Eric Wiegardt's “Anderson's Pond,” now on view at RiverSea Gallery

Runners-up (tie): Creation Studio and Gallery, Astoria; Imogen Gallery, Astoria

Honorable mention: Don Nisbett Art Gallery, Ilwaco

Having just celebrated their 20th anniversary in December 2017, RiverSea Gallery is still rolling swiftly with the currents since opening their doors in 1997.

With prime real estate on Commercial Street near the Liberty Theatre and a thoughtfully curated, ever rotating display of both established and emerging artists, Coast Weekend readers and tourists alike continue to be drawn to this warm, vast space filled with eclectic pairings of medium and style — enough so that the people have handed RiverSea another Readers’ Choice award for Best Art Gallery.

The force behind this gallery that sits just shy of where the Pacific clashes with the Columbia is owner Jeannine Grafton. Grafton’s mission with RiverSea is to showcase Northwest artists in any medium — from printwork to sculpture to handcrafted jewelry.

“Ninety-nine percent of the artists are Northwest artists,” she said. Her main objective is to show the richness and diversity of the arts in the Pacific Northwest, whether the artists are at the apex of their careers or just beginning to hit their stride. “I curate variety,” Grafton said. “But it has to be art with something to say.”

And a lot is said upon the walls of RiverSea.

With 3,500 feet of gallery space, there are always multiple conversations afoot, ready for the viewer’s attention. Grafton hosts two shows every month: one in the main exhibition space and the other in a smaller, more intimate room called The Alcove. During the winter, Grafton focuses on themed group shows in both spaces, which allows artists who may not have amassed a large body of work a chance to display their creations. Spring through fall is devoted to showing more established artists and usually only features one or two individuals.

Grafton is looking forward to a show in May 2018 featuring the work of Portland-based artist Erik Sandgren, whose prints, woodcuts and oil paintings, in Grafton’s words, “reveal the mystery, the layers of history beneath the North Coast landscape.”