Salem's arts calendar is unusually stacked this July, starting with the monthly downtown Art Walk on Friday, July 3.

The Art Walk, held the first Friday of each month, brings pop-up events and local artists to participating downtown galleries. A map of stops is available at salemartwalk.com.

Oregon-born ceramicist Mya Cluff opens a solo exhibition at the Camas Gallery inside the Bush Barn Art Center (600 Mission St. SE) on Friday, July 10. The show, titled "The Bones Beneath," runs through August 23, with an opening reception from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on July 10. Admission is free.

Cluff, who lives in Belgrade, Montana, and is pursuing a Master of Fine Arts at Montana State University, explores motherhood and mortality through ceramics, sketches, and text. The mother of three uses symbols like the pelvis and fur-textured female figures to represent maternal anxiety.

"I came to the title of this exhibition, The Bones Beneath, in the intimate moments of holding my children, and feeling their delicate skeletons under the softness of their skin," Cluff wrote in her artist statement.

'Echoes of '76' at Willamette Heritage Center

At the Willamette Heritage Center (1313 Mill St. SE), "Echoes of '76: An Exhibit" continues through Saturday, August 1. The multidisciplinary show marks America's semiquincentennial by exploring who lived in the mid-Willamette Valley in 1776, the languages they spoke, and the place names still used. A curator-led tour is scheduled for Friday, July 3, at 10 a.m.

'Handmade Revolution' at Hallie Ford Museum of Art

Willamette University's Hallie Ford Museum of Art (700 State St.) is showing "Handmade Revolution: Craft in the Pacific Northwest" through March 13, 2027. The exhibition features more than 60 works in ceramics, textiles, glass, wood, and metal by artists including Dale Chihuly, Marie Watt, and Peter Voulkos. Curator Jonathan Bucci leads a free gallery talk on Tuesday, July 21, at 12:30 p.m. The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday, noon to 5 p.m. Tuesdays are free; otherwise $8 for adults, $5 for seniors, free for students and children.

Chemeketa Community College also brings "Mean Girls the Musical" outdoors to the Gerry Frank | Salem Rotary Amphitheater in Riverfront Park from Tuesday, July 7, through Sunday, July 12. The production, directed by Stephen Munshaw with a live orchestra, runs at 7:30 p.m. July 7–9, 11 a.m. July 11, and 6 p.m. July 12. Lawn chairs, blankets, and picnics are welcome.

Coming up

  • Friday, July 3: Salem Art Walk, 5–8 p.m., downtown galleries
  • Friday, July 3: "Echoes of '76" curator tour, 10 a.m., Willamette Heritage Center
  • Tuesday, July 7–Wednesday, July 9: "Mean Girls the Musical," 7:30 p.m., Riverfront Park
  • Friday, July 10: "The Bones Beneath" opening reception, 5:30–7:30 p.m., Bush Barn Art Center
  • Saturday, July 11: "Mean Girls the Musical," 11 a.m., Riverfront Park
  • Sunday, July 12: "Mean Girls the Musical," 6 p.m., Riverfront Park
  • Tuesday, July 21: "Handmade Revolution" gallery talk, 12:30 p.m., Hallie Ford Museum of Art