Inspire. Be inspired.

Artists in Action is a diverse and inclusive group of artists at all stages of their careers who encourage those of all skill levels and mediums to come together. We support artists through workshops, collaborative projects, and community outreach, fostering a vibrant artistic environment in Salem and the Willamette Valley.

AiA hosts several signature events and calls to artists each year and participates in other events at the local level. As an art gallery and nonprofit organization, we have successfully operated for two decades.

We are currently accepting nominations for the 2025-2026 Board of Directors. Nominations can be added in the volunteer section Nominations Members Extras section here. Submit your nominations for the 2025-2026 Board of Directors in the volunteer section now!

Among us are artists in action working in drawing and painting, sculpture, textiles and fabric arts, assemblage, ceramics, glass, photography, digital media, and print making. You are invited to mingle with kindred spirits at our monthly meetings and art classes, which feature club activities and art-centric topics to inspire creativity and educate, as well as our art sharing & critiquing forum, Art Chat.

We also invite you to participate in our art events by donating to AiA and a matching amount to the Oregon Cultural Trust by Dec. 31st. Each contribution has a significant impact, allowing us to expand our outreach and support local artists. Visit https://artistsinaction.org/aia-home/non-profit-status-donate/ for more information on how your donation is used and the projects it supports.
Here are the links with more information:

Browse Our Member Art Galleries

Artist Copyright Update in Salem Oregon

Artists in Action is in favor and supports proposed changes to artist copyright for the city of Salem, Oregon. We have send email to the city supporting these changes to Salem’s practices concerning artist copyright for public art commissioned or otherwise obtained by the city. Brian Hart has been spearheading this effort and recently supplied an update:

From: Brian Hart <brianhart22@gmail.com>
Sent: Friday, November 14, 2025 10:00 AM
Subject: Copyright code update

Hi all,
I wanted to share a short update from this week’s SPAC meeting on the Artist Copyright.

We had a good conversation with staff and Legal. The main takeaway is that the model still makes sense to them at a high level, but they need more time to sort out how it would work behind the scenes, especially around scope, templates, and tracking. They expect to bring an update back to SPAC early next year, likely around February.

I’ll be honest, I was hoping this would move to Council sooner. But I’m also hopeful that giving staff and Legal more time on the backend will mean the Council phase is more streamlined and moves faster once it gets there. A clearer foundation now should make the later steps smoother.

We also learned that Kathleen has wrapped up her role as our City contact. Our new main contact going forward is Jennifer Kellar, Parks and Recreation Division Manager, at JKellar@cityofsalem.net.

Even with the slower pace, I left the meeting encouraged. This work matters, and I think we’re still on track. With steady community support, we can help the City build a better and more trusting relationship with artists. If we keep at it, Salem really could be on the edge of something exciting. (I have a lot more planned after this first code change!) 

As we move into this next phase, letters of support continue to help. If you can reach out to artists or community members who want to see this shift happen, additional letters would make a real impact.

If you want to watch the SPAC meeting and hear first hand everything that was discussed here’s a link. the link should start you at the 25 minute mark where the conversation starts. I believe we talked for about 25 minutes. https://www.youtube.com/live/VGk9B4kvHyI?si=m5k-H0wtmAtya290&t=1507

Also, since it is now public record I believe I can finally share my formal recommendations. I tried to incorporate the feedback that I got from all of you, and the rest of the community, and added some things that I wanted to see and still give the City the guardrails that they will want in place. Let me know if you have questions about anything, or if anything critical is missing. 

Thanks again for all your work and advocacy! I appreciate everything you’ve done so far, and I’m still feeling very hopeful about where this is heading!

Best, 
Brian Hart

To see more about the proposed changes, click here: https://artistsinaction.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/SPAC_Motion_Artist_Copyright_and_Licensing_Standard_FINAL.pdf

‘Outside the Box’ Annual Fundraiser

AiA’s Outside the Box Annual Fundraiser should be in the physical realm again this year! Artists in Action should have a booth at Salem Art Fair & Festival, held in Salem’s Bush Pasture Park on September 12-14, 2025.

Calling AiA and Local Artists: Please help us raise funds by creating/donating your inventive and quirky box creation(s) for auction. This event helps add to our coffers to keep the organization’s bills paid. We hope that going back to the park will be a good motivator for artists and bidders to return to this event. Thank you in advance. We’ll post details as they become available.

More About Outside the Box

Art Chat — Sharing & Critiques

AiA’s Art Chat sessions provide a supportive online space for artists to connect, share work, and exchange constructive feedback. Participants have found these sessions invaluable for artistic growth, fostering relationships that extend beyond the chat. Join us each month to enhance your skills and build a community of artistic support. Everyone is welcome. Attend as many sessions as you like. We are now meeting once a month on the first Tuesday of each month via Zoom.

More About Art Chat

Member Galleries

AiA’s Member Gallery Pages are great way to see our members’ artwork. Each artist’s on-line gallery showcases up to ten works of art, an artist statement and links to their site(s). We hope you enjoy browsing the galleries as much as we enjoy making the art.

Browse the Member Galleries

*Please note that a Member Gallery Page is an optional benefit for current members with the +Gallery level of membership.