The Den will open for a preview during Dayton's May 30 art walk

DAYTON- New to Dayton since August 2024, Carissa Linder is the proud owner of the old Umpqua bank building at 257 East Main Street. Her vision for the building is to create a community art center, which she is calling "The Den". The Den stands for dynamic education network and will serve as a framework that inspires people to create in an accessible and enjoyable way.

"We're all artists," she said. "If you think you're not, all I have to say is that you haven't found the thing that speaks to your soul, yet."

Her plans call for the bank teller stations to be turned into creation stations for trying different media, an open studio, silk screen printmaking, community-led classes, a rotating mural in the entryway, a wall to promote artists and their art, and a gallery with soft furniture inside the bank vault for people to relax, read a book, or listen to music on stage. The stage for live music, open mic nights, karaoke, poetry and book readings will be just inside the building.

In time, the lower level of the 10,000 sq. ft. building will feature a putt-putt golf course, film and recording studio, and framing services.

Space has also been set aside for an acupuncturist and for yoga classes.

Linder hails from a family of artists. Mark Linder, her father, worked as an architect, as did Jock Peter, her great-great-grandfather, who was also a set designer for Paramount Pictures. Dierk Peters, her great-grandfather, was an artist and visionary, and Jan de Swart, Linder's granduncle, was instrumental in the modernist movement on the West Coast. Linder said they all inspire her, as does her mother, Christina, the current assistant superintendent for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Boise.

"Needless to say, education, a love of learning, and art are deeply embedded in my soul," Linder said.

She studied at Boise State University in three areas: developmental psychology, studio, fine arts, and education.

"Living as a student and artist for the better part of two decades has not been a lucrative venture, but it sure has been a rich and beautiful one for my soul," she said.

In the art world, Linder is an art therapist and muralist who has worked at the Idaho State Psychiatric Hospital in Blackfoot, Idaho. She recently received a monetary award from the Dayton Development Task Force for a mural she will create on the east-facing exterior wall of The Den. She is also talking with administrators at the Fort Walla Walla Museum about plans for a mural, or murals, at Fort Walla Walla.

Linder moved to Dayton from Boise in August 2024 during a series of debilitating health crises and a failed relationship. She said she responded to a Facebook ad placed by a former "crush" seeking roommates.

"I knew nothing about Dayton. . . but it felt right," she said. "I came up here for a visit and fell in love in so many ways."

Linder credits the Columbia County Health System's wound care staff, physical therapy staff, and Dr. Woolever with saving her life and getting real clinical support for her lupus and edema after many years of searching for answers. She also found relief from the effects of psoriatic arthritis and has returned to good cardiac health after a pacemaker implant in August of 2024.

"I can honestly say I truly found my heart in Dayton," she quipped.

Linder plans to repay the help she has received here by renovating the former Purple Sage salon into an Airbnb for traveling nurses.

"People have asked why I'm not doing this in Walla Walla, or even Waitsburg. There's no chance!" she said. "I owe Dayton my life in so many incredible ways, and I promised the hospital and this community that I'd repay their kindness and care."

A soft opening for The Den is planned for All Wheels Weekend in June and a grand opening later in the year. She is currently seeking donations of art supplies and considering fundraising ideas, as well as payment structure for services. For more information, contact Linder at carissa@carissalinderart.com, and be sure to stop by on May 30 to say "hi" and see works by local artists.