A Downtown Must See: Salem on the Edge Art Gallery

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Carlee Wright

Salem on the Edge owners Eric Frey and Anna Davis

In the fall of 2024, Salem on the Edge was purchased by Eric Frey and Anna Davis, two area artists who aim to make their mark on downtown and Salem's art scene.

The duo comes from very different backgrounds but is bonded by their common appreciation of art.

Eric’s foray into art was “very nonlinear.” 

A combat veteran, he served 24 years in the Army National Guard, 21 of those active.

“After I got back from Iraq, I started doing photography because the camera kind of was an intermediary between me and the world,” he said.

Eric focused on his education, eventually obtaining his Master's in Fine Arts. In the Fall of 2022, he started teaching at Western and did an artist residency at Chemeketa Community College. Bythe  Spring term, he was also teaching there. In addition to that, he is also the visual arts coordinator for the Oregon State Fair.

Anna’s path to art was more linear.

Growing up in southwest New Mexico, her art journey started during high school when she took a darkroom photography class. “...that first time in the darkroom, developing an image, I saw that picture and I'm like, well, this is what I have to do for the rest of my life somehow.”

Eventually, Anna also got her Master of Fine Arts, but teaching wasn’t the first thing on her mind. She got a job working at Chemeketa Community College, which is how these two artists met.

When Eric was the Artist in Residence, Anna was the Studio Tech drawing tutor. She would pop into the studio to see what Eric was working on, asking him questions and learning some techniques. 

“We really just clicked,” said Anna.

And it shows. The duo had talked about what they would do if they had their own space…

“We've talked all sorts of ideas, so when Melanie posted that she was moving to Palm Springs, I looked at that post for two seconds, and I messaged Eric,” said Anna.

“I think we both messaged each other at the same time,” said Eric.

They were in sync — “We should buy Salem on the Edge.”

“I didn't want Salem to lose another art space, especially this one,” said Anna.

The gallery will still highlight artists specific to the Northwest and will be adding more summer programming. 

“We have these connections with the universities and colleges,” Eric said. “We want to invite some of the top graduating art students to have an emerging artist exhibition here.”

Anna and Eric are looking to feature a selection of represented artists, guest artists, and emerging artists. 

Buying Salem on the Edge instead of starting something from scratch was a no-brainer for the duo. 

“You cannot beat this location — this four-block intersection of downtown is really where it's at. Plus, these walls are so gorgeous,” said Anna, “And people are trained to come here every first Friday.”

This story originally ran in Press Play Salem issue 22 ( Winter 2024/25)

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