On any given week in John Day, there could be a ceramics class working clay, a leather class filling up, a course on candle-making, or students arriving for a youth workshop. All of it runs through Painted Sky Center for the Arts, a nonprofit founded in 2018 that has grown faster than planned. What began in two rented spaces now fills a 17,000-square-foot building—and even that isn’t quite enough for local arts demand.
Grant County, where Painted Sky is located, is one of Oregon’s most geographically isolated areas: there are no urban centers and 60 percent of the area is public land. Over 16 percent of residents live below the poverty line. “The bigger cities—Portland and Eugene—they get a lot of funding,” said executive director Jenny Gregory. “We need this here.”
To keep courses accessible, Painted Sky offers scholarships for people who need them. Classes are often taught by local artists—giving them a source of income and professional development, even as they give back to their communities. Gregory moved to the area recently but quickly realized the high percentage of artists in the area. “It feels like almost everyone you talk to is an artist to some degree,” she said.
Ceramics classes and leather arts workshops have been their two most popular offerings. Both mediums feel approachable to people, said Gregory. This is important since Painted Sky wants the courses to be open to people of all ages and ability levels. They have specific classes for people 55 and older. Local schools come in for after-school programs. There are even classes for families and summer arts programming for the youth in the community.
Getting everyone who wants to take a class into their new building, a former middle school built in the 1940s, has been a challenge. “There are stairs everywhere,” Gregory said, making it difficult for older adults or those who use mobility devices. Some of the rooms could be better outfitted for Painted Sky’s needs. In 2025 alone, there were over 700 participants in more than 110 classes—so making use of every inch of the building is a priority.
A grant from The Roundhouse Foundation will help Painted Sky hire an architectural firm to develop a master plan for renovating the building into an ADA-compliant space with other functional upgrades.
One of their goals is to turn what was the school gym into a multi-use facility for conventions, wedding rentals, and other events. “We don’t have a community center in John Day,” said development director Allison Field. “This is something that’s really needed.” With this renovation, Painted Sky will become a home for not just the arts, but for all the communities throughout Grant County.
