Mayer/Reed, Author at Mayer Reed

September Events

As summer winds down, our fall calendars are filling up. We hope you will join us at some upcoming events: AIA’s Urban Design Panel, PDX Design Collaborative’s Downtown to the Waterfront: The Urban Core as a Riverside Neighborhood and a grand opening celebration at Mill Park.

Urban Design Panel

At the upcoming Urban Design Panel on September 16, Mayer/Reed and the City of Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability (BPS) will present a Central City Urban Design Study on our waterfront. Mayer/Reed Associate Principal Shannon Simms will share results from the analysis phase, helping to identify opportunities for urban design interventions. This virtual event is free but requires advance registration.

Tuesday, September 16, 2025
12pm – 1pm PST
Register here

Downtown to the Waterfront: Rethinking Portland’s Urban Core as a Riverside Neighborhood

On September 23, PDX Design Collaborative hosts “Downtown to the Waterfront,” part of a series of events focused on transforming downtown Portland into a livable neighborhood. Representatives from Portland Parks and PBOT, leading urban designers and community organizers will discuss how Waterfront Park — and the connections to it — can play a major role in the future of downtown. Mayer/Reed Associate Principal Shannon Simms will share takeaways from the recent City of Possibility design workshop in June. This in-person event is sure to sell out, so secure your spot early!

Tuesday, September 23, 2025
6pm – 7:30pm
JK Gill Building (426 SW Harvey Milk St, Portland, OR 97204)
Purchase tickets here

Mill Park Opening Celebration

Join us, Portland Parks & Recreation and the Southeast Portland Mill Park community for a grand opening event on September 25. There will be a ribbon-cutting ceremony, remarks from city officials and a host of family-friendly activities to celebrate the newly completed park. Explore the Mayer/Reed-designed playground, splash pad, community garden, fitness area and more! This community event is free and open to the public.

Thursday, September 25, 2025
3pm – 6pm
Mill Park (1949 SE 122nd Ave, Portland, OR 97216)

Mayer/Reed Gallery Artist Profile: Willow Scott

Our in-studio gallery recently exhibited a work by Willow Scott, lifelong artist and Mayer/Reed project accountant. Willow put aside her usual paintbrushes for this piece and instead painted with only her hands. Titled “Resilience,” the painting represents the healing process of creating art.

“I began with finger-painted words representing negativity,” she shares. “Then I made the negativity go away — layering and blending primary colors over the words with my hands.” The cathartic piece is the first time the artist has used this process.

Willow embodies that rare combination of “accounting brain” (as she calls it) and artistic soul and finds that the creative process of making something balances her analytical, mathematical side. She moves between painting, fiber arts and small ceramics — always chasing new forms of expression.

Michael Reed Featured in ‘SEGD Voices of Experience’

The Society for Experiential Graphic Design (SEGD) Voices of Experience series celebrates the legacy of Mayer/Reed Founding Partner Emeritus Michael Reed, FSEGD.

In this inspiring short film, Michael reflects on his career, design philosophy and impact on the built environment. He joins a lineup of influential experiential designers including Bruce Mau, Chris Calori & David Vanden-Eynden, Donald Meeker, Richard Burns & John Barry, Wayne Hunt, and Lance Wyman.

“Across his career, Michael has adhered to one guiding principle: the privilege of designing information systems for the public comes with the responsibility to ‘do the right thing.’ His work demonstrates that great design is not an act of personal expression but of public service.”

Read more about Michael’s career and watch the video here.

Celebrating Summer in Mill Park

Summer is in full swing and Portland parks are buzzing with activity. To celebrate the season, Mayer/Reed gathered with friends and family for a picnic at one of our recently completed projects, Mill Park in Southeast Portland.

It was a delight to see the space in action — the play area and splash pad packed with neighborhood kids, the bounty of the lush community garden and pick-up soccer games taking shape on the lawn. We set up our picnic in the shelter and spread out blankets in the shade of the large canopy trees. It was a perfect summer evening to celebrate community, sunshine and the joy of a new park.

Mill Park is officially open to all and a celebration is planned for Thursday, September 25. See you in the park!