Clark College Foundation Presents

Made possible with major support from The Palmer Foundation

A curated series of unforgettable performances, workshops, and other activities open to the public, introducing national and international artists to Clark County through the unique lens of Clark College and Clark College Foundation.

Cha Wa

Wednesday, July 30, 6:30 – 8:30 PM at the Vancouver Waterfront

Cha Wa brings New Orleans funk to the Vancouver Waterfront for FREE

Cha Wa, the twice-Grammy-nominated New Orleans brass band-meets-Mardi Gras Indian funk outfit, will perform Wednesday, July 30, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. as part of the City of Vancouver’s Waterfront Concert Series.

Known for radiating the energy of New Orleans street culture, Cha Wa blends singing, brass, deep funk grooves and Mardi Gras Indian traditions into a sound that is both joyful and powerful. The band’s album My People has been described as “pure joy, a distillation of generations of New Orleans expression,” while its 2025 album Rise Up marks a new chapter for the group.

“Mardi Gras Indian songs are inherently songs about freedom,” said drummer Joe Gelini. “And that struggle is as relevant today as it’s ever been.”

The evening will also feature the Thilo Kluth Trio, made up of Clark College music students, as the opening act. The Trio and a guest Clark student horn players will also be featured during Cha Wa’s performance, giving students the opportunity to share the stage with nationally recognized artists.

Vancouver Arts & Music Festival

August 7-9 all day at Esther Short Park in Vancouver

Clark College Foundation will also take part in the Vancouver Arts & Music Festival, August 7–9, with several performances and showcases across downtown Vancouver.

Seattle’s Clown Garage will return by popular demand with the Waddle Ensemble, commissioned and presented at the festival by Clark College Foundation. The Waddles are a curious flock of Galápagos penguin fools disguised as orchestral musicians. Easily distracted, highly social and accident prone, they investigate spectators, explore their surroundings and create harmless mayhem, often breaking into circus tricks and antics along the way.

This year, the Waddles will also present Teatime, a delightfully absurd performance inspired by and featuring Clark College’s Professional Baking and Pastry Arts Program. Audiences can keep an eye out for the Waddles throughout the afternoon on Friday and all day Saturday and Sunday.

Clark College visual arts will also be represented at the festival through a student exhibit at the Esther Short Building, organized by Kendra Larson of Archer Gallery, Art Department Chair Grant Hottle, and Vancouver Arts & Music Festival visual arts lead Sharon Svec. The exhibit will feature work from Clark College students.

Clark College Creative Writing students are also scheduled to present readings on the festival’s acoustic stage on Saturday, August 8, from 11 a.m. to noon.

Together, the performances and showcases highlight the range of creativity happening at Clark College, from music and visual art to creative writing, baking and performance.

Both summer events are free and open to the public.

College Arts Events & Opportunities

Supported by Clark College and ASCC (Associated Students of Clark College)

Discover the creativity of Clark students, faculty, and invited guests who perform, read, lecture, bake, cook, and exhibit their innovative creations throughout the year in sites across campus and well beyond.

For a full list of Clark College arts events, click here!

Clark’s Culinary Institute is the sole degree-granting culinary training program in the Portland metro area—a nationally renowned hub for gastronomy. Stop by the Institute’s Student-Run restaurant for an affordable prix-fixe lunch most Wednesdays and Thursdays from 11-1, featuring a constantly changing menu infused with herbs and vegetables grown in the Institute’s own garden. Hosting a party? Grab a beautiful cake prepared by our Baking and Pastry Arts students (and a latte with housemade cardamom syrup while you’re at it).

Learn more about McClaskey Culinary Institute and see the restaurant hours here!

LEARN MORE ABOUT ARTS@CLARK

IN FALL 2023, CLARK COLLEGE FOUNDATION ASKED THE COMMUNITY HOW THEY WOULD LIKE TO ENGAGE WITH US.

The answer was made clear: more than 60% of respondents said the arts are their strongest connection to Clark College. That response has become a call to action, an opportunity to transform how the College and Foundation utilize the arts to build bridges between the campus and the community. Through Arts@Clark, Clark College Foundation is partnering with faculty to elevate the College’s visual, digital, performing, literary, and culinary arts programs. We are reimagining what the arts can mean for Southwest Washington, not only as a platform for students to learn, create, and perform, but also as a vibrant cultural hub that draws our community closer to the College.

Image of Kendra Larson, Archer Gallery and Clark Art Talks Director, speaking at Archer Gallery on campus

Give to Arts@Clark here!

How you can support Arts@Clark

Attending and enjoy Arts@Clark Presents events (most are free or low cost and family friendly)! and College arts events. Consider making a gift to the Foundation’s Performing Arts Initiatives Fund, which helps the Foundation to grow this exciting program and connect college & community through inspiring arts events or to any Arts@Clark program—from Music to Art to Culinary!

