Wow! This year keeps giving and giving. First we were closed during the lockdown. Then the recent fires filled the valley with smoke, sending our air quality into the “worst in the world” category and forcing us to close for that week. Then the rains came, and boy, did they come! We had some water damage that required cleaning up and drying out. The dehumidifier came out a couple of days ago, and we’re back up and running.
Because we were closed so much last month, we are extending the turkey show to the 24th of October. If you still have a turkey out, bring it back in. We will display it right away. We want to see everyone’s art! Watch this space for award information. This means we’d like turkeys picked up between the 24th and the 31st so we can have plenty of room for the Holiday Store.
As of this month, we are also resuming our regular schedule of Tuesday – Saturday, 11-5. Thanks for your patience and support.
Did you know that the Linn County Arts Guild was formed 11 years ago as a means of connecting Linn County artists and giving us a forum to share and promote our art? We began by holding a holiday store every year at a vacant building in downtown Lebanon. Then five years ago we rented the space we now occupy on the corner of Main and Ash in downtown Lebanon.
We love our corner location. We have big picture windows for displaying our art. We feel like we are a part of the downtown community as we watch people walk around. We even have a prime view of the many cars that turn right to go the wrong way down Ash!
But we have a lot of people, many of them longtime Lebanon residents, who tell us they didn’t know we were here.
We are here, and we have a lot to offer.
We are a gift store and gallery, so when you enter, you will not find only beautiful wall art, though there’s plenty of that, but smaller gift items in every price range. We have practical items, like microwave bowl covers, goat milk soap, scarves, blankets, bags, and aprons. We have small art items under $10 like mini canvases, magnets, and coasters. We have yard art and many indoor pieces created with outdoor materials, perfect for the Hygge folks. We have pens and pendants, pepper mills and bowls. We have inexpensive bead bracelets and high value natural stone necklaces. We have laser-cut notebooks for lefties and righties and we also have beautiful hand-decorated eggs. And cards! We have a wonderful selection of cards!
So you see, there’s a lot more than wall art at the Gifts and Gallery store.
Through a generous grant from the Linn County Cultural Coalition, the Linn County Arts Guild store, Gifts and Gallery, is sponsoring a turkey decorating event for the summer. Michael Howland, our artist who makes the popular laser-cut journals, has cut out some 5″ and 9″ turkey forms and stands. We would like you to decorate them and bring them back in all their artistic glory to the gallery where we will display them through the month of September. At the end of the show, you will be able to pick up your turkey. The cost of the turkey is covered by our grant, but we always appreciate donations.
Turkeys are available now. You can get yours at the Gifts and Gallery Store, 605 Main Street. You can choose a 5″ or 9″ laser cut wood turkey to decorate however you choose. (Family friendly, please.) Get your creative juices flowing! Turkeys will be displayed in the Gifts and Gallery Store and possibly other downtown businesses. The final day to turn in your completed turkey isSaturday, August 15th.
Divisions: For the competition, there will be 4 age divisions: Preschool, Elementary, Middle/High School, and Adult. When you fill out a registration form you will indicate the division.
Decorating: Your turkey may be decorated on both sides. You can embellish and make it more 3-D. You can create your own base, but please make it no wider than the turkey itself. We will give you the blank slate. The rest is up to you. We look forward to seeing your creativity! There will be an opportunity for people to get some limited additional supplies at the store if needed.
Voting: While the turkeys are on display, we would like to encourage the community to come in and support the turkey artists by viewing and voting for a favorite. We will have two awards for each division. Guild members will vote for Best in Show. We will also have a People’s Choice Award, so bring your friends and family down to vote! Winners will get a first place ribbon.
If this looks like something you would like to do, please drop by the gallery and pick up your turkey. We are open Thursday-Saturday, 11-5. (Please remember your mask.)
