. carceral system. Together, these stories create a rare and urgent window into an often hidden reality.
This exhibition is presented in conjunction with Ending Isolation: The Case Against Solitary Confinement — a new book by Christopher Blackwell, Prof. Deborah Zalesne, Kwaneta Harris, and Dr. Terry Kupers. The book and exhibition together expose the cruel and unusual punishment faced by close to 125,000 people each day inside American prisons and call us to action.
Hosted by
The BLACK Gallery PDX: Don't Shoot Portland is an arts and education organization that promotes social justice and civic participation. Our mission is to harness the power of creative expression to inspire, educate, and mobilize communities towards equity, justice, and transformative social impact. The BLACK Gallery powered by DSPDX is an extension of this programming, centering art as activism to showcase underrepresented artists.
Look2Justice (Christopher Blackwell): Look2Justice provides peer-led civic education and empowerment programs to currently and formerly incarcerated people and their families. We work to empower directly impacted people with the skills and knowledge to navigate legislative, policy, and narrative change so that they may advocate on their own behalf.
Social Documentary Network / ZEKE Magazine (Glenn Ruga): Glenn Ruga is a photographer, graphic designer and curator. He founded the Social Documentary Network (SDN) as a web platform for a globalcommunity of documentary photographers to present their work online. As a photographer, he has created traveling and online documentary exhibits on the struggle for a multicultural future. In 2015, Ruga launched ZEKE: The Magazine of Global Documentary, a printand digital magazine published by SDN presenting the best stories from the Social Documentary Network.
Photography by
Deborah Espinosa (Seattle), Lori Waselchuk (Philadelphia), Brian Branch-Price (New York), Brian Frank (San Francisco)
Exhibition Details
Opening Reception on March 14 from 5-8pm // FREE RSVP
March 14, 2026 through April 30, 2026
Gallery hours are Thursday through Sunday from 12 to 5pm by appointment - please send an email to info@theblackgallerypdx.com to confirm your visit
Address: 916 NW Flanders St, Portland, OR 97209
Window Into Solitary at The BLACK Gallery
Window Into Solitary
March 14 - April 30
___________
A photography exhibition sharing the stories of 17 people who survived solitary confinement, revealing the human cost of isolation.
Window Into Solitary is a photography exhibition that documents the lived experiences of 17 men and women who survived long-term solitary confinement. Through striking portraits and first-person testimony, the exhibition invites us to confront the human cost of isolation while honoring the resilience of those who endured it.
Each image is paired with powerful written reflections from participants about their time in solitary confinement and their perspectives on its widespread use across the U.S. carceral system. Together, these stories create a rare and urgent window into an often hidden reality.
This exhibition is presented in conjunction with Ending Isolation: The Case Against Solitary Confinement — a new book by Christopher Blackwell, Prof. Deborah Zalesne, Kwaneta Harris, and Dr. Terry Kupers. The book and exhibition together expose the cruel and unusual punishment faced by close to 125,000 people each day inside American prisons and call us to action.
Hosted by
The BLACK Gallery PDX: Don't Shoot Portland is an arts and education organization that promotes social justice and civic participation. Our mission is to harness the power of creative expression to inspire, educate, and mobilize communities towards equity, justice, and transformative social impact. The BLACK Gallery powered by DSPDX is an extension of this programming, centering art as activism to showcase underrepresented artists.
Look2Justice (Christopher Blackwell): Look2Justice provides peer-led civic education and empowerment programs to currently and formerly incarcerated people and their families. We work to empower directly impacted people with the skills and knowledge to navigate legislative, policy, and narrative change so that they may advocate on their own behalf.
Social Documentary Network / ZEKE Magazine (Glenn Ruga): Glenn Ruga is a photographer, graphic designer and curator. He founded the Social Documentary Network (SDN) as a web platform for a globalcommunity of documentary photographers to present their work online. As a photographer, he has created traveling and online documentary exhibits on the struggle for a multicultural future. In 2015, Ruga launched ZEKE: The Magazine of Global Documentary, a printand digital magazine published by SDN presenting the best stories from the Social Documentary Network.