Donate to Arts@Clark!

AS Foundation CEO CALEN OUELLETTE HAS SAID,

“Arts@Clark isn’t just about fundraising or programming; it’s about reimagining the role of the arts in higher education and in the cultural life of our region. By connecting community members, students, and faculty through the shared experience of creativity, Arts@Clark is shaping a future where the arts are not just an accessory to education, but a central, unifying force in Southwest Washington”

Photo of Ruth Wikler (Left) and Calen Ouellette (Right) speaking at the Vancouver Arts & Music Festival

Clark College Foundation Presents Highlights 25-26

Cirque Kikasse

Clark College welcomed Cirque Kikasse to campus June 8 and 9 for two free lunchtime performances of SANTÉ!, the troupe’s signature circus-meets-food-truck show.

Presented through Clark College Foundation’s performance series Arts@Clark Presents, Cirque Kikasse brought students, faculty, staff, and community members together for a playful and energetic outdoor experience filled with acrobatics, comedy, balancing acts, and plenty of surprises. As the academic year neared its end, the performances also offered a chance to celebrate Clark students as they neared graduation and to recognize the hard work of faculty and staff who supported them throughout the year.

Set on a fully transformed food truck, SANTÉ! follows the troupe as they prepare for service on a restaurant patio, building furniture into a 35-foot balancing tower, bouncing across a trampoline, and trying (not always successfully) to clean up an overflowing popcorn machine.

Puppet Parade

Nearly seventy children joyfully paraded through campus on May 7. Some donned colorful butterfly wings, crafted from cardboard. Others waved handmade flowers at their spectators. But all were wearing smiles as they skipped, hopped, and bounced through the doors of Gaiser Hall, where cheering staff members looked on.

The parade-goers — children from Clark’s Child and Family Studies, joined by staff and family members — ended their festivities in front of the Culinary Institute, where the little artists snacked on fresh cookies and basked in the beauty of their creations.

The parade was the culmination of the Oregon Children’s Theatre’s six-week residency with the program, which brought arts and performance to life for the kids. The partnership was coordinated by Ruth Wikler from the Clark College Foundation as part of the Foundation’s Arts@Clark Presents series.

Urban Bush Women

On Feb. 3, Clark College hosted Urban Bush Women, a national dance company, for a two-part event that combined performance with education and community engagement. The visit marked a historic moment: it was the first time a national dance company from New York City performed on Gaiser Hall’s stage, bringing Clark students, employees, and community members into direct conversation with professional dancers whose work focused on storytelling and cultural memory.

Stefon Harris and Blackout

Stefon Harris & Blackout took the stage to open the 62nd Clark College Jazz Festival Wednesday, January 28th, part of the Arts@Clark Presents series; the evening promised world-class musicianship. What unfolded instead was something even more powerful, a reminder that the most meaningful moments in the performing arts are often the ones no one could have planned.

Makin’ Cake

Wisconsin Poet Laureate Dasha Kelly performed Makin’ Cake, a powerful blend of performance, storytelling, and dessert that invites us to reflect on history, culture, and community, at Fourth Plain Community Commons on October 12 at 3:00 pm. This unique experience was part history lesson, part live performance, part community gathering, and yes, there was cake made by Clark College Culinary Students!

Ms. Kelly also offered a free Writing Workshop at Gaiser Student Center on the Clark College Campus on Wednesday, October 15th, at 10:30 am.

Ms. Kelly’s Arts@Clark Presents residency also included visits to Creative Writing and Baking classes.

Read about Ms. Kelly’s Arts@Clark Presents residency here.

Flynn Creek Circus

From October 2-5, 2025, Flynn Creek Circus delighted audiences aged 2-92 with their circus show performed under the Big Top, on the Clark College campus for the very first time! Inspired by a wolf, Nordic legend, and the architecture of connection, The Bridge is a freshly conjured visual feast sprinkled with cloaked commentary and gorgeous imagery. Read more about this project here.

Ticket sales supported Clark College Athletics scholarships.

2025 Vancouver Arts & Music Festival

One powerful example of the Arts@Clark vision in action occurred in July at the Vancouver Arts & Music Festival, where Clark College Foundation debuted as the Festival’s first ever Programming Collaborator. The Foundation introduced audiences to artists from around the world while also spotlighting homegrown talent. Clark students had the unforgettable opportunity to perform alongside nationally renowned artists such as Tito Puente Jr. & his Orchestra, and McClaskey Culinary Institute’s creations delighted festivalgoers. Readings by Clark creative writers and an exhibit by Clark artists demonstrated the incredible depth of creativity Clark nurtures. See photos below provided by the City of Vancouver. Want to know more about the Vancouver Arts & Music Festival? Click here to visit their website!