Visual Arts
Michelle Ross, “The Woolgatherers,“ 2015. Oil, graphite and chalk on birch panel (detail)
Enriching Oregon’s visual arts ecology
The Foundation’s Visual Arts Program honors Hallie Ford’s lifelong interest in visual arts and commitment to supporting artists in Oregon. The program focuses on enhancing the quality of artistic endeavor and body of work by supporting our state’s most promising visual artists, collaborating to improve the visual arts ecology, and investing in key Oregon institutions that support artistic excellence.
Hallie Ford Fellowships in the Visual Arts
The Foundation supports Oregon visual artists who have demonstrated sophisticated practice and significant potential with annual fellowships. The Hallie Ford Fellowships are the flagship of the Visual Arts Program. We recognize that the work of the Fellows furthers the conversation of contemporary art in the 21st century. Up to three $35,000 awards are made each year.
2025 Hallie Ford Fellows: Sara Siestreem, Derek Franklin, Vo Vo / Photos: Sam Gehrke
1905 Legacy Award
Named in honor of Hallie E. Ford’s birth year, the 1905 Legacy Award honors outstanding Oregon artists whose life-long career and sustained excellence has significantly impacted the artistic community of Oregon. The Foundation grants one $50,000 unrestricted award every five years.
Lillian Pitt (inaugural 1905 Legacy Awardee) making Raku fired clay mask, circa 1980s. Courtesy of the artist.
Julie Green, "My New Blue Friends," 2015, exhibition at Upfor Gallery, Portland, Ore., November 5 — December 19, 2015. Photo: Mario Gallucci for Upfor Gallery
Exhibition, documentation and capital grants
Artist funding: opportunities and experiences
Artist Diego Morales-Portillo was recently supported by a residency at the Studios at Mass MoCA. Pictured: False Memory Syndrome, 2018
Sarah Farahat, Self-Portrait, Yuba River, Yuba Goldfields, California, Nisenan Land, 2015. Archival pigment print, 44×66 in. Photo: Kristine Eudey
Critical Conversations
The collaborative Critical Conversations initiative provides a space for artists and cultural producers that is rooted in inquiry and exchange. Led by partner University of Oregon, the three-part endeavor includes studio visits for Oregon artists by prominent visiting curators and arts writers, a series of convenings and commissioned writing that examines currents in society and the field.
Critical Conversations partners have included Reed College, Portland State University, Pacific Northwest College of Art at Willamette University and historically Oregon College of Art and Craft.
Case studies
The Story of Lillian Pitt
Oregon artist stirs conversation
