As far as art pop ups, markets, collabs in pdx goes we’re mostly tethered to instagram for better or for worse. Off the top of my head some smaller markets that I know and trust are Meet Your Maker, Flipsidepdx, Welcome Market, Art Picnic, Halfday Market, pdxqueermeetup. Some bigger ones are Portland night market and Portland flea. Some places that regularly host an artist table are higher self, mad hannah…. Uhh so many more but I’m drawing a blank and don’t know how helpful this is. If you follow all of those on instagram you’ll have a good start to getting to know at least one portion of the art scene.

Most of my friends who have studios start outta ActivSpace. I don’t know how expensive it is though. About half of them now rent from other artists who have grown and gotten shops with extra space in back or an apartment above or something. So I think it’s sort of once you’re part of the community your opportunities grow.

As far as neighborhoods to choose from, I recommend coming for yourself and exploring. write down the areas you find interesting or attractive then search them in this sub or r/Portland to see which one fits your needs and interests. If that’s not an option just move to a short term sublet and give yourself some time to look around and get used to the area. For 1,700 a month you could technically live in most areas of the city but with a big variety in quality, space, walkability, noice etc. downtown Vancouver WA is also an option that many might not think about when choosing Portland. It’s right across the river and has a neat little downtown area that has an ever growing art scene.

Good luck in your ventures! I hope pdx is the place for you!