This year marks the 5th Annual “Lights In Lents” Community Art Project, and we’re celebrating by creating something deeply rooted in what has always made this project special: community imagination, shared stories, and showing up together.
For our fifth year participating in the Portland Winter Light Festival, East Portland Collective—along with Rose CDC and our Lents neighbors (You!)—is creating a glowing, immersive “Living Room” inspired by nature, bioluminescence, and the tiny building blocks of life: cells, moss, and the individual stories that make up our shared world.
The idea began with a neighbor’s dream of a moss-covered reading nook – a “living” living room, a cozy nook that has a life of it’s own. As a community art project, we’re taking that spark and letting it grow—into a Living Room installation that evolves as people show up, create, and share. This is a living project: the art will change throughout the festival as new pieces and stories are added.
A Look Back — and Forward
Lights In Lents has grown alongside the community:
- 2022: We painted a UV-reactive mural that revealed hidden parts of the Lents neighborhood at night!
- 2023: Together, we created 720 square feet of 3D murals exploring our futures, dreams, aspirations and space!
- 2024: We built a “Deep Sea Disco” sculpture garden out of plastic waste – learning together about microplastics and environmental impact
- 2025: We build time machines to travel forward and backward in memories at our new Woody Guthrie Community Room location!
- 2026: We’re slowing down, gathering in, and centering stroies – creating a bioluminescent “Living” room display to inspire and hold space for reflection, storytelling, reading and connection
As always, no art experience is required. What this Living Room becomes depends on who shows up—and what they bring with them.
Join us to make art: Thursdays & Fridays 1/22, 1/23, 1/29, 1/30, 2/5 (6 – 8pm); Saturday 1/24 (2 – 5pm); Saturday and Sunday 1/31 & 2/1 (11 – 1pm) at the Woody Guthrie Community Room on SE 91st and Foster
Check out the Exhibit from the window evenings between 2/6 – 2/14 – stay tuned for open house nights & workshop nights!