Photography by
Deborah Espinosa (Seattle), Lori Waselchuk (Philadelphia), Brian Branch-Price (New York), Brian Frank (San Francisco)
Exhibition Details
Opening Reception on March 14 from 5-8pm // FREE RSVP
March 14, 2026 through April 30, 2026
Gallery hours are Thursday through Sunday from 12 to 5pm by appointment - please send an email to info@theblackgallerypdx.com to confirm your visit
Address: 916 NW Flanders St, Portland, OR 97209
Open Hours at the Black Cultural Library
Our reference library holds an expansive collection of rare and limited literary works from civil rights advocates, artists and scholars.
The Black Cultural Library will host open hours on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of every month, but is also available for groups or research appointments.
For more information or to schedule your visit outside of our open hours, please email blackmemorylab@dontshootpdx.org
Window Into Solitary at The BLACK Gallery
Window Into Solitary
March 14 - April 30
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A photography exhibition sharing the stories of 17 people who survived solitary confinement, revealing the human cost of isolation.
Window Into Solitary is a photography exhibition that documents the lived experiences of 17 men and women who survived long-term solitary confinement. Through striking portraits and first-person testimony, the exhibition invites us to confront the human cost of isolation while honoring the resilience of those who endured it.
Each image is paired with powerful written reflections from participants about their time in solitary confinement and their perspectives on its widespread use across the U.S. carceral system. Together, these stories create a rare and urgent window into an often hidden reality.
This exhibition is presented in conjunction with Ending Isolation: The Case Against Solitary Confinement — a new book by Christopher Blackwell, Prof. Deborah Zalesne, Kwaneta Harris, and Dr. Terry Kupers. The book and exhibition together expose the cruel and unusual punishment faced by close to 125,000 people each day inside American prisons and call us to action.
Hosted by
The BLACK Gallery PDX: Don't Shoot Portland is an arts and education organization that promotes social justice and civic participation. Our mission is to harness the power of creative expression to inspire, educate, and mobilize communities towards equity, justice, and transformative social impact. The BLACK Gallery powered by DSPDX is an extension of this programming, centering art as activism to showcase underrepresented artists.
Look2Justice (Christopher Blackwell): Look2Justice provides peer-led civic education and empowerment programs to currently and formerly incarcerated people and their families. We work to empower directly impacted people with the skills and knowledge to navigate legislative, policy, and narrative change so that they may advocate on their own behalf.
Social Documentary Network / ZEKE Magazine (Glenn Ruga): Glenn Ruga is a photographer, graphic designer and curator. He founded the Social Documentary Network (SDN) as a web platform for a globalcommunity of documentary photographers to present their work online. As a photographer, he has created traveling and online documentary exhibits on the struggle for a multicultural future. In 2015, Ruga launched ZEKE: The Magazine of Global Documentary, a printand digital magazine published by SDN presenting the best stories from the Social Documentary Network.
Photography by
Deborah Espinosa (Seattle), Lori Waselchuk (Philadelphia), Brian Branch-Price (New York), Brian Frank (San Francisco)
Exhibition Details
Opening Reception on March 14 from 5-8pm // FREE RSVP
March 14, 2026 through April 30, 2026
Gallery hours are Thursday through Sunday from 12 to 5pm by appointment - please send an email to info@theblackgallerypdx.com to confirm your visit
Address: 916 NW Flanders St, Portland, OR 97209
Portland in Black: Free Archiving Workshop with Don't Shoot Portland!
Join us for a hands-on community archiving session to preserve personal and collective histories. In partnership with City of PDX Archives.
Archiving Is Resistance ✊🏾 Memory Work Matters!
Join us for a series of hands-on community archiving sessions to preserve personal and collective histories. Memory workers from Don’t Shoot PDX and the Portland City Archives will be on-site to offer guidance. Coffee and light refreshments provided.
☕️ Coffee and Collections
Friday, March 27 from 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
The Black Memory & Preservation Lab
510 SW 3rd Avenue, Suite 400 | Portland, OR 97203
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Don’t Shoot Portland is an arts and education organization that promotes social justice and civic participation. Our mission is to harness the power of creative expression to inspire, educate, and mobilize communities towards equity, justice, and transformative social impact. The BLACK Gallery powered by DSPDX is an extension of this programming, centering art as activism to showcase underrepresented artists. @dontshootpdx @theblackgallerypdx