David Bates

David Bates is an Oregon journalist with more than 20 years as a newspaper editor and reporter in the Willamette Valley, covering virtually every topic imaginable and with a strong background in arts/culture journalism. He has lived in Yamhill County since 1996 and is working as a freelance writer. He has a long history of involvement in the theater arts, acting and on occasion directing for Gallery Players of Oregon and other area theaters. You can also find him on Substack, where he writes about art and culture at Artlandia.

Riva Wolf: Under a black cloud, a bright palette emerges

A McMinnville retrospective shows the late artist’s range, from echoes of the Holocaust to Fauvism.

Photographing the craft and grit of winemaking

Adrian Chitty's work celebrates the unseen people who "work so very hard to get that wine in your glass."

Bright spots peep through in Yamhill County arts forecast

Many events are canceled or scaled back for 2021, as gathering in crowds remains unlikely, but it’s not all bad news.

‘Domestic Landscapes’: Exploring the residue of lives lived

A show at the Chehalem Cultural Center considers the ramble of clutter that makes up home.

Britt Block: Paintings about presence

A Yamhill County artist visited a local park over a year and came away with a series of pastels expressing her life.

Chehalem Cultural Center expansion makes A-list

The planned performing arts wing wins the support of an influential statewide arts lobbying group.

Not your grandmother’s watercolors

The Watercolor Society of Oregon’s show in Newberg debunks stereotypes about the medium.

McMinnville Short Film Festival marches on — pandemic or no

Organizers are coming up with two scenarios for February, and a virtual fundraiser this weekend will feature greatest hits.

Linfield Theatre thinks outside the pandemic box

Yamhill County calendar: A "season like no other" on campus, plus a watercolor show and film festival preview.

Balancing the beautiful and the horrific

Artists Natalie Niblack and Ann Chadwick Reid explore climate change in a Chehalem Cultural Center show.

Converge 45: Popping up with the times

Chehalem Cultural Center and Converge 45 respond to a year of crisis with a show of contemporary posters.

As autumn approaches, art finds a way

With autumn around the corner, arts and culture events are creeping back onto the Yamhill County calendar.

An artistic smorgasbord at Chehalem Cultural Center

The work of more than 40 Yamhill County artists is displayed in Newberg.

A visual-arts bright spot in COVID summer

Chehalem Cultural Center showcases work by the late Michael Gibbons, Kerri Evonuk, and Sara Siestreem.

Young writers, burning bright

The Fire Writers conference helps Yamhill County teenagers tap into their potential.

Yamhill County galleries begin to reopen, cautiously

Limited hours and requests to wear masks are common as galleries start welcoming back visitors.

‘A world of uncertainty’

Voices from the front: Philanthropist Ronni Lacroute says COVID-19 is forcing arts groups to think in new ways.

Virtual art show goes viral

An online exhibition at Chehalem Cultural Center explores artistic responses to COVID-19.

The little bookstore that could

McMinnville’s Third Street Books rides out COVID-19 with home deliveries, curbside pickup, and mail order.

Now online: A quilt show takes on ecocide, consumerism, and capitalism

Fiber artists explore the toll plastics are taking on the oceans in a Chehalem Cultural Center exhibit.

Solidarity through song

Voices from the front: Anton Belov brings a community of singers together through Facebook Karaoke.

Portland’s All Classical teams with Linfield College

Yamhill and Polk county residents will have clearer listening to the classical radio station beginning Thursday.

Yamhill County calendar: Assume it’s canceled

Things are changing daily, but most local art and cultural events have been closed or postponed because of COVID-19.

Music, poetry, and visual art, all within walking distance

Wine country calendar: A little of everything at Linfield, new shows in Newberg, and Salem goes steampunk.

Nine short takes on 85 short films

From horse-racing to Newberg's 99W drive-in, there's a lot to like in this weekend's McMinnville Short Film Festival.

Coming attractions: McMinnville Short Film Festival

The Yamhill County calendar also includes new gallery shows and jazz by the Christopher Brown Quartet.

‘Tightrope’: A working class in tatters

Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn will talk about their book, "Tightrope: Americans Reaching for Hope."

Yamhill County calendar: From tea to ‘Tightrope’

Gallery shows on glass, Rogue River Wars, and tea service; a play reading; and a native son comes to town.

Vision 2020: Brenna Crotty

The CALYX editor says "men would benefit a lot from reading female-centered narratives."

McMinnville gallery showcases young at art

A student show at The Gallery at Ten Oaks provides an encouraging view of arts education in Yamhill County.