Youth Empowerment Shelter Artists Celebrate Creativity and Community with Local Exhibition

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Written By Robin

The Dalles, Oregon Young artists from the Youth Empowerment Shelter in The Dalles have spent the past year pouring their creativity into a special art program. Now, their efforts will be showcased in a public exhibition and a reception on June 13th  5-7pm  at Yvonne’s Art Studio in The Dalles–. The artwork will then be permanently installed at Safespace in Hood River.

YES is a local nonprofit that offers emergency shelter and support to youth in crisis, ages 11 to 17. Located right here in The Dalles, YES provides a safe and stable environment for youth to regroup, heal, and reconnect with caring adults. In addition to housing and case management, YES supports youth through enriching programs that build confidence, resilience, and community.

The YES art program revived last year when Columbia Gorge artist Yvonne Pepin Wakefield reached out to YES to offer her time in her studio space near Klindts Cove.  She had been working with YES participants since 2016 but took a break during Covid. While the shelter had long wanted to revive its art programming, it lacked funding for supplies—until NW Natural stepped in with a generous seed donation that brought the vision to life.

Since then, the youth artists have gathered regularly at Yvonne’s Art Studio. The atmosphere has been joyful and welcoming, full of music, laughter, and artistic exploration. Dylan McManus, Wasco County MARC Manager was instrumental in sourcing additional funding to purchase high quality art supplies, in addition to helping Yvonne mentor aspiring artists.

"They come on weekends, they call and ask if they can work—and when they do, they show up on time and clean up after themselves." said Yvonne. "They play music, they sing songs, and sometimes a car will pull up with DoorDash. It’s been a safe and creative space."—“We have fun”. In addition to having them develop skills and their individual art techniques in a professional environment

The results of their dedication—a collection of deeply personal artwork—will soon bring comfort and inspiration to other youth working though turbulence in their lives. The pieces are destined for SafeSpace, a Hood River-based nonprofit that provides evaluations and support for children affected by abuse, neglect, or drug endangerment. SafeSpace recently launched the Mind Body Youth Program to support mental health and wanted to make their facility feel more welcoming to youth.

Thanks to an additional grant from The Roundhouse Foundation at the end of 2024, the program can continue. The YES team and Yvonne hope to expand the program in the future to serve more young people in The Dalles and surrounding Gorge communities.

The community is invited to celebrate the youth artists’ accomplishments at the gallery reception on June 13 at Yvonne’s Art Studio.

Event Details:
YES Youth Art Exhibition Reception
June 13, 2025
Yvonne’s Art Studio & Gallery
3735 Klindt Dr, The Dalles, OR 97058

For more information on YES and how to support their work, visit the website - Y.E.S. - Youth Empowerment Shelter - Home

More information about Yvonne and her work can be found here: https://www.yvonnepepinwakefield.com/   

Youth Empowerment Shelter Contact:
Livia Christensen
Email: liviac@yeshelter.org




Robin

Robin is a filmmaker and business consultant in her day-to-day work. She’s received 2 NADO economic development awards in partnership with MCEDD, and has worked across The Mid Columbia on projects that build community health, education, and economy.

With most of her time spent working with clients and the technical aspects of CCCNews, Robin only contributes her writing occasionally.