We Built You a Garden is the third installment of Metro’s Community Voices project, a multimedia storytelling initiative that invites residents of Metro Affordable Housing Bond-funded communities to explore the meaning of home through photography, writing and collective reflection. Hosted through a summer workshop series at the Strong Empowerment Village in partnership with artists Gwen Hoeffgen and Domenic Toliver, the project centers the experiences of residents with ties to North and Northeast Portland. 

Through weekly workshops and the use of film photography and creative writing, participants documented places, people and memories that shape their understanding of home, legacy and belonging. Their work considers displacement, resilience and community history, creating a powerful collection of stories that honor the past while imagining what can continue to grow.  

Ultimately, We Built You a Garden asks what’s been inherited, what’s been built, and what we want to leave growing for the next generation. It speaks to the ongoing impact of displacement in Portland for the Black community, but it also affirms what it took — and continues to take — to nourish, tend and build home.

Exhibition Events:
Oct. 23, 6pm to 8pm: Community Conversation at The BLACK Gallery
A conversation about the past, present, and future of Portland through the experiences of the people who live, work, organize, and build here. Artists, activists, community members, youth and Metro come together to consider what we have inherited, what we have built, what is changing, and what we want to leave growing for the next generation.

The BLACK Gallery will be open to the public on the following Sundays from 1pm to 4pm during the exhibition’s display: Oct. 11, Oct. 18, Oct. 25 and Nov. 1. Please email info@theblackgallerypdx.com to arrange visits or student groups during additional hours not listed.