posts that contain mini-bios of our writers
The South Sound Studio Tours in Olympia, Lacey and Tumwater offer unique opportunities to visit, watch and learn from South Sound artists who invite the public into their studios in commercial buildings and in their homes to view artworks (some for sale and some not), talk to the artists, watch them work and learn about equipment, materials and methods. There will be demonstrations and direct sales by artists.
Among the 100 Arts Walk locations hosting visual art, music, dance, puppetry, aerial arts and much more, collaborative work among literary and visual artists is one of the themes that emerge. “We’ve had poetry in the past, but this year, there’s definitely a lot out there,” said Arts Walk coordinator Jessica Strauss Tomy. Like this Arts Walk itself, the poetic projects involve a lot of students and a certain amount of serendipity.
A Talk with The Procession of Species founder and “Director Guy” Eli Sterling about the return of the Procession after a four-year hiatus. If you’ve never attended, you might assume it’s a classic small-town parade with an environmental vibe and plenty of costumes, masks, puppets, music and dancing — and you’d be sort of right.
“It’s an eclectic mix,” said Sean Barnes, the director and coordinator of the college’s Leonor R. Fuller Gallery about the SPSCC Juror’s Invitational, open through April 26. “It’s fun to go into shows where you have this eclectic work — to appreciate how that much diversity can exist in a single space.”
Nagle Jackson’s ‘Taking Leave’ at Dukesbay Theater in Tacoma through April 7th is a show that not only depicts a man descending into the throes of Alzheimer’s but gives us a glimpse into his mind’s final moments of connection.
“I remember the crisis one day.” Sculptor Don Freas, already a well-respected craftsman who’d shown his furniture in galleries, said. “I said, ‘No, I can’t make a chair. I want to do something new.’ And it became a sculpture.” This retrospective at Childhood’s End Gallery in Olympia through April 21 is a meditation on Freas’ creative process.
Theater Artists Olympia’s production of “The Liar” by David Ives is at OlyTheater in Capital Mall, March 22 through April 7 with Aaron Gotzon as Dorante and Teresita Brimms as Clarice. The play is directed by Tom Sanders who said, “It’s not an absurdist play. It’s actually a straight farcical comedy.”
Medical clinics can feel sterile and unwelcoming, so the idea of the art installation at the new MultiCare Women’s Center on McPhee Road is to populate the facility with the works of local female artists to inspire and comfort those who visit the clinic. The art is not open to the public but is there for the benefit of the center’s clients and to honor local artists.
With the goal to make live music more accessible for the college’s students, staff and faculty and greater community, the Music Department at South Puget Sound Community College is hosting three concerts (March 15, 16, and 19) at the Kenneth J. Minnaert Center for the Arts Main Stage that traverse time and genre, showcasing elements of classic poetry, grand overtures and big band sounds through the decades.
From the low tides of Mud Bay in the Pacific Northwest to the lush greenery of Mississippi and beyond, 81 pieces by 19 poets including seven from Thurston County are joined in “Mud Flat Verse (an anthology).” The anthology, published in late 2023, is a creation of Olympia publisher Mud Flat Press.