Cultural centers fill a vital role in communities, often serving multiple functions as performance halls, art galleries, historical repositories, gathering places, and educational resources. In rural areas, they can be the only cultural touchstone for miles around. This series profiles a variety of these essential hubs, with priority given to centers in rural areas, and examines how they uniquely serve and reflect their communities. With these stories, we hope to produce a broad cultural snapshot of the state, a window into the many distinct communities that enrich it, and help to bridge the urban/rural divide.
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Near Willamina, Joe Robinson has created a haven for ceramicists working with the wood-fired kiln. “When you stand next to a fire,” he says, “you feel like you belong.”
The combination of studios and gallery in the old Bend Iron Works is a communal space for artists to share their creative process with the public.
The Oregon Shakespeare Festival and Ashland New Plays Festival wrap up seasons of bold plays that grapple with modern issues and life.
The Soul Restoration Center, begun by Darrell Grant and carried forward by Dr. S. Renee Mitchell, revives a key cultural space for Black Portlanders.
The museum, a thriving cultural hub on the Oregon coast, is more than ever asking its audience to consider how the past shapes the future.
From its Walters Arts Center to its Civic Center, a surprise Lee Kelly sculpture and more, Portland’s booming western neighbor offers a surprise for the eyes.
Lloyd and Myrtle Hoffman, who offered classes and opened their home to friends and strangers, left as their legacy a gathering place for art lovers.
Two potters have turned an abandoned middle school into a center for art classes serving adults and Reedsport School District students.
The Museum at Warm Springs is confronting a number of challenges but director Elizabeth Woody is full of ideas, strategies, and solutions.
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