In 1734, the Capitoline Museum (Museo Capitolino back then) opened its doors to the public of Rome as the first public art museum of international importance. It was unlike anything else the art world had ever seen before, becoming the home of many famous masterpieces while serving as the model for the art galleries that would come after it.
Today there are an estimated 19,000 art galleries in 3,533 cities worldwide, with a few wonderful galleries calling the Rogue Valley community home. Immerse yourself in beautiful masterpieces at art galleries in Rogue Valley.
Rogue Gallery & Art Center
40 S. Bartlett St., Medford
541.772.8118
Founded in 1960 by artists, educators, and local leaders, the Rogue Gallery & Art Center was the first non-profit visual art organization in the Rogue Valley community. Since its grand opening, it has been home to various rotating exhibits within the center’s three exhibition spaces.
Each year they educate over 700 students in their classes and workshops and welcome over 10,000 visitors as they explore the works of local and international artists alike. Frequent events of the center include their monthly Third Friday Art Receptions providing a fantastic opportunity to meet the artists who have painted the walls of the center with their exquisite works.
Art Du Jour Gallery
213 E Main St., Medford
541.770.3190
Art Du Jour Gallery in Medford is a local co-op exhibiting works by many talented artists living right here in the greater Rogue Valley region. The gallery showcases a wide variety of mediums from these artists, such as oil, acrylic, pastel, pen & ink, watercolor, sculpture, and photography.
All original art exhibited here can be purchased for those viewers who find themselves falling in love with that special piece that speaks to your soul. Currently, art aficionados visiting the gallery can find beautiful jewelry work from Thalia Sukuki Keple and amazing portrait work from Roy Musitelli, along with other featured local artists.
Schneider Museum of Art
555 Indiana St., Ashland
541.552.6245
On the campus of Southern Oregon University in Ashland is the Schneider Museum of Art, which works to promote an understanding of the visual arts through eye-catching exhibits and programs available to academic and community audiences. The museum’s permanent collection that can be viewed year-round primarily focuses on works on paper from the twentieth century and beyond.
Such works in the museum are masterpieces from famous artists such as Mark Tobey, Alexander Calder, Jack McLarty, and more. Also featured on the tour are lithographs by William Hogarth, pre-Columbian ceramics from Costa Rica, Native American baskets, and woven artifacts from New Guinea. The museum is the perfect place for art lovers as they explore historical and contemporary perspectives of art and progressive work by nationally and internationally recognized artists.
Gallery One
229B SW G St., Grants Pass
541.479.1218
In the heart of historic Grants Pass, is a local art gallery and gift shop, Gallery One, offering the Jackson County community some of the finest art available in the Rogue Valley. Currently, the gallery operates as the sales gallery of the Grants Pass Museum of Art, where local artists display and sell their work.
Grants Pass Museum of Art
229B SW G St., Grants Pass
541.479.3290
The museum was initially known as Gallery One when it was just a 20×24 foot upstairs room run by Charles Hill. It was in 1979 that it was established as a non-profit art museum and was renamed the Grants Pass Museum of Art. During this time in Oregon’s history, the museum held the title of one of four art museums in the state of Oregon itself.
Eventually, the museum relocated to its current two-story location, and Gallery One was reopened as a separate business downstairs in 2005, specializing as a gift shop for the museum. With its growth, the museum has expanded to hosting adult and kid workshops, a number of special events each month, and field trips throughout the school year.
Hanson Howard Gallery
89 Oak St., Ashland
541.488.2562
Ashland’s oldest art gallery, representing contemporary northwest artists since 1979, is the Hanson Howard Gallery. No two pieces are alike on the gallery walls as the artists featured represent a diversity of styles, from landscape to abstraction, done in various mediums, from sculpture and ceramics to original prints and paint.
The exhibits change monthly, and the gallery even participates in the Ashland Gallery Association’s First Friday Art Walk each month, where they welcome visitors to explore all our local artists have to offer in their gallery.
So, the next time you’re in the mood to explore your creative side and draw inspiration from masterful works of art, remember that you don’t have to travel to Rome to immerse yourself in the art world. There are plenty of fantastic art galleries right here in Rogue Valley, ready and waiting to take you on a tour of local masterpieces!
