Maxtivity Creative Space for Community Arts

11/02/2026

Our friends at Philomath Community Services are hiring an executive assistant. Put your skills in service through this incredible organization.

PCS is Hiring! Philomath Community Services is seeking a full-time Administrative Assistant to support office operations, donor and client databases, bookkeeping assistance, grant reporting, volunteer coordination, and community outreach.

This is a $24.00/hour full-time position that is a great opportunity to support a local nonprofit making a difference in our community.
We’re looking for someone who is organized, detail-oriented, comfortable with Microsoft Office, and passionate about serving others.

The position is open until filled. More info at the link below.

To apply or learn more, contact Sharon Thornberry at 541-609-890[three] or [email protected].

Please share with anyone who may be interested and well qualified!

https://www.philomathcommunityservices.org/job-announcement/

11/02/2026

“Que este altar sea un puente. Let this altar be a bridge.”

Maxtivity and the families of La Raza Growing Juntos had the honor of presenting an ofrenda we created together as part of yesterday’s Día de los Mu***os celebration at the Corvallis Museum.

When we were invited to participate in this celebration, it was important that our ofrenda reflect the experiences and traditions of the La Raza families. Many did not have photographs of the loved ones they wished to honor, or the photographs they had were too sacred to share in a public space.

But at its heart, Día de los Mu***os is about remembrance and keeping connections alive across generations.

Several weeks ago, mothers and children from La Raza gathered in our studio. The mothers shared stories about the people they wanted to honor: who they were, what they looked like, and the memories they carried of them. Together, they painted portraits and wrote poems to place on the altar, giving form to memories through art and storytelling.

The families also wanted their ofrenda to reflect the altars they create in their own homes. Not extravagant displays, but humble expressions made with what they have and filled with love.

La Raza mother Mariana Cruz created the altar tapestries and rosaries. Other families contributed pottery, food, and meaningful objects, alongside fresh marigolds from Floral Family Farms. An open window welcomes the spirits of those who have passed.

What came together tells a story not only of those being remembered, but of the families who remember them. Of traditions carried across generations and borders. Of children coming to know loved ones through their mothers’ stories.

And of how, even when material resources are limited, there can be an abundance of love.

10/29/2026

Nothing like riding your bike to school at sunrise with 100 of your friends and a 2700lb pedal-powered machine!

The Glory, Maxtivity’s kinetic sculpture vehicle, was the “celebrity” rider for the October bike bus to Philomath Elementary School last Friday. We made quite the scene arriving among the train of bikes, and we got lots of cheers of encouragement as the pedaled hard to make it up the last hill.

Many thanks to Principal Beasley for the invitation in join in on the fun, the adult bike bus drivers who helped keep the kids safe as they rode together, Brad Fuqua from the Philomath News snapping this amazing photo, and of course to all the students for PES for your cheers for the Glory!

📸 photo credit: Brad Fuqua/ Philomath News

🚲🚲🚲🚲🚲🚲🚲🚲🚲🚲🚲🚲🚲🚌🚲🚲🚲🚲🚲🚲🚲🚲🚲🚲🚲🚲🚲🚲🚲🚲🚲🚲🚲🚲🚲🚲🚲🚲🚲🚲

10/29/2026

Tomorrow night, our friends from Jackson Street Youth Services are bringing all the fun to Philomath City Park!

Jackson Street Youth Services hosts a free Skate Park After Dark event Oct. 29 in Philomath with burritos, pumpkin painting, karaoke and a clothes closet.

10/29/2026

Cute as a button, and twice as nice with good company!

Join us Tuesday, November 3, from 10 AM–Noon for our monthly Seniors Get Craft-Tea gathering at Maxtivity! This month, we’re turning colorful buttons into one-of-a-kind mosaic pictures, finding creative inspiration in the possibilities of upcycling everyday odds and ends.

Our special guest host is Lori Paul, Maxtivity’s founder and current Board President. Lori is a superstar volunteer and board leader, so while you’re creating together, feel free to pick her brain about getting involved with Maxtivity, whether as a volunteer or a member of our Board of Directors.

As always, Seniors Get Craft-Tea is free, all supplies are provided, and no RSVP is necessary. Just come ready to create and connect over a hot cup of tea.

📍 Maxtivity Creative Space | 1604 Main Street, Philomath

Held the first Tuesday of every month, 10 AM–Noon, in partnership with the Philomath Sensational Senior Society.

10/25/2026

16 artists. Two weekends. One incredible creative community!

As we head into the final afternoon of the Philomath Open Studios tour, we’re celebrating the extraordinary community artists who have made Maxtivity’s stop so special!

Each of these artists is connected to Maxtivity as a teaching artist, program participant, volunteer, staff member, or member of our creative community. From accomplished professionals to emerging artists, they represent the incredible talent and creativity that thrives within our walls and beyond.

Over the past two weekends, we’ve welcomed visitors from near and far, shared stories and inspiration, made art together, and watched beautiful works of art find new homes.

And there’s still time to join us! We’re open TODAY, Sunday, noon–5pm for the final afternoon of POST. Come meet the artists and take home something wonderful! 15% of all art sales support Maxtivity’s community arts programs.

