DECEMBER 2022 ARTBEAT

ARTBEAT

FIRST FRIDAYS ARTS WALK MAP INCLUDED

HOLIDAY GRATITUDE FROM NCW ARTS

This month, amidst the holiday bustle, NCW Arts wants to pause and breathe a bit into the spaces between. And in that pause, we want to express our enormous gratitude to you. You, your ideas, and your creative energy are what sparked our mission and our vision to create, connect, and collaborate with one another to build an even stronger community. Thank you.

There is so much to be grateful for this holiday season. NCW Arts extends heart-

felt thanks to both the Community Foundation of NCW, the Woods Family Foundation and the Icicle Fund for making it possible for us to get our feet solidly beneath us in 2022 as we plan for exciting things to come in 2023 – things like a local artist registry, forums for online collaboration, comprehensive event calendar and upcoming opportunities for artists listings as part of an increasingly robust website at ncwarts.org.

As NCW Arts prepares to grow and bloom in 2023, in this moment we want to honor the quiet, peaceful times and to focus on our roots. We invite you to do the same. Whatever artistic, creative seed is germinating for you, may you find the nourishment and resources you need to let it take root. Come find us now by candlelight and let us grow together come springtime. Reach out anytime to arts@ncwarts.org.

FEATURED EVENT:

HOLIDAY BAZAAR

Go hyper-local with these upcoming holiday markets. Support your local artisans, local causes and get some great gifts!

• WHS Band Boosters’ Holiday Craft Bazaar - Dec. 3, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Wenatchee High School

• Night Market on The Ave - Dec. 3, 5:30-9 p.m., Downtown Wenatchee in front of Norwood Wine Bar

• Pybus Last-Minute Market - Dec. 17, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Pybus Market

• Christmas in Cashmere - Dec. 3, 10, 17, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Dec. 23, 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the Mission District Building, 207 Mission Ave., Cashmere

Find more events and arts opportunities at ncwarts.org.

FEATURED OPPORTUNITY:

SHRUB STEPPE POETRY PODIUM BECOMES THIRD THURSDAY POETS

“Modern Day Renaissance Woman” Gina Williams is a singer, songwriter, pianist, composer, producer and film and television actress who speaks, writes and/or performs in, get this, 12 languages! This

month she’s speaking Christmas, though, with a three-day run in the Snowy Owl Theater at Leavenworth’s Icicle Creek Center for the Arts, Dec. 8-10. Tickets available at icicle.org.

CHECK OUT THE FULL CALENDAR OF EVENTS AT NCWARTS.ORG

ON THE COVER: Gina Williams, “Christmas Time,” performing December 8-10 at Snowy Owl Theater, Icicle Creek Center for the Arts.

The free, poetry-only, open mic formerly known as the Shrub Steppe Poetry Podium is changing its name and location starting this month. As the new name indicates, Third Thursday Poets will now take place on the third Thursday of each month. The new monthly event will take place at Class With a Glass, 134 N. Mission Street, in Wenatchee.

SEEKING...

Everyone from performance poets to rap artists and listeners are welcome. Presenters are welcome to share their own poems or something they love from a favorite or newly-discovered poet. Beer, wine and cider are available during the open mic. For more information, contact Susan Blair with Shrub-Steppe Poetry at sfblair61@gmail.com

HOSTS FOR FIRST FRIDAYS AFTER HOURS:

We’re looking for local businesses who would like to invite First Fridays Arts Walkers to come wind down their Art Walk from approximately 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. following a future First Fridays event. If you are interested in hosting the Arts community for an evening, please let us know with an email to arts@ncwarts.org.

Megan Kappler Executive Director

Susan Blair

Zach Eddy

CYBER STUDIO: VIRTUAL ART COMMUNITY BREATHES LIFE INTO SOLITARY PRACTICES

BY JAMIE HOWELL

Wednesday morning, Adele Little Caemmerer flicks on the lights in her home studio in Plain, gathers her brushes or pencils or whatever she plans to create with that day, opens up her laptop and watches Zoom windows populate with other artists ready to work in their own studios in far-flung locations from all over the country.

It’s called Cyber Studio, offered monthly through the Grunewald Guild (grunewaldguild.com) in Plain, and it’s an idea that’s picking up steam. Modeled after the in-person open studio sessions she used to participate in and sometimes lead at the Grunewald Guild, Cyber Studio is a

Eachplace for artists from any discipline to do their often solitary work in the company of other artists, but without ever having to leave their own studio.

