Family Clay Sunday

The Willamette Art Center is making a difference in the lives of children in our community. With as many as 100 participants each week, Family Clay Sunday is providing an important and necessary art education opportunity, and giving parents quality family time at a very low cost. See Calendar for dates and times.

Empty Bowls

Artists from the Willamette Art Center and throughout the community create over 1,500 bowls each year to be sold at this annual benefit sale for Marion Polk Food Share (MPFS). In the past seven years, Empty Bowls has raised over $170,000 to benefit MPFS and the people they serve.

Empty Bowls
November 18 ~ 9AM-5PM
Cascade Hall, Oregon State Fairgrounds

Hours

Monday-Thursday
10 a.m. – 8 p.m.

Friday
10 a.m. – 8 p.m.

Saturday
10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Sunday
12 p.m. – 4 p.m.(Family Clay Sunday only)

Salem’s Community Arts Center

The Willamette Art Center (WAC) is located at the Oregon State Fairgrounds. We offer exciting art classes and workshops, studio space for artists, and just plain fun for all ages. The WAC operates as the public face of the Friends of the Visual Arts which is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to improving our community through art and art access — we are a place to learn and grow in the arts!

Thank You

The Willamette Art Center thanks all of our volunteers, students, and donors for your support. Your participation in classes, volunteering at events, and financial support is the reason the WAC thrives and has grown tremendously since opening to the Salem community in 2006.

social media

Smiles happen every day at WAC

  • Registration for winter session is now open. See link to our latest update in our profile.
    5 hours ago
  • This Giving Tuesday, consider a a gift to Willamette Art Center. We are in the midst of exciting changes as we deepen our understanding of the true costs of operating the center that has become such an integral part of many lives, including yours. When you make a monthly or one-time tax-deductible donation to WAC, you’re supporting our ongoing operations such as rent, utility bills, facility and equipment repairs, salaries, clay, glazes, and insurance — the necessities that keep our doors open and our programs going strong. Your donation make exciting improvements possible such as:Expansion of Family Clay Sunday from six months a year to nine.Scholarships for who need assistance to enroll in our classes.Sponsorship of individual schools requesting to be part of our Artists in the Schools program.Increasing open studio opportunities for our busy working members. And so much more! Making a donation is easy, secure and tax-deductible. If you make a matching donation up to $1000, you will be eligible for a tax credit through the Oregon Cultural Trust. Talk about giving artfully!Thank you for your support and for being a part of Willamette Art Center!
    1 week ago
  • The most wonderful time of the year! Over 1,700 pieces have arrived to the Cascade Hall in the Salem Fair grounds. We are grateful for all the hard work that goes into putting on this epic sale to benefit the Marion Polk food share and Willamette Art Center. We open tomorrow at 9am and will be open until 5. Enter through the red gate and follow the signs to the Cascade hall. Not only will you find ceramic arts, but the woodcarvers and wood turners have graciously donated their time and wares to support the Marion Polk food share and Willamette Art Center.
    3 weeks ago
  • 3 weeks ago
View on Instagram
Registration for winter session is now open. See link to our latest update in our profile.
@willametteartcenter
@willametteartcenter
•
Follow
Registration for winter session is now open. See link to our latest update in our profile.
13 hours ago
View on Instagram |
1/4
This Giving Tuesday, consider a a gift to Willamette Art Center. We are in the midst of exciting changes as we deepen our understanding of the true costs of operating the center that has become such an integral part of many lives, including yours. When you make a monthly or one-time tax-deductible donation to WAC, you’re supporting our ongoing operations such as rent, utility bills, facility and equipment repairs, salaries, clay, glazes, and insurance — the necessities that keep our doors open and our programs going strong. Your donation make exciting improvements possible such as:Expansion of Family Clay Sunday from six months a year to nine.Scholarships for who need assistance to enroll in our classes.Sponsorship of individual schools requesting to be part of our Artists in the Schools program.Increasing open studio opportunities for our busy working members. And so much more! Making a donation is easy, secure and tax-deductible. If you make a matching donation up to $1000, you will be eligible for a tax credit through the Oregon Cultural Trust. Talk about giving artfully!Thank you for your support and for being a part of Willamette Art Center!
@willametteartcenter
@willametteartcenter
•
Follow
This Giving Tuesday, consider a a gift to Willamette Art Center. We are in the midst of exciting changes as we deepen our understanding of the true costs of operating the center that has become such an integral part of many lives, including yours. When you make a monthly or one-time tax-deductible donation to WAC, you’re supporting our ongoing operations such as rent, utility bills, facility and equipment repairs, salaries, clay, glazes, and insurance — the necessities that keep our doors open and our programs going strong. Your donation make exciting improvements possible such as: Expansion of Family Clay Sunday from six months a year to nine. Scholarships for who need assistance to enroll in our classes. Sponsorship of individual schools requesting to be part of our Artists in the Schools program. Increasing open studio opportunities for our busy working members. And so much more! Making a donation is easy, secure and tax-deductible. If you make a matching donation up to $1000, you will be eligible for a tax credit through the Oregon Cultural Trust. Talk about giving artfully! Thank you for your support and for being a part of Willamette Art Center!
1 week ago
View on Instagram |
2/4
@willametteartcenter
@willametteartcenter
•
Follow
The most wonderful time of the year! Over 1,700 pieces have arrived to the Cascade Hall in the Salem Fair grounds. We are grateful for all the hard work that goes into putting on this epic sale to benefit the Marion Polk food share and Willamette Art Center. We open tomorrow at 9am and will be open until 5. Enter through the red gate and follow the signs to the Cascade hall. Not only will you find ceramic arts, but the woodcarvers and wood turners have graciously donated their time and wares to support the Marion Polk food share and Willamette Art Center.
3 weeks ago
View on Instagram |
3/4
@willametteartcenter
@willametteartcenter
•
Follow
3 weeks ago
View on Instagram |
4/4

announcements

Empty Bowls Throw-a-Thon

All the efforts of hours of volunteer work has resulted in the best glazing opportunities for the next several weeks. We are now pretty much up to the inventory levels we were targeting for the Empty Bowl sale the week before Thanksgiving. Your generous hard work, creativity and energy has us coming into the home stretch of glazing all our pieces.

The next three Sundays: October 8th, 15th, and 22nd will be dedicated to finishing up everything that has accumulated over the last couple of months. We have about 200 pieces that need some TLC glazing and decorating to complete the inventory. Please join us on these Sundays from 1pm to 5pm for this last push of effort to make our Empty Bowl sale the best ever – again. We will have experienced glazers on hand to help with the process. Come on in and learn some different techniques or combinations of glazes. This is the last, and probably for most of us, the most challenging part of the process.

Let’s learn something together, have some fun, have some snacks and GET THIS DONE!!

View All Announcements

our sponsors