August Newsletter

We Did It, Silverton!

The tents are down. The signs are packed away. The last cup of coffee has been poured. And somewhere, we’re pretty sure, a festival volunteer is still taking a very well-deserved nap.

The 2026 Silverton Arts Festival was a HUGE success!

Kahlia (our Festival Manager) and Harold (one of our amazing volunteers) standing in front of Candy Chang’s Before I Die global participatory art project.

For two wonderful days, Coolidge-McClaine Park was absolutely buzzing with creativity. 77 fantastic artists filled the park with beautiful work while local musicians took the stage and artists demonstrated everything from painting and ceramics to welding, henna and live model drawing. Kids had plenty to keep them busy too, with art activities, face painting, balloon twisting, a magician and more.

Behind the scenes, our hospitality crew kept artists and volunteers caffeinated, fed and happy all weekend. Breakfasts were made, lunches were served, coffee flowed, coolers were filled, questions were answered, problems were solved and approximately 4,732 things happened that nobody attending the festival ever knew about — which is exactly how a good festival should work.

Silverton Took the Stage! This year’s festival showcased the amazing musical talent found right here in our community, with a lineup filled with local musicians and performers with Silverton roots. From talented young performers to seasoned musicians, they kept the park humming all weekend. A huge thank you to everyone who took the stage and shared their talent with us — Silverton, you sounded amazing!

None of it would have been possible without an army of volunteers. You hauled things. You carried things. You set things up and took them down. You served food, poured beverages, greeted artists, helped visitors, emptied garbage, solved problems and repeatedly asked, “What else needs to be done?”

You were AMAZING.

To our sponsors, donors, community partners, performers and demonstrators: thank you for saying YES. Your generosity of money, products, talent and time allowed us to create a weekend that was fun, welcoming and full of opportunities to experience art.

To our 77 artists — you were the reason we were all there. Thank you for packing up your studios, loading your vehicles, setting up your booths and sharing your creativity with Silverton. For one weekend, you transformed our beautiful park into a giant outdoor gallery.

And finally, thank you, Silverton.

You showed up! You bought art. You danced. You ate. You drank. You made things. You brought your kids. You talked with artists. You supported local businesses and helped us show our visiting artists exactly what makes this little community so special.

We may have finished the weekend with tired feet, messy hair and a slightly alarming dependence on coffee…

…but mostly, we finished it very, very proud.

Thank you for making the 2026 Silverton Arts Festival one to remember.

2026 SILVER FALLS FILM FESTIVAL

That’s a wrap! On Thursday evening, August 20, the 4th annual Silver Falls Film Festival premiered at the historic Palace Theatre– a collection of 16 hand-selected short films from Silverton, Molalla, Portland, and across the globe. This is always one of our favorite nights of the year, and it continues to get better and better.

Our first year as a festival, it was a struggle to find ONE movie submission from our community to include in the program. Four years later, over HALF the official selections were made right here in Silverton. Something's happening here, and it's a dream come true to be part of it.

Thank you to the filmmakers, age 9 to 70, whose incredible work is the beating heart of this festival. And thank you to everyone who came out to celebrate. We sold out the Palace!

HIRING YOUTH TEACHERS!

Youth Art Teacher — SFSD and Silverton Art Center

The Silverton Arts Association seeks to expand its roster of art teachers to provide lessons to Silver Fall School District K-8 schools throughout the 2026-2027 school year and beyond!

If you’re passionate about teaching children, love art, and are interested in working with our great team of teachers and volunteer leaders here at Silverton Arts, we want to hear from you! Being an artist is a plus, but experience and positivity around working with children is of primary importance!

Pay is $35/hr for SFSD class sessions, with some additional paid time for lesson prep/cleanup. Our teachers can typically expect between 30-50 sessions per school year.

We’re also expanding our youth programs this year at the Silverton Art Center, so there’s potential for more teacher hours if you’d like to be considered for after school and Art Center youth programming!

To apply, please fill out this intake form and send a resume to: info@silvertonarts.org

Thank you!