About Us

The Anacortes Arts Foundation has had a long history with several changes of course along the way.  Many of its projects have spun off into still existent organizations of  their own.

The origins of the Anacortes Arts Foundation were in 1961.  The organization began as the Anacortes Arts and Crafts Festival.  The Festival quickly grew into one of the state's leading local arts organizations, serving thousands of people.  A permanent art collection, gathered via purchase awards selected from juried shows, was hailed as one of the best small collections in the State of Washington.  The collection was the beginning of the Festival’s Anacortes Art Gallery in 1969.  The original Gallery was in the basement of the Anacortes Museum.  Later the Gallery and the Festival office were located on Commercial Avenue.