Beaverton Area Co-op Gallery Going Strong for 62 years

Visit The Village Gallery of Arts

On a sunny afternoon this week I decided to spend a few hours enjoying local art at a nearby gallery. Tucked behind a newer shopping mall and beside the Cedar Mill Library is The Village Gallery of Arts. Founded in 1963 by a group of 10 artists who had the idea for a “working/teaching gallery”, The Village Gallery was born. Now at nearly 200 members strong, it is a lively art and teaching space filled with jewelry, paintings, ceramics, woodworking, glass art, fiber art, and more.

Being a co-op, it is run by the very artists whose work you see on their walls. When you visit or take a class, you may have an opportunity to learn from and speak with one of the artists whose work is there for sale. It is a nice feature of co-op galleries that you wouldn’t get elsewhere.

On the day I visited, I was greeted by one of the artists and a member in training. The gallery is a precious jewel box of art. Colorful and inviting paintings line three walls. Below are shelves of handmade glass, metal, and clay jewelry. A multitude of colorful glass art pieces shone brightly as the sun flooded in from the front windows. They have a huge selection of handmade and printed cards. Everything in the gallery is very reasonably priced.

Behind the gallery in the next room is a nice-sized classroom. The gallery hosts several art classes for all ages. Coming up in March they have ceramic, watercolor, and children’s art classes. In addition, the gallery hosts two types of art shows: inside shows in the main gallery and outside shows in bookstores, banks, restaurants, and Beaverton City Hall. They have a list of all events, classes, as well as bios and links to all their member artists on their website www.villagegalleryarts.org.

After visiting the gallery, I decided to view their member show at City Hall. The title of the show is “Encountering Nature” and it runs until March 21. I stopped by Brickhouse Coffee (the chai tea latte was delicious) and then wandered into City Hall. The art exhibits are always on the 1st, 4th, and 5th floors of the building. The show is a collection of 15 member artists. The statement for the show reads, “Nature provides space to explore its boundless beauty, complex structures, and the intricate relationship between humans and wildlife…15 artists from the gallery have created works to view and remember the familiar while illuminating new moments of harmony.” Again, like the gallery, there was a wide range of styles, materials, and disciplines.

I hope you will make time in your schedule to visit The Village Gallery of Art and their outside show at City Hall. It is an opportunity to see meaningful art and perhaps make a purchase that supports artists in your community that are working hard to bring beauty into our lives.

Amy Mower is a local artist and lifelong Beaverton resident. She is passionate about the future of the arts in our community.