
Joanie Thomson, executive director of Columbia Center for the Arts, has announced she will be moving on to a new opportunity as an independent marketing and promotions consultant. Joanie successfully led the Center since the doors first opened in June of 2006. All of us at the Center owe Joanie a debt of gratitude for all that she has done to make Columbia Center for the Arts the vibrant community asset that it is.
Her shoes will be hard to fill, but fill them we must. Thanks to Joanie, the new director will be entering into a situation that has a solid foundation, ready to be developed even further.
The executive director we are now seeking needs to bring a broad range of experience in managing non-profit organizations, fundraising, business management, and community relationship building.
To learn more about the position now open, click here: Executive Director
Columbia Center for the Arts' is a community art center that offers both art and entertainment — theatrical performances, visual arts, dance, concerts, lectures, film, and a whole lot more.
Our mission is to promote an arts-rich environment in the areas surrounding the Columbia River Gorge, where novices as well as established artists and performers, can discover and develop their full creative potential.
We are also a proud member of the Columbia Gorge Arts & Culture Alliance.
Learn more:

We're a non profit organization, and we're proud of the community support we enjoy.
Get updated monthly on art and entertainment events at the center by signing up for our eNewsletter. It's only sent once a month, so it's not a nuisance ... and it's a great way to stay connected with what's happening with arts in the Gorge.
Artists: Click to check for artist calls and other opportunities.
Performers: Click to check for audition notices and other opportunities.
For the opening art show of 2011, Columbia Center for the Arts presents Trash 2 Art.
Trash 2 Art features work made from objects otherwise destined for the trash or recycling.
Mediums will include handmade bags, sculpture, jewelry, paper, and glass.
Special First Friday Event:
Join master recycler, Cynthia Caudill for free family fun and create an up-cycled journal. 6:00 to 7:30pm. Learn more: Trash 2 Art
All students 1st through 12th grade are encouraged to try out. Rough 50 roles to be cast. MCT offers students a unique opportunity to learn the lessons of group dynamics while excelling as individuals—a lesson from art that carries into life. Learn more: Wiz of the West
Join Judie Hanel and Kate Mills on Columbia Art’s 5th annual trip to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland, Oregon. Learn more: Shakespeare in Ashland
return to Hood River on Tuesday, January 17 for a concert featuring music from their most recent CD, Highlander's Farewell. Renowned for his warmth and wit as well as his music, Alasdair is one of Scotland's most valued tradition-bearers. Learn more: Alasdair Fraser and Natalie Haas
Filmed over nearly three years, WASTE LAND follows renowned artist Vik Muniz as he journeys from his home base in Brooklyn to his native Brazil and the world's largest garbage dump. Learn more: Waste Land
In commemoration of 75 years, Timberline Lodge has put together, Timberline Lodge: A Love Story. Diamond Jubilee Edition.
Editor Jon Tullis will be on hand to sign copies of the book and will be giving a short presentation at 6 p.m. A question and answer session will follow the presentation.
Learn more: Timberline 75th
The Mt. Hood Independent Film Festival seeks to bring films of multiple genres including narrative, animation, documentary, and sports documentary to the community of Hood River, OR and the Columbia River Gorge area. Learn more: Film Festival
Join master recycler Cynthia Caudill in this "creative repurposing" workshop, where you and can make art out of scraps of things left behind and destined for the landfill. Learn more: Trash to Treasures.
This winter we are proud to be partnering with The Confluence Project: Gifts From Our Ancestors to offer students the opportunity to explore traditional tools and techniques used by Native Americans along the Columbia Basin. The focus of this exploration is on the history of Celilo Falls. Learn more: School's Out / Art's In
With Cathleen Rehfeld
Cathleen's oil painting class is designed to work with you wherever you're at in your progression as an artist.. You can drop into this class at any time. Learn more:
Oil painting class with Cathleen Rehfeld.