The Southern Oregon Guild of Artists and Artisans presents the 3rd Annual Arts Alive! An Art & Rural Garden Adventure on Saturday May 16, 2026 from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. Ticket holders will enjoy a variety of art and fine crafts displayed in the unique settings of five picturesque gardens in the Illinois Valley. Set amidst the background of surrounding forested and snow-topped mountains, the gardens will showcase sculpture, paintings, photography, prints, cards, fiber and fabric arts, glass arts, woodwork, jewelry, and more.

The different sites display a range of botanical beauty from brilliant spring blooms to a family-run garden center to creative kitchen gardens. You’ll see rare native plants and old-growth trees. The fifth "garden" for 2026 is Rough & Ready Botanical Wayside! This unique botanical area along Rough and Ready Creek includes a 0.7 mile ADA accessible flat trail that harbors a multitude of rare or special-status plants endemic to the serpentine soils of the Siskiyou Mountains. This popular wildflower-watching spot is an Area of Critical Environmental Concern, first protected by the Illinois Valley Garden Club in 1937.

Each garden setting will have different activities throughout the day -- some for children, some for adults. Try your hand at lawn games such as croquet or badminton, sip a hand-crafted brandy at Marble Caves Distillery! Watch as art comes ALIVE during ongoing skills demonstrations to include musical performances, storytelling, live painting, woodcarving, poetry reading, woodturning, and more.

Participating groups and artists include: Ryan Hopper, Elaine Barker, Miri Admoni, Alan Eisner, Julia Waters, Deb Murphy, Faith Witham, Mark Bair, Bonnie Campanoli, Jim Lettis, Janet Downingstar, Mary Ann Clady, Charles & Georgia Churchill, Steve & Gail Heagerty, Danji Beard, Caryne Mount, Joshua Beach, Allison & Phil of Forest Symbols, and the Illinois Valley Garden Club. All artists and some gardeners will have work available for purchase.