Art in Anacortes
For 64 years, the Anacortes Arts Festival has been bringing visitors to our community to celebrate the arts. The community is home to thriving arts organizations who offer year-round programming in theater, music, visual and literary arts. The City boasts a large public art collection in locations ranging from city streets and buildings, to waterfront settings, to parks and forestlands.
The Arts in Anacortes are Alive and well!
The Art Center at Buxton’s
The Art Center at Buxton’s is a new collaborative art venue for music, dance, and art instruction, as well as a private rental venue. The Center is located at 1904 Commercial Avenue and is managed by the Anacortes Arts Festival.
Music
Anacortes has a rich lineup of FREE summertime music. Wednesday and Friday nights feature a Summer Concert Series at Seafarer’s Park sponsored by the Port of Anacortes. Saturday concerts and second Sunday Jazz are presented at the City of Anacortes’ Heart of Anacortes, located at 1014 4th street. The Anacortes Music Project offers classes and concerts at the Art Center at Buxton’s, as well as festivals throughout the year.
Theater
Anacortes Community Theatre has served Anacortes and the wider Skagit Valley by presenting high-quality live performances on their mainstage and in smaller productions. They offer year-round programming and classes at their main location 918 M Avenue, as well as the Art Center at Buxton’s.
Dance
Fidalgo DanceWorks offers summer camps, ongoing classes for adults and youth, as well as annual productions. Their dance studio is located at 901 3rd street & 909 3rd street (annex).
Studio Tour
In early fall, Anacortes hosts a 98221 Artist’s Studio Tour. This is a self-guided tour featuring painting, sculpture, ceramics, glass, quilting, jewelry, fiber and metal art.
New and exciting opportunities to enjoy the arts are continuing to grow in Anacortes!
Each year the Festival purchases up to $4,000 in artwork for a non-profit organization through the Anacortes Collects Program. This artwork becomes the property of the partner and requires only that the selected work be displayed where it has public access. This program benefits artists by placing their work in public collections, and the community by expanding exposure to fine art. Anacortes Collects work is chosen from our annual Arts at the Depot Juried Exhibition by members of the Festival Curatorial Team and that year’s partner.Anacortes Collects
Over the years the Anacortes School District, Island Hospital, City of Anacortes, Anacortes American newspaper, Anacortes Public Library, Anacortes Parks & Recreation, John L. Scott Real Estate, Windermere Real Estate, Gere-a-Deli, and the Marine Technology Center have all participated and added artwork to their public spaces.
Area Art Links
Anacortes
Anacortes Chamber of Commerce
Complete information about Anacortes
Anacortes Museum
Enjoy an online collection of more than 20,000 photographs including the Anacortes Mural Project
Anacortes Community Theatre
Year-round live dramatic and comedy theater
Fidalgo DanceWorks
Dance classes and performance for youth and adults
Anacortes Arts Commission
City arts organization fostering engagement in the arts for all citizens
Jazz at the Library
Anacortes Public Library’s extensive collection of jazz CDs & literature for streaming or loan, scheduled jazz & blues programming
Vela Luka Dance Ensemble
Music and dance celebrating Croatian heritage
Skagit Valley Camera Club
Monthly meetings offering education and exhibition for photographers
First Friday Gallery Walk
Monthly Friday evening event showcasing local and regional artists in various locations
The Heart of Anacortes
Outdoor concerts, art exhibits & more
Skagit County
Museum of Northwest Art
MoNA connects people with the art, diverse cultures and environments of the Northwest.
NW Art Beat
NW Art Beat is a free, self-guided tour of Skagit valley art studios. Learn about the creative process, meet artists, and see works from diverse materials.
Skagit Symphony
Promotes classical music through concerts and education
Skagit Opera
Professional Opera Company
Skagit Valley Chorale
Expressing the human spirit through choral music
Bellingham
North Sound Life
Arts related activities north of Anacortes.