Founded in 1970, Sitka Center for Art and Ecology fosters creative inquiry and education. The involvement, investigations, and creative work of artists and natural scientists help Sitka Center fulfill its mission to expand the relationships between art, nature and humanity through workshops, presentations and individual research projects. To accomplish this, Sitka Center maintains a facility appropriate to its needs in harmony with the inspirational coastal environment of Cascade Head.



Located on the central Oregon coast at Cascade Head Ranch near the Salmon River estuary, within view of the Pacific Ocean, Sitka Center is at the edge-a place where diverse people and ideas converge, co-mingle, and depart transformed. The dreams of the founders have been transformed into year-round programs that engage individuals in the creative investigation of art, ecology, and the space in between.



Sitka's programs include three aspects:



The Workshop Program (April - October) annually offers over 80 workshops, in art and natural science, as one- to five-day intensive explorations including book arts, printmaking, woodcarving, painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, and coastal ecology. Professional artists and scientists guide the instruction in one of the Center's five studios or outdoors in the natural environment of Cascade Head and Salmon River estuary. A 2009 catalogue will be available in print and online by February. Watch for earlier updates on this website.

  More about the Workshop Program

         

The Residency Program (September - May) provides artists, writers, and natural science scholars the opportunity to conduct their work while deeply engaging with the environment of Cascade Head. Up to four residents at a time from different disciplines and stages in their careers, live and work on campus for up to four-months free of charge. All residents perform community outreach during their stay, offering free exhibits and lectures on campus, presentations to area schools or community groups, and/or conducting scholarly research for local educational institutions. More about the Residency Program



Special Projects explore the surrounding natural environment as part of visual, writing, or scientific projects related to study of coastal ecology.  These may be integrated into workshops and residencies, occur as studies and restoration of the Cascade Head and lower Salmon River watershed.  These projects reflect a core aspect of Sitka's mission and are a vital component of Sitka's participation in its local community.