After celebrating our independence this Wednesday, we hope you can spare a bit more celebration for First Friday's Art Walk in downtown Vancouver. The 6th season of Poetry Moves kicks off at Turtle Place with kid poets holding the stage, so please join us. Read on to learn what else summer has to offer.
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Richard Diebenkorn,
Untitled (Albuquerque), 1952. Oil on canvas, 55 7/8 x 43 in.
© Richard Diebenkorn Foundation
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With summer here for real, it can be hard to think about getting indoors to experience the arts. But here are a few opportunities not to miss:
Richard Diebenkorn at the Portland Art Museum
Portland Art Museum's retrospective of Diebenkorn's early years is a must for anyone who loves painting. This exhibition of over 100 works -- both paintings and drawings -- from his early years is exceptional. It's exciting to have a show of a master near by and to see works up close without the usual crowds that other venues can attract. If you are interested in painting and drawing, this exhibition will inspire and engage. Oregon Arts Watch has an insightful review of the artist and his work that is helpful for those who may only know Diebenkorn's Ocean Park series. It is also interesting to know that, like so many other mid-century abstract painters, he was from the Pacific Northwest. Diebenkorn was born in Portland.
The Seattle Art Fair
Coming this August is the Seattle Art Fair. What better reason for a road trip north than to attend this event? It has become the premier art fair of the region, if not the west coast. It is a place to see what is happening in contemporary art and see works from all over the world. Just a couple of hours north, so there's no excuse not to make the trip if you love art or just want to get familiar with what is top rate contemporary art.
The Headwaters Theater
Just over the bridge in Portland, there's a small theater off of Vancouver Avenue in an old warehouse next to the railroad tracks. It is probably one of the most intimate places to experience dance. It is always a moving experience being so close to the performance. If you love dance and want to see the best reuse of a building, this is the place.
These are my top picks for the summer. All within easy reach of arts lovers in our community -- a short drive across the river, to PAM, or a day trip to Seattle. I know you won't be disappointed.
-- Karen Madsen
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Poetry Moves: Season 6 launch party at Turtle Place!
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Arts of Clark County, together with C-TRAN and Printed Matter Vancouver, is launching the sixth season of the public art project, Poetry Moves, with a celebration of poetry on First Friday, July 6 from 5 to 7 p.m. at Turtle Place in downtown Vancouver.
The free event will feature a poetry reading by 10 students ranging from second through 12th grades whose poems were selected by the Arts of Clark County Poetry Moves committee. Students will read their poems to a live audience at Turtle Place, giving them a chance to gain some valuable experience while showcasing their work. During the event, a C-TRAN bus will be parked at Turtle Place at 700 Main Street. Each of the student poems will be featured on channel cards installed throughout the bus. The 10 new poems will be displayed on the entire fleet of C-TRAN buses through December 2018.
Poem channel cards from the first five seasons will be available for purchase as a fundraiser to support the program. Poetry Moves is made possible by a partnership between Arts of Clark County, C-TRAN, and Poets in the Schools, a program created by Christopher Luna, Clark County Poet Laureate (2013-2017). The Poets in the Schools workshops were led by local poets Jim Martin, Alex Vigue, Morgan Hutchinson and Christopher Luna.
Learn more about Poetry Moves
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Artists selected for this fall's Open Studios Tour
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Arts of Clark County is proud to announce the 50 artists who have been selected to participate in the 2018 Clark County Open Studios Tour. They are: Sharon Agnor, Anni Becker, Robert Bickel, Brett Bowers, Stephanie Burton, Ann Cavanaugh, David Collier, Debra Cootware, Kathleen Cosgrove, Hilarie Couture, Tom Daniels, Kathleen Duncan, Katy Fenley, Russell Ford, John Furniss, Beatrice Garth, Anne Gilmour, Gregory Gorham, Jeff Gracz, Don Gray, Vicki Green, Rosemary Herr, Tom Jackson, Blaine Johnson, Bonnie Junell, Bev Kadow, Kathleene Kavanagh, Julie Koch, MJ Larson, MacKenzie and Keigwin (team), KC Madsen, Noah Matteucci, Jill Mayberg, Dana Murray, Lynn Nadal, Edi Olson, Liz Pike, Tom Relth, Lauren Rengani, Christine Rice, Lori Salzer, Katey Sandy, Isaac Smith, Marilyn Smith, Betsy Soifer, Deb Spofford, Alder Suttles, Oleg Ulitskiy, Jim Young, and Ariel Young.
