July 22, 2026 — Feast eyes and ears on sculptures, puppets, performances
‘Liberty’ on Percival Landing
There’s a new crop of sculptures on view along Olympia’s waterfront, thanks to the city’s annual Percival Plinth Project. This year’s sculptures — 14 in all — include an otter with bulging eyes (“Playful Sea Otter,” by Steven Nagode) and a slender figure made of marble with a bronze head (“Silent Words,” by Lloyd Whannell). The piece that’s getting the most attention, though, is “Liberty Wept,” a reclaimed metal sculpture by Christine Rose, a Portland artist, author and playwright. Locals are abuzz about the 6-foot sculpture, which Rose describes on the project website (https://www.olympiawa.gov/community/arts,_culture___heritage/public_art/percival_plinth_project.php) as “burdened yet unbroken, mourning yet vigilant.”
“Art has always been a way to speak truth when the usual channels feel closed,” the artist told Oly Arts. “ ‘Liberty Wept’ came from a deep concern about the direction of our country and a need to respond — because silence feels like complicity. I am terrified, and I am heartbroken. Grief molded into something tangible becomes a different kind of force entirely.” “Wept” and the other sculptures that a three-person jury chose for the project will be on view for a full year, but if you’d like to vote on which one the city should add to its permanent collection, now’s the time to see them. Voting (https://app.rankedvote.co/rv/yba6pkewdtlwxmjfmw/vote) closes at midnight Friday, July 31. The city implemented ranked-choice voting in 2025, so you can select up to five works.
Puppet ‘Opera’
String and Shadow Puppet Theater’s “A Night at the Grand Opera” follows the adventures of a cast of colorful characters both human and decidedly not, including elegant ladies wearing dresses made of cardboard, paper doll style, and the delightfully debonaire Fly on the Wall (Anthony Szabo), who wears a tuxedo with four arms. The drama and comedy unfold in a Gilded Age opera house, also created with cardboard and evoking an enormous pop-up book. The play, back for a second summer, captivated both kids and adults last year, and the location in Decatur Woods Park is an ideal one for youngsters with short attention spans: There’s a playground immediately behind the area where the audience sits, so parents can supervise their charges without missing the on-stage action. Performances (https://www.stringandshadow.com) are at 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 4 and 7:30 p.m. Sundays July 24-Aug. 2 in the park, 1015 Decatur St. SW, Olympia. Tickets are by donation, with $20-$35 suggested and no one turned way for lack of funds.
Concerts and films al fresco
Among this week’s abundant choices for free outdoor entertainment:
- Pop-soul combo Winehouse and singer-songwriter Anne Magnolia are playing LoveOly Music in the Park, happening 6-8 p.m. Wednesday, July 22, in Sylvester Park, 615 Washington St SE, Olympia.
- The High Voltage Honeys will be cranking out rock hits in Lacey, followed by a screening of “How To Train Your Dragon.” The tunes start at 7 p.m. Friday, July 24, in Huntamer Park, 618 Woodland Square Loop SE.
- “Karate Kid: Legends,” the fifth follow-up to the beloved 1984 martial-arts movie, is screening at dusk (approximately 9:10 p.m.) in Barclift Park, 690 Barclift Lane SE, Tumwater. Before the film, which stars Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio, the Tumwater Parks & Recreation Department will host a chopstick tournament, and there’ll be free headbands while supplies last.
Molly Gilmore would like to have her very own four-armed fly jacket as seen in “A Night at the Grand Opera” (which, by the way, she’s already seen twice and would happily see again).
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To keep track of what is happening in the arts in the South Puget Sound region, be sure to read Molly Gilmore’s weekly “Arts Aficionado” column in Oly Arts magazine. Subscribe to Oly Arts to receive an email when we publish new articles and columns.