Exhibition featuring Portland Botanical Gardens
From February 5th – 26th, 2026, Design Portland (formerly City of Possibility) will host an exhibition on Portland Botanical Gardens’ vision for the McCormick & Baxter Superfund Site in North Portland.
The three-week exhibition – held on the first floor of the JK Gill Building downtown – centers on the design, planning, and work to establish botanical gardens along the Willamette River. Programming will include a keynote lecture by Scot Medbury (President Emeritus of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden and Senior Advisor to Portland Botanical Gardens), panel discussions, and an online plant auction (click below).
Exhibit Space in JK Gill Building
The JK Gill Building is at 426 SW Harvey Milk Street . . .
The Design Portland space is on the first floor. The exhibition consists of three collections: 1) vision books and posters of site analysis, design research, and master planning; 2) mass timber furnishing prototypes and a wooden site model; and 3) live plant displays.
The posters illustrate the history and complexity of the McCormick & Baxter Superfund Site, and contrast with the unique narrative and materiality of each plant. Furnishings connect these two opposing elements by showcasing the potential for design exhibition, prototyping, and temporary installation to guide garden creation in the first phase. These will be joined by live plant displays from Cistus Design Nursery, including a collaborative artwork joining plants and light co-created by Cistus and Skylab Architecture to be featured in the upcoming Portland Winter Light Festival (February 6-14).
Architectural firm, Allied Works, will be sharing a design vision book. Mass timber furnishing prototypes are from artist Cory Micah Olsen, and a hand crafted model of the proposed site will be created by Observation Studio.
Time: 7-8:30pm
Location: Sanctuary Hall at the First Congregational Church is located at 1126 SW Park Ave, Portland, OR 97205
Program Schedule
Wednesday, February 4th
Keynote Lecture: Scot Medbury, “The American Urban Botanical Garden: Catalyst for Community Revitalization”
Scot Medbury, President Emeritus of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, led a $125 million capital campaign that resulted in a new visitor center designed by Weiss/Manfredi, and several works of landscape architecture by Michael Van Valkenburgh. Since departing Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Scot has brought his expertise to a number of other botanical institutions, including Quarry Hill in Sonoma, Center for Plant Conservation, and Humboldt Botanical Garden. He is currently a Senior Advisor for Portland Botanical Gardens.
Time: 7-8:30pm
Location: Sanctuary Hall at the First Congregational Church is located at 1126 SW Park Ave, Portland, OR 97205
Thursday, February 5th
Exhibition Begins, First Thursday Open House, and Plant Auction Launch
Explore exhibit space, meet Portland Botanical Gardens’ team and other supporters, and learn more about the project history, conceptual master planning, and design.
Online Plant Auction begins and lasts through the exhibition (ending February 26th).
Time: 5:30-8:30pm
Location: Design Portland Exhibition space in JK Gill building at 426 SW Harvey Milk St, Portland, OR 97204
Free and open to the public
Friday, February 6th
Portland Winter Lights Festival Opening – Exhibit Hours
This installation, created by Cistus Design Nursery and Portland Botanical Gardens, celebrates the resilience of plants through constant, sometimes imperceptible motions. It will be on display in the window of the Design Portland exhibit during the entire Portland Winter Arts Festival (February 6-14) and through the end of the Design Portland exhibition (February 26).
Join us Friday evening, February 6th, from 4-8pm to kick off the Portland Winter Arts Festival and view the Design Portland exhibit.
Time: 4:00-8:00pm
Location: Design Portland Exhibition space in JK Gill building at 426 SW Harvey Milk St, Portland, OR 97204
Open and free to the public
Life Imitates Art: The Secret Life of Plants: Spores drift. Insects stir. Carbon is sequestered. Oxygen is produced. Photons are synthesized. Veins glow and shrivel. Rain returns. Growth is a give and take. It asks us to embrace resilience not as a singular act but as a series of events built through many small, ongoing actions, even dormancy—rest.
Saturday, February 7th
EXHIBIT OPEN HOURS 2-6pm
Time: 2:00-6:00pm
Location: Design Portland Exhibition space in JK Gill building at 426 SW Harvey Milk St, Portland, OR 97204
Free and open to the public
Sunday, February 8th
Panel Presentation: “A Superfund Site Blossoms: the Portland Botanical Gardens Vision and Plan”
Join Portland Botanical Gardens for a panel presentation on their Conceptual Master Plan for the McCormick & Baxter Superfund Site. Board members, Sean Hogan and Sierra Gardiner, will be joined by Executive Director, Matt Taylor, Research Director, Michael Geffel, UO Graduate, Jenny Ginn, and engagement consultant, Amira Thompson, for a presentation on the due diligence, relationship building, and planning for a research & education focused botanical garden on the Willamette River.
Time: 2:00-4:00pm
Location: Design Portland Exhibition space in JK Gill building at 426 SW Harvey Milk St, Portland, OR 97204
Friday, February 13th
EXHIBIT OPEN HOURS 2-6pm
Time: 2:00-6:00pm
Location: Design Portland Exhibition space in JK Gill building at 426 SW Harvey Milk St, Portland, OR 97204
Free and open to the public
Saturday, February 14th
EXHIBIT OPEN HOURS 2-6pm
Time: 2:00-6:00pm
Location: Design Portland Exhibition space in JK Gill building at 426 SW Harvey Milk St, Portland, OR 97204
Free and open to the public
Sunday, February 15th
Panel Presentation: “Portland Botanical Gardens: the Co-Creation of Education and Programming”
Join Portland Botanical Gardens for a panel presentation on educational programming at the proposed gardens. Board Member, Deepa Natarajan, will be joined by UO Graduate, Steven Garcia, and Test Plot Coordinator, Taryn Wiens, for a presentation on the environmental education, workforce development, and participatory design envisioned for the proposed botanical gardens.
Time: 2:00-4:00pm
Location: Design Portland Exhibition space in JK Gill building at 426 SW Harvey Milk St, Portland, OR 97204
Friday, February 20th
EXHIBIT OPEN HOURS 2-6pm
Time: 2:00-6:00pm
Location: Design Portland Exhibition space in JK Gill building at 426 SW Harvey Milk St, Portland, OR 97204
Free and open to the public
Saturday, February 21st
EXHIBIT OPEN HOURS 2-6pm
Time: 2:00-6:00pm
Location: Design Portland Exhibition space in JK Gill building at 426 SW Harvey Milk St, Portland, OR 97204
Free and open to the public
Thursday, February 26th
Exhibition Closing Party, Plant Auction Conclusion
Last chance to explore exhibit! Online Plant Auction ends at 12pm; winners announced during closing party.
Time: 5:30-8:30pm
Location: Design Portland Exhibition space in JK Gill building at 426 SW Harvey Milk St, Portland, OR 97204
Free and open to the public
Please visit Design Portland’s Eventbrite page to buy tickets for the keynote lecture and panel discussions. All other events are free.
For more information or questions, please email info@portlandbg.org.
