Art and Wildfire

Join us Sunday, July 21, 2024, for a discussion between artist Ann Ruttan and artist and author Yvonne Pepin-Wakefield. The program will begin at at 2pm in the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center & Museum, 5000 Discovery Drive, The Dalles, OR. The event is free and open to the public.

Ruttan’s stirring paintings depicting area wildfires are on exhibition at Columbia Gorge Discovery Center through August 18. Pepin-Wakefield, a Columbia River Gorge artist, will share her own experiences with wildfires. Together, the two will discuss the impact on their lives and subsequent work. Both artists are committed to helping others be prepared for these sometimes-devastating natural disasters. They will be available to answer questions following the presentation.

About Our Participants:
Author and artist Yvonne Pepin-Wakefield will discuss her experience during the 2015 Canyon Creek Complex Fire that burnt to the property line of her wilderness acreage in the Strawberry Mountains. She will read excerpts from her book “Babe in the Woods: Path of Totality” and share a PowerPoint presentation on how she has used Firewise grant funding to create defensible space around the log cabin central to her book series.

Ann Ruttan, a beloved Pacific Northwest artist, is sharing her focus on painting landscapes affected by wildfires to the Columbia Gorge Discovery & Museum through August 18, 2024. These paintings reflect the impact of her own experience evacuating during the 2020 Santiam fire. Through her art, she aims to raise awareness about wildfire dangers. Ann is actively involved in Firewise, emphasizing the importance of community preparedness and adapting to climate change for long-term resilience.