Everybody has a culture! Share and celebrate yours through art.

The 250th anniversary of the United States of America was in 2026 and towns all across the nation held events in their communities to celebrate! The Camas Culture Art Block on 5th Avenue in Downtown Camas celebrates the wide variety of cultures that call Camas home. Alongside our July First Friday celebration “One Community, Many Hands: Celebrating America’s 250th!”, the new Camas Culture Art Block artwork was unveiled on July 3, 2026. The theme for this installment is: What’s YOUR American Story?

We had many, many talented high school student art pieces submitted for this 2026 edition of the art panels in the Camas Culture Art Block. Congratulations to students Abigail Lim, Nathan Ochirsukh, Nova Oh, Rowan Renée, Darina Savchuk and Olivia Thomas whose art was chosen (the links show their art!)! We are very grateful for your art and for you sharing it!

Click here for the photos from the Ribbon Cutting & Art Unveiling Event on First Friday to celebrate these amazing artists and the stories they represent!

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History of the Camas Culture Art Block

The Camas Culture Art Block in Downtown Camas was created to increase representation and celebrate the many diverse cultures of people living in Camas through art. In 2024, Maria Navarro Alejandres, a senior from Hayes Freedom High School, looked to the Downtown Camas Association (DCA) for guidance in executing a public art piece representing her culture, as her senior project. The DCA Design Committee had an idea percolating for a few years to bring a large-scale art installation to 5th Ave and the ideas blended into the concept for the Camas Culture Art Block. 

For the initial Camas Culture Art Block installation in 2024, all high school students in Camas were invited to submit artwork that highlights and celebrates their cultural background. The semi-permanent display of six art pieces will be updated periodically. The art is showcased on the Ziply Fiber building at 5th & Cedar.

Camas Culture Art Block 2024

The high school student artists that had their art shown from 2024-2026 include Xander Acain, Maria Navarro Alejandres, Shalaka Deshpande, Charlie Irwin, Blu A. Jimenez and Bailey Lim. Individual artist statements (see links above) describe the meaning and significance of the artwork as it relates to  their culture and also what they hope their audience will learn, feel or grow from their artwork. We thank them all for their artful contributions to Downtown Camas and for being involved in the inaugural Camas Culture Art Block showcase!

The Ribbon Cutting & Art Unveiling Event in May of 2024 celebrated the amazing artists and the cultures they represent. Click here for photos of the event.

The DCA, Maria and her art mentor Ms. Wakeman were awarded the 2024 WA State Excellence on Main Award for Outstanding Special Project for this effort. We are grateful to Maria and Ms. Wakeman and to Ziply Fiber for this meaningful collaboration!

For the full press release, visit here.
For the press release on the WA Main Street Excellence on Main Award, visit here.

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Camas Culture Art Block Art 2026 Submissions

REQUIREMENTS:

1. The artist must be of high school age, and a current resident of Camas, WA.
2. Artwork must express the artist’s personal experience of culture in America. *Because this is public artwork on a privately owned building, submissions must be family friendly. See Judging for more information.
3. Artwork must be original, and fit the image quality and formatting for printing. *Traditional artforms are preferred, though use of AI as a minor part of the creative process of combining and transforming imagery is acceptable. See Image Requirements for more information.
4. Artist statement must clearly explain the meaning and significance of the artwork. See Artist Statement included in the application for more information.