HALLIE FORD MUSEUM OF ART

Featuring works by Pacific Northwest and Native American artists, a diverse collection of traditional European, American, and Asian art, and antique artifacts. The galleries are closed on Sunday and Monday. Admission is $8 for adults and $5 for seniors (55+). Children and students (0-17) and students (18+ with ID) are admitted free of charge, and Tuesday is a free day. 

Through March 13, 2027
Handmade Revolution: Craft in the Pacific Northwest is the first exhibition to feature the museum’s significant holdings of both historic and contemporary craft. The exhibition features over 60 artworks created in ceramics, textiles, glass, wood, and metal made by artists such as Rudy Autio, Frank Boyden, Dale Chihuly, Betty Feves, Heidi Pruess Grew, Linda Hutchins, Clay Lohman, George Rodriguez, Sara Siestreem, Ken Shores, Peter Voulkos, Patti Warashina, Marie Watt, Nancy Worden, and many more.

Free Related Event: Tuesday gallery talks with curator Jonathan Bucci will be held on July 21 (and August 18) at 12:30 pm in the Maribeth Collins Lobby and Melvin Henderson-Rubio Gallery.

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

July 10 through August 30, 2026

Kept: What We Ask of The Pasts | Laurel Reed Pavic — Storage is big business in the United States. Institutions, museums, historical societies, even individuals, often have more items in storage than are on display. The paradox affects institutions and individuals alike: we can’t get rid of the stuff – but we don’t know what to do with it either. This exhibition explores the stories that can be told with these relegated objects — ones that are kept but relegated to attics, basements, or backrooms.  What is known about these objects? What sorts of stories can they tell? What questions do they raise about the past? What questions do they raise about present values and concerns?  Why do we keep them? 

The Bones Beneath | Mya Cluff — “The Bones Beneath” will exhibit ceramic sculptures and drawings by artist Mya Cluff that investigate themes of death and creation through a maternal lens. Sourcing from her own experience as a mother of three, Cluff’s work will speak to the theme of memento mori — or the practice of always remembering death in the effort of living a better life — with figural and symbolic imagery, a sensitivity to maternal anxiety, and effort of finding joy and beauty within desolation. (closes Aug 23)

We Are All Sounds of Other Sounds | Living Studios — In “We Are All Sounds of Other Sounds, ” Living Studios highlights their advocacy and community-based projects with archival objects and artifacts from collaborative projects such as BirdWatchers, Project Easy Access, Voices From Home, and artistic contributions to Our Fariview.

Free Related Events 

• Opening Reception: 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. July 10 with artist introductions at 6.

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 variety of media for purchase. Shows change each month. 156 Liberty St NE | salemontheedge.com

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. 305 Court St NE | stefaniartgallery.com

Through July
Emily Somoskey — In her layered mixed-media paintings, Somoskey constructs a world in flux, where fragments of the familiar drift through shifting atmospheric fields. Pools, nests, and architectural traces intersect with diagrammatic marks and cosmic structures, forming compositions that feel at once intuitive and analytical.

Working between abstraction and representation, her surfaces hold moments of collision and quiet suspension, suggesting a universe that is continuously expanding, folding, and reconfiguring. Through paint and collaged imagery, Somoskey explores how we locate ourselves within systems too vast to fully grasp, yet deeply felt.

Based in Walla Walla, Washington, Somoskey brings a materially rich and conceptually expansive practice to this new body of work, inviting viewers into a space where perception remains fluid, and meaning is always in motion.

Free Related Event

• Receptions: 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, July 3

Gallery 444

Framing shop and art gallery featuring a variety of art, including work by members of Artists in Action. 444 Ferry St SE | elsinoregallery.com

Cultural Exhibits

OREGON STATE CAPITOL

View curated exhibits, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday at 900 Court St NE. oregoncapitol.com

June 24 to July 29, 2026
Caralyn B. Shelton – The Nation’s First Female Governor — Caralyn B. Shelton served as Oregon’s acting Governor in 1909 – three years before Oregon women were granted the right to vote. In her three-day tenure, Shelton demonstrated that a woman could execute the duties of the highest state office. Her story was told be newspapers all over the world at the time, but few today know her name and her remarkable story. 

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 August 1, 2026
Echoes of ‘76: An Exhibit — In 2026, the United States marks its 250th birthday with the drafting and signing of the Declaration of Independence. What did the events of 1776 mean to the people living in the Mid-Willamette Valley? This multi-part, multidisciplinary exhibit will explore how echoes from 1776 continue to be heard in our community.

Explore how we can understand more about who was living in the Mid-Willamette Valley in 1776 through the languages spoken in this area at the time and the place names we continue to use today. Although the revolutionary events of 1776 didn’t happen here, explore the way they have been observed in this community the past 200 years. Make your voice heard and participate in the Wish Wall – sharing your hopes for how words written in the Declaration of Independence in 1776 might ring forward into the future.

WORLD BEAT GALLERY

The World Beat Gallery gives local cultural communities a space to share their heritage. 390 Liberty St SE | 503-581-2004, salemmulticultural.org

Through July

Pacific Islanders: Navigators of the Sea — Learn about the Pacific Islands through their art, dance, music, and settlement as explained by people from this enchanting area of the world.

We run on coffee, curiosity, and community. Fuel our next story (and our next cup) by supporting Press Play Salem.  buymeacoffee.com/pressplaysalem

Author: Carlee Wright

Carlee Wright is a community instigator with a grand love for Salem and notably fashionable shoes (Hello, John Fluevog!) who turns waste into wearable art in her "spare" time.