At moments of great enthusiasm it seems to me that no one in the world has ever made something this beautiful and important. ~ M.C. Escher
A long time ago, according to the visionary Bill Smith (owner/developer of the Old Mill District), Sisters was just a blimp on the map and you could have purchased the entire town for a nominal fee. While Brooks Scanlon (Brooks Resources) was creating Black Butte the developers had big hopes of Sisters filling the commercial demand for the new destination resort…so they conspired to keep Sisters from becoming a strip mall.
The imaginative young thinkers at Brooks Resources (including Smith and Mike Hollern) gave local businesses money to remodel their storefronts in a western theme. The concept during the ‘70s took root and the community has adapted to the theme ever since.
Sisters is now a town engulfed in western culture with the biggest little show in the world, the renown Sisters Rodeo.
With the fabulous eclectic music forum, the Sisters Folk Festival celebrating its 20th anniversary this year.
With the artfully inspiring Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show celebrating its 40th anniversary created during the early refocusing days.
With the acclaimed musicians who travel to Sisters to perform at the Sisters Starry Nights Concert Series created by the Sisters School Foundation to help finding innovative ways to support Sisters schools.
With the Americana Project developed to inspire the creativity of young people and to demonstrate the cultural and historical significance of American roots music and cultural expression.
And with art, an abundance of diverse, collective, arousing local art. In honoring and promoting this feature: the new Sisters Art Association has recently been formed to highlight the value of the arts.
Sisters has seen many ups and downs in its economy, art galleries and boutiques coming and going over the years. But the art and culture that continues to inspire this quaint little town is constantly evolving bringing new life and passion to the Sisters art landscape via the recently designated Hood Avenue Arts District.
Gallery owners both new and established in this area are forging a unified voice in support of a wide range of arts in Sisters. This voice encompasses artists, creative studios, production companies and arts education, community wide.
After years of a subtle acknowledgement of the value of the talent represented in Sisters from the festivals to the artists, the Sisters Art Association will be collectively promoting the arts as a significant and vital part of cultural and the economic welfare of Sisters.
The new art association is hosting a reception in conjunction with Cascade A&E at Ken Scott’s Imagination Gallery on the fourth Friday artwalk, May 22 at 5pm. The event celebrates the formation of the Sisters Arts Association, designation of the Hood Avenue Arts District and the 20th anniversary of Cascade A&E.
Please take a moment to join me in Sisters in May as we celebrate all that is inspiring and artful!