Arts Initiative

Welcome to the Plas Newydd Farm Arts Initiative!

We are so excited to invite you to the farm to share in the beauty of this place, and to make art together! You can read more about the who, what, where and why below, but if you know why you’re here and want to get right to it, here’s a link to the Events Calendar where you can check out our upcoming workshop schedule. Be sure to subscribe to the calendar while you’re there! We have lots of great workshops planned for our second season, with more in the works! 

Events Calendar

Photo of farm field, white clouds and a rainbow over barns

What is it?

The PN Farm Arts Initiative is a place-based, collaborative endeavor based at Plas Newydd Farm in Ridgefield, Washington. Together, we create a space where the local arts community and the general public can come together for creation, conversation and exploration. Through a combination of workshops, short-term artists residencies and exhibitions, we delve into the stories of this place together.

As we roll into the second year of the initiative, we are excited to offer several opportunities each month for folks to gather and create together. Workshop themes will include writing, visual arts and crafts, and more. We also offer more free-form gatherings with the monthly Canopy Time farm excursions, and Soup & Words writing circles. Feel free to drop us a line at arts@pnfarm.com if you’d like to propose a workshop for the future!

Click Here to sign up for the mailing list and be there first to know about upcoming opportunities!


Where are we?

Plas Newydd Farm is located just north of Ridgefield Washington, at the confluence of the Lewis and Columbia rivers. The farm sits at the intersection of agriculture, development, and conservation, and is one of the largest intact pieces of working agricultural land in Clark County. The city of Ridgefield has been listed as one of the fastest growing cities in Washington State for several years running, and the pressure on farm families to sell their land to make room for houses, businesses and industry is intense. The Morgan family is committed to keeping this land in use as an agricultural space, as well as a site for significant habitat and wetland restoration. We are excited to find ways to share this unique place with our neighbors and the creative community.




Why the arts?

This project exists to explore how the arts can add to the conversation around wild spaces and working spaces, and how they interact and coexist in the face of rapid development and human growth in the county. It also exists simply to share the joy, beauty and power of the arts, and of the land.


Who are we? 

The Initiator:

Abby Braithwaite grew up in communities where creativity was a part of the fabric of daily life. Beginning with her earliest childhood experiences in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom—a deep-rooted community rich with farmers and artists—Abby has been immersed in cultures where each individual’s power to create is a given, whether the creation was a healthy herd of cows, an oil painting, or a procession of giant puppets marching across a hayfield with the the Bread and Puppet Theater.

Since moving to Plas Newydd Farm with her husband David Morgan and their family in 2007, the writer side of Abby has explored the stories of the farm, but no one person can capture all there is to tell. She is looking forward to building a community of creatives to help her share this place her family is lucky enough to call home.

Abby is a volunteer workshop facilitator for Write Around Portland, and the author of two self-published chapbooks of prose and poetry, and you can read her occasional words over on compost-ink.com.

The Morgan Family:

Plas Newydd Farm has been in the Morgan family since the 1940’s, and since the beginning they have been committed to the stewardship of this place. Since the family purchased the land it has been a dairy farm, a beef farm, and a timber farm, and David and his team continue to manage cattle and timber operations, while also working to restore about half the acreage of the property to wetlands, salmon habitat, and Oregon White Oak savannah. David and Abby’s two children are among the fourth generation to grow up with their feet on this soil.

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We are delighted to be able to accept your tax-deductible donations, thanks to a fiscal sponsorship from Shunpike. Click here for a link to the donation page. Please note that your donation will be made to Shunpike, and this will be reflected on your credit card receipt. Shunpike will then distribute the funds to the PN Farm Arts Initiative for scholarships, residencies, and other support! 

Donate Here!

About Shunpike

Shunpike is the 501 (c)3 non-profit agency that empowers artists through equitable access to vital expertise, opportunities, and business services.