"Phoebe 1," oil on wood panel by Peter Scherrer

REVIEW: Jean Nagai and Peter Scherrer

VISUAL ARTS REVIEW by Alec Clayton for OLY ARTS Salon Refu ends its brief but amazing history as the only gallery in South Puget Sound to rival major galleries in major cities by offering a two-person show of works by Jean Nagai and Peter Scherrer. The gallery closes its doors at the end of this …

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Shakespeare in Hollywood

Weekend Preview: May 5, 2017

WEEKEND PREVIEW is your weekly guide to events in Thurston County. This week, Olympia has more theater performances premiering than you can imagine, plus heavy-hitting readings and conferences to keep you on your toes. Click here to listen to our podcast version of Weekend Preview, sponsored by by Shur-Kleen Car Wash. Follow the links below …

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Susan Christian

Susan Christian: Painter and Gallerist

by Alec Clayton for OLY ARTS One might think, if one pored through painter and gallery owner Susan Christian’s biography, that she’s the kind of creative being one might expect to have seen hanging out with Picasso and Hemingway at Gertrude Stein’s salons at the beginning of the 20th century, or later at gatherings of …

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Charging, archival digital print by Joe Hedges

REVIEW: Joe Hedges at SPSCC

VISUAL ARTS REVIEW by Alec Clayton for OLY ARTS If Joe Hedges is trying to convey a message, I don’t get it. But as purely aesthetic objects and images, they’re fascinating; and perhaps that’s the point, that they make the viewer wonder what’s going on, what kind of future world we’ve entered. The largest and …

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Jennifer Finney Boylan

Jennifer Finney Boylan Author Talk

by Christina Butcher for OLY ARTS Jennifer Finney Boylan, the author of She’s Not There: A Life in Two Genders, will speak at the Minnaert Center for the Arts on May 18. Boylan is the author of 15 books and is an advocate of the LGBTQ+ community. During her author talk, she’ll speak about transgender …

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Ballet Northwest's The Sleeping Beauty, photo by Jerome Tso

Into the Woods for Ballet Northwest’s The Sleeping Beauty

by Molly Gilmore for OLY ARTS For those familiar with the classic fairy tale — or Disney’s animated takes on it — Ballet Northwest’s The Sleeping Beauty has a few surprises. After the wicked fairy curses her, after she pricks her finger on a spindle, after a kiss ends her long sleep, the Aurora of …

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craft-brewed beer

SPSCC Launches Craft Brewing and Distilling Program

by Jennifer Crain for OLY ARTS In fall 2017, South Puget Sound Community College will launch craft brewing, cider making and distilling programs. The curriculum is designed to equip students with an understanding of the science and craft of beverage creation and a solid footing in business fundamentals, production and regulation. “The students who come …

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Lacey Spring Fun Fair

Pure Entertainment at the Lacey Spring Fun Fair

by Christina Butcher for OLY ARTS Each year, Lacey residents ready themselves for a weekend jam-packed with every form of entertainment imaginable. Food, crafts, live music, giveaways, local vendors, car shows, you name it: The Lacey Spring Fun Fair brings it all to Saint Martin’s University every year. The intent is to strengthen community pride …

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Nikkita Oliver

YWCA Olympia’s Racial Justice Summit: Intent Vs. IMPACT

by Christina Butcher for OLY ARTS There are times when a community must come together and rally for social justice, awareness and inclusion, though the issues at hand should’ve been resolved long ago. Over the last year, racism has proven to be one of those issues, on both a local and a national level. This …

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Lauren Fox

Lauren Fox at The Washington Center

by Molly Gilmore for OLY ARTS Singer and actress Lauren Fox, who’ll sing the songs of Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen on Friday, is 39. But musically, at least, she’s an old soul — obsessed, she says, with music made in the decades before she was born. “That’s the era I’m stuck with,” Fox said …

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