Exhibit celebrates ‘Working Shores’ for FisherPoets

Published 9:00 am Wednesday, February 23, 2022

Accompanying the coast’s beloved annual FisherPoets Gathering this year, “Working Shores” is a selection of locally made art that gives a nod to both the region’s talented creative community and its maritime roots.

Hosted by the Cannon Beach Arts Association, the exhibit “depicts the interconnection of the North Coast and the beauty of the fishing industries,” according to the gallery’s website. This is the association’s first year hosting a waterfront-themed exhibit, and the event has already attracted plenty of interest.

Submissions have included photographs, drawings and paintings, according to Summer Peterson, marketing director for the Cannon Beach Arts Association. Artists were invited to submit between one and three works, depicting scenes including oyster farms, bridges, canneries, waterfront buildings, shipping or other maritime-related imagery.

The show is not juried, so all art submitted that meets theme guidelines will be shown.

“We decided, why not fill the gallery space with art surrounding this theme?” Peterson said. The show is timed to accompany this year’s FisherPoets Gathering, opening on Wednesday and on display through March 27.

FisherPoets will again be held virtually this year, featuring dozens of poets, songwriters and storytellers who will gather to share firsthand accounts of life at sea.

“By doing virtual events and little celebrations, we just want to keep the pilot light on for these events so that when they come back people still know about them and there’s still a following,” Peterson said. “It keeps people together.”

The Cannon Beach Gallery will also close out the annual gathering with the final FisherPoets reading, from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. on Sunday. To view the reading, visit cannonbeacharts.org. The gallery is also open for in-person viewing.