Alec Clayton

posts by Alec Clayton

Roger McIntosh Recognized for 40 Years of Service to the Washington Center

In recognition of 40 years of dedicated service to the performing arts in Thurston County and the South Sound, Washington Center Production Manager Roger McIntosh has been selected as the 2026 Excellence in the Arts Commitment to the Arts Awardee. The Center’s Star Dressing Room has been officially named in his honor in recognition of the organization’s “deep appreciation for four decades of service, care, commitment, and the philosophy that guided his work,” according to a Center Marketing and Sales Director Tineke Raak.

Art Story: Reflection of an Artist Couple at Tacoma Community College

Painters David Noah Giles and CJ Swanson, who, after 33 years as a married couple, are having their first two-person exhibition this month. The show runs Jan. 2-30. It is titled: Art Story: Reflection of an Artist Couple. It can be seen in The Art Gallery at Tacoma Community College. “This exhibition will give the viewer some insight into two artists’ lives together,” Swanson said. She and her husband view their experience to be similar to the experiences of other artist couples such as Jasper Johns and Robert Rauschenberg, Elaine and Willem de Kooning and others who came before them in art history.

Legacy & Stories That Shaped Us — Celebrating 50 Years of Playback Theatre

Heartsparkle Players began doing Playback Theatre in 1991 as a way to support
elementary school children in developing empathy and reducing bullying. Students told stories about when they received and gave acts of kindness. In the beginning, they performed primarily in schools and later began commissioned performances for organizations, faith groups, and finally they added public performances. They have held their public performances at Traditions for 28 years, often collaborating with other community groups. Founding member Debi Edden said, “We want to bring hope, stories and community to our gatherings.”

Oly Arts Fall Winter 2025 Print Edition

The Fall/Winter print edition of OLY ARTS N0. 34 is published! Here is a list of the articles and where in the Olympia area you can pick up your FREE copy. Enjoy!

David Mollari Sederberg, a 45-Year Art Retrospective

Nobody does it like David Mollari Sederberg, an artist whose work is simultaneously otherworldly and grounded in reality. You have certainly seen his otherworldly Glowhenge (2020-2021), nine brilliantly painted monoliths standing upright on the mound by the shore of Capital Lake, each lit with black light at night and each painted by a different artist. During fall Arts Walk this year, Sederberg’s work will be featured in a retrospective exhibition of artworks in various media assembled by the artist: painting, sculpture, lighted installations, and video created from 1981 to the present at the Olympia Ballroom.

Oly Arts Now Offering Writing Classes!

Oly Arts is now offering classes! Hone your writing skills and learn more about the art and craft of writing. Our first two classes, which take place in November 2025 and have limited space, are: John Longenbaugh teaching “The 10-Minute Play,” and Alec Clayton teaching “Writing for Newspapers & Magazines.”

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!

Dive Into Summer Reading List at Childhood’s End

Summer Reading List at Childhood’s End Gallery gathers a diverse sampling of what the book arts can do. Childhood’s End is Olympia’s premiere art gallery, and this exhibition should not be missed. The artists are: Susan Aurand, Malpina Chan, Camella Gumaelius, Robin Gumaelius, Lucia Harrison, Randi Parkhurst, Shu-Ju Wang and Suze Woolf.

TAO Revives The HEAD That Wouldn’t DIE!

Theater Artists Olympia’s “The HEAD That Wouldn’t DIE!” at Lakewood Playhouse is a takeoff on one of the worst B movies ever, “The Brain That Wouldn’t Die,” with additional dialogue and lyrics by the TAO collective. It is two hours of camp and insanity, not recommended for children younger than 13 according to a warning posted in the theater and not recommended for people who don’t get satire according to this reviewer.

South Sound Studio Tour: Two Days of Wonder

by Alec Clayton The South Sound Studio Tour is a free self-guided tour of artists’ studios throughout Olympia, Tumwater and Lacey with more than 75 artists in more than 25 studios where you can see their recent work and talk to them about their art. Here are four artist studios not to be missed: Joe …

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