On a recent Thursday, about 20 people gathered around a long table at the hummingbird studio on Union Street near downtown. After Creative Director Amy Briggs welcomed the group, individuals checked in: each gave their name and shared (if they wanted to) how they were doing, along with their response to the theme of the day: “summer” (it was cold and windy outside.) The mood was informal; laughter came easily. Most knew each other, though a few were first-timers. After the welcome, everyone headed toward the abundant art supplies in the back: baskets of markers, paints, collage materials. Then folks settled in for an hour and a half of creativity guided by their own instincts (there are no rules and no teachers), accompanied by friendly chatting.
“It’s the people,” said Willow, a former Evergreen College student who first discovered the studio through the college’s work-study program, but keeps coming back. On Thursday, she was attending for the first time with her 2-year-old son. “They (the leaders) do an amazing job of creating an environment where people feel safe and relaxed.”
The hummingbird studio leaders are Briggs and Randi Miller, the studio founder as well as director of community programming for Kokua Services. The two women launched the studio 10 years ago; this summer, they celebrated their first decade in August with a community celebration at Squaxin Park.
Miller envisioned hummingbird studio after working at Kokua as a program administrator. She wanted to create an inclusive art space where everyone was welcome, with people of all kinds and all abilities creating art together.
At the foundation is a belief in the transformative power of art.
“We believe art is vital to the health of a person,” Briggs said. “It’s being seen and being heard, having a form of self-expression.”
The two also believe that art materials should be available to everyone, regardless of capacity to pay. Hence, everything at the studio is free.
Many who come to hummingbird are defined by our society as disabled, whether physically, cognitively, or having a disability linked to mental illness. And many are not disabled; there are volunteers from Evergreen or from the community, along with community members who just love to create and be part of this community of creators.
“Students coming here who have never before worked with someone with a disability are transformed,” Miller said. “Having diversity in a program benefits everyone.”
The project came to a crossroads a few years after its launch, when offered a space in a building with other social service agencies. Saying No to the space came with risk, as finding stable housing for hummingbird had been a challenge. But the risk of saying Yes seemed even greater. “We didn’t want to be segregated,” Miller said. “We worried we’d be defined as a social service program rather than an arts program.”
Miller also cites a quote that guides her, referring to “the soft bigotry of low expectations.” She doesn’t want expectations for those coming to hummingbird to be low. “We believe everyone is an artist,” she said. “We believe that art belongs to everyone.”
The risk paid off. Indeed, the program’s sponsors are now arts organizations such as Inspire Olympia, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Washington State Arts Commission and the Paul G. Allen Family Foundations. The main fiscal sponsor is Kokua Services, the agency that provides residential services for those with disabilities.
“Now we’re an arts organization,” Miller said.
Hummingbird holds sessions each Tuesday and Thursday, with three sessions a day. From 10 to 20 artists take part each session, and from four to 10 volunteers help out on a day. Leaders ask that those interested in taking part make a reservation by emailing hummingbird@kokuaservices.org. However, if someone doesn’t have a reservation, a space can probably be found.
On a recent Thursday, Alina was one of the volunteers. A retired lawyer from New York City, she’s a recent arrival in Olympia, describing herself as a “self-learned artist.”
“It’s wonderful to just come here and be free to try new things, to be part of this supportive community,” she said.
While Miller and Briggs are proud of where the studio has landed after 10 years, they’re even more excited about the future. Hummingbird is one of eight arts organizations chosen to move into the renovated Olympia Armory Creative Campus, when work is done 12 to 18 months from now. The studio will have its own wing at the Armory, including office, studio and storage space. After 10 years of having to clean up and put things away every day, having a dedicated space feels amazing. Even better, the Armory will include the Hummingbird Cafe. The cafe, in collaboration with the Olympia Coffee Roasters and Humble Cow, will provide both a funding stream for the studio and a training site for those with disabilities.
“This has been on our vision board since we started,” Miller said.
They believe the new space will also help them find new ways for hummingbird studio to reach out into the community, such as providing evening programs or a monthly Family Art Day.
“It’s an incredible opportunity,” Miller said.
Looking around at the group making art at hummingbird on a recent day, Miller noted that the age range of participants was from 2 years old to 86.
“That says it all,” she said. “This is a magical place.”
Photos by Amy Briggs.
What:
hummingbird studio
When:
Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10 – 11:30 a.m.; 12:30-2 p.m.; 2:30-4 p.m.
Where:
Friendship Hall at the YWCA, 220 Union Street SE, Olympia
Cost:
Free
For more information:
https://www.hummingbirdstudio.org/