Love and Landscapes celebrates the intertwined lives and creative legacies of artist Ruth Dennis Grover (1912–2003) and artist & author Martha Kay Renfroe (1938–2016), known to readers as M. K. Wren. For decades the two women shared a home in Roads End and played important roles in shaping Lincoln City’s cultural life. Grover helped establish and nurture the region’s art community through teaching, organizing exhibitions, and supporting institutions such as the Lincoln County Art Center, while Renfroe gained national recognition for her mystery and science-fiction novels. Together, they found inspiration in the dramatic scenery of the Oregon Coast and contributed to the artistic identity of the community they called home.
Featuring paintings, sketches, and photographs, the exhibit explores the relationship between place, creativity, and companionship. Visitors will encounter selections from Wren’s acclaimed novel A Gift Upon the Shore (1990), a post-apocalyptic story set in the fictional “Shilo Beach,” a literary reflection of Lincoln City and Roads End. Through art and literature, Love and Landscapes examines how two creative women interpreted the same coastline, finding beauty, meaning, and inspiration in the landscapes that surrounded them.
The exhibit will be open June 17th – December 30th, 2026.
