Taishona Carpenter doesn\u2019t consider herself an artist. Yet, art is almost her whole life. <\/p>\n
It\u2019s because she\u2019s not only the director, but also a founder and curator of The BLACK Gallery powered by DSPDX<\/a>.<\/p>\n The gallery occupies over 600 square feet in Portland\u2019s Art District. Before The BLACK Gallery PDX, it was Holding Contemporary, another gallery where Carpenter worked as the gallery manager in 2021.<\/p>\n Carpenter and and her mother, Teressa Raiford<\/a>, started the nonprofit Don\u2019t Shoot PDX<\/a> in 2016. It aims to use art to raise awareness and combat social justice issues in the community. The BLACK Gallery PDX is an extension of the nonprofit.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a labor of love working with family members. It\u2019s super fun, too. So I\u2019m constantly being reminded of, like, why I\u2019m doing the work. It\u2019s never a dull moment, and I think that really drives the energy that you feel in the space,\u201d Carpenter says about working with her mom.<\/p>\n The gallery showcases work primarily by artists of color. Currently, it is hosting a group exhibition featuring photographers of all ages. A duo of outside curators led workshops, assigned photo prompts, and taught the artists how to develop their work in a darkroom.<\/p>\n The BLACK Gallery also serves as a community space. Carpenter is always enthusiastic for people to use the space for advocacy events. They\u2019ve hosted Migra Watch trainings<\/a>, letter writing events for incarcerated individuals, meal drives and more.<\/p>\n The mother-daughter duo\u2019s work doesn\u2019t stop there. The third branch of their efforts is the Portland Black Memory Lab<\/a>, which hosts free monthly workshops to help people in the Black community archive personal history.<\/p>\n \u201cI think it\u2019s important to make art and culture accessible. I think it has a lot to do with enriching your life and just kind of cultivating compassion and understanding, which we definitely need all the time, every day, everywhere,\u201d says Carpenter.<\/p>\n Next on the docket is another group show entitled \u201cFor Artists of Color\u201d that\u2019s curated by local art students. It opens Feb. 22.<\/a><\/p>\n If you go: The Black Gallery PDX, 916 N.W. Flanders St., Portland, OR 97209, 12-5 p.m. Thursday-Sunday or email<\/a> for an appointment.<\/p>\n