JUNE 2023 ARTBEAT

ARTBEAT

WENATCHEE FIRST FRIDAYS MAP INCLUDED

THANKS TO A SPECIAL MENTOR

transitioning out of the role, and she agreed to share her insight about the arts in our region.

OPPORTUNITIES:

GET ON THE ROSTER

BY MEG KAPPLER NCW ARTS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

If this last month had a theme for me personally, it was “trust the process.” If you’ve ever risked stretching out of your comfort zone in a big way, you’re familiar with the effort it takes to muster enough courage to step into the unknown. Once we do, though, we often meet a special mentor with sage advice to help us forge the path. This has been true for the NCW Arts journey. When we started, it didn’t take long before supporters rose up to meet us. Over our seminal first two years, Amanda Jackson Mott, executive director of Methow Arts in Twisp, stands out as one of our strongest allies and champions.

In her 12 years at the helm of Methow Arts, Jackson Mott made change through meaningful programs and initiatives across the region. These included innovative arts education in public schools across Okanogan County; the Youth Arts Initiative, which provides sequential art instruction in both the Methow Valley and in Leavenworth’s Cascade School District; art in public spaces, and vibrant and diverse performance series and events.

We heard recently that she is now

ON THE COVER:

This spring, the Wenatchee Valley College campus bloomed in more ways than one.

Amid WVC’s usual flowering landscape, a free-standing wall sprouted giant balsamroot blossoms — a vivid 25-foot-long mural painted by illustration class students and their instructor, Marlin Peterson.

The six students tackled the oversized art, a two-week project completed on May 22, as an exercise in teamwork. “I find it important to get practice working as a larger team on larger projects like this,” said Marlin.

When asked about the most significant growth opportunities in the arts, Jackson Mott talked about partnership. “It’s imperative that organizational leaders ensure that the Arts are woven into the fabric of our communities and into all sectors. In partnership with local government, public schools, and businesses, the Arts need to be utilized as a tool in planning, creative placemaking and education. It’s our role as leaders to do the hard work, to take time, to listen to community members and to examine what those needs are.”

What’s up next for Amanda Jackson Mott? She is now a consultant, working with other non-profits offering program development, grant writing, and capacity building. She can be reached at amandajacksonmott13@gmail.com. You know we here at NCW Arts will be keeping her contact info handy!

Methow Arts is looking for its next leader. If this type of work is exciting and inspiring to you; if you are ready for a new chapter of your own life and want to be considered as the next Executive Director of Methow Arts, you can email hiring.methowarts@gmail.com for more information.

BEST JOB EVER?

Full or part time work, backstage access to events, lively teammates, flexible scheduling, competitive pay—as the Box Office Manager of Icicle Creek Center for the Arts in Leavenworth you would be

You and your art may be eligible for midterm inclusion on the Washington State Arts Commission’s 2021-2025 Public Artist Roster. The commission lists a diverse range of artists available to create works for hundreds of state agencies, colleges, universities, and public schools throughout Washington state. (Artists currently on the roster do not need to re-apply.) Apply by June 13. See details at arts.wa.gov

part of 100+ arts events per year in “the most beautiful place on earth” (ICCA website). Apply immediately; there’s a rolling deadline with employment to begin midsummer 2023. See icicle.org for details.

‘DEER HEARTS’ AT THE MAC GALLERY

The wall was originally part of Wells Hall, torn down to make room for the new Mish ee twie building, and it’s expected to stand indefinitely. “That’s what was particularly enticing for me,” he said. “We want epic murals to stay, as too many have been painted over or torn down in the past.”

There are benefits to painting murals, whether permanent or temporary, said Peterson. “Students can still add to their portfolios, even when their murals disappear.” Besides, he added, “Who doesn’t want to look at giant flowers on a huge wall?”

Balsamroot mural — See it on the WVC campus, 1300 Fifth Street, Wenatchee.

Both strikingly modern and deeply steeped in Plateau tradition, each piece of art crafted by Carly Feddersen, an enrolled member of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, is a sculptural storytelling. She explores symbolic connections between native heritage, European contact and the artist’s personal perceptions of the meaning of adornment.

