Carlton artist Jess Newlin puts the finishing touches Thursday (Sept. 3) on her shrub-steppe-themed mural on the Methow Arts building in Twisp. Methow Arts Alliance is changing its name to “Steppe Arts, Okanogan County” in October.
Nonprofit rebranding, adding another site
Methow Arts Alliance is getting a new look, a new location and even a new name.
The prominent slate-blue facade of the Methow Arts building on the corner of Glover Street and Second Avenue in Twisp is gone, replaced by a vibrant mural of shrub-steppe blooms painted by Carlton artist Jess Newlin.
Newlin’s “ode to the shrub-steppe,” as she called it, is appropriate, as it reflects Methow Arts’ rebranding. The nonprofit that was founded in the 1980s as Methow Arts Alliance will rename itself “Steppe Arts, Okanogan County” starting in October, Executive Director Sarah Jo Lightner said.
The name change reflects Methow Arts’ expanding scope over the decades. The organization offers educational programs, artist services, performances and other creative projects throughout Okanogan County.
In the valley, Methow Arts is known for staging Arts Fest every year on the Fourth of July, in addition to year-round live performances — including the past weekend’s show at The Merc featuring the Portland Cello Project. The nonprofit also supports the Missoula Children’s Theatre at Methow Valley Elementary School (MVES) and arts instruction for more than 5,000 students in eight school districts, including in the Methow Valley.
“Our old name has been an important part of our story, but it no longer fully represents all of the communities we serve,” Lightner said in a Sept. 1 press release. “We have been working throughout Okanogan County for decades, particularly through our arts education programs. Steppe Arts allows us to honor where we came from while creating a more inclusive identity for where we are going.”
Grand opening
As part of its expanded reach, Methow Arts is opening a second office in Okanogan, at 111 S. Second Ave.
Methow Arts will hold a grand opening at its Okanogan building, from 4–6 p.m. on Saturday (Sept. 12).
“The new downtown Okanogan office will serve as a creative community hub and will include a rentable workshop space, gallery space, an arts and culture hub and resource center for visitors and creative professionals,” the press release said.
Back in Twisp, the current Methow Arts headquarters will become more public-facing, transitioning into a Twisp Creative District Welcome Center in October. Twisp received its creative district designation in 2020 from the Washington State Arts Commission as a way to enhance the town’s identity as an arts and cultural center.
After the welcome center opens, it will offer locally designed merchandise, and works by artists and students.
These changes were made possible by a $404,000 grant from the Icicle Fund, announced in November 2025.
The grant is also paying for a part-time creative economy program manager. Okanogan resident Phoebe Webb has filled that role and will work primarily out of the new Okanogan office, Lightner said.
“At first she will be focused on supporting creative professionals with one-on-one coaching and mentoring,” Lightner she said.
Fundraiser
A small portion of the grant supports Methow Arts’ school arts-education programs, but more money is needed, Lightner said.
“Since we applied for these funds, school districts have had to make even more budget cuts which has directly impacted arts programming in the schools across the county,” Lightner said.
Methow Arts seeks to overcome a $35,000 shortfall in arts-education funding at eight school districts through a year-end fundraising campaign. Information on how to donate is provided in Methow Arts’ latest magazine.
The focus of this appeal is to raise funds for educational costs at other Okanogan County school districts outside the Methow Valley. The Public School Funding Alliance (PSFA) has donated funds for MVES’s art teacher.
“We are so thankful for PSFA and their support of this critical program in the valley,” Lightner said. “Without PSFA, our arts program at the elementary school would look and feel vastly different for our students.”
