By Alec Clayton Nikki McClure’s artistic output is phenomenal. Her paper cuts have often been shown at Childhood’s End Gallery in Olympia and in other venues. She has published many illustrated books, including How to Be a Cat, Mama, Is it Summer Yet?, To Market, To Market and Waiting for High Tide. Her books have …
By Molly Walsh In accordance with recommendations from Thurston County Public Health & Social Services and Governor Jay Inslee, the City of Olympia has announced the cancellation of the spring Olympia Arts Walk in an effort to maintain social distancing practices and curtail possible spread of the novel coronavirus(COVID-19). The semi-annual event was scheduled to …
By ALEC CLAYTON It is a rare artist who gets invited to mount a one-person show at Childhood’s End Gallery. According to owner Richenda Richardson, there have only been 20 solo exhibits out of approximately 400 in its 43 years. Three have been by Marilyn Frasca. Frasca’s show for Arts Walk will have about 50 …
By ALEC CLAYTON Rubbings as an art form are in Devon Damonte’s blood. He says he’s “deep into the rubbings world.” His father did brass rubbings back in the 1970s, and Damonte says he “spent hours with his dad rubbing gravestones.” He says printmaking, however, was his first love as an adult artist. For Arts …
By ALEC CLAYTON The cover art for this year’s Olympia Arts Walk map is fabric art by Faith Hagenhofer. The piece is called “Held Dear” and features a baby’s onesie, perhaps the most evocative of all memorabilia, surrounded by squares with a ruffled edge and topped by a fan. The onesie is a deep purple …
By NED HAYES Photography by Shanna Paxton Photography Procession of the Species is Olympia’s annual celebration of the natural ecosystem. It’s been enlivened in recent years by the massive creations of large-scale puppeteer Jerry Berebitsky, whose creations delight crowds with brilliant color, innovative imagination and awe-inspiring movement. This year, however, instead of a single, oversized …
By Alec Clayton Local artist Kimberly Saltiel believes art has the power to heal, and she has the research to back it up. She notes that studies show a direct link between the content of images and the brain’s reaction to pain, stress and anxiety. Hospitals and elderly care facilities turn to art as part …
By Billy Thomas South Puget Sound Community College announced that it has partnered with the City of Olympia to transform the former Ben Moore’s restaurant into Percival Place at Ben Moore’s. The special event location will provide the college the opportunity to return to downtown Olympia, bringing with it its mission of education and workforce …
By Alec Clayton Painter and teacher Scott Waeschle has shown his figure paintings and landscapes in area galleries for decades. This year, Olympians get to see something new from Waeschle: flowers. Waeschle explains how the new work came about. “I had both knees replaced two years ago,” he says, “and spent two months in the …
By Alec Clayton Tom Anderson is practically an art institution in Olympia. His studio has been open to the public since the 1980s. He’s created many well-known, public-art installations: the Park of the Seven Oars on Harrison, a suite of mural-size paintings in the emergency-room lobby at Providence St. Peters Hospital.His works are in many …