Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

Kirk Charlton¡¯s ¡®My Personal Experience¡¯ exhibit continues at the Paragon Gallery

Photos and story by James Hill

The Paragon Arts Gallery at the Cascade Campus is exhibiting Kirk Charlton¡¯s ¡°My Personal Experience,¡± which is a drawing exhibition reflecting stories of his incarceration.

The show, which ends June 4, will feature a reception from 5-8 p.m., Friday, May 20 with an artist talk at 6 p.m. Other public events include a drop-in and draw with the artist from 1-3 p.m., Saturdays, May 14 and June 4. All programming is free and open to the public. Paragon Arts Gallery hours are noon to 7 p.m., Wednesday through Friday, and noon to 5 p.m. on Saturdays.

Charlton was released after eight years in prison at Eastern Oregon Correctional Institution and has done almost 20 years behind bars where he figured out who he is and what he has to offer the world. He developed one of the most attended programs currently offered in the Department of Corrections, a program called ¡°Art Inside Out.” He had been creating murals and doing custom work for staff and peers when he decided to develop the first of three full courses. He has completed more than 40 drawings that illustrate experiences behind bars. His media for these drawings was mostly pencil and pen in black and white, and he has an unmistakable style.

With this exhibition, the Paragon Arts Gallery opens the gallery to in-person visits for the first time in over two years due to pandemic closures. The gallery, located at 815 North Killingsworth, is an educational showcase committed to exhibiting work of high artistic quality.

Read more about the exhibition on the Paragon Arts Gallery website: www.pcc.edu/galleries/cascade