VISUAL ART REVIEW: Jean Mandeberg at Bar Francis

VISUAL ART REVIEW by Alec Clayton for OLY ARTS Bar Francis is a tiny coffee shop on Franklin Street nestled between Dumpster Values and Old School Pizza. It’s a place that you could easily walk right past without knowing it is there. But if you walk right past this month you’ll miss some fascinating art. Currently …

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Xander Layden and John Serembe

The Art of Racing in the Rain at Harlequin Productions

by Ned Hayes for OLY ARTS In March, Harlequin Productions will bring to the stage “The Art of Racing in the Rain,” a play based on Garth Stein’s New York Times bestselling novel. The show will run at Harlequin from March 1 to 24. “The Art of Racing in the Rain” has a unique narrator: a …

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VISUAL ART REVIEW: CJ Swanson paintings at Batdorf and Bronson

VISUAL ART REVIEW by Alec Clayton FOR OLY ARTS Years ago, CJ Swanson and her husband, the painter David Noah Giles, opened the now defunct Art on Center Gallery in Tacoma. Back then, her paintings were reminiscent of Sonia Delaunay’s work — a kind of soft and decorative cubism with circles and interlocking, almost kaleidoscopic or …

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Oly Old Time Festival: Locations

The Oly Old Time Festival is taking place in three locations around Olympia in 2018. – First Christian Church 701 Franklin St. SE, Olympia – South Bay Grange 3918 Sleater Kinney Rd. NE, Olympia – Arbutus Folk School Arbutus Folk School, 610 Fourth Ave. E, Olympia Check-In The Oly Old Time Festival requests that all attendees check in …

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The Rhythm and Romance of Rosanne Cash

by Christian Carvajal for OLY ARTS Being the daughter of a musical legend can open doors, to be sure, but it multiplies the difficulty of forging a career apart from his shadow. Consider, then, the talent of Rosanne Cash. After the Man in Black recorded a song she wrote, Rosanne formed a partnership with singer-songwriter …

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Kathy Gore-Fuss: At Home in Nature

by Alec Clayton for OLY ARTS For nearly four decades, the art of Olympia artist Kathy Gore-Fuss has moved through a fascinating metamorphosis from multi-media, surrealistic, abstract and symbolic to paintings that are as traditional as naturalism en plein air landscapes. Her gradual shift has not removed the indelible and unique signature look of her …

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Embellishing Ballet: The Nutcracker’s Dazzling Costumes

by Christina Butcher for OLY ARTS The ways in which The Nutcracker delivers beauty, grace and whimsy to audiences isn’t limited to just dancing (as mesmerizing as every pirouette and twirling leg can be). The intricate sets, sweeping music and, of course, jaw-dropping costumes all add to our ballet experience. Studio West Dance Academy’s The …

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"Go-Stay," painting by Susan Christian

Susan Christian at Stable Studios

by Alec Clayton for OLY ARTS Stable Studios is tucked away in an easy-to-overlook building on the corner of Fifth Avenue and Cherry Street in downtown Olympia. The artist it’ll feature for Arts Walk this fall is anything but little-known. She’s Susan Christian, former owner of Salon Refu and a painter who’s been showing her work …

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A Night With Janis Joplin

A Night With Janis Joplin — CANCELED

by Alec Clayton for OLY ARTS Adapted from a press release dated September 27: The Washington Center for the Performing Arts regretfully announces that the Northwest tour of A Night with Janis Joplin has been canceled, including the performance scheduled at The Washington Center for the Performing Arts on Thursday, October 12. “We were so …

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"Dragon Ballet" by Arrington DeDionyso

A Paper Narrative: Art at Browsers Bookshop

by Alec Clayton for OLY ARTS Browsers Bookshop is going into the art-exhibition business. On August 12 it opens a show of works on paper by five local artists: Arrington De Dionyso, Aisha Harrison, Evan Horback, Nikki McClure and Madeline Waits. The show is called A Paper Narrative. De Dionyso is an artist and musician …

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