((Left) coffee scoop by Brad Harrison (Right) pate de verre by Laurel Werhane)
The Dry Canyon Arts Association’s (DCAA) annual Fall Show and Sale, scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, November 15-16, will feature education in more ways than one. As usual, the event will take place in the commons of Redmond High School as area high school art students get on-the-job training on how to display and sell their artworks alongside professional artists and artisans. Second, DCAA members will be introducing the community to the upcoming Dry Canyon Community Art Center, and finally, they are continuing to raise money to keep art education in Redmond elementary schools. All three projects will be on display at the show.
DCAA members are eager to share information about the nearly-complete Dry Canyon Community Art Center and will be staffing a booth at the show to introduce it. The historic downtown Rogers and Lynch Building at Sixth Street and Deschutes Avenue in Redmond will soon become the new local headquarters for art education and exhibition. “We can’t wait for everybody to see this new Community Art Center,” said Mel Archer, board chair of DCAA. “We have removed old walls, added new gallery walls and gallery-quality lighting. There will be room to give classes, exhibit art, and just appreciate the talent of artists in our city and beyond. It will be a real asset to the whole community.”
Opportunities for both DCAA members and non-members to improve their skills or show artwork will soon be available as the Art Center becomes established in the community. Grand Opening festivities for the Art Center are scheduled for December’s First Friday event on December 5.
While the Dry Canyon Community Art Center is under construction, DCAA continues to invest in the future of art in Central Oregon by funding early art education through Jumpstart Art. DCAA’s Jumpstart Art program is an annual campaign to raise the funds necessary to provide visual art education to every elementary-age child in the Redmond School District. In the 2024-2025 school year, DCAA has, through grants and community giving, presented the Redmond School District with over $70,000 to pay for artists in residence to collaborate with each teacher and their students.
Educators at John Tuck Elementary School remarked, “It helped galvanize our school around a singular focus and gave teachers and students new skills and knowledge. Also, using a living contemporary artist as the focus showed students how art can be used for things like advertising and in everyday life.” Tom McCall School staff said, “The art experience enriched all the students’ academic studies. The finished art pieces were far elevated from what they might have achieved without an art teacher. The students were highly engaged and proud of their work. All art forms are needed in our students’ lives.”
Fundraising for this cause continues throughout the year, and an important portion of the total is raised at the Fall Art Show and Sale’s art raffle. The raffle, which gives ticket buyers a chance to win original art, textiles, pottery, wood and glass works, is one of the primary fundraising projects supporting Jumpstart Art. The Fall Art Show and Sale will be held at the Redmond High School and will feature over 40 area artists and artisans. The Fall Art Show & Sale is Saturday, November 15 from 10am-5pm and Sunday, November 16 from 10am-4pm. Admission is free.
Dry Canyon Arts Association is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that provides opportunities for Central Oregon artists to show and sell their art and to interact with fellow artists and the community.