Wild Arts Festival 2024: A Celebration of Nature, Art, and Books

The 44th annual Wild Arts Festival, presented by Backyard Bird Shop, is coming soon! Join us December 7 & 8 at the Wingspan Event Center in Hillsboro as we celebrate art, books, and nature. Many of your favorite artists are returning and, even more exciting, over one third of the artists are new this year! Authors attending include exciting newcomers as well as local favorites Kim Stafford and Bill Sullivan. Short “lightning talks” by authors and artists will offer further insights into their work, process and inspiration. We hope you’ll find that piece of art or special book that you truly connect with as a gift for yourself or a loved one. Whether you choose a piece of beautiful artwork, nature-inspired books, or one of our exciting silent auction items, your purchase at the Wild Arts Festival supports Bird Alliance of Oregon's mission to inspire all people to love and protect birds, wildlife, and the natural environment upon which life depends. Please share the Wild Arts Festival website and your enthusiasm for the event with family and friends to help us make this event a success. Art Fair: The Wild Arts Festival celebrates a wide-ranging group of artists and art styles from across the Pacific Northwest. Over 60 artists will share their original work in ceramics, photography, metal, painting, mixed media, woodworking, jewelry, sculpture, glass, and fiber arts. Exciting new artists include Doug Roy with his intricate paper art and Rebekah Zeimetz with her strikingly detailed paintings of local flora and fauna. Our returning artists include Kelli MacConnell with her linocut prints of native trees, and Christopher Rich with his colorful glass sculptures. Book Fair: Find a new favorite book at the Wild Arts Festival and chat with your favorite authors! Plan your next outdoor adventure with a Northwest hiking guide by Craig Hill and Matt Wastradowski. Grab a bird guide for Harney County from Harry Fuller. Surprise a young reader with a beautifully illustrated book by Amy Hevron. Immerse yourself in insightful nature essays by Josephine Woolington, learn how to draw insects with Zebith S. Thalden, or lose yourself in a poem by Kim Stafford. Learn stories of Willamette Valley history as told by Indigenous peoples, researched by David G. Lewis. Settle in with Joe Wilkins’ latest novel. These are just a sample of the works penned and illustrated by twenty-five regional authors featured at this year’s Wild Arts Festival. Authors will be available from 12-4p.m. see the signing schedule at wildartsfestival.org to find your favorites. Silent Auction: The Wild Arts Festival Silent Auction offers an appealing selection of art, certificates for exciting experiences, consumables (chocolate! wine!), and outdoor gear, all donated to support the mission of Bird Alliance of Oregon. A few of the tempting items you’ll find are overnight stays at birding destinations in the Northwest and trips to Africa and Belize. We also have a splendid collection of art donated by our Wild Arts Festival artists and by our members and friends. To see the auction catalog and register to bid and/or buy a raffle ticket, visit wildartsfestival.org. All the auction items will also be on display at the Wild Arts Festival. Online bidding opens Friday December 6th at noon and closes at 3 p.m. on Sunday, December 8th. This year we will again have the popular Auction Store with additional nature-related items available only at the festival. You can purchase these unique fixed-price items while they last. Nature Store: Check out our little slice of the Nature Store at the Wild Arts Festival! We'll have many of our old favorites, as well as new items made especially for the festival. We’re excited to unveil our new Spotted Owl merch, along with some unique holiday gifts. We'll have stocking stuffers galore, holiday cards and wrapping paper, branded Bird Alliance of Oregon gear, and birdy gifts for the whole family. Volunteering: The success of the Wild Arts Festival depends upon the incredible support of nearly 200 volunteers. A robust flock of volunteers leads nearly every aspect of the festival, including artist support, admissions, the book fair and silent auction, as well as setting up and tearing down the festival. Current volunteers can find shifts on BetterImpact, and new volunteers can contact us at [email protected]. Raffle: One lucky nature enthusiast will win an amazing raffle package this year— a Vortex scope and tripod combo valued at over $2000! Only 400 tickets at $25 each will be available, so you’ll have a very good chance to win these incredible optics! Visit wildartsfestival.org for details and to purchase raffle tickets.

Event Links

Tickets: https://go.evvnt.com/2685347-0

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