posts that will be on the front page
By MELINDA MINTON This year brings Lacey Cultural Celebration, previously called Lacey Ethnic Celebration, offering foods, culture and entertainment from around the world. Lacey isn’t the relatively new suburb it might seem to be. Long before Europeans traveled there, the area was home to Native American Nisqually and Squaxin tribes. Non-indigenous settlement began in the 1840s. …
By JONAH BARRETT Visual-art shows needn’t just be entertaining, they can also engage audiences and create change in their communities. That’s what local artist Carter Wilson hopes to achieve with Live Installation at Le Voyeur. It’s a collaboration between Wilson, the homeless-youth nonprofit Stand Up For Kids and five local hip-hop artists: Blk Sknn, BrySone!, …
By ADAM McKINNEY If a man made his career by setting the mood for the happiest moment in a couple’s life, how could he continue after having his heart shattered by a cruel ex-lover? That’s the idea examined, however lightly, by The Wedding Singer, the 1998 Adam Sandler film considered by many to be his …
By NED HAYES At the age of 19, Ira Glass began his career in public radio. Over the 39 years since, he’s held nearly every production job at National Public Radio including desk assistant, editor, newscast writer, producer, reporter and tape cutter. He’s hosted multiple shows including Talk of the Nation and Weekend All Things …
By Billy Thomas The City of Olympia Percival Plinth Sculpture Project kicked off in early February with a call for up to 16 sculptures to be displayed on outdoor pedestals, or plinths, at Olympia’s Percival Landing. The temporary art installations will be displayed for up to one year, during which time people may get up …
By KAMEKO LASHLEE The orchestra is a centuries-old pastime, and it’s as good an excuse as any to get dressed up, go out on the town and listen to euphonious music. In recent years, however, classical music has been associated with boredom and stuffiness. In a world that evolves ceaselessly to satiate our need for …
By Editor On January 31, 2019, Tacoma Little Theatre‘s Off the Shelf program presented a workshop performance of Measure for Measure, a drama by William Shakespeare, adapted and directed by OLY ARTS editor emeritus Christian Carvajal and read by a “who’s who” list of South Sound thespians. The Bard’s poetic language has been preserved in …
THEATER REVIEW by Alec Clayton for OLY ARTS Neil Simon, Jason Haws, Harlequin Productions. That alone should be enough to convince theater lovers to buy tickets to I Ought to be in Pictures. A typical Simon comedy/drama, this lovely little show elicits laughter, and it is human drama as true as true can be — …
ART REVIEW by Alec Clayton for OLY ARTS The defining thing about the annual postcard show at South Puget Sound Community College is humor, is variety, is lots and lots of little works of art — is most of all that nothing is rejected. Every work submitted is accepted into the show without judgment, which …
By CHRISTIAN CARVAJAL The Yiddish-American word klatch, which can rhyme with either batch or botch, means an informal gathering, usually one that facilitates conversation. Pizza Klatch is an Olympia-based organization that empowers LGBTQ+ youth in Thurston County by providing safe, supportive spaces — and yes, free pizza — in 15 area schools. It’s the result …