Over the weekend, Mere and I made time to do something we regretfully haven’t done in quite a while, and spent an afternoon at the Portland Museum of Art. Meredith had been really interested in catching the Making Faces photography exhibit before it left next week, and we’d both heard great things about the Edgar Degas exhibit, so we made sure to set aside a few hours on Saturday to get in touch with our sophisticated sides.

I’m pretty sure that Impressionism brought us to the museum the last time we visited, and yet again, it left us wowed. The collection of works by Degas and some of his closest friends and fellow artists was a beautiful presentation of impressionist drawings, prints, and pastels on paper.

The Making Faces exhibit upstairs will only be around until April 8th, but is definitely worth a visit if you can find the time before then (don’t forget that admission is always free on Friday’s between 5-9pm). The sizable collection of photographs of famous artists and actors is impressive, and seeing the pairings of many of the artist’s portraits beside their own works, lent a sense of personality and familiarity with the artist behind the work, instead of just the work itself.

While the temporary exhibits might have been the reason to get us through the door on this trip, it’s hard to ignore the museum’s incredible permanent collection. Monet, Renoir, Kandinsky, Picasso, Calder, and many, many more – names you’d expect to see at much bigger institutions – can be found on the walls (and from the ceiling), around every corner. Portland never ceases to amaze me in it’s size-defying manner of major city offerings. Spend a day, or afternoon, at the museum (so much easier now that the Museum Café by Aurora Provisions can be found downstairs), and I guarantee that you’ll feel the same way.