Bend, Oregon
Arts & Culture
Bend is popular as a cultural city and the beauty and sophistication in performing arts and art exhibits only confirm the fame of .the most populated city in central Oregon, capital of the art scene, and home to renowned painters, writers, filmmakers, musicians, and other artists.
Visiting Bend is an opportunity to approach the varied, art galleries, museums, theaters and venues all over the city, featuring a variety of cultural events as large as Bend’s natural environment. Art events are scheduled all year-round, and the whole area is a permanent exhibit of history and natural wonders.
Cultural and self-guided tours include artwork in public places, such as a school of trout, a bronze grizzly, or a flock of migratory birds decorating Bend’s public places, and The Bend Heritage Walk, a tour through the historical sites on this walk. Maps and Booklets are available at the Bend Visitor Information Center or the Deschutes Historical Museum, phone (541) 389-1813.
Culture is also the heritage of the following Bend’s Museums:
Working Wonders Children’s Museum, 520 SW Powerhouse Dr. #624, phone (541) 389-4500
An interactive museum for kids to discover, explore and learn, playing within a creative environment.
High Desert Museum, 59800 S Hwy 97, Bend, phone (541)382-4754
A unique museum with indoor and outdoor exhibits, including animal habitats and nature trails.
Deschutes County Historical Museum, 129 NW Idaho Ave., phone (541) 389-1813
Featuring permanent exhibits depicting the history of Bend and Deschutes County.
Whatever could be you favorite venue, there are a large number of places to enjoy diverse performing arts, from the Bend Theatre for Young People, (phone (541) 419-1395) to the Central Oregon Symphony Orchestra. (phone (541) 317-3941), art and culture can be found all over the city.
Mockingbird Gallery is a place in which visitors to Bend can find bronze sculpture, original paintings, art glass and wood furniture designed by established artists, located at 869 NW Wall St Ste 100, phone (541) 388-2107. Other popular performing arts places include the following venues:
- The Tower Theatre, 835 NW Wall St., phone (541) 317-0700
- Cascades Theatrical Company, 148 NW Greenwood Ave., phone (541) 389-0803
- Midtown Concerts and The Domino Room, 51 NW Greenwood Ave., phone (541) 388-1106
- Second Street Theater, 220 NE Lafayette Ave., phone (541) 312-9626
In addition, The Cascade Festival of Music is the largest cultural musical event in Bend and all Central Oregon, held at 505 NW Franklin Ave., phone (541) 382-8381. Optionally there are 3 Broadway musicals a year during the months of November, March and August, performed by Children’s and Teen’s Music Theatre Groups, phone (541) 385-6718.
Photography and art galleries have their own special place, featuring diverse artwork from local, national and international artists, including the following:
- Alpen Exposure, phone (541) 948-9619, landscaping photography
- Art Impressions Gallery, phone (541) 382-2354, art and framing
- Arte Divino Gallery and Studio, phone (541) 693-4876, contemporary fine art
- Artscape Northwest, phone (877) 330-6534, regional craftsmen showcase
- Blue Spruce Gallery and Pottery Studio, phone (541) 389-7745, clay art
- Emerald Bay Photography, phone (541) 771-6670, stock-images
- Glass Chameleon Gallery, phone (541) 385-0834 framing and art rentals
- Kebanu Gallery, phone (541) 389-3131 fine craft, gold and silver jewelry
- Lahaina Galleries, phone (541) 388-4404, original paintings, sculptures and limited edition prints.
- Lava Gallery, phone (541) 990-8624, hand-blown sculpture.
- Lubbesmeyer Fiber Studio, phone (541) 330-0840, representational landscape
- Mirror Pond Gallery, phone (541) 317-9324, art and fine craft by over 150 local artists.
- Obsidian Stock, phone (541) 771-6670, stock-photography
-Tumalo Art Co., phone (541) 385-9144, fine art collective
However, there are many other cultural resources that you will find when visiting Bend.
Furthermore, the city features numerous workshops, usually held during the summer months at inspirational places with an elevation of 3,400 feet, some of them gateways to the Cascade Mountains, motivating the development of natural skills.
Such workshops include the learning and practice of diverse painting styles such as acrylic, oil, colored pencil, watercolor, and pastel, as well as drawing techniques, mixed media and watermedia. For people who enjoy outdoor settings, some art workshops feature painting classes into the forest or near Bend’s close rivers and lakes.
However, for those who love the unconventional, Jill’s Wild Tasteful Women and Friends is an original art gallery renowned in all of Bend for its sense of humor. The gallery focuses on the work of Jill Neal’s and her voluptuous “Ladies with Attitude”, but also glass works, pottery, and jewelry,
Jill’s Wild Tasteful Women and Friends also features the work from artists friends, including Jeff Leedy’s “Art that makes you laugh”, and Jamie Perry’s “Whimsical Cats with Attitude”, collections that only a city like Bend could exhibit at a time. This gallery is located at 920 NW Bond St Ste 107, phone (541) 312-4335
