PENDLETON — The Art of the Gift at the Pendleton Center for the Arts marks the beginning of the holiday season every year.

It features more than a dozen new artists and craftspeople, in addition to the local and regional artists who the center represents every day. The wearable and functional art fills the entire East Oregonian Gallery.

Roberta Lavadour, center director, said this year’s exhibit features several new artists, including work from the Past Lives Prison Outreach Guild, an organization that encourages incarcerated adults in their creative work and helps to sell their fine craft items in venues around the state. Both men and women work through the program to gain skills in all sorts of art forms, including leatherwork and hand-drawn notecards.

The Art of the Gift runs through Dec. 31. The Pendleton Center for the Arts, 214 N. Main St., is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and by appointment after-hours by calling 541-278-9201.

“We know that not everyone can get away from work during our regular gallery hours,” Lavadour said. “If someone has a group of friends they’d like to gather with, or if a community member needs a quiet shopping environment, we’re happy to accommodate them after-hours.”

Make-and-take

In addition to shopping, visitors will have a variety of “make-and-take” activities they can engage in while at the center. Free materials and self-guided instructions for Christmas ornaments, holiday cards and more will be available for all ages on a drop-in basis during business hours.

More information is available at pendletonarts.org or by calling 541-278-9201.