HOOD RIVER — Two years ago, creatives from across the Gorge united with a shared vision: to establish an accessible third space — a watering hole for local artists to congregate, collaborate, and display their work. On Feb. 20, that vision materialized, as visitors flocked to the historic Big 7 building in downtown Hood River for the grand opening of artist cooperative and community center Industrial Street Studios (ISS).

HOOD RIVER — A maximalist assortment of art and media furnished the vibrant interior of “Black Infinity House” at Columbia Center for the Arts on Feb. 6, kicking off a month-long celebration of local Black and BIPOC artists, Black culture and Black life.   

THE DALLES — The Columbia Gorge’s largest city, commonly cited as a robust agricultural hub above all, is rarely acknowledged as a creative destination by outsiders. But for residents Marcus Swift and Rian Beach, founders of the nonprofit, all-volunteer event organizer The Dalles Overground (TDO), its vibrant creative foundation represents a community hungry for broadened cultural programming and further artistic avenues.

HOOD RIVER — An eruption of sound emerged from Columbia Center for the Arts on Jan. 29, as a quintet of award-winning musicians, The Volcano Listening Project (VLP), strummed, fiddled and blew along to the erratic beats of sonified volcanology.

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.

HOOD RIVER — University of Idaho Professor of Law, natural resource rights advocate, and Cherokee Nation citizen Dylan Hedden-Nicely brought his wisdom to the Columbia Center for the Arts on Jan. 21, unraveling how the Northwest’s greatest gilled icon became sacred and ignited centuries of cultural and legal history.