Southwest Washington Center for the Arts

02/03/2026

Yesterday we lost a true giant of jazz — the incomparable Ken Peplowski. 🎷❤️

For years Ken graced our community with his brilliance, especially through his unforgettable performances at the The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra USA Spring Jazz series. He brought joy, soul, and artistry to every note, and his clarinet spoke to the heart of everyone lucky enough to hear him live.

Ken’s music was a gift — playful one moment, deeply expressive the next — and his legacy will live on in every swing, every smile, and every memory he created on stage.

Thank you, Ken, for the music, the magic, and the moments we’ll never forget. Rest in peace. 🎶✨

12/06/2025

Today, we join the global arts community in mourning the passing of Frank Gehry, one of the most influential architects of our time. It was an extraordinary honor that he and his team even considered lending their vision to our Center for the Arts. His imagination reshaped what is possible in the world of art and design, and we are grateful to have been touched, even briefly, by his brilliance.

It was one of the greatest honors of this journey that Frank and his team even considered taking on our project. Their engagement lifted our aspirations and reminded us why bold, visionary design matters. That moment will stay with us forever.

We extend our heartfelt condolences to Meaghan Lloyd and the extraordinary team he built and led. May his visionary spirit continue to inspire creators and dreamers everywhere.

Frank Gehry, known for ebullient cultural buildings like Disney Hall who helped invigorate the field of architecture at a moribund time, has died at 96.

11/19/2025

Don't miss a great concert Friday Night!

11/06/2025

Grab tickets while you can!
JourneyTheater.org

11/06/2025

Make sure you secure your tickets early. It’s a sellout every year and it just keeps getting better and better and better!

11/03/2025

Remembering Paul Christiansen

My heart is heavy as I reflect on the passing of my dear friend and colleague, Paul Christensen. For the last seven years, Paul and I have worked side by side on a dream we both believed in deeply — creating a Center for the Arts in Vancouver.

Paul was its greatest champion — a tireless advocate for the vision of a 1,200-seat performing arts theater with stunning stained glass windows, a place where art, light, and community would come together in harmony. Together we studied designs, scouted countless sites, and worked through every detail it would take to make that vision a reality.

His passing on Thursday has left me profoundly melancholy — and yet, more determined than ever to see this dream through. Paul’s belief that Vancouver is ready for a world-class performing arts center began decades ago, and it continues to inspire us all today.

Thank you, Paul, for your vision, your friendship, and your faith in what this community has become with your influence and will become because of your vision.

Your legacy will live on in every note, light, and performance that fills the future Center for the Arts.

Vancouver philanthropist Paul Christensen, widely praised for his commitment to children’s enrichment and the arts, died Thursday. He was 91.

10/29/2025

Honored to be a part of Realvest’s community passion. Paul has always been the greatest champion for the arts in our community.

Thank you for all you have done for so many and continue to do and for believing that the performing art center is necessary for our community.

Please join us in congratulating Realvest Corporation, recipient of two Portland Business Journal Corporate Philanthropy Awards:
🏆 Most Generous Company – Small Category
🏆 Innovation in Philanthropy

Realvest’s story is one of stewardship and vision. For decades, the company has fostered a culture of service through its employee-led grants committee, channeling resources to education, the arts and underserved communities in southwest Washington.

Now, with the creation of the Realvest Foundation in partnership with the Community Foundation, the company is taking its mission even further—converting its business model into a for-benefit structure where a majority of profits support charitable causes.

We are proud to have partnered with Realvest and its founder, Paul Christensen, for many years to make this work possible.

During , Realvest’s example reminds us that legacy is created though how we operate today. Join us in recognizing their dedication to an egaged and caring southwest Washington.

10/28/2025

Nicole is a very talented artist. We are thrilled to see she’s getting the recognition she is due!

When Nicole Buetti first picked up the bassoon, it was supposed to be a not-so-secret weapon in woodwind-on-woodwind combat.

10/22/2025

Congratulations to Eric Lu, winner of the 19th International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition in Poland. The New York Times article on Saturday, 18 October, comparing the Chopin competition to the Olympic Games, His final performance of the Polonaise-Fantasie, and then the Concerto in F Minor, Op. 21, was simply transcendent. He is the second American winner of the competition.
Eric will be performing in Portland on November 16, 2025, for Portland Piano International (PPI) at Lincoln Performance Hall. Currently, they are completely SOLD OUT. To be placed on the waitlist, should they have ticket returns, please email them at [email protected] https://www.portlandpiano.org/

10/22/2025

This will be so much fun!

When Ren and his mother move from Chicago to a small farming town, he is prepared for the inevitable adjustment period at his new high school. What he isn’t prepared for are the rigorous local edicts, including a ban on dancing instituted by the local preacher, determined to exercise the control o...

10/20/2025

Cheering on Olivia Harms from Canby OR on “The Road”!
Love the PNW is so well represented!!

10/20/2025

Cheering for Brittany Kellogg on “The Road” hometown girl!