Open Studios is a free self-guided tour that increases public awareness of talented local artists, while enriching the cultural life of Clark County neighborhoods. Open Studios happens this fall on the weekend of November 3-4.
Learn more about Open Studios |
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Margaret (Peggy) Duering Bird
Nov. 12, 1942 - May 26, 2018
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Remembering Peggy Bird
In May we lost a true arts champion. Most people in our arts community had some encounter with Peggy. Either through her work at the former Sixth Street Gallery, its incarnation as Gallery 360, or her tenure representing Vancouver on the Clark County Arts Commission. Or you may have known her as an accomplished glass artist or as author of 17 published novels. Or you recall her love of family and community and her work on the Confluence Project with her late husband Robert Friedenwald.
Peggy was the kind of arts supporter and art maker we cherish -- the kind that every community, struggling to get the arts acknowledged by both citizens and elective office, should come into contact with on a regular basis. We will miss seeing her smile and hearing her often incisive opinion. It is with a sad heart we all say goodbye.
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Manuel Izquierdo's
Spike Flower (right) and James Lee Hansen's
Glyph Singer No. 3 (left, in the distance
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Sculpture garden moving
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out of the shadow and into the light
Some of you are surely familiar with the sculpture garden on the vacated portion of Ninth St. between C and Broadway. In the shadow of a towering office building are many of Vancouver's best public art works. All from well-known Pacific Northwest artists. The names are familiar if you travel to other cities exhibiting northwest contemporary art. Now finally we get a chance to showcase these exceptional works. The City of Vancouver will move them into the grassy area in front of the community library where they can be more easily enjoyed, in both good and not-so-good weather. This is the kind of honoring of serious art in our city that we who championed the sculpture garden hoped would happen. If you missed the notice in the City Council's Action Report for June, here it is:
Sculpture Garden Donation
Vancouver City Council voted to accept the donation of the sculpture garden located at 805 Broadway in downtown Vancouver by the Community Foundation for Southwest Washington on behalf of Mary Granger and the Granger Family. The garden includes four sculptures that the City has been maintaining since its installation. With the donation formalized, the City plans to relocate the sculpture garden to the downtown branch of the Fort Vancouver Regional Library at 901 C St., where it will be more accessible to the public.
Next time you are downtown for either First
Friday or any other day, walk by and see these works. All are wonderful, and we can't wait to see them get their due.
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Master carver, Robert Harju (Cowlitz)
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The Art of Master Carver Robert Harju (Cowlitz)
Native Arts and Cultures Foundation's Artist Series event for July features Robert Harju. Renowned for his skill and dedication as a traditional carver, Harju leads the official Tribal Carving Program for the Cowlitz Indian Tribe. Harju's pieces personify the traditional practice of meaning-making within the art form, an important cultural value. He has promised to bring some of his smaller pieces, which may include cedar boxes, cedar feathers, performance-related artworks, carved wooden hair combs, small necklaces, and other jewelry pieces. Don't miss the chance to meet Robert Harju at the First Friday, July 6 opening reception to be held from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Native Arts and Cultures Foundation
National Headquarters
The Academy
400 E. Evergreen Blvd., #101B, Vancouver
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Photo by Jenny Olsen
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Feminae Consequat:
Alessandra Genovese
Anara Gillock
Jenny Olsen
An opening reception for the CAVE's photographic exhibit, "Feminae Consequat" will be held First Friday, July 6 from 5 to 9 p.m. at which time you are welcome to join the artists and members of Vancouver's newest art gallery for wine and light refreshments. Alessandra Genovese is a mixed media artist working in analog film, digital film, and sound to collage multidimensional spaces. Anara Gillock's work focuses on her observations, in black and white, of life in the city. Jenny Olsen is a photographer who has turned her journeys into a love affair exploring various desert landscapes. The exhibit can be viewed through July 28.
Art at the Cave
108 East Evergreen Blvd., Vancouver
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Documenting Street Art:
Photography by Christopher Luna, Toni Luna, and Leah Jackson
Street Art is an ephemeral and often controversial form. This show collects photographs by Christopher Luna, Toni Luna, and Angst Gallery Director Leah Jackson of street art from around the world, including New York's 5 Pointz, Argentina, France, Spain, and Venice, Italy. Opening reception is First Friday, July 6 from 5 to 9 p.m.
