Not only do our artists create moving pieces, they also have fascinating life stories. In an hour long interview, each artist shares more about their chronic pain story and talks in depth about the piece(s) they’ve created for our exhibits.

Volunteer Nadine Borst and intern Sienna Morell-Grant have been working on taking these interviews and creating short clips to share on our YouTube channel.

Below, you can hear from artist and designer Sarah Stern about her journey with Psoriatic Arthritis and her exploration with silk screening and creating a limited edition print titled “Acute Scatteration.”

On Tuesday, December 2nd, we will be doing a 5 minute pitch to win a microgrant from Social Good Place here in Portland, Oregon.

It should be a fun evening with mingling, pitching and getting to know some of the amazing organizations here in Portland.

Come cheer us on!

What is Giving Tuesday?

Giving Tuesday is a global day of generosity held on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. It's a chance to support causes that matter to you before the year ends. For many nonprofits like ours, this day helps fund critical programs that serve communities often overlooked by traditional funding sources.

How Your Support Makes a Difference

Your donations allow us to run workshops, host exhibitions, and organize speaking events that center the voices and experiences of artists living with chronic pain. Because so many people in our community are unemployed or underemployed due to their conditions, we rely on contributions to keep costs low and offer sliding scale tickets. This ensures that financial barriers don't prevent anyone from participating in our programs or sharing their work.

You can wait until December 2, or get ahead of the holiday rush and donate now!

Illuminating the Invisible: The Beauty Behind the Pain opens January 8, 2026 at the Southwest Community Center in Portland, Oregon, running through February 20. This exhibit brings together works from artists living with chronic pain—both formally trained and self-taught creators are welcome to participate.

Through paintings, sculptures, textiles, and mixed media, the artists transform their daily realities into powerful visual narratives, offering visitors an intimate look at experiences often invisible to those outside the chronic pain community. The exhibit creates space for both recognition and connection—inviting people with chronic pain to feel seen while helping others understand what it's like to live in constant pain. A new call for art will be announced soon, welcoming additional artists to join this growing collection of voices.

Forward this call for art to someone you know who lives with chronic pain.

We are also accepting donations to support this upcoming show. Some artists are unemployed or underemployed and unable to cover the cost of shipping their art to be in the show. We don’t charge application fees like many art shows do, since we want everyone to be able to participate.

Your donation, of any amount, helps cover the cost for those in need.

Keep showing up, keep cheering each other on — and as always, take care of yourselves!💛

If you like what you are reading, consider forwarding it to a friend!

Janna and the Chronic Pain Project Team