Artists learn from artists.

Aden Catalani is a Portland-based artist, muralist, painting contractor, educator, and founder of Pacific Mural Exchange (PME). With more than 25 years of artistic practice and over a decade of experience managing professional painting and large-scale mural projects, his career spans fine art, public art, construction, design, education, and commercial project delivery. His work has been exhibited throughout the western United States, and his creative and professional pursuits have taken him internationally to Puerto Rico, Thailand, Vietnam, and South Korea.

Combining a lifetime of creative practice with extensive technical experience in architectural painting, Catalani approaches muralism from both an artistic and trades-based perspective. His background includes architectural surfaces and coatings, surface preparation, estimating, professional painting systems, equipment and access, crew management, project planning, and large-scale production. He also incorporates digital design, projection, tablets, and augmented-reality visualization into mural production, using technology to help translate artwork accurately and efficiently from concept to architectural scale.

Catalani founded Pacific Mural Exchange to make this combination of artistic, technical, and professional knowledge more accessible to other artists. PME provides artists with practical education in commercial painting, architectural-scale mural production, technology, safety, project planning, professional practice, and supervised fieldwork. Central to the program is the belief that artists should not have to depend immediately on selling artwork or securing independent commissions to build sustainable creative careers. By developing marketable trade skills alongside their artistic practices, participants can create additional pathways to employment, professional relationships, public-art opportunities, and long-term creative independence.

Through PME, Catalani brings together art, skilled trades, education, technology, and international experience around a simple objective: expanding the professional possibilities available to working artists. Rather than prescribing what kind of artist a participant should become, his approach emphasizes practical knowledge, technical capability, professional confidence, and the freedom to build a creative career through multiple paths.

Katherine Cooper brings more than 30 years of experience in leadership, business development, community engagement, and relationship building to Pacific Mural Exchange. Her career has spanned the nonprofit, private, and public-service sectors, with a consistent focus on building partnerships, developing resources, and creating opportunities that strengthen individuals and communities.

Most recently, Katherine served as Co-Executive Director of Cascadia Clusters, a Portland nonprofit providing hands-on workforce training and employment pathways for people facing barriers to traditional employment. In that role, she helped lead organizational strategy, fundraising, government and community partnerships, program development, and operations.

Katherine holds a Bachelor of Arts from Lewis and Clark College and a Master of Public Administration from University of Oregon.

Joe Graham is a multidisciplinary artist, graphic designer, and creative director who helps translate ideas into clear, compelling visual experiences. Drawing on decades of experience in art, design, branding, and creative production, he advises Pacific Mural Exchange on artistic direction, visual communication, and the development of projects that connect artists with meaningful public opportunities. As an educator and contributing artist, Joe brings both practical creative expertise and a collaborative approach to helping artists strengthen their ideas, expand their skills, and successfully bring ambitious work into the built environment.