A big round of applause for our Maxtivity Community Artists! Swipe through to meet them:

1. Sarah Lench | Gel plate monoprints | Sarah Collins Lench
2. Debrah Jacques | mixed media and monoprint collage on wood |
3. Sophie Grow | pen & ink, ceramics | Sophie Grow
4. Angela Koning | mixed media collage | -gela (“HAY-luh”)
5. Chris Ladovsky | found object & upcycled assemblage sculpture
6. Violetta Gerasymenko | acrylics on canvas |Violetta Gerasymenko
7. Tommy Irwin | found object & upcycled metal jewelry | Tommy Irwin
8. Jake Anderson | linocut prints | Jake Anderson
9. Nolan Irwin | mixed media, photography | teen.art.collective
10. Emily Jessen | Metalwork Jewelry, Therapy Fund Art
11. Amber Anderson | crochet goods, sassy cross-stitch, jewelry | Amber Anderson-Morford
12. Maddie Irwin | acrylic on canvas, mixed media, jewelry | teen.art.collective
13. Emma Baudrexl | polymer clay jewelry | Emma Baudrexl
14. Melinda Passon | mixed media & fiber arts | Melinda S. Passon
15. Nina Petrovich | watercolor, needle felting | Nina Lauren Petrovich
16. Mariana Cruz | Fiber Arts

10/22/2026

A rare glimpse inside Maxtivity’s Teen Loft, where Wednesday afternoons are for worldbuilding, character development, collaborative storytelling, and a little bit of creative mischief.

Our RPG Worldbuilders Club brings together tweens and teens ages 11+ to create original characters, imagine fantastical worlds, and build adventures together through tabletop role-playing games. Along the way, they’re flexing their creative muscles, practicing problem-solving and collaboration, and learning to adapt as their stories take unexpected turns.

With teaching artist and Game Master CJ out of town this week, our young adventurers spent the afternoon painting and customizing miniatures representing their characters. Then things took a turn toward some collaborative creativity on the whiteboard that *might* have been an elaborate collection of inside jokes, Easter eggs, and mysterious messages left for CJ to discover when he returns next week.

Will he be able to decipher them? Is this all part of some elaborate new storyline? Only the Worldbuilders know.

And that’s part of the magic of the Teen Loft. It’s a place where young people don’t just participate in creative activities. They make the space, the stories, and the community their own.

10/20/2026

GET WEIRD. GET WILD. GET WHIMSICAL. 👺🥽🐯🎭

The teen.art.collective is throwing a Halloween mask-making party for young people ages 14+ on Friday, October 30, from 1–3 PM. Come transform everyday materials into creepy, cute, fantastical, or fabulously bizarre works of wearable art.

FREE to participate. All materials provided. Walk out with a handmade mask just in time for Philomath Chamber of Commerce’s Trunk-or-Treat festivities, starting at 3PM.

So, what’s the Teen Art Collective? It’s a free, teen-led creative community for artists, makers, and imaginative minds ages 14+. Every Saturday from 1–4 PM at Maxtivity, teens come together to work on their own or collaborative projects, experiment with new materials and techniques, share skills, and build creative community. New faces are always welcome!

Besides this special mask-making event, the collective will be meeting this Saturday and next.

Saturday, October 24, 1–4 PM: The Collective will lead a hands-on mixed-media collage demo as part of Maxtivity’s Philomath Open Studios stop. Come make something, meet the teens, and check out the incredible artwork on exhibit by our Maxtivity Community Artists. As always, it’s free to participate.

Friday, October 30, 1–3 PM: Halloween Mask-Making Party! Youth ages 14+ welcome.

Saturday, October 31, 1–4 PM: The Collective meets as usual. Come finish up a mask just in time for Halloween night, or work on a project of your own choosing.

At Maxtivity, we believe young people deserve more than a place to make art. They deserve a creative community where their ideas are valued, their imaginations are encouraged, and they have the freedom to make something entirely their own.

Message teen.art.collective on IG or email [email protected] with any questions.

10/18/2026

What a way to kick off Philomath Open Studios!

More than 70 people came through our doors today, and for most, it was their very first visit to Maxtivity. We welcomed art lovers from right here in Philomath and Corvallis, along with folks who traveled from as far as Beaverton and Eugene. So many wonderful conversations, new connections, and pieces of art headed off to new homes.

Our stop on the tour is a little different. We’re showcasing the work of 14 Maxtivity Community Artists, a wonderfully talented mix of teaching artists, program participants, volunteers, staff, and others who make up our creative community. Some have been selling and exhibiting their art for decades, others were sharing their work for the very first time today. Each brings their own unique voice and media, and together the show is a celebration of the creativity that grows when people have a place to make art and connect with one another.

And speaking of making art, one of our favorite moments today was welcoming a sweet group of visitors who took us up on our invitation to try kinusaiga, a Japanese fabric art technique. They didn’t just get to watch an artist demo. They got to become the artists themselves!

Missed today’s fun? You’ve got three more chances!
Sunday, October 18, noon to 5pm
Saturday and Sunday, October 24 to 25, noon to 5pm

15% of all art sales support Maxtivity’s community arts programs, helping us make creative opportunities accessible to more people.

A huge thank-you to everyone who visited, made art, shared stories, and supported our artists today. We can’t wait to welcome more of you tomorrow!