Location: 1219 SW Park Ave, Portland, OR 97205. All events today are located here.

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11am-12pm: VBC Opening Circle

Celebrate summer and the start 26th Village Building Convergence with a community Bon dance and projects shareout!

The series of Japanese Bon Dances is brought to you by Bon Dance Picnic PDX. The dances are easy to learn, and everyone is encouraged to join in on the fun! 

Representatives from City Repair will provide information on how to join the rest of the projects across the week.

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10am-5pm: Portland Art Museum Cultural Plaza Street Painting

This street painting project will transform a section of the urban street grid on Southwest Madison Street in front of the Portland Art Museum’s (PAM) Mark Rothko Pavilion into a new pedestrian plaza filled with art. Once complete, the new Cultural District Plaza will serve as an extension of the Museum, greeting visitors with the same spirit of welcome and artistic inspiration found within PAM’s galleries.

The design was shaped by the community it serves. The mural design, “Mountains Full of Blessings” incorporates themes of nature, momentum, and Portlanders’ connection to our special landscape and each other.

To Volunteers: No prior painting experience is required. The paint party is family-friendly, although registered painters need to be aged 5 and up. Water, snacks, restrooms, and all paint and painting supplies will be provided. Sign up for the painting day.

To Volunteers with Arts experience: Want to volunteer to help with the morning priming and design layout process from 7am to 10am? Email streetpainting@cityrepair.org with the subject line “PAM Plaza Morning Volunteer” to join in! 

This installation is a partnership with the Portland Art Museum, Portland Bureau of Transportation, the Portland Office of Arts and Culture, and the City Repair Project, and is made possible by funding from Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Asphalt Art Initiative and the Portland Office of Arts and Culture. The plaza’s grand opening celebration and day of free community programming will take place on Saturday, August 8.

About the artist: Internationally acclaimed British-Nigerian artist Yinka Ilori, MBE, known for his colorful, “joy-led” design philosophy, Ilori’s work captures the spirit of community through a vibrant fusion of contemporary aesthetics and traditional Nigerian parables.

About our partner: The Portland Art Museum's mission is to engage and enrich diverse communities through the presentation, interpretation, and conservation of art and film.

10am-3pm: Fellowship of the Future Community Visioning Session

Location: TBD.

What if all it took to change the world was coming together as a group of strangers?

Everything that humanity has ever built has started with an idea that was dreamed up. Before a building is built, it is imagined. Before an ideology takes hold, it is imagined. Before a movement gathers momentum, a border dissolves, or a future is resisted or reclaimed - someone, somewhere, imagines.

For far too long, our imaginations have been manipulated by the systems they threaten. There's a reason why revolutions start with artists and why artists are the first to get shut down by the system, because inspiring others to ask why, or to imagine different futures is powerful. And they know it.

As African American Feminist, Educator, Activist & Writer, Bell Hooks, said, “What we cannot imagine cannot come into being.”

Join us in turning our attention not to what is, but to what could be.

To Attendees:‍ Bring imagination and willingness to take action. RSVP online. ‍‍ ‍

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4pm-8pm: Benches for Everyone

Location: 1421 SE Division

Why are there so few places to sit in our neighborhoods? Where do friends sit on walks together, the elderly rest, mothers nurse, and people wait for buses? How can we create community and be villagers when there’s few places for us to interact?

Creating community benches represent our hope, intent, and action towards addressing this issue—and you can be part of the solution! Following the footsteps of SFBA Bench Collective and Public Bench Project, we will teach you how to build and decorate benches to be adopted by community members. Interested community members can also sign up to build and take them away immediately after the workshop to your public area!

To Volunteers: This activity requires kneeling/crouching, being in the sun, and moderate physical activity. Bring clothes to get dirty in and closed toed shoes. Gloves and snacks will be provided. Reach out to bench@cityrepair.org for more info.

About our partner: StrongTownsPDX envisions a future where everyone has an opportunity to live a good life in a prospering place. In the future, Portland will exemplify fiscal resilience and adaptability. By managing its budget, Portland will be a prosperous city. All Portlanders will have more diverse, higher quality options in how they move through the city and where and how they live. We envision a more equitable future with smaller gaps in quality of life between different neighborhoods. Community members will be empowered to create the life and city that they want. Change will be driven by bottom-up action and sustained in the long term by strong community bonds.

10am-5pm: Build A Cob Oven @ Thimbleberry Farms

Location: 29089 SE Kelso Rd., Boring, OR, 97009

This VBC project is to build a cob pizza oven made of natural earthen materials that can be used for education programs and community events at the farm!

This is our 5th year of running the farm so this project is a love letter to our community for supporting us in our start-up phase! So many people have come together to make this farm a reality-- between the volunteers who broke ground with us, to the teachers and partner organizations who have brought their students here over the years, to the donors who have made our work possible. We are excited to give something (like delicious pizzas!) back this year. We're hoping this cob oven will facilitate the creation of more fun farm events -- like maybe a monthly weekend volunteer day and pizza party. We love our community and we want to welcome folks to spend time at the farm and enjoy our produce as much as possible. This cob oven will certainly help with that!

