At one of downtown Salem’s most visible corners, a new space is taking shape—one that invites passersby not just to look, but to feel. Inside Stefani Gallery, natural light spills across honey-toned floors, illuminating bold, expressive paintings. It’s a place rooted in art—but also in something deeper: healing, joy, and a love for this city.
Its founder, Christina Stefani, has lived in Salem since she was 12. After studying art history at the University of Oregon, she built a career in healthcare marketing and graphic design. Her path shifted when she met and married Richard Stefani, a well-known local photographer. The two formed a creative partnership. “He taught me the darkroom; I taught him digital,” she said. “And he encouraged me to paint again.”
Their shared artistic life was eventually overshadowed by illness. Richard was sick for more than a decade, and Christina became his full-time caregiver. It was an isolating time. Emotional and physical exhaustion took its toll, compounded by her own cancer diagnosis. “I was completely isolated,” she said. “It destroyed my health. I was close to giving up.” Richard passed away on Christmas Day, 2022.
What followed was a season of recovery. “I had decisions to make,” she said. “Was I going to make positive decisions or negative ones? I decided to go the positive route.”
That decision became Stefani Gallery.
“Art has the power to transform and to heal and to bring people together,” she said. “That’s my mission now: to bring joy, to bring healing, and to keep his legacy alive.”
Carlee Wright
Stefani Gallery
From the start, Christina was clear: the gallery had to represent Salem artists, especially in its early days. “That was important to me,” she said. “But I also want to bring in national and international artists—elevate what’s already happening downtown, and help Salem become a destination.”
Downtown is also central to Christina’s vision for her gallery.
“There’s good energy here, but there also needs to be more of it. I could complain. Or I could commit. And I chose to commit.”
She hopes others will follow—more galleries, more creative spaces, more reasons to stay and connect.
“Not everybody’s going to have the same mission I have,” she said. “Nobody has the same story. But we can all contribute. And the more we do, the more we transform this place.”
Stefani Gallery is more than a business. It’s the physical expression of a deeply personal mission—one built on resilience, creativity, and love.
“All that matters is how we treat each other,” she said. “And how we show that love through art.”
This story originally ran in Press Play Salem issue 24 ( Summer 2025)
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Carlee Wright