“Deer Hearts,” currently featured at the MAC Gallery, is a collection of indigenous art pieces using silver, glass, elk ivory, bone and stone -- materials that reflect the artist’s own ancestry.

Carly was born into an extended family of creative people. A Wenatchee Valley

College alumna, she received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Her work is exhibited at the Museum of Contemporary Native Art in Santa Fe, at the Hallie Ford Museum in Salem and at the Washington State Historical Society in Tacoma.

WVC MAC Gallery, 1300 Fifth Street, Wenatchee, June 2—July 30, 2023

Artist’s Talk: Friday, June 2, 4 pm in the MAC Grove Recital Hall - First Friday artist’s reception, Friday, June 2, 5 to 7 pm

NCW ARTISTS GO WEST FOR ‘EAST OF THE MOUNTAINS’

Eight Wenatchee area artists are taking their show on the road and across the Cascades for a first-ever group exhibit of this region’s art at the prestigious Collective Visions Gallery (CVG). “East of the Mountains” is an homage to our own local arts and artists.

CVG, owned by twenty artists, is the largest and oldest commercial gallery in Bremerton. This past winter, Wenatchee jewelry maker Erin Senyohl was one of 394 exhibitors chosen to be in their annual state-wide show, one of the Pacific Northwest’s most comprehensive juried art shows.

Erin and her partner Steve Maher were impressed not only with Bremerton’s growth and its burgeoning downtown arts scene, but with the scope of the CVG gallery. They were also pleased at how easily the serendipitous partnering process came together.

The couple drove over in February to pick up some of Erin’s artwork. Steve, co-organizer of the upcoming show, said, “When we started talking about the arts in Wenatchee, the owners of CVG were immediately interested. Luckily, there was one unplanned month on their calendar—June—which they offered to us. We

jumped at the chance to bring Wenatchee artists to Bremerton.”

Well known to most local art lovers, the artists the couple recruited were enthusiastic about exhibiting their work outside their own region. “It’s really an experiment,” Steve said. “We were trying for diversity in the people but also in the types of media — and we wanted the forty pieces to reflect not just our geography but individual perspectives and attitudes.”

These are the featured artists: Mary Big Bull-Lewis and Rob Lewis — Canvas art print

Lindsay Breidenthal — Oil and acrylic painting

Martha Flores — Acrylic painting and bronze sculpture

Kasey Koski — Watercolor, pen and ink journal reprinted on canvas

Alessandra Piro — Oil, cold wax, encaustic painting

Erin Senyohl — Silversmith art jewelry

Terry Valdez — Acrylic painting

Chad Yenney — Collage mixed media

“East of the Mountains” opens at the Collective Visions Gallery, 331 Pacific Avenue, Bremerton, on First Friday Art Walk, June 2. It continues through June.

QUIZ: R.U. ART SMART?

Who are these local artists? Initials are given; see answers on Page 6.

1. (J.D.) He’s known for producing and directing The Follies and bringing Hot August Nights to the PAC stage.

2. (C.Y.) Specializing in “cutting edge” collages, this former Collapse Gallery owner has a career in video production.

3. (J.C.M.) Wenatchee’s blossoms, hill-

sides and colorful river rocks have filled her canvases for almost 40 years.

4. (N.C.) The Wenatchee Valley Symphony orchestra looks up to him as he conducts their annual concerts.

5. (R.B.) Whimsical aluminum sculptures from his Pateros studio live on after him here and all over the Northwest.

6. (P.A. & K.A.) A dynamic duo seen all over on stage, backstage, directing, or producing plays and musicals.

“View from the Perimeter” by Chad Yenney

“Bee Grateful for the Givers” by Erin Senyohl

“Espresso Lake Chelan” by Terry Valdez

TRADITIONAL APPALACHIAN MUSIC SINGS OUT LOUD AND CLEAR IN CASHMERE

SHRUB-STEPPE POETRY JOURNAL

The Wenatchee River Bluegrass Festival, kicking off summer on the third weekend of June for the last few decades, has found a good home at the Chelan County Fairgrounds and Expo Center. As always, after the daytime instrumental and youth workshops there’s a full slate of top-flight bands for evening concert goers.

