Random Acts of Dance Collective at Arts Walk

by Christina Butcher and Ned Hayes for OLY ARTS Olympia Arts Walk is a celebration of the visual arts, but it’s also an opportunity to demonstrate the physicality of creativity. For the fourth year in a row, the Washington Center for the Performing Arts will host a free, public dance recital with Random Acts of …

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"Street Love," mixed media by Evan Clayton Horback

Mixed Media From Evan Clayton Horback

by Adam McKinney for OLY ARTS Evan Clayton Horback is the cover artist for this year’s Fall Arts Walk program, with a piece called “Street Love.” Horback grew up in New Jersey and earned a degree in art from State University of New York. Between those two events, he pursued the monastic life in ashrams …

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Olympia Waldorf School

Olympia Waldorf School Concert

by Adam McKinney for OLY ARTS Olympia’s Fall Arts Walk is chock-full of entertainment, with acts filling every available space. Adding to that vibrant environment are street performers who fill the open air with music, thereby crafting an ambience of creative life. Olympia Waldorf School, founded in 1985, is a nonprofit, independent school on acres …

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RADCO's "Tennis Shoes and Tutus"

Open Doors for Arts Walk at The Washington Center

by Jennifer Crain for OLY ARTS The Washington Center for the Performing Arts will throw its doors open during Fall Arts Walk. On Friday, see an hour-long performance by Random Acts of Dance Collective, led by Karen Kirsch. Or catch outdoor performances by Studio West Dance Academy students. They’ll treat the crowd to hip-hop and …

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Sock Monkeys for Social Justice

Sock Monkeys for Social Justice at Arts Walk

by Jonah Barrett for OLY ARTS A barrel of sock monkeys will take the POWER center by storm this Arts Walk. Each sock monkey, created by members of Parents Organizing for Welfare and Economic Rights, will be on display in the front gallery of POWER downtown. Each monkey comes with its own story. “This project …

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"Fly Away," painting by Lonnie L. Spikes Jr.

Cover Artist Lonnie Spikes

by Ned Hayes for OLY ARTS Lonnie L. Spikes Jr. is the artist whose piece “Fly Away” graces the cover of this edition of OLY ARTS. “Fly Away” was created by Spikes after the death of a relative. During the funeral procession, Spikes noticed a monarch butterfly resting on a cross above the interment site. …

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Madison Lion, photo by Xandrabeast

Madison Elementary School Adopts a Lion

by Christina Butcher for OLY ARTS Although this year’s Procession of the Species has come and gone, the festivities continue to have a resounding impact on at Madison Elementary School. Earlier this spring, the student body adopted an iconic procession-art piece and joined the parade for the first time. “Participating in the procession was a …

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Giselle at Studio West Dance Theatre

Weekend Preview: April 28, 2017

WEEKEND PREVIEW is your weekly guide to events in Thurston County. This week, we’re bringing you everything you need to know about amazing events you can only find in Olympia, including the Spring Arts Walk, Luminary Procession and Procession of the Species. We hope you’re ready for a weekend full of jaw-dropping visual arts, theater …

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Blubber with puppet designer Jamie Jenson

OFT’s Original, Punk-Rock Musical: Fishnapped!

by Kelli Samson for OLY ARTS Evergreen State College alumna Amy Shephard has collaborated with Andrew Gordon and Daven Tillinghast to write Olympia Family Theater’s final show of its 11th season, Fishnapped! “It’s an interactive, musical mystery involving a missing goldfish,” says Shephard, who also choreographs the production. The musical numbers, composed by Tillinghast, are …

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bronze sculpture by Sophie Stimson

Sophie Stimson at City Hall

by Nora Kovacs for OLY ARTS Sophie Stimson’s work draws inspiration from body and form, both human and animal. Working predominantly with ceramic, bronze and oil painting, Stimson pays respect to the geographic and natural sources of each medium. For the ceramic pieces, Stimson’s clay is mixed along the Puyallup River, while its red tint …

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