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Art in the Heart
Annual one-day art show and sale
This year the following artists will be set up along the sidewalk selling work at special one-day-only pricing: watercolorist Denise McFadden, oil painter Oleg Ulitskiy, oil painter Emily Schultz-McNeil, oil painter Michael Lindstrom, author Victoria Lindstrom, potters Cari and Peter Corbet-Owen and jewelry artists Ruth Mabrey and Cirith Anderson-Sebree. The sale will run from 5-9 p.m. First Friday, July 6.
210 W. Evergreen Blvd., Suite 300, Vancouver
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Free Summer Concert in the Park
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Vancouver Symphony Orchestra at Esther Short Park
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The Vancouver Symphony begins its 2018-2019 season with a family-friendly, free outdoor concert in downtown Vancouver's Esther Short Park band shell on Thursday, July 26 from 6 to 8 p.m. The concert features the symphony's 70 plus member orchestra and singers from Opera Quest Northwest. Presenting familiar and lively music, the VSO will be led by award-winning conductor and music director of the Portland State University Orchestra, Ken Selden. The master of ceremonies will be OPB's Molly Solomon. Returning this year will the Beacock Music instrument "Petting Zoo" where kids can play a wide variety of musical instruments under expert supervision from 5 to 6 p.m.
Read more about VSO's Free Concert in the Park |
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Ghost Town Poetry Open Mic is Thursday, July 12, at 7 p.m., and will feature Risa Denenberg, author of
slight faith (MoonPath Press, 2018). Hosted by Christopher Luna and Toni Partington of Printed Matter Vancouver, Open Mic sign up begins at 6:30 p.m. and closes at 7 p.m.
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Washington State Teaching Artist Training Lab
The Washington State Arts Commission is
accepting applications for the eighth year of the
Washington State Teaching Artist Training Lab, a professional development program for teaching artists working in all artistic disciplines and in all regions across Washington State. TAT Lab focuses on arts education in K-12 public schools, working to ensure all students receive high quality arts instruction. The deadline for application is July 18.
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Our all-volunteer organization works toward building greater arts awareness, rewarding creative excellence, and expanding arts accessibility. We are working to facilitate long-term arts development for Southwest Washington. We envision a stronger arts infrastructure that includes an art center and a community-focused performing arts facility.
Your support will help to make this vision a reality. Arts of Clark County's current programs include our annual Clark County Open Studios tour and Poetry Moves, a collaborative effort that features the words of local poets on C-Tran buses. Both of these programs have already demonstrated the power of art in our lives to connect us, transform us, and fuel the economy.
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4 ways to support the cause!
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If you love what Arts of Clark County is doing for our community, please consider these ways to contribute:
- Donate
- Shop
Link your Fred Meyer Rewards Card to Arts of Clark County using our code #84120. Just by using your rewards card number, and at no cost to you, every time you shop you'll help Arts of Clark County earn a quarterly donation from Fred Meyer.
- Shop online
Use this link to login to Amazon, and they will donate a portion of the proceeds from your purchase back to Arts of Clark County.
- Volunteer
Arts of Clark County is an all-volunteer organization. If you have specialized skills, especially in fundraising, outreach and marketing, we'd love to talk with you.
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Editorial Policy and submission guidelines
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| ARTS brief is intended to be useful to readers by offering a curated selection of stories and announcements related to the growth of arts in our region. Submitted items should be newsworthy. This means that arts-related items for content consideration must perform well in at least two of the following five areas: timing, significance, proximity, prominence, and human interest. Please submit materials to [email protected], no later than the 25th of each month. Note that submission does not guarantee publication. We evaluate each submission to determine how it fits our goals for ARTS brief and whether the item under consideration aligns with the mission and vision of Arts of Clark County. We do not accept materials that primarily have a commercial objective. |
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About Arts of Clark County
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Arts of Clark County (AoCC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization created for the purpose of promoting, encouraging, and enhancing creative expression and artistic opportunities in Clark County and Southwest Washington. The arts contribute to this region's unique character as a desirable place to live, work, and visit. AoCC and its volunteer board of directors supports all forms of art--music, theater, dance, and literary, visual, and media art--and works to ensure that arts experiences are inclusive of individuals of all ages and backgrounds.
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