“It’s been so life-giving,” says Caemmerer of the way the Cyber Studio community has been building.

The structure is straight-forward. The artists log on around 9 a.m., check in with each other, setting their intentions for the day, and then they get to work. Some might be painting or drawing, others are working in stained glass or collage. There’s even a songwriter who attends (using the mute button as necessary) to work on new songs.

But there are no rules about how the artists use their time together online. Some use it to clean up their studio, or send out marketing emails they’ve been meaning to get to but haven’t.

The Cyber Studio mornings are pointedly NOT feedback or critique sessions, nor are they meant to be instructional. In order to avoid any related anxiety or perceived performance pressure, there is no expectation that anyone will show what they worked on during the session. The simple act of committing to a weekly appointment with each other brings with it some small degree of accountability and, more importantly, motivation and connection. That is the point.

“It creates or even clears space for the art,” says Caemmerer. “I feel like people use it to support themselves.”

“There’s a certain gain in being in your own studio space,” points out Caemmerer. Not having to pack up their art supplies and easels and drive to some off-site location means that participants can focus more on their work and less on their transitions, while still reaping the benefits of camaraderie.

ABOUT ADELE CAEMMERER:

“I personally love the flexibility of it being online and the way it allows people to be extremely consistent from week to week,” Caemmerer says.

The artists come together once more toward the end of the session to talk about how the time went for them before signing off. Alone again in their studios, they also have access to a private Facebook group where they can correspond with one another between sessions whenever they would like.

The over-arching goals of Cyber Studio, according to Caemmerer, are to foster connection among artists and to help create and maintain momentum in their Art lives.

If you are interested in finding out more or joining Cyber Studio, registration is available at https://grunewaldguild.com/ programs/cyber-studios/ and the cost is based on a sliding scale from $30 to $80 for a month (four sessions).

Adele Little Caemmerer, an art teacher for more than 35 years and a practicing artist, believes deeply in the importance of connection with others as part of the creative process, so much so that she recently started a new creative coaching business called Creative Connected. To find out more about how she helps artists make room for creative expression in their lives through any form of art, visit practice.do/me/adele-caemmerer or reach out to her directly at littlecaemmerer@gmail.com.

Jamie Howell

SCAN FOR DIGITAL INTERACTIVE FIRST

FRIDAYS MAP!

FIRST FRIDAYS AFTER HOURS MOVES TO EPOCH

After you’ve art-walked to your heart’s content on Friday, Dec. 2, it’s time to settle in at First Fridays After Hours, a roaming event designed to extend the fun and strengthen the connections among local artists and art appreciators. It’s open to all and you’ll likely see a fair number of NCW Arts Alliance board members in attendance.

This month, First Fridays After Hours will be hosted by Epoch, a new gaming lounge and craft cocktail

bar with an expansive menu featuring creative specialties such as “I Like it When You Call Me Big Poppers” (jalapeño poppers) and “Goat Simulator Pizza.”

Epoch is located at 16 S. Wenatchee Avenue. Check them out at epochgamelounge.com or, better yet, join us from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. this Friday, Dec. 2.

FIRST FRIDAYS ARTS MAP

6. Mela Sharratt DeLong, oil paintings, 5-7 pm

“Uncertain Nature: The Sublime in the Contemporary Landscape.” Works from Patrick Kikut, Edgar Smith, Karen Rice and Marcy James, 5-7 pm

2. Alano Club

Susan Cleverly, handmade bracelets, 12 - 9 pm

3. Lemolo Cafe

Kasey Koski, watercolors, 4-8 pm

Greta Jill Register, acrylics and watercolor; music from Suzanne Grassell on harp, 5-8 pm

Michelle Anderst, paintings, 5-7 pm

7. Pan’s Grotto

“What Can You Do With 4 Inches?” Group show, 5-7:30 pm

8. Collapse Gallery

FINAL EXHIBITION - “Say It Ain’t So”, Chad Yenney, collage art, 12 - 9 pm

9. WV Museum

“First Friday Open Console”, free event to view, listen and even play the 103-yearold Wurlitzer pipe organ, 6-8 pm

10. Pybus Art Alley

Brad Brisbine, paintings; music by Just Us, 5-7 pm

1. MAC at Wenatchee Community College

4. Two Rivers Gallery

5. Salt Creek Apothecary

Online map courtesy of the Wenatchee Downtown Association wendowntown.org