Season 12: Jamison Edgar

Introducing our next CIR, Jamison Edgar, and their upcoming exhibition: Sanctuary Cycle. 

As the 2026–2027 Curator in Residence, Jamison Edgar will study overlapping theories of sanctuary as they ricochet across political, environmental, and spiritual practices. The deployment of ICE agents and National Guard troops in so-called “sanctuary cities” serves as a curatorial catalyst, facilitating dialogue between artists and activists living in Portland, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Chicago, Washington, D.C., and New Orleans.

Drawing on this research, Edgar will reconfigure Oregon Contemporary into an unruly site where visitors can meditate on the revolutionary relationships that bubble up from our spiritual lives. In this sense, Sanctuary Cycle is a national portrait penned by a cohort of organizers who retool the terms of sanctuary in the face of escalating political and ecological precarity.

For Edgar, the ongoing culture wars surrounding sanctuary reveal the true intricacies of a paradigm that is routinely appropriated in art spaces as an idle synonym for safety. Moving beyond sanctuary as a static metaphor, Edgar’s co-conspirators showcase how spiritual practices are themselves oppositional frameworks that, aesthetic or otherwise, steward justice across social, political, and ecological terrains. These hybrid spiritual-creative practices illustrate the labor through which sanctuary is continuously produced, maintained, and regenerated across genealogies of struggle.

In turn, Sanctuary Cycle challenges us to face a world on fire with stubborn tenderness. Filtering this heat through a kaleidoscopic lens of Indigenous and Black feminist teachings, Edgar asks how an art organization might meet this moment differently. Remixing curatorial and activist strategies alongside techniques of immersive installation, sound, and performance, the multi-pronged exhibition charts a deeper theory of sanctuary, one that underscores the cyclical nature of all living systems, as well as the collective practices that sustain them.

About the curator

Jamison Edgar is a community organizer sowing roots in Southern California. A historical triangulator and avid student of the dancefloor, Edgar sculpts archival fragments into exuberant gatherings of joy and resistance. Their exhibitions, essays, and public programs emphasize the indispensable role that queer, trans, Black, Brown, and Indigenous artists play in shaping revolutionary spirit.

In Los Angeles and beyond, Edgar collaborates with a range of art organizations, from community nonprofits and universities to commercial galleries and legacy art foundations. They studied queer art history and political ecology at Carnegie Mellon University (MFA) and Southern folklore at the University of Georgia (BFA).  Their exhibitions have been featured in Artforum, Frieze, Forbes, Hyperallergic, Art Papers, ArtReview, The Los Angeles Times, and on the airwaves of National Public Radio.

Our Sitka partnership

Oregon Contemporary is pleased to announce an expansion of its Curator in Residence (CIR) program through a new partnership with the Sitka Center for Art and Ecology. Since its founding in 2011, the CIR program has been a vital catalyst for curatorial innovation, supporting mid-career voices in the field in developing ambitious projects that culminate in major exhibitions at Oregon Contemporary. With the addition of Sitka’s residency component, curators will engage in dedicated research, writing, and reflection within an unparalleled interdisciplinary setting in Otis, OR. This immersive period will allow curators to develop deeper connections to place while expanding the intellectual scope of their projects.

The enhanced initiative underscores Oregon Contemporary’s commitment to supporting bold, experimental curatorial work. Together, this partnership increases artistic and community engagement statewide and ensures that the program continues to serve as a nationally recognized model for advancing contemporary curatorial practice and elevating Oregon’s role within the global arts community.

About Oregon Contemporary

Oregon Contemporary is a space dedicated to art, community, and the exponential possibilities of contemporary art. We produce powerful, visionary art programs for the communities of Oregon. We believe artists provide unique, forward-thinking ways of connecting people to the nuanced issues that define modern life. We regularly promote voices and points of view—regional to international—that have been historically underrepresented in the arts, and engage these populations to impact and intervene in the contemporary arts dialogue. By showcasing any and all forms of art in our exhibitions and events, Oregon Contemporary supports and empowers artists, curators, and performers, presenting singular experiences for the public every month. Through individual and business donations, as well as grant support,Oregon Contemporary is able to pay arts producers fairly for their work, while offering the majority of our programs to audiences free of charge.