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‘BEHIND THE BAR’
SUBMITTED PHOTO
Arvi Ostrom, behind the bar, in the Snug Harbor Tavern.
Arvi Ostrom, owner of the Snug Harbor Tavern in
Uniontown, left behind vast, hidden body of work
By KAELIA NEAL
FOR EO MEDIA GROUP
Seaside’s
Gallery
AFTER
HOURS
Every Saturday
through summer
from 5-7pm
Gilbert District Gallery
Beach Books Ballery
Seaside Coffee House
Moxie Fair Trade
Sun Rose Gallery
T
he world is only
beginning to ap-
preciate the talent
and massive output
of Arvi Ostrom, an Astoria
U-Pic k
100% Natural
Blueberrie s
Open Daily ‘til 6 pm
$2.00 lb.
Cranguyma Farms
113th & Sandridge
N. Long Beach, WA
native who quietly produced
thousands of works of art
during his lifetime.
Ostrom, who owned
the Snug Harbor Tavern in
Uniontown, passed away in
1995. While in hospice care,
he had one last request.
“He said, ‘Will you take
care of my art for me?’ the
day before he died,” said
Ken Carlson, Ostrom’s
grandson. Carlson, an artist
and a musician himself,
shared his grandfather’s
interest in art, so naturally
he agreed.
But what Carlson fi gured
would be a few hundred
pieces turned out to be more
than 10,000 that Ostrom left
behind.
SUBMITTED PHOTOS
ABOVE, LEFT: A piece by Arvi Ostrom
“At that time I didn’t
really know what he had
done,” Carlson said. “No
one did.”
In order to create so
many pieces, Ostrom must
have averaged about three a
week.
For the past 22 years,
Carlson has made it his mis-
sion to display his grandfa-
ther’s collection. “I felt like
his stuff should be honored,”
Carlson said.
Recently, he opened an
exhibit, “Behind the Bar:
The Folk Art of Arvi Ostrom
and the Snug Harbor,” at the
Clatsop County Historical
Society’s Heritage Muse-
um to display selections
of Ostrom’s work. Carlson
collaborated with Astoria
artist Darren Orange, who
said “it’s really an honor” to
be involved.
Ostrom has been “fi-
nally given a voice and
a place to show his work
(by) being honored at this
exhibition,” Orange said.
“It’s inspiring for me as
an artist to see the value
the community puts on his
work.”
Continued on Page 16