A Portlander is Taking Over The Smithsonian's Instagram

Local photographer Susan Seubert is choosing her snapshots carefully.

By Sophia June

Browse @smithsonianmagazine on Instagram this week, and you might see some familiar places and faces.

Portland-based photographer Susan Seubert was invited to take over the Smithsonian Magazine Instagram, sharing snapshots of Portland and the people who live here with 61,800 followers.

So far, she's photographed local tattoo artist MJ Haakem, the St. Johns Bridge, Brian Kidd—a.k.a. the Unipiper—and the Northeast Portland "wishing tree." Each post comes with a mini-history lesson about her subject, and they'll continue through next Monday.

Photograph by @susanseubert // Tattoo artist MJ Haake in her home in NW Portland, Oregon. Ms. Haake received her Bachelor’s Degree in tattooing from the Pacific Northwest College of Art in Portland, Oregon in 1982, becoming the first person to attain a degree in the medium. Her groundbreaking work focuses on reconstructive tattoos for mastectomy patients. She opened Dermagraphics in 1981 and was featured in a show about the art of tattooing at the Portland Art Museum in 2009. Ms. Haake is a self described “serial entrepreneurial” whose businesses have extended beyond the art of tattooing. Ms. Haake’s favorite place to hang out in Portland is people watching at Maya’s Taqueria. “You can sit along those big windows and watch the world go by” #tattoo #artist #portland #oregon

A photo posted by Smithsonian Magazine (@smithsonianmagazine) on

Photograph by @susanseubert // The Unipiper (@theunipiper) has become a fixture in Portland, representing the spirit of “Keeping Portland Weird,” the city’s unofficial motto. Brian Kidd performs most Friday’s at 5pm across the street from Powell’s Books, in a small triangle of concrete that houses a public sculpture and a bus stop. Kidd describes this intersection as the “Crossroads of Portland” which is why he chose this spot to perform. He started learning how to play the bagpipes and at the same time found a unicycle in a dumpster. Once he learned how to play the theme to Star Wars, and collaborated with a friend to attach a fire system to the pipes, he quickly became an icon of Portland’s independent spirit. You can follow him on social media to find out where he’s performing. #unipiper #starwars #bagpiper #unicycle #portlandoregon #keepportlandweird #flamingbagpipes A photo posted by Smithsonian Magazine (@smithsonianmagazine) on

The Magazine regularly hands off its account to international photographers. Seubert is taking over the feed from London-based, “ambiguously ethnic” photographer Daniella Zalcman. Before Zalcman, Ben Depp posted shots of his home town of New Orleans. And images from Liberia from Brooklyn photographer Glenna Gordon proceeded that.

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