To Volunteers: Please bring your own gloves, any PPE, and snacks. If you have any questions or need accommodations, please reach out to Camila at camila@lglpdx.org. Volunteers from Portland are encouraged to carpool and can reach out to vbcvolunteer@cityrepair.org.

About our partner: Thimbleberry Collaborative Farm is a 5-acre nonprofit educational farm that fights food insecurity in East Multnomah and Clackamas Counties by growing nutritious produce for people in need and by teaching folks about how to grow and cook their own fruits and veggies. Each year we distribute 10,000+ lbs of produce and serve 800+ community members through our education programs. In addition to our food access and education goals here at the farm, we also aim to build community through events like our annual Mid Summer Soirée and Harvest Celebration. Follow us on Instagram and Facebook.

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10am-5pm: Planet Repair Demonstration and Tour

Location: Camas Flower House

Located in the SE area of the Sellwood Neighborhood where City Repair began in 1996, daytime activities will include several demonstration projects (earthern construction, coating earthern constructions, pond filtration systems, permaculture). We will do a block tour around 3pm and end at 4pm, showcasing the multiple ways folks use natural building to protect and construct.

To Volunteers: Clothes to get muddy in if you decide to participate in the demonstrations.

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6pm-leave: Natural Building Presentation and Potluck

Location: Camas Flower House

Informal tour of the house starting at 6pm, followed by presentation by Natural Building Leader Bernhard Masterson. Relax from the day’s events with pizza and dessert potluck.

To Volunteers: Bring pizza topping ingredients or a dessert to share!

10am-3pm: Learning Garden Labs Work Party

Location: 6745 SE 60th Ave. Portland, OR 97206

Come be in community with us, give back to the land & hang out!

We will engage in a Work Party on the grounds of the LGL. All Work Parties at LGL start with an opening circle of movement, breath, reflection & introductions. After that, we’ll get started on some projects throughout the site. We will have activities & projects for all accessibility needs. Volunteer Work Parties are open to all!

In addition to the work-party, we will also have a miso-making gathering led by Mihoko Okamura. Miso is one of many fermentation techniques that humans have developed for centuries to preserve food. This miso will be made by in gratitude to the blessings of nature. Let's unleash the power of microorganisms! The miso we make will be fermented for a year, and will be consumed at a VBC event in 2027.

This year, we will also have a miso dip for veggies, and miso soup, both made from the batch of miso prepared on the final day of last year's VBC.

To Volunteers: Please bring your own gloves, any PPE, and snacks. If you have any questions or need accommodations, please reach out to Camila at camila@lglpdx.org.

About our partner: The Learning Gardens Lab is a 2-acre educational community garden located on the 12-acre Green Thumb site in SE Portland. Our mission is to foster sustainable leadership and lifelong learning for people of all ages through garden-based education, reciprocal relationships with the land, and collaborative engagement in regenerative food systems. We offer educational experiences, provide volunteer opportunities, and grow fresh, high-quality produce while building healthy soils, relationships, & community.

Anytime: A Place of Our Own

Location: Your Home

Often in helping others we can forget to help ourselves. This day is a Love Letter dedicated to your own home! For this day we encourage you to gather with family and friends at your own home and do something today to improve the sustainability and community presence of your own home.

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10am-4pm: Cob Sanctuary Construction

Location: Off of Spring Water Corridor, Gresham. RSVP for location.

Demonstration and participation in cob mixing and application, led by Robin Carlisle and facilitated by Julian Dominic. Cob mixed on site and applied to existing wattle and daub, on vertical exterior surface… What we are talking about are walls here, baby! Come help us build the walls of the Cob Sanctuary!

Food will be provided at the end of the work portion of the workshop. Vegetarian options will be available. We are not able to meet every dietary requirement. If you have specific dietary needs, please come prepared to take good care of yourself in making those accommodations.

To Volunteers: Bring gloves and work boots, water bottle, personal snack/sack lunch, hat or sun protection, appropriate layers for the weather, notebook and writing implement. 

7am-11am: Care for the Creek Day

Location: RSVP to bridgidmcgrath@gmail.com for location.

We will mulch, remove invasive ivy and blackberry, and talk about native plants.

Please feel free to bring a potluck item. We will wrap up by 11am as it will be hot, and the young children in care will need to break for lunch and nap.

To Volunteers:‍ ‍Wear clothes to get dirty in, closed toed shoes, and gloves. Coffee, sparkly water and light snacks will be provided. A potluck item to share is appreciated.

About our partner: Green Earth Montessori is a sustainable green preschool dedicated to art- and nature-based learning. ‍‍ ‍

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5pm-10pm: Seven Springs Summer Concert*

Location: Jean’s Farm.

