(Sheila Dunn’s work hangs in the Cindy and Duncan Campbell Gallery at the Sisters Art Works Building | Photo by Jay Mather Photography)
Sisters Folk Festival Inc. (SFF) finalized the purchase of the Sisters Art Works Building in December of 2019, completing a two-year, $1.4 million capital campaign that included upgrades and additions to their home office and site of their largest festival venue. Consistent with the original vision that building owners Kathy and Frank Deggendorfer imagined when they donated more than $500,000 in equity to kick off the campaign, SFF’s ownership of the building has allowed the organization to begin offering music and arts education programming to adults and children at their facility starting this fall.
Two of the largest contributors to the campaign were Cindy and Duncan Campbell, who are well known in Oregon for their philanthropic efforts as founders of Friends of the Children, a nationwide organization dedicated to breaking the generational cycle of poverty. The Campbells see their support of Sisters Folk Festival as consistent with their giving. “Almost all of our philanthropy is focused on children and youth — from children facing some of the biggest barriers in life to youth seeking growth opportunities like those in the Americana Project who want to pursue music and the arts. Our gift was a very easy decision to make.”
In honor of the Campbells’ generosity, Sisters Folk Festival is dedicating their new visual arts gallery in the Sisters Artworks Building to the couple on Friday, October 23, with a celebration from 4-7pm.
The celebration will include gallery tours; an artist meet and greet with Sheila Dunn, whose work is currently on exhibit; music from Sisters-area students in the Sisters Jazz Combo and a brief outdoor dedication at 5:30pm. Sisters Folk Festival staff will be on hand to welcome guests and to ensure that COVID-19 safety protocols are being followed, including limiting the number of people in the indoor space, requiring face coverings to be worn inside the gallery at all times and reminding attendees to maintain a safe physical distance from those not in their family/social group.
In conjunction with the official gallery opening, Sisters Folk Festival is seeking visual artists who would like to display their art in the gallery for a 4-6 week period over the next 12 months. Exhibiting artists will have an opportunity to participate in a monthly Sisters Arts Association 4th Friday Art Stroll, once they resume. Interested artists should send information to dave@sistersfolkfestival.org; collaborative exhibits are welcome.
The Cindy and Duncan Campbell Gallery is located inside the Sisters Art Works Building at 204 W Adams Avenue in downtown Sisters.