HOOD RIVER — Columbia Center for the Arts (CCA), in partnership with Black in the Gorge (BiG), will present “Black Infinity House,” an immersive gallery exhibition featuring Black and BIPOC artists from across the Pacific Northwest. Curated by August Oaks and Robin Allen, the month-long exhibition will open on Feb. 6 and close on March 1.
“Black Infinity House” builds on 2025’s “Rooted in the Gorge” exhibit and expands the region’s commitment to celebrating and uplifting BIPOC artists and makers through visibility, community-building, and cultural connection. Featuring a wide range of media, including drawing, painting, photography, textiles, ceramics, sculpture, fashion, digital work, and mixed media, the show highlights the breadth of creative talent thriving throughout the Columbia Gorge and beyond.
At the heart of the exhibition is a concept rooted in the idea that Blackness is infinite — a living, evolving, and expansive cultural force that cannot be reduced to a single definition.
“The Black Infinity House art exhibit is focused on highlighting the visions, expressions, experiences and imaginations of local, Black artists across multiple mediums,” Oaks said. “This artists’ showcase is an experiential exhibit… meant to demonstrate Black art through the process of its creation, consumption and cultivation.”
Designed as an experiential “house” within the gallery, “Black Infinity House” invites visitors to move through three themed spaces: “The Studio,” exploring identity and artistic creation; “The Porch,” connecting cultivation, nature, rest, and safe space; and “The Living Room,” centered on culture, gathering, and creative consumption.”
“This isn’t some stuffy art show with a few paintings hanging from sterile, white walls. This is an immersive art experience meant to celebrate the vibrant sense of magic that resonates in culture and connectivity,” Oaks added.
The exhibition also features materials and community support from local businesses, including Ice Cream for Crow Vintage, ADHD Records, Artifact, Hood River Stationers and the Gorge Rebuild-It Center.
“It’s been so awesome to be able to collaborate with our local community,” Allen said. “The openness and support to not only acknowledge our culture but celebrate our history in such an important and creative way has been so cool and incredibly special.”
In addition to celebrating artistic excellence, the exhibition also serves as a fundraiser supporting the Black in the Gorge Scholarship Fund, created to assist Gorge residents who identify as Black/African American, Black biracial, or Black multiracial in pursuing educational goals across all ages and stages of life.
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