Portland Audubon's 42nd Wild Arts Festival

I always feel a little bad reviewing something that has already ended, but even if the 42nd Wild Arts Festival is done, maybe now is the time to decide you will attend the 43rd.

We attended largely for our interest in wildlife and birds, but while there I thought a lot about the nature of creativity and art. 

We expected to find a lot of wall art. We did, but that was not all. There were also dish towels and jewelry and hanging ornaments and pottery.

Certainly there were things that could be functional but were going to be used as decor, but there was a wide variety of style and form.

Then, even once you get to wall art, there is still so much variation.

There will certainly be some things not to your taste, but others that are.

Being in the area we also visited the Portland Art Museum, and combining the two just ended up being very inspiring.

With the art you could find the artists, and visit with them. We did not take as much advantage of that as we could, perhaps feeling some guilt for knowing that we would not be buying.

I will add, though, that with the wide variety of items available, there are options for different budgets.

The event also featured a silent auction, a book fair with author signings, and the Audubon Nature Store was also on site.

It is a good opportunity to remember the beauty and wonder that lies around us. I love Corvids, and there was a whole booth of them.

COVID: Masking was not strictly enforced, though we were not the only people wearing them. We were able to spread out fairly well.

Accessibility: The navigability was pretty good, which I would expect for a modern university building like the PSU Viking Pavilion. I will caution that if you approach from Hall, or from the street car, you will find stairs. The ramp is on the College Street side.

https://www.wildartsfestival.org/