Other Events

Animal Fire’s Midsummer Night’s Dream in Lacey’s Wonderwood Park

Animal Fire Theatre’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream in Lacey’s Wonderwood Park in July
“is something that I think we all need back in our lives — the magic and the mystery of all the human connection, love and lust and grandeur and all of that,” Director Brian Hatcher said. “We need to bring this levity back. “The last couple shows we did had a heaviness to them — Measure for Measure and King Henry IV,” he added. “We decided that this was the time to go light.”

Oly Arts Summer 2025 Print Edition

The Summer print edition of OLY ARTS N0. 33 is published! Here is a list of where in the Olympia area you can pick up your FREE copy, and a link to the PDF file so you can read it online. Enjoy!

LoveOly SummerFest Brings Summer Fun

The purpose of LoveOly, in its third year, is to bring people together and promote downtown. “I love it that we bring the community together right when kids are fresh from the school year,” said Desiree Freeman, executive director of the Downtown Olympia Alliance, which organizes LoveOly. The family-friendly event comes to life June 20 to 22.

Danger Room’s Stand-Up Comics Guy Celebrates Free Comic Book Day

Even contemplating the upcoming annual chaos known as Free Comic Books Day at Danger Room Comics on May 3rd elicits a hearty chuckle from Frank Hussey. “I like to say it’s my favorite holiday where I work all day long.” Hussey is the proprietor, and the garrulous mirror-universe twin of Comic Book Guy from The Simpsons. Instead of a sour-faced and patronizing comics geek, he’s a smiling and loquacious shopkeeper who’s equally informative and open-hearted.

The Wonder and Delight of the Procession

by Diane Chiddister It was dark, cold and wet last April 27, but the dismal day didn’t dampen the high spirits in downtown Olympia. Drums rumbled and saxophones wailed as a cavalcade of creatures — huge swooping butterflies, a truck-sized blue peacock, and leaping dolphins, among others — progressed down Legion Way. Kids had transformed …

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The Center Salon Lights Up the Washington Center

Speaking of the Center Salon at The Washington Center, Jill Barnes, executive director of the center, said, “It’s really fun to see so many different genres of art in one night. It’s pretty special. The center hosts touring artists from all over the world, and this event showcases our homegrown talent. It complements the rest of our programming and who we are and what we do.” Co-curated by Olympia’s own, Bryan Willis, the Center Salon will fill the center’s black box on the evening of Saturday, March 22.

Diane Chiddister

Diane Chiddister recently moved to Olympia from Yellow Springs, OH, where she was a longtime journalist and former editor of the award-winning Yellow Springs News. Also a lifelong fiction writer, she received an MFA from the Iowa Writer’s Workshop in 1981. She wrote her first novel, One More Day, after retiring from journalism; it won …

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Rachel Benton

Rachel Benton is a freelance writer who graduated from Pacific Lutheran University in 2023. She has a double major in history and political science along with a minor in music. Attending performances is Rachel’s favorite pastime, and she is grateful to use her voice to engage excitement for the arts. If you’re not able to …

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Fall/Winter 2024 Print Edition

Oly Arts Walk * Bucoda Spook-Tacular * Anna Schlecht * Tacoma Film Festival * Enterlope * Eileen Bochsler * OFT & More! You can read our 31st print edition here. It is hot off the press and distributed free in the area plus available online!

Eileen Bochsler’s Arts Walk Cover Art is magical/foggy

by Molly Gilmore — There’s a glow at the center of Eileen Bochsler’s encaustic painting Forest Awakening, made with layers upon layers of wax mixed with tree resin that give the painting its luminosity and texture featured on the cover of the fall Arts Walk map. Awakening will be on display at Splash Gallery — a cooperative where Bochsler’s encaustics are always hanging.

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