Visual Arts

posts about art, art shows, galleries and other visual arts…

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.

2025 Juror’s Invitational at South Puget Sound Community College

Gallery Director Sean Barnes said of the 2025 Juried Invitational Exhibition at South Puget Sound Community College, “This show has this nice balance of kind of spirituality and observation of the natural world. We have these temples and this little chapel for (Charles Pitz’s) work and then a goddess dress, and they are surrounded by
representational images of nature. It really came together in an interesting way.”

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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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.

Tacoma’s Ground to Sound Festival Makes Art and Conversation Out of a Vital Ecological Concern

If you enjoy a good old-fashioned multi-disciplinary arts party, including more than a dozen zero-budget film productions by local artists, the Ground to Sound Arts Festival in Tacoma might be your lucky festival. Co-sponsored by Foster’s Creative and the City of Tacoma, the Ground to Sound Arts Festival began last year with local artists creating original short films highlighting the problem of untreated water and trash and its journey to the Sound in documentary form. This year there will be a Music Open Mic, film and art, a Literary Reading and Open Mic.

Saundra Fleming’s World

Much of Saundra Fleming’s art is quirky and humorous, but there is also intensity. Her raw, unabashed, expressive paintings are packed with the movement and disarray of her very personal experience of the world around her, laced with a heavy and welcome shot of humor to make it ever-so-slightly more, but not completely bearable, which, let’s face it, is not too far from what we’re experiencing as a nation … on steroids. Meaningful art for our times indeed.

TCC Gallery Celebrates Black Art at 3rd Annual Exhibition

Expressed in a wide range of media – from glass to collage, print, paint, drawing and digital – the 3rd Annual Black Artists Exhibition at Tacoma Community College through March 7th is a dynamic and brightly hued exhibit. The overall feel of the show is vibrant, uplifting and as refreshing as a dip in a clear pool.

SPSCC’s 14th Annual Fine Art Postcard Exhibition and Auction: “Forgotten Conversations”

Gallery Director Sean Barnes says of SPSCC’s annual postcard show: “I find the collective contributions from the community to be the most remarkable aspect of the exhibition auction. Every year 100 plus artists and non-artists contribute hundreds of small works inspired by the theme which are cultural and universal in nature. The show brings our creative community together to support the arts.”

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.

Tacoma Light Trail Lends Brightness to Winter Doldrums

Tacoma Light Trail, December 31 through January 12, brings much-needed illumination to the dark winter streets of Tacoma. The Light Trail will line the streets of Tacoma with light art installations, and the entire free event will be blessed by the Puyallup Tribe of Indians. Food trucks will be on hand to make this a perfect family-friendly way to ring in the new year.

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