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!
Alec Clayton
posts by Alec Clayton
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 …
Critic’s Corner: Best Visual and Performing Arts of 2024
Many of the South Sound’s best theater and visual arts critics write for OLY ARTS. We asked six of them to highlight some of their favorite visual and performance art shows from 2024, and we congratulate and celebrate the Olympia and Tacoma-area artists selected. Due to the limitation we put on the critics of no more than two or three shows, we are aware of and acknowledge that many great shows and artists were not picked. We are lucky to live in such a vibrant creative community.
Make Way: Queer Photography, Identity, and You
Steven Miller is a local artist and photographer with work in Tacoma Art Museum’s collections. The museum approached him about creating a workshop on queer photography. “As part of his practice, he’s been experimenting with cyanotypes, and we wanted to host a workshop about this unique photographic process,” said Rachel Ervin. Director of Marketing and Communications at TAM.
Harlequin’s Dynamic, Funny and Provocative ‘What the Constitution Means to Me’
Harlequin’s ‘What the Constitution Means to Me’ is thought-provoking, serious where it needs to be and outlandishly funny throughout. Director Lauren Love said, “[Protagonist Heidi] Schreck asks us to consider the morality and soundness of our own and our leaders’ judgment and action.
Form & Pose: Joint Show of the Works of Gabi and Alec Clayton
In Rex & Rose, a new coffee shop located in the beautiful and historic Security Building on 4th Avenue, you will see the works of two of the most prolific artists Olympia has to offer, Alec and Gabi Clayton. The art there until the end of October was chosen by co-owner Jay Michael Becker who curates the shows. This is the first time the Claytons have shown together other than in their home, and it is engaging to see how the two bodies of work interact with each other in such a beautiful setting.
Theater Artists Olympia, Juice Box Theater, and Broadway Olympia Need a New Home ASAP
“One of the reasons that Olympia had such a great theater scene was due to the cross-pollination of companies, actors and theaters. With the loss of Capital Playhouse, and now Oly Theater, opportunities are dwindling.” – John Serembe
One Table Brings Underground Theater to Tacoma’s Bars and Restaurants
Inspired by a chance encounter with Japanese street theater, groundbreaking performance company One Table, launched in early 2024, bringing underground theater blending improv, comedy, and drama to Tacoma’s bars and restaurants.