The Port Angeles Fine Arts Center exists to honor the legacy of Esther Webster by connecting people to the arts. We aspire to be the place on the Olympic Peninsula where discovery and art exploration enriches the community and inspires the artist within each person.
Webster was an artist, journalist, and community leader who believed that artistic expression and nature provided a vital means for building greater community connection. After a cancer diagnosis in 1979, Esther Webster set the wheels in motion to donate her estate to the City of Port Angeles to become a center for lifting up the community through the arts, humanities, and cultural enrichment. She envisioned a space where every person would find a meaningful home in the arts.
The organization opened in 1986 and was initially operated by the City of Port Angeles until 2016 when PAFAC, a 501(c)3 nonprofit, took over the day to day operations and program management. PAFAC stewards two city-owned spaces, including the Esther Webster Gallery and Webster's Woods Sculpture Park, where visitors can discover over 100 artworks displayed throughout 5 acres of rugged second-growth forested trails.
Through our programs and exhibits we help community members and visitors build a deeper sense of place and create meaningful connections. We aim to make our art offerings relevant to the daily lives of our community by providing unique opportunities for engagement.
Through creative programming, we seek to build the bridge of connection between art, nature, and science. Over the past year we have engaged over 3000 people in our programs, including more than 400 youth through our field trip, summer camp and after school programs. We have additionally supported 124 artists in exhibiting their work, and have welcomed an average of 140 visits to the sculpture park each day.
Webster was an artist, journalist, and community leader who believed that artistic expression and nature provided a vital means for building greater community connection. After a cancer diagnosis in 1979, Esther Webster set the wheels in motion to donate her estate to the City of Port Angeles to become a center for lifting up the community through the arts, humanities, and cultural enrichment. She envisioned a space where every person would find a meaningful home in the arts.
The organization opened in 1986 and was initially operated by the City of Port Angeles until 2016 when PAFAC, a 501(c)3 nonprofit, took over the day to day operations and program management. PAFAC stewards two city-owned spaces, including the Esther Webster Gallery and Webster's Woods Sculpture Park, where visitors can discover over 100 artworks displayed throughout 5 acres of rugged second-growth forested trails.
Through our programs and exhibits we help community members and visitors build a deeper sense of place and create meaningful connections. We aim to make our art offerings relevant to the daily lives of our community by providing unique opportunities for engagement.
Through creative programming, we seek to build the bridge of connection between art, nature, and science. Over the past year we have engaged over 3000 people in our programs, including more than 400 youth through our field trip, summer camp and after school programs. We have additionally supported 124 artists in exhibiting their work, and have welcomed an average of 140 visits to the sculpture park each day.