We are happy to report that we’ve successfully navigated 2021, and are grateful
for the immeasurable amount of love we’ve felt from our community through thick
and thin. This past year, Portland Museum saw its essential role within the fabric of
our community sewn deeper than ever before. As we all continue to readjust our lives
and wrap our hearts around those in need, we are humbling asking you to continue
to support our work. We would like to highlight some of our new partners – from
internationally recognized names to locally cherished Portland heroes – and project to
keep this patchwork expanding into 2022 and beyond:
Our expanded campus saw several vital improvements in 2021, and we facilitated
a heartfelt embellishment on a prominent building downtown. Our Adventure
House of You project next door finished its first phase of renovations, including a
full structural overhaul, courtesy of Portland-based contractor Ryan Stoess and crew.
We partnered with Louisville Metro and the KY Humanities Council to rescue a 9’ x
16’ stained glass masterpiece from city storage and permanently installed it into the
facade of our building. The piece was created in 1978 by Bob Markert, and we were
privileged to hold a dedication ceremony in his honor.
Our new Executive Director Katy Delahanty was hired at the beginning of
2021, and she kicked things off with a major initiative to honor the legacy of Portland
based education pioneer Henrietta Helm. In March, a large-scale portrait mural of
Mrs. Helm was painted high up on the side of 429 West Muhammad Ali Blvd, by
artists Darius Dennis and Jared Diaz. We’ve since raised over $30K with a team of
institutions and Christina Lee Brown to honor Helm’s legacy by endowing an annual
scholarship to help train future Black educators through the University of Louisville’s
Teacher Residency Program.
We found new friends within The Smithsonian, who played an active role in two of
our main exhibits this past year, first by acquiring an art piece into their collection from
our show For The Birds, created by Portland Museum board member Stan Squirewell.
Next, they partnered with us and the KY Humanities Council to showcase their Voices
and Votes traveling exhibit under our roof.
Jon Cherry went for our museum trifecta in 2021, with his powerful photography
appearing in both For the Birds and Voices and Votes, then finally a solo show as part
of 2021’s Photo Biennial.
One of the most exciting initiatives we threw ourselves into this year was the
pursuit of a precious, controversial old carousel. Most longtime Louisville residents
