Fireside Chat with Steve Bloom, Chief Executive Officer of Portland Japanese Garden

Join us in the Yanai Classroom for a fireside chat with our CEO, Steve Bloom, as he reflects on almost 20 years at Portland Japanese Garden. Since his hiring in 2005, Bloom has dramatically transformed the organization from a humble, local garden that hosted infrequent programming into an internationally renowned garden and preeminent cultural institution. His efforts include the Cultural Crossing Expansion Project (which expanded the Garden from 5.5 to 12.5 acres) and the establishment of a curatorial department to improve and strengthen the Garden’s physical landscape as well as host worldclass programming and events. In 2022, he led the creation of Japan Institute, a global cultural initiative and sibling organization that has connected Portland with visionaries across every continent in the fields of gardening, art, design, and diplomacy. In recognition for his work, Bloom has been the recipient of several honors, including the Foreign Minister’s Commendations from the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.