New Gallery Opens in Prineville

The doors of a new gallery opened up this past weekend in Prineville, and the community came out to celebrate. Pamela Claflin—who started Bend's Mockingbird Gallery in 1989 and sold it in 2007—is behind the new venture. Rimrock Gallery is located on the corner of NW 3rd and Deer streets in downtown Prineville. The space is filled with art that truly showcases the beauty of the community it is in.

Twenty-one artists are currently represented in the gallery. They come from a variety of places, though a significant number are from Oregon. All of the artists have over 30 years of experience, and it shows. The work is varied in technique and approach, but all is of an immaculate quality, hanging together like a perfectly woven story—which truly showcases Claflin's knowledge of not just art, but also of Prineville.

"I like representational art. I feel like Prineville is a no-nonsense community. They are hard working, they are self built and they are wonderful to live with, so I wanted to leave a gift for the people of Prineville," Claflin says. Claflin lived in Prineville for the first 12 years of her life and is excited to be there again.

Art should give voice to a community and help tell its story, even if it's not solely created by the people who live there. I was so pleased to see a space filled with art that did just that for me. Claflin has created a space that feels like a new opportunity for Prineville to see itself, and that's quite lovely.

Rimrock Gallery
405A NE 3rd St., Prineville
Tue-Sat 10am-5:30pm; Sun Noon-5:30pm