September 30, 2026 — Downtown’s the Place for Arts Walk and ‘Our Town’
Cover artist finds the bright spots
As the days grow darker, remember to look for the color. That’s the message of Devin River’s “The Gleam,” the textile work on the cover of the map for fall Arts Walk (https://www.artswalkoly.com), happening Friday, Oct. 2, and Saturday, Oct. 3. Triangles of brilliant autumn colors are surrounded by swaths of textured black fabric that evoke the dress of a Victorian mourner. River relishes the way fall’s grayer light makes colors come alive and finds inspiration in scraps of fabric that some might see as leftovers. “It’s like encountering a fragment of the world, a fragment of reality,” the artist said in an interview for the city (https://www.artswalkoly.com/p/about/cover-art1). “A quilt is a patchwork of a family’s history or a community’s history. The things that I make are like a patchwork of now.” See “The Gleam” and other works and meet River from 6 to 10 p.m. Friday and from noon to 6 p.m. Saturday at Stardust Salon, 111 Capitol Way N., Olympia.
McClure’s latest honors Northwest ‘Home’
The title of Nikki McClure’s new children’s book could double as a description of her body of work: “A Forest, a Family, a Harbor, a Home.” Like her iconic papercuts, “Home” is at once detailed and universal, paying homage to the beauty of nature and simplicity. The original illustrations will be on view for Arts Walk (http://www.artswalkoly.com) at Browser’s Bookshop (https://www.browsersolympia.com/), 107 Capitol Way N., Olympia. McClure will sign books from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 2, and lead a story time from 11 a.m. to noon Saturday, Oct. 3.
Harlequin stages Wilder classic
Thornton Wilder’s “Our Town” — which Edward Albee called “probably the finest play ever written by an American — opens Friday, Oct. 2, at Harlequin Productions’ State Theater. The 1938 play, which follows two families through life’s ordinary milestones, will be running in repertory with “Sanctuary City,” about two undocumented teens and the circumstances that unite and divide them. “Each play offers a rich and layered perspective on what it means to be an American,” Harlequin managing artistic director Aaron Lamb said in a press release. “By bringing these two viewpoints to the stage together, we hope to open a conversation with the community that is even more illuminating.” “Our Town” stars Teri Lee Thomas as the Stage Manager, Juliette Jones as Emily Webb and Bill Nowicki as George Gibbs and also features such familiar talents as Ann Flannigan, Andy Gordon, Russ Holm, Dennis Rolly and Kimberlee Wolfson. Performances are at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 2, 3, 11, 15, 16, 17, 21, 29 and 30 and 2 p.m. Oct. 4, 10, 18, 24, 28, Nov. 1 at the State Theater, 202 4th Ave. E, Olympia. Tickets (https://harlequinproductions.org/show/our-town/) are $35-$49, with rush tickets available for $5-$24.50 two hours before showtimes.
Molly Gilmore loves Arts Walk! (She generally avoids exclamation points in published writing, but this calls for an exception.)
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.