This year the national award-winning quartet Sister Sadie is the headliner, with Kenny and Amanda Smith, Rock Ridge, Authentic Unlimited, Nick Dumas & Branchline and Rusty Hinges the other featured bands.

But the organizers want you to know that all during the preceding week, when 300+ campers start pulling into the Chelan County Expo Center, Appalachian music might also break out spontaneously anywhere, like an echo from the hills and hollows of the mountain South. It might come from a solo serenader in the meadow, a grandkid taking a 10-minute tutorial, or a circle of old and new friends in a late-night fiddle fest. (They also remind you that your $40 full weekend pass gets you campground wandering rights.)

Marie Vecchio, a fiddle player, is a veteran festival co-planner, along with Bill Dobbins and Chuck Egner. “Almost 90% of

the people who camp here are musicians themselves,” she said. “Most of them are attendees, a few are regional bands. They come early from all over the northwest, California, Montana. Some caravan from Tennessee, and it feels like a big family reunion. There’s music all the time, everywhere. It’s magic.”

Cashmere Community Coffeehouse sponsors the annual Bluegrass Festival, as well as other smaller gatherings that celebrate and encourage acoustic roots music. Last year’s festival drew 1,500 people, which matches pre-pandemic numbers, and attendance by local music lovers has grown exponentially.

The emphasis of the weekend is on making music together, but another key ingredient is wholesome family participation. Marie said, “It is so amazing to remember some of the little kids who were playing in family bands when we first started, like Nick Dumas and Steve Burwell. Now both them of are headliners with their own bands and play all around the country.”

Wenatchee River Bluegrass Festival, June 16-18. Chelan Expo Center (Fairgrounds), 5700 Westcott Avenue, Cashmere. See cashmerecoffeehouse.com for more details

The fifth edition of The Shrub-Steppe Poetry Journal is now available.

One distinction of SSPJ is that it’s the only print publication highlighting Central Washington poets.

A second distinction is its scope. The panel of judges read a total of 129 poems by 48 poets who live in Chelan, Cle Elum, East Wenatchee, Ellensburg, Kennewick, Kittitas, Leavenworth, Mabton, Malaga, Moses Lake, Moxee, Naches, Richland, Roslyn, Twisp, Wenatchee, Winthrop, Yakima and Zillah. The poets chosen for the publication will have an opportunity

to share their work with their fellows, reading aloud at a book launch party in Wenatchee on June 3.

Founded in 2019 by Susan Blair of Wenatchee, who collaborates with an editing team, SSPJ is an adjudicated publication that for five years has sought out and published the best poetry written in the region.

Order a copy at shrubsteppepoetry.org or email Susan Blair at sfblair61@gmail.com. (Your $12 is taxdeductible, as SSPJ is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.)

ENTIAT VALLEY MAKERS MARKET

Every weekend, all summer, The Entiat Valley Makers Market welcomes tourists visiting the area and increases the exposure of artisans by offering an array of goods crafted by local people. All produced in the town of Entiat or in the Entiat Valley, items for sale include wooden toys, stuffed animals, hand-forged knives, jewelry, clothing, food, and cosmetic products.

Now in its third year, the Market has added live music to contribute to its lively,

come-as-you-are hospitality. The outdoor market, which celebrates both creativity and small-town living, is sponsored by the Entiat Chamber of Commerce and is run by the makers themselves, led by new coordinator Denise Carlson.

Entiat Valley Makers Market happens the first Saturday of each month, starting June 3 and continuing through October, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Kiwanis Park (at the north end of town.) For more information, contact market@entiatchamber.org

ANSWERS TO PAGE 3 QUIZ: 1. Jamie Donegan 2. Chad Yenney 3. Jan Cook Mack 4. Nikolas Caoile 5. Richard Beyer 6. Paul and Kelly Atwood

Rusty Hinges Bluegrass

Sister Sadie

ON THE UPBEAT

LAKE CHELAN ARTS FESTIVAL

By Kris Lahd

Wenatchee-based performer, singer/ songwriter and recording artist Elaine Eagle might just be the hardest-working musician to grace our locale.

