The local art scene is flourishing in downtown Camas this spring thanks to the opening of two new galleries and the installation of the new Camas Culture Art Block.
On Friday, May 31, Camas-Washougal Chamber of Commerce staff and Camas officials, including Mayor Steve Hogan, celebrated the opening of Gallery 408, located in the former Camas Gallery space at 408 N.E. Fourth Ave., with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and refreshments.
This week, during the Downtown Camas Association (DCA)’s First Friday event from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, June 7, a second new gallery — the RedDoor Gallery at 411 N.E. Dallas St. — will have its ribbon-cutting and grand-opening celebration.
Both gallery openings follow the DCA’s unveiling of the new, outdoor Camas Culture Art Block installation at the intersection of Northeast Fifth Avenue and Northeast Cedar Street in downtown Camas, which features six student artists: Xander Acain, Maria Navarro Alejandres, Shalaka Deshpande, Charlie Irwin, Blu A. Jimenez and Bailey Lim.
The community appreciation of art and friendly, small-town charm of downtown Camas is what initially attracted the three artists behind the new Gallery 408 to the space that once housed the Camas Gallery — a longtime fixture in downtown Camas that closed its doors following the August 2023 death of gallery owner Marquita Call.
