Historic Garibaldi Boathouse Gets New Life as an Oregon Coast Gallery

Published 06/06/2019 at 7:53 PM PDT
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff

(Garibaldi, Oregon) - A gallery is going into the historic U.S. Coast Guard Boathouse in Garibaldi – in fact it’s already open, and this isn’t the first time it was there.

The gallery exhibition is entitled My Stories | Beautiful Mysteries of Tillamook Bay, and it opened in late May. This one builds upon the 2018 Living Boathouse photography exhibition that paid homage to the Tillamook Bay Coast Guard legacy and the unique beauty and architectural details of this maritime asset. The historic landmark reopened for the first time in years in June 2018.

The boathouse has been a bit of a puzzle to many tourists to the Oregon coast: many wonder what it is and what's in there. Originally built in 1962, it housed U.S. Coast Guard rescue efforts until the early ‘80s, after which it remained largely unoccupied for decades until recently.

Now it has new life as a gallery.

In addition to the new My Stories gallery exhibition, further refurbishments and improvements within the Historic Boathouse have been completed by a dedicated group of volunteers, local Port partners and generous donors. Restoration and preservation efforts are ongoing and support is always needed.

Mike Arseneault is the gallery curator and heads much of the efforts to restore this unique landmark that sits at the end of the pier in Garibaldi.

“We are so excited to share the next chapter with this new Exhibition” said Arseneault. “Last year we grounded the gallery in storytelling centered around the Coast Guard and the Boathouse architecture. Moving forward, that will remain the foundation for all stories. This season the new exhibition features three unique curated stories that were inspired by listening to and learning from the community and hearing the level of interest and excitement from tourists who visited last year. Each of these three distinct stories celebrate a beautiful mystery of the Tillamook Bay area.”

The stories cover:

Bayocean, Oregon - The luxury resort town that fell into the ocean. It’s a true ghost of a ghost town. Now, the Bayocean Spit is pure sand, sea and dunegrass, but once the area was a thriving mini-city.

The second story is about Tillamook Bay Life-saving Station, Barview. This 1907 Life-saving station needs a lifesaver, said Arseneault.

The third tale is of the Garibaldi Smokestack – the beloved icon that stands above them all.

“The goal for year two is to inspire and encourage locals and visitors to find out more about their towns history, these stories, visit local museums, attend heritage events, walk county parks and trails, and hopefully become future heritage advocates for Garibaldi, Tillamook County and the Oregon Coast” said Arseneault.

Coming up in 2019, the Boathouse Gallery has been refreshed with new storytelling elements including new and vintage photography, banners, graphics and call-to-action signage and flyers. Also added is permanent signage at the Pier’s entrance area to show people the right direction to go. It’s a structure that’s the last of its kind on the Oregon coast.

The exhibition can be seen June 8-9 and June 15-16 from 12-4pm or by appointment at savegaribaldipier@gmail.com or by visiting the artist website at https://www.facebook.com/johannafroesephotography/. This next guest artist exhibition will open June 22 when a new “Circle Painting” exhibition by Rockaway Beach artist Christine Eagon.

More photos of the boathouse below: Hotels in Tillamook Bay - Where to eat - Tillamook Maps and Virtual Tours

Sheltered Nook on Tillamook Bay

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