The Applegate Artists
The Applegate Artists Working Group brings together local creatives to celebrate the artistic talent of the Applegate Valley, create new opportunities for artists, and make the arts a more visible and accessible part of rural community life.
An inclusive group welcoming artists of all skill levels, the Applegate Artists represents a wide range of creative disciplines, including painting, metalwork, sculpture, textiles, mosaics, performance, woodworking, ceramics, graphic design, and more. By connecting artists with one another, local businesses, and community events, the group helps creatives share their work, build relationships, develop their skills, and find opportunities to exhibit and sell their art close to home.
Bringing Art Into Community Life
Through partnerships with local businesses, wineries, galleries, and community events, the Applegate Artists creates opportunities for residents and visitors to experience fine art in familiar, welcoming settings. These collaborations help local artists reach new audiences while bringing additional cultural experiences to the places where people already gather.
Recent collaborations and exhibitions include:
- Uncorked Barrel Tour: Partnering with the Applegate Valley Vintners Association to incorporate local art into this popular wine-country event.
- Local winery events: Bringing art into community gatherings, including Friday Night Music at Schmidt Family Vineyards and events at Wooldridge Creek Winery and Red Lily Vineyards.
- Regional gallery exhibitions: Showcasing artists collectively at Art Presence in Jacksonville and the Grants Pass Museum of Art, with an upcoming exhibition at The Langford Gallery in Phoenix, Oregon.
- Community art events: Hosting Art in the Vineyard at the Jacksaphine Count(r)y Fair from 2023–2026, participating in Art in the Garden at the Grants Pass Museum of Art in 2024–2025, and creating opportunities to display artwork through a pop-up gallery at the Applegate Evening Market and events such as Canvas & Corks in summer 2025.
These partnerships do more than display artwork. They help build connections between artists and local businesses, strengthen the cultural life of the valley, and create more ways for community members to discover and support local creativity. By making art part of everyday community experiences, the Applegate Artists helps ensure that creative expression remains a visible and valued part of life in the Applegate.
Supporting Artists and a Creative Rural Economy
For artists in a rural valley, finding exhibition space, connecting with buyers, and building a creative business can be challenging. The Applegate Artists helps address these barriers by creating shared opportunities and a supportive network where members exchange skills, offer business advice, promote one another’s work, and build lasting professional relationships.
This collaborative approach benefits individual artists while contributing to the broader local economy. Exhibitions and events give artists opportunities to sell their work, introduce new customers to local businesses, and encourage people to spend time exploring the valley’s creative offerings. These connections help strengthen the relationship between arts, local commerce, and community identity.
What’s Next
The Applegate Artists is working to expand opportunities for local creatives through several developing projects:
- An Applegate Artists’ Directory: Creating a resource that connects local artists with businesses interested in partnering on exhibitions, events, and other creative projects. Artists can also be discovered through A Greater Applegate’s online Business Directory.
- A public art trail: Exploring a valley-wide trail featuring large-scale artwork that celebrates local creativity and gives residents and visitors new ways to experience the Applegate.
- Gallery and business partnerships: Building relationships with local and regional venues to expand exhibition opportunities and connect artists with new audiences.
Together, these efforts help build a more connected, visible, and sustainable arts community in the Applegate Valley. By investing in local artists and creating more opportunities for creative collaboration, A Greater Applegate supports the cultural vitality of the valley and helps ensure that local creativity has room to grow.
Get Involved
Are you an Applegate artist interested in connecting with other creatives, exhibiting your work, or participating in future projects? We welcome artists working in all mediums and at all experience levels.
Email jb@agreaterapplegate.org to learn more or get involved.