Nineteen Years of Beautiful Art

Currents Gallery is one of the many women-owned businesses in downtown McMinnville. The six artist/partners who own and operate this successful gallery come from many walks of life: Lawyer, Graphic Designer, Educator, Administrator, Drafter, Sales Rep—all full time artists now. The women run the business collectively with the help of seven associates who volunteer their time by working at the gallery and performing some necessary tasks. Nineteen  years ago, when they started this little enterprise, they had no idea if they could make a success of it. Over the years they added a classroom, expanded the display space and grew to represent more than 70 Northwest Oregon artists! Currents Gallery is now considered one of Oregon’s premier art galleries.

The exhibits at Currents Gallery change frequently with the big feature wall highlighting the work of one or more artists each month. Once or twice a year the gallery presents a themed juried show with entry open to all Oregon artists. An annual fall favorite is the juried Fiber Arts Show. This popular event exhibits work from artists around our region. Displays of wall art, wearables, sculptures, and more may be sewn, woven, felted, knitted, dyed, painted, crocheted or quilted. Animal art will be the subject of the October show. This fun exhibit will highlight both whimsical and traditional depictions of all sorts of animals. Rounding out the year in November and December, the annual juried Holiday Show will present a variety of art that is suitable for gift giving.

Currents Gallery is warm and welcoming. The creative work throughout the gallery offers an ever-changing variety of art and fine craft. There is always “something for everyone”— it might be unique handcrafted jewelry, a carved gourd, a ceramic pot, a hand woven garment, wood block print or just the right framed painting to brighten the living room. Locals and visitors come in to browse, talk to the knowledgeable artist on duty, and get a close-up look at some of the best art in Oregon!

Currents also connects with the community by offering a wide variety of art classes in their well equipped Back Door Studio classroom. These classes, taught by experts in their fields, can range from a one or two day workshop to an in depth series of classes. A wide array of subjects are offered ranging from introductory or advanced techniques in painting with various mediums, to constructing clocks with found objects, decorating gourds, dyeing silk scarves, life drawing, book construction and much more! New class schedules are published periodically and students can sign up online as well as in person. The Back Door Studio is also available for one-time or ongoing rental by art groups, private instructors, meetings or social activities.

At the outset, when forming the gallery in 2005, the artists set several goals. In addition to presenting high quality locally produced artwork to the public, they wanted to create a partnership that supported and encouraged each other’s successes. In addition they would create ways to give back to the community. To achieve this goal, a small section of the gallery is devoted to selling donated used jewelry for the Give a Little Foundation. The artists also make frequent donations to charity auctions and occasionally share a percentage of sales proceeds with local non-profits.

In the past few years, the gallery has expanded its online presence. Now art lovers can purchase many select pieces from their website and also sign up for a variety of the interesting classes scheduled throughout the year.

Currents Gallery is located at 532 Third St. in McMinnville. Business hours are 11-4 Tuesday through Saturday, and 11-3 on Sunday. www.currentsgallery.com

Phyllice Bradner (she/her) is one of the original partners of Currents Gallery. She creates wood block prints and paintings of whimsical animals. In her previous life in Alaska she was a graphic designer, historic restorationist, and antique dealer. She is also the co-author of the Silver Sisters Mystery series.