Pick any night of the week and you’ll likely catch Elaine performing solo or with one of four other bands: End of the Line, Artemidorus (Pink Floyd Tribute), Whiskey Trail and Cajun Moon. If that were not enough, Elaine has also found the time to sneak over the mountains with guitarist Ramiro Espinoza to record a five-song EP with engineer Joe Reineke at Temple of the Trees Studio in Seattle.

Elaine’s brand-new EP release entitled, “End of the Line,” which dropped on all streaming music platforms May 26th, takes listeners on a deep odyssey into Greek mythology and matters of the heart as it weaves its way through a tapestry of life’s many challenges.

You have a very busy musical schedule. Why do you do it?

Realistically, I can’t see myself doing anything else. When I’m playing music, writing or recording music, it’s that feeling of being so complete - that this is what you are meant to be doing. I’ve had other jobs and I’ve done other things, but it always comes back to music. It fulfills everything that I need it to. I want to keep playing music as much as I can. I am lucky to get to do this.

Who last inspired you?

Ramiro (Espinoza) is a very interesting

person and I’ve grown so much playing music with him. He has such cool ideas. The chord structures he comes up with and what he brings to the table is so unique. He inspires me constantly.

Who have you last inspired?

I always love when kids are at my shows. On Mothers’ Day I was performing and the kids got up in front and just danced - like interpretive dance - and it’s so fun. They inspire me and I inspire them to dance. They always come up afterwards and give me hugs. It’s really special.

5 Questions

Pink Floyd or Led Zeppelin?

Pink Floyd

Whiskey or Wine? “Ugh... Wine”

Performing or Recording? Performing

Stevie Nicks or Taylor Swift?

“Ugh, not fair, sorry Stevie, Taylor Swift”

Blues or Country? Country

Upcoming shows:

June 2023:

June 1: Chateau Faire Le Pont, solo

June 2: Union Hill, solo

June 3: Tastebuds, solo

June 7: Watermill Winery, solo

June 8: Tipsy Canyon with Whisky Trail

June 9: The Lookout, Chelan, solo

June 10: Tildio Winery with Whisky Trail

June 15: Sunshine Ranch, solo

June 16: Vin Du Lac, solo

June 24: SageCliffe, Quincy, with Artemidorus

June 25: Lake Chelan Arts Fest, solo

Later in June, a shady stroll through Riverwalk Park in downtown Chelan will offer you a large selection of handcrafted items and quality artworks by 33 selected artists from around Washington. A summertime staple since 2008 (with hiatus for wildfire and pandemic), the festival is ably organized by Lake Chelan Arts Council president Dan Crandall.

Admission is free, and there will be live music daily from four groups, arts activi-

ties for kids, face painting and yummy lunches from local food trucks. You can also bid on your favorite artworks at the LCAC’s Silent Art Auction, with the proceeds to benefit arts scholarships for local students.

Check out the Lake Chelan Arts Festival at artinchelan.com. It’s at Riverwalk Park, 17 East Wapato Avenue on June 24 from 10am to 5pm and July 25 from 10am to 4pm.

STAGE KIDS TO PRESENT FAIRYTALE MUSICAL ‘BEAUTY AND THE BEAST’

A rotating cast of 131 young actors will shine in song and dance June 1-4 in a Stage Kids production of the acclaimed Disney classic “Beauty and the Beast.”

The musical at the Numerica Performing Arts Center, 123 North Wenatchee Avenue, will feature the group’s largest sets, brightest costumes and most vigorous choreography to date. Performance numbers include popular tunes “Be Our Guest,” “The Mob Song” and others.

This classic story tells of Belle, a young woman in a provincial town, and the

Beast, who is really a young prince trapped under the spell of an enchantress. The Beast must learn to love and be loved to end the curse. But time is running out for the Beast to learn this lesson.

Two casts – A and B – will alternate to present eight performances over the musical’s four-day run. Audience members should check cast lists to find their favorite performers before buying tickets, show runners recommend.

For tickets, times, lists of performers and more info, go to stagekidswa.org

Photo provided by Skip M. Mugaas.