Support Spokane Arts’ work to foster creativity & culture in our region for years to come by donating today! Your gift of any amount helps us continue impactful programs, public art projects, and direct granting to artists, arts organizations, & creative businesses! Learn more about all the ways to support here!

Grantee: Friends of the Bluff

Project Title: 2025 Brush on the Bluff Artist Festival
Year awarded: 2025, Round 1

The Friends of the Bluff will return this year with the fifth annual Brush on the Bluff festival, a free, youth-focused arts event celebrating Spokane’s High Drive Bluff. With support from SAGA, the organization will host local artists as they create original works inspired by the Bluff’s natural landscape. The festival weaves together community, conservation, and creativity, offering visitors trail maps, access to a native plant garden, and local food trucks as they explore the area and engage with the artists in action. New this year, a post-event gallery showing will be held at the historic Washington Cracker Company Building, where artists can connect and see their work formally displayed.

Proceeds from art auctions—held during and after the event—will be split between participating artists and event costs, ensuring both creative and operational sustainability. The Friends of the Bluff continue to build meaningful connections between nature, art, and community, supporting regional creatives and deepening public appreciation for the Bluff through education, outreach, and conservation. Last year’s festival featured partnerships with Greenplay Northwest, The Botanical Alchemists, the Coeur d’Alene Tribe, and others, reflecting the broad community spirit at the heart of the event. This year’s Brush on the Bluff festival will take place on Saturday, May 17th from 10am to 4pm in Spokane’s Polly Judd Park.