Camano Gateway Gallery

A Building Born from Community

In 1999, the same year the first Camano Island Studio Tour was being organized, local artists, patrons, and contractors came together to design and build what would become one of the park's most enduring landmarks. The building was designed to serve as a visitor center, replacing an earlier and far more modest structure. During the months of May through summer of 1999, resident artists and contractors built the Gateway by hand.

Local welding company Wesweld fabricated the metal frame of the exterior awning and the wall for the stained glass window — designed and installed by artist Jack Archibald. The Gateway sculpture at the corner, designed by Karla Matzke and manufactured by Wesweld, was installed at the same time, designating the site as the entrance to the island and to its creative community.

From Terry's Corner to Freedom Park

In the years following construction, efforts by Camano Action for a Rural Environment (CARE) and State Senator Mary Margaret Haugen resulted in the surrounding parcels of land being designated for limited development, with a full third set aside as a park — donated to the community by Brown & Cole. The land that was once a blank canvas at Terry's Corner slowly became what visitors enjoy today: Freedom Park, the sculpture garden, the playground, the Gateway building, and the surrounding Camano Commons.

The Vision Comes Full Circle

In late 2022, renovations to the Gateway building were undertaken to repair leaks and restore the flooring. The building then became available to lease — and in January of 2023, the Camano Arts Association took on that lease, returning to the building they had imagined and helped build 25 years earlier.

Today the Gateway Gallery is filled with fine art and crafts by Camano Arts Association member artists, available for viewing, collecting, and gifting. It serves as a meeting place for residents and visitors alike, and hosts a virtual visitor kiosk provided by the Camano Chamber of Commerce.