Explore art & culture in Salem this August through these exhibits (and events).
HALLIE FORD MUSEUM OF ART
Featuring works by Pacific Northwest and Native American artists and a diverse collection of traditional European, American and Asian art, and antique artifacts. Hallie Ford Museum, 700 State St, is open 12 to 5 p.m. Tues to Sat. Cost to explore is free for children, students 18+ and educators (with school id); $8 adults, $5 seniors, and free for everyone on Tuesdays. For more information, visit willamette.edu/arts/hfma, or call 503-370-6855.
Through August 30, 2025
C.S. Price: A Portrait is a retrospective of one of Oregon’s most influential Modernist painters, tracing 40+ years of his artistic evolution, highlighting his journey from Western illustrator to nationally recognized artist who helped define America's vision of the West. His bold, expressive style left a lasting impact on the region’s art scene and inspired a generation of Northwest painters.
Through June 20, 2026
Crow’s Shadow Institute of the Arts Biennial highlights a selection of contemporary prints created over the past two years at the renowned printmaking atelier on the Umatilla Reservation. Founded in 1992 by artist James Lavadour, Crow’s Shadow has grown into one of the nation’s premier print studios, fostering artistic opportunity and cultural exchange for Native and non-Native artists alike.
SALEM ON THE EDGE
From fine art by established and up-and-coming artists to graffiti artists, Salem on the Edge features work by PNW artists in a wide variety of media for purchase. Stop in and visit at 156 Liberty St. NE. Info: salemontheedge.com
Prince Gnarls
Artwork by Prince Gnarls
Through August 17
Prince Gnarls Presents: Welcome To Heartbreak: "Welcome To Heartbreak" is a neon-drenched exploration of love's euphoria and unraveling — the way passion burns electric pink one moment and collapses into bruised red the next. My acrylic painting pulse with the intensity of comic book melodrama and anime's emotional extremes, turning heartache into something luminous. These are scenes of love letters written in glitter and gasoline, of characters too loud, too bright, too much. This is love as we know it-beautiful, blinding, and always on the verge of breaking. — Stephen Hinton
Guest Artist Sontonya Necheal — My work represents my journey to finding my unapologetic self in a world where people are more comfortable with me being inside the imaginary box they created for me to be in. Walking in my truth and embracing every unexpected curve that life has thrown my way is present in each brush stroke, pencil line, and irregular shape in each piece. Each work is mixed media and each piece represents a layered page in my journal of life, giving a visual shape to my imagination and emotions. Accepting me as I am is freeing and falling in love with me, unapologetically, is absolutely amazing. The creative beast in me has been unleashed and working out those emotions on canvas is such a release. It feels like FREEDOM! Freedom to creatively be me without concern of making someone else uncomfortable.I choose ME, unapologetically! — Sontonya Necheal
Reception: 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, August 1
Through Sept 28
Summer Break Out: Emerging Artists Annabella Ramey, Minna Zhou, Alexandra Hitchens, and Allison Hmura are taking over the gallery. Shining a spotlight on the brand new voices in the local art community. Art students work hard to master their craft and discover their own artistic voice, and now these talented emerging artists are stepping into their creative power. These recent art school grads not only have unique artistic visions, but also a deep involvement in the local art scene. They caught our eye not only for their unique artistic visions, but also for their deep involvement in the local art scene and their commitment to being the next generation of artists who make creative life happen in our community. Each piece in this show feels like a glimpse into the next wave of Salem’s art scene.
Reception: 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, September 5
Through Sept 30
Glimmers: Finding Joy in the Midst of It All — A glimmer is a small, fleeting spark of joy that makes you stop, breathe, and feel just a little lighter. A glimmer is the opposite of a trigger.
Past and present SOTE artists find their glimmers, little moments that have lit them up recently, and share them in a special photography show in the gallery, so you can share in those moments of joy, too.