This event may require ticket purchase.

Come down to Jean’s Farm for the Seven Springs Concert and join us! Live music by Alexa and the Folk, and Kin! Join our magical garden dance party. Network with inspiring community partners right in our neighborhood, including the Ardenwald Crop Swap, Resilient Seed Farm and the Yamane Bose Community Food Forest. Explore our garden art exhibit. Join in on garlic harvesting and braiding to donate to mutual aid efforts. Enjoy delicious Japanese food from our local vendor, PECO PECO.

To Attendees:Please RSVP for site access instructions. Attendees who wish to get their hands dirty should bring gloves. Work-trade options available.

About our partner: Jean's Farm is a private educational farm located along Johnson Creek in SE Portland hosting field trips, camps, mentorship programs, workshops and classes for all ages.

9am until evening: Care for the Creek Day

Location: 6030 SE Clinton St

This long-lived VBC Cob site could use some love! Help us repair the roof over the public cob bench and do small plaster repair inside the cob oven. If time permits, we could also do foundation prep for future cob sauna.

When evening comes, we will celebrate the day’s work with oven-fired pizza and open music jam session.

To Volunteers:‍ ‍This activity will require kneeling/crouching, being in the sun, and moderate physical activity. Wear clothes to get dirty in, closed toed shoes, and gloves. Water and light snacks will be provided. Bring pizza toppings!

About our partner: Community members Mark and Erin who are committed to sustainability and creativity.

10am-4pm: Kenton Farmers Market Street Painting

Location: Kenton Farmers Market at N Denver & McClellan, on the east side of the intersection.

This project highlights the Kenton Farmers Market, established in 2012 in the heart of North Portland’s historic Kenton neighborhood. Known for its lively street-fair atmosphere, live music, and easy access by MAX, bike, and foot, Kenton is a bustling midweek destination that celebrates connection, community, and the region’s rich food culture.

This project has been many years in the making. The Kenton neighborhood and the Kenton Farmers Market have long envisioned a way to beautify and more fully celebrate this shared community space. Thanks to support from the Oregon Farmers Market Association’s Climate Resilience Grant, that vision is finally becoming a reality.

By applying reflective, light-colored paint, the project aims to reduce heat and create a more comfortable environment during hot summer evenings. We’re excited to bring a cooler, more welcoming market experience to vendors and visitors alike while enhancing the look and feel of this cherished neighborhood gathering place.

To Volunteers:‍ ‍This activity will require kneeling/crouching, being in the sun, and moderate physical activity. Wear clothes to get dirty in. Water and light snacks will be provided.

About the artist: Latoya Lovely is a Portland-based artist, professional dancer, and educator from Belle Glade, Florida. She has painted several murals around Portland, including at Alberta House, CoHo Productions Theatre, Portland Center Stage at The Armory, Oliver Middle School, among others.

About our partner: Portland Farmers Market (PFM) is a nonprofit organization that operates five markets across Portland, supporting regional farmers and food producers while creating vibrant community spaces around fresh, local food. Find them on Instagram and Facebook.

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9am-12pm: Klickitatfest

Location: Pedestrian corridor between NE 11th & NE 14th, next to Irving Park

Meeting neighbors, landscaping and maintenance, chalk and art, imagining the future of the mall, planning invasive removal, and more. 

We are looking at improvements along Klickitat Mall in three areas:

1. Safety - making the intersections safer for bikes and pedestrians.

2. Placemaking - creating a sense of community and belonging 

3. Native Plants - removing invasive plants and planting natives to support healthy nature around us.

To Volunteers: We’d love for volunteers to support in any capacity, from organizing, spearheading a painting project, kids art project, setting up a website, building a poetry stand, neighborhood outreach, and more! Send an email to evan@evancarmi.com.

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10am-1pm: Sabin Community Orchard Gathering

Location: 4109 NE 19th Avenue in NE Portland. See here for details.

Sabin Community Orchard is a uniquely Portland space, and we hope that bringing more attention to what neighbors have done, in planting and stewarding an orchard in the PBOT right of way public property, inspires Portlanders to... keep being Portlanders! Taking the opportunity of the VBC being the same week will help us to show love to this space

For the VBC, we will be closing the area NE 18th adjacent to the orchard, and inviting the community for an enhanced harvest day, which we have also invited other community orgs to participate in with us. PBOT will lend us the Play Streets trailer of kids equipment for the day.

To Volunteers:‍ ‍This activity will require kneeling/crouching, being in the sun, and moderate physical activity. Wear clothes to get dirty in.

About our partner: The Portland Fruit Tree Project is a grassroots 501(c)(3) gleaning nonprofit that provides a community-based solution to critical, growing needs in the Portland metropolitan area: access to healthy food, clean air, and cool shade. Empowering neighbors to share in the harvest and care for the urban orchard prevents waste, builds community resilience, and creates a sustainable way to obtain nutritious locally-grown food.