Gallery Exhibitions at Columbia Center for the Arts

Due to the most recent Covid-19 public spaces restrictions, we will be monitoring visitor capacity, providing sanitation at the door, and requiring visitors to wear masks. We will not be serving food or drinks during openings. Free Admission.

Current Exhibition

Contemporary Native Voices:
Prints From Crow’s Shadow Institute of the Arts

February 4th-March 26th

Opening Reception on First Friday, February 4th from 5-7pm

Contemporary Native Voices showcases prints created at Crow’s Shadow Institute of the Arts by local and regional Native artists. Prints will be shown at both Columbia Center for the Arts and The Dalles Art Center. Crow’s Shadow Institute of the Arts is located on the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation in the foothills of Oregon’s Blue Mountains.

This exhibit seeks to acknowledge, honor, and celebrate the original inhabitants of this land and create space for diverse regional contemporary Native voices.

Learn About Selected Artists Here

Featured in the Entryway Gallery

Don Bailey

Whil-xolik (Tell Me a Story)

In my native Hoopa language, kiwhliw means “he who paints.” First and foremost, I am a painter. I create complex, richly colorful compositions. I am also Native American, born and raised on the Hoopa Valley Reservation in Northern California.

My work often begins with imagery from archival photographs. I recontextualize the often static, sometimes staged images with layers of color, traditional native design, references to other artists’ work, and landscapes real and imagined. Then, in the spirit of whil-xolik (story-telling), I create new stories to shake up (mis)understandings of (indian) art and history.

I have been featured on the Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB) television show Art Beat and in Oregon ArtsWatch. My work is in the collection of the Hallie Ford Museum (Salem, Oregon), the State Library of Oregon (Salem, Oregon), City Hall (Portland, Oregon), the collection of the Chemawa Indian School (Salem, Oregon), Riverfront Park (Salem, Oregon), R B Ravens Gallery (Ranchos de Taos, NM), and private collections. I am a member of Blackfish Gallery, an artist owned and operated gallery in Portland’s Pearl District, and work out of my studio in Portland, Oregon.