The Siskiyou Artists Association (SAA) is a group of diversified artists, from beginners to professional artists and teachers, who meet monthly to hear critiques of their work and view demonstrations by fine artists in our area. In addition to monthly meetings, SAA offers workshops that give artists hands-on opportunities to learn new techniques and mediums. Workshops have included portraiture, landscape and Plein-air painting, paper-making, book art, linoleum block printing, mat cutting, weaving, and encaustic painting.

For more than fifty years, SAA has featured local artists at its annual art show. The show is held at the Sisson Museum and runs for approximately three weeks beginning in mid-August and ending after Labor Day. Close to 100 artworks – including oil paintings, acrylic paintings, water media, pastel paintings, sculpture, wood carving, and mixed media – are judged and awards given.

To encourage young people pursuing an art education, SAA offers scholarships each year to graduating high school seniors or college students who are majoring in art. Scholarship winners exhibit their work at SAA’s annual show.

Monthly meetings are held at the Lake Shastina Community Center the third Sunday of the month at 2:00 p.m. from February through October, except in August when our annual Art show is held. Generally, February, April, June, and September are critique meetings, and in March, May, July, and October SAA hosts a demonstration artist. Guests are welcome to bring one visual art piece (drawing, painting, sculpture, or carving) and are asked to bring their work to the meeting location by 1:30 p.m. on the meeting date. At these critique meetings, the critique artist selects an Artwork of the Month and members vote on two favorite pieces. In October, one of these pieces is chosen as Artwork of the Year.

The 2007 winner of Artist of the Year was Marilyn Ellis, who is shown (left) in the photo receiving the Artists’ Cup from 2006 Artist of the Year, Joy Price. Marilyn’s winning watercolor, entitled Spearfish Canyon, is shown in the background.