SALEM ART ASSOCIATION
The Salem Art Association (SAA) aims to actively engage the community in the appreciation of the arts through contemporary art exhibits and events, and arts education for youth and adults. Bush Barn Art Center & Annex, 600 Mission St. SE | 503-581‑2228, salemart.org
Through August 30
Celebration of Art: SAA Gallery Guides — This exhibit is truly a celebration of the 60th Anniversary of Gallery Guides, the volunteer group of docents who have served and supported Salem Art Association since 1963! The members of this group provide staffing for gallery docent shifts at the Bush Barn Art Center and Annex, attend artist talks, and meet periodically for art-related programs. In this show, some of the pieces are created by the Gallery Guides themselves, and others are contributions from their personal collections. Some items are for sale, with all proceeds going toward supporting SAA services and programs in the regional art community.
Radiant Figures | Lily Roth — By examining the figure I can share my human experience and perception of my environment. I have the privilege of sharing how I feel about my experiences, while delivering a narrative that allows viewers to have their own interpretations. I feel that the study of human nature and figure as a vehicle to tell a story that either everyone can relate to or can expose them to something new. Most of my artwork is paintings, but has recently evolved into more sculptural aspects to expand on the concept of evolving human experiences. The subjects of these paintings are people who are important to my life and have shaped who I am today. Elements of these paintings include different objects that I chose because of their visual interest to me as well as their complexity. Working with numerous colors, especially blues and pinks pose a great challenge, yet a challenge that produces a beautiful range. I am continually inspired by changes in temperature, colorful reflections, and deep shadows.
The Art of Hope — “Art is the highest form of hope,” is a line first expressed by the German painter Gerhard Richter in 1982. Difficult times come to us all at some point in our lives. Art helps us to overcome obstacles, offers us solace and can bring joy back into our lives. It can have a transformative effect on our mental health and well-being. This show is about transcending the darkness and struggles we may be feeling and lightening our emotional burdens.
Black Archive | Nikesha Breeze — Nikesha Breeze is an international artist working across a diverse range of media—including oil painting, clay and bronze sculpture, installation, performance art, and film. Grounded in a global African diasporic and Afro-Futurist perspective, her layered, immersive works draw on African diasporic research, reclamation, and memorial, forging otherworldly spaces rich with storytelling and historical education. Her practice employs multiple materials and methodologies that call upon ancestral memory and archival resurrection to revive stories long erased from the global narrative, engaging directly with themes of grief, sanctuary, power and presence, visibility, and erasure.
August 1-31
The Snail Blog: Keeping in Touch | Ellen Crocket to Bonnie Hull — The Snail Blog, “a story of friendship and 5,000 postcards”, shares the correspondence of Ellen Crocket, who moved from Salem to Vermont decades ago, to Salem artist Bonnie Hull.
Garden of Wonders | David Cohen — Gardens and arboretums have always fascinated me – from small, well-loved, backyard efforts, to amazing formal gardens like Jardin des Plantes in Paris – all of these are places of mystery and awe for me. Whether experiencing the magic of seed-to-flower transformations, or exploring the almost unimaginable forms and structures of the plants themselves, or the discovery of unknown creatures who inhabit these worlds, there was always something that drew me to these places. Over the millennia, gardens have always been a place where people connect with nature in both a cooperative and mutually interactive kind of dance – learning and supporting one another in ways that just don’t happen anywhere else. Interestingly, after many decades of not making art, it was my stumbling upon the early botanical etchings of mostly unknown artists that inspired me to begin this pathway that I could never have imagined.
