By ALEC CLAYTON Almost everyone familiar with the Olympia art scene knows – or should know – Susan Aurand’s work. For many years, beginning in 1974, she taught at The Evergreen State College, and over the years she’s shown her art in such local venues as Childhood’s End Gallery and South Puget Sound Community College …
By Karen Lunde When the calendar flips to December, it’s nigh impossible to walk into a store or turn on the TV without hearing endless refrains of Jingle Bell Rock and Frosty the Snowman. Love them or loathe them, holiday songs are ubiquitous this time of year. But The Olympia Peace Choir’s concert at Huntamer …
By Karen Lunde The Washington Center and Minnaert Center stages will ring with the sounds of orchestras and choirs this weekend as Olympia’s student musicians take the stage. One will deliver a beloved holiday tradition, and the other a program centered around the universal theme of hope. On Friday, December 6, the Student Orchestras of …
By CHRISTINA BUTCHER It’s time to talk about intersectionality, race equity and empowering women in Olympia. Many hold conversations about those issues among friends, colleagues and family but may not have found ways to turn those words into action. Many struggle with how best to implement meaningful and equitable change in their daily lives. Luckily, …
ART REVIEW By Alec Clayton for OLY ARTS New to Olympia is The Artists’ Gallery in the Capital Mall Promenade north of the mall and next door to Massage Envy. The Artists’ Gallery is an artist-run cooperative gallery occupying a large exhibition space with two roomy front rooms and additional rooms in back. Visitors are …
ART REVIEW by Alec Clayton for OLY ARTS The 2019 Southwest Washington Juried Exhibition at South Puget Sound Community College has opened. It is sparser this year than previous shows — and that’s a good thing. It means a larger percentage of the art is of top quality and the show does not look overcrowded. …
By CHRISTIAN CARVAJAL Fun Home, a musical based on the 2006 graphic memoir by Alison Bechdel, is coming to South Puget Sound Community Theater (SPSCC). The musical tells the story of Bechdel’s tumultuous relationship with her parents and her process of coming out, to herself and others, in college. It opened off-Broadway in 2013, then …
By Alec Clayton There’s nothing like getting up close and personal with artists in the places where they create their art—see how they work, pick their brains, maybe even get a chance to experiment with their materials. Art appreciators will have the chance to do just this at the upcoming South Sound Studio Tour. Over …
By Billy Thomas South Puget Sound Community College announced that it has partnered with the City of Olympia to transform the former Ben Moore’s restaurant into Percival Place at Ben Moore’s. The special event location will provide the college the opportunity to return to downtown Olympia, bringing with it its mission of education and workforce …
By Susan Christian Joe Batt has been teaching ceramic sculpture at South Puget Sound Community College for at least 20 years. He has shown his work at the college, in Olympia storefronts and at local galleries. His work has traditionally charmed with attractive color and fairytale references, and engaged social issues, such as the effect …