Some of Old Town’s empty storefronts are graced with art installations now through November. The No Vacancy Window Gallery filled 17 vacant storefronts with work from local artists. Spanning the neighborhood, passersby can enjoy a self-guided art walk.
The open-air art gallery launched with a guided walk by curator Lauren Lesueur on Sept. 4. Lesueur led the group to all 17 locations, and some artists spoke about their work on display.
The tour began at elle gallery, owned by Lesueur, and made its way through Old Town with stops at the White Stag building, the Merchant Hotel, the Starlight and more.
As a curator, Lesueur works to find places for artists to exhibit and to encourage them to keep creating. Lesueur views art as a lifeline.
“I feel that making art is therapy,” Lesueur said.
Oil painters, photographers, ceramicists and assemblage artists were some of the mediums included, and Lesueur did not limit the show to any one style or theme. Instead, she said she wanted to showcase the diverse styles and mediums of artists in Portland.
One of the featured local artists is Wesley James. His works are a series of wooden sculptures and canvas pieces from an ongoing series titled 1997. James described the series as an attempt to capture what was going on with him in 1997, at the age of 15. The pieces tell stories of the people in his life at the time through rich neons and watchful eyes. The installation is brought to life inside an empty retail space once home to the art and apparel retail space Upper Playground. James cited memories of playing games at Ground Kontrol, shopping at Upper Playground and his former band playing at the now-closed Satyricon. All were within one block.
“I’m very honored to be on this street,” James said.
Lesueur’s own contribution speaks to the history of the Tuck Lung building on Northwest 4th Avenue and Davis Street. A hexagonal window on the ground floor shows a view of a table set for tea, and letters on the window say, “Wong Cafe.” Lesueur says the building’s significance in the historic Chinatown neighborhood inspired her artwork. She spoke about the connection she feels with one of the former owners, Albert Wong, who had a twin brother who passed away at the age of four. Lesueur spoke of her own relationship with her brother and the undeniable bond that exists between siblings.
Under the Burnside Bridge near the permanently closed Skidmore Fountain MAX station is the work of artist Jasper York.
York’s work brings light to a long boarded-up storefront under the bridge. Her mixed-media canvases fill the space with line portraits of faces accented with pops of color, depicting rosy cheeks and lips, or bold eyes and eyebrows, giving each face a distinctive expression.
York is a mixed media artist who spent significant time in Old Town in the late 1990s. Reminiscing about the neighborhood, she said her most treasured memories involve her family. Family dinners, a photography studio and a special energy. A common refrain about Portland’s past hinges on “better days,” but York acknowledges that you cannot bring back something exactly like it was before. Instead, she encourages the reframing of how to bring the same joy and feeling to the present.
York spoke highly of her experience during the installation of her work. She said all those who passed by, whether they were homeless Portlanders that sleep nearby or commuters and neighbors passing through, the newly unboarded space offered a moment of connection, speaking to the intention of the project. Similar to James, York said she felt honored to be in the space and have her work featured there.
“The response we got transcended any situational experience, and it just became more of a connecting and spirit with people. I felt like, for the first time, I felt the true value of human spirit and making art,” York said.
York believes that any project with the right intention has the potential to unite people across difference and conflict.
People are bringing a new sense of curiosity to the project’s location after it has been boarded up for so long, York said.
As for what she hopes people can take away from the project, the message is explicit.
“I left a message on the window, ‘Under the bridge, this is a message of love, peace and joy.’”
No Vacancy and its efforts
The No Vacancy Window Gallery is an effort of the larger No Vacancy project. No Vacancy is a real estate marketing initiative that attempts to match entrepreneurs with vacant, ground-floor commercial spaces. The project is currently in its pilot phase and has its sights set on Old Town, according to a press release. The project is headed by Matthew Claudel, an urban designer, whose urban planning firm, Field States, was also part of an earlier phase of the Made in Old Town effort.
Made in Old Town is an initiative focused on design and manufacturing for shoes and athletic wear. Made in Old Town plans to utilize commercial properties in the neighborhood to house its campus. The project is ambitious, with plans to install workforce housing and manufacturing in nine buildings in the neighborhood, according to its website. The project’s vision is supported with a $7 million loan from Prosper Portland. Critics of the project cite concerns about a lack of transparency with other Old Town organizations and its overall decision-making process, according to reporting from the Portland Mercury.
Sisters of the Road, a homeless service nonprofit, has expressed concerns about revitalization efforts that risk negatively impacting the neighborhood’s longtime residents and vulnerable populations via gentrification.
“Chinatown is undergoing another wave of gentrification,” Kat Mahoney, the organization’s then-executive director wrote in a June 2024 blog post about the dangers of displacement and gentrification. “This time, we’re seeing an influx of proposals for sneaker factories and expensive restaurants.”
“Displacement often acts as a precursor to homelessness,” Mahoney added.
Claudel said concerns about gentrification are important and legitimate. He added that pushing out existing residents is the last thing he wants to contribute to.
“These spaces are vacant,” Claudel said. “These spaces have been boarded up. Many of them have been boarded up for years, and gentrification, the definition is, that you’re forcing out people. And we’re very explicit that we don’t want to force anyone out at all. We want to invite people in.”
Art that Connects
As the artists shared meaningful
explanations of their art and artistic vision, largely missing was mention of the harsh realities of those experiencing homelessness and mental health crises in Old Town. At most, artists mention of issues impacting the neighborhood were limited to closure of businesses and vacant storefronts, but not of the individuals who may sleep outside the storefronts their works inhabit.
Kanani Miyamoto, local artist and educator, says Old Town holds a special place in her heart. Miyamoto sees community work as essential to her role as an artist. She emphasizes collaboration and public engagement in her work. Miyamoto is the art program coordinator at the nonprofit p:ear, an organization offering creative mentoring for youth experiencing homelessness.
Miyamoto says the nature of public art and collaborative art is a net positive.
“It just gives you a bit of ownership and love and connection,” Miyamoto said.
When it comes to worries around gentrification or new businesses, Miyamoto advises those new to the Old Town community to make an effort to connect with neighbors, whether they be businesses or those living on the streets. She sees art as just one of many tools for connection in the neighborhood.
“Art is really, really a privilege,” Miyamoto said. “I remember when I was younger and I didn’t feel comfortable in really fancy galleries or at art openings — and that shouldn’t be the case at all.”
The No Vacancy Window Gallery is on display throughout Old Town through November. Find the map at novacancyproject.com/window-gallery.
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This article appears in September 10, 2025.