Reception: 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Friday, August 1
STEFANI ART GALLERY
Showcasing modern, contemporary, and abstract art from local and internationally recognized artists. We offer original artworks, fine art photographs, and limited-edition prints for collectors at every level. Art should be accessible to all, and we’re here to help you find the perfect pieces for your space. Stefani Art Gallery, 305 Court St NE | stefaniartgallery.com
August 1-31
©Neeraj Narayan
"Bare" by Neeraj Narayan, courtesy of Stefani Art Gallery
The Space Between | Neeraj Narayan
"...This body of work was created in that state. And I hope that when you stand before these pieces, you’ll feel it too. A gentle pull inward. A stillness. A presence.Not everything needs to be loud to be powerful. Sometimes, all it takes is a moment. And your full attention.” – Neeraj Narayan
In The Space Between, Neeraj Narayan invites us into an unseen world—one that exists between memory and identity, figuration and abstraction, confrontation and reflection. His portraits do not merely depict; they question. They exist in the “in-between,” exploring human emotion with an honesty that feels both intimate and universal. — Christina Stefani, Gallery Director & Owner
Reception: 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, August 1
ARTISTS IN ACTION (AiA) GALLERY & GALLERY 444
An artist co-operative featuring 22 artists that share a space with Elsinore Framing's Gallery 444 at 444 Ferry St SE | AiAArtGallery.org
artwork by Patricia Young
Fresh Cut Wheat by Patricia Young
August 1-30
Featured Artist: Patricia Young, acrylic — Born in Portland, Oregon, Patricia is a representational painter, painting primarily landscapes. "I love painting outdoors, en plein air. My love of French Impressionism has always influenced the way I approach my paintings. Color and light are the elements I strive to capture. I paint in acrylic, oil and watercolor.” Patricia studied Fine Art at the University of Oregon, and Art Education at Western Oregon University.
Recently, she has been using palette knives for painting which allows the freedom to omit the fine details, and focus on the overall composition and colors of the landscape. This results in a more conceptual or impressionistic depiction. “When I’m painting outdoors, en plein air, I feel a strong connection with the surrounding landscape. When I’m painting from my sketches or photo references in my studio, I am taken back to that place and time, as though reliving the experience of being there as I paint the scene.”
artwork by Jim Richards
Jim Richards - 7 Mile Lane Sheep
Featured Artist: Jim Richards, oil and acrylic — "I am a realist painter, creating paintings in oil and acrylic. I concentrate on landscape, still life, portraits and figurative works. Art has been my passion for over 35 years and sharing passion through my art is my joy. I am inspired by the simple beauty seen in life. There is inner beauty that all people and objects possess if seen in the proper light and perspective - metaphorically and literally speaking. Recognizing and recording the representation of that natural beauty is my desire and challenge. My focus on little details permeates my artwork. I am fascinated by details – but not obsessed by them (or so I think). Minimal use of details can help to emphasize elegance both from a conceptual perspective and in conveying the simple truth of beauty in all that we see in our minds eye."
Opening Reception: 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, August 1
BUSH HOUSE MUSEUM
Through September 30, 2025
Black Archive | Nikesha Breeze — Nikesha Breeze is an international artist working across a diverse range of media—including oil painting, clay and bronze sculpture, installation, performance art, and film. Grounded in a global African diasporic and Afro-Futurist perspective, her layered, immersive works draw on African diasporic research, reclamation, and memorial, forging otherworldly spaces rich with storytelling and historical education. Her practice employs multiple materials and methodologies that call upon ancestral memory and archival resurrection to revive stories long erased from the global narrative, engaging directly with themes of grief, sanctuary, power and presence, visibility, and erasure.
Cultural Exhibits
WILLAMETTE HERITAGE CENTER
14 historic structures house permanent and changing exhibits, a research library and archive, a textile learning center, and rentable event spaces over a five-acre campus, which also has retail shops, art galleries, artist studios, and offices. 1313 Mill St SE | 503-585-7012, willametteheritage.org
Through December 6, 2025
Caralyn B. Shelton: The Nation’s First Female Governor — Recognized as the first female acting governor in the United States, Caralyn B. Shelton served as Oregon’s Governor during the transition between the terms of George E. Chamberlain and Frank W. Benson in 1909 – 3 years before Oregon women were granted the right to vote!
In her three-day tenure as acting Oregon Governor, Caralyn B. Shelton demonstrated that a woman could execute the duties of the highest state office. Her story was told by newspapers all over the world at the time, but few today know her name and her remarkable story.
In addition to telling this remarkable story, this exhibit will be the first time artifacts from the Caralyn B. Shelton Collection at the Willamette Heritage Center will be on display.