MARCH 2026 ARTBEAT by ncwarts

ARTBEAT

MARCH 2026

From Nashville to the North Cascades: Analisa & John pg 6

WENATCHEE FIRST FRIDAYS MAP INSIDE

ARTBEAT

Publisher: Ron Evans

Contributors: Meg Sanders, Thom Kokenge

NCW Arts - Elevating the Arts in North Central Washington

NCW ARTS UPDATE

ON THE COVER: Analisa & John bring “The Italian American Dream” to Wenatchee. See story on pg. 6

ROOTED AND RISING: NCW ARTS GROWS WITH OUR CREATIVE COMMUNITY

by meg

sanders

It’s a new year, and just like you we suspect, NCW Arts is ready to usher in and embrace some Fire Horse energy. For us, 2025 was a time of transitions and adjustments as we welcomed inspiring new leadership, calibrated our existing structures and built some exciting new collaborations for the arts in our local communities.

So, we thought it would be great to take a moment here to share a recap of our year in review from our recent annual retreat, as well as our plans for even deeper and more meaningful service to artists of all types across North Central Washington in 2026.

2025: Growth and Stability

This past fiscal year marked important progress for the organization.

Financially, NCW Arts is stable and we still have work to do. While grant funding remains important (always!), 2025 saw expanded income from members, donors, ticketed events, and advertising in our monthly publication the ArtBeat, reducing reliance on any single funding stream.

Thanks to your donations and participation in our artist-centered fundraising events, we are on track for stability and longevity, which means that more of our local arts community members can feel increasingly supported and stable in their own artistic endeavors.

Community engagement also grew significantly. The NCW Arts Artist Index increased to 150 participating artists in 2025, which is a 30% jump over the previous year. Membership climbed to 94 members and is still climbing in these early months of 2026.

Last June, we welcomed our amazing new Executive Director, Callie Baker. Two of our outstanding board members, Laine Heikel and Kris Lahd, successfully completed their terms of service. We are pleased to announce our executive officers for 2026:

• Jamie Howell, President

• Pamela Farrington, Vice President

• Sarah Lindell, Treasurer

• Meg Sanders, Secretary

Filling out the rest of our dedicated and talented board are:

• Scott Bailey

• Thom Kokenge

• Brian Ohme

• Thom Schroeder

If you are interested in volunteering with us or getting to know more about the work we do as a board, please don’t hesitate to reach out! We are now at a point in our organization where we have multiple committee seats for folks of all different skill sets and sensibilities. It doesn’t matter what you’re into, I promise, we have room for you.

Seriously, if you are a social media guru; if your thing is crunching numbers like good homemade granola; if you love organizing people and things and your cupboards have sublevels of organizational paraphernalia inside of them—we want you!

BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and bilingual community members are specifically invited to apply and get involved. One of our core organizational values is that we are representative of the people we serve, and we are always actively pursuing more diversity in the voices around our decision making table.

2026 Priorities: Memberships & Artscentered Events and Programming

Looking ahead, NCW Arts aims to balance the evolution of our programmatic and event offerings with sustainability.

We are prioritizing:

• Continuing and expanding our ArtBox event model to possibly include other artistic disciplines (MusicBox? BlackBox? HotBox? You just never know with this group!)

• One of the most exciting things we now have to offer our arts community is the ability to act as a Fiscal Sponsor for individuals and groups who do

not have 501(c)(3) status themselves. This is a wonderful chance for artists and creative groups to apply for grant funding that otherwise may not be available to them. Have an idea? Have a grant you’ve identified that you’d like to apply for? Let’s talk!

• Continued administration and support of the Wenatchee First Fridays monthly events in direct partnership and collaboration with the Comet Magazine and Visit Wenatchee.

• Revamping our Individual and Business Membership structure to make it easier to access the benefits of being a member of NCW Arts, with a clearer sense of how you are contributing to our larger arts community when you do.

We are kicking around the ideas of:

• Providing a NCW Arts Shopify account that our artist members could use to expand their businesses and sales.

• Expanding our “Matchmaker” services to performers, artists, and writers to connect them with local businesses who are looking to partner with creative types to support their work and provide increased opportunities for interaction with our burgeoning arts community.

To connect, come find us at ncwARTS.org or shoot us an email at arts@ncwARTS.org. Saddle up! Fire Horse energy, here we go!

LAND OF COLOR

KRISTINE KORDELL PREMIERES NEW WORK AT ART ALLEY

She didn’t really make a plan to build a life in Central Washington, but the Northwest managed to find its way under her skin. It can do that.

Kristine Kordell, an Army veteran from Gaithersburg, Maryland, first came west in 2008 after being stationed at Fort Lewis. What started as a mission of service soon turned into deeper connection.

By the time her contract had ended, she wasn’t looking back east, she had decided to enroll at Oregon College of Art and Craft in Portland. She earned her BFA in 2015 and stayed, slowly turning a serious painting practice into an actual business: KLK Fine Arts.

In 2023, love rerouted everything (it TOO can do that). She moved from Portland to East Wenatchee to be with her wife, swapping the urban landscapes for forests, sunshine and open ridgelines. The work shifted with the move. Her recent paintings sort of work like field notes... explorations of Central Washington filtered through her own style and sensibility.

Painting is the backbone, but she doesn’t seem to treat her work like a set of rules or confinements. Drawing, photo collage and linocut prints are also part of her creative explorations.

Landscapes tend to dominate her work, and that’s intentional as this allows her to focus on perspective, memory, and the quiet drama of terrain.

She calls it Modern Regionalism: largely rooted in geography. Think Hockney’s color, Benton’s movement, a little Monet atmosphere, filtered through tattoo art and album covers. Even with that eclecticism, all of it is pulled nicely together in a distinct and consistent style that Kordell has honed over the years.

You can see Kordell’s vibrant work up close on First Friday, March 6 as she opens a new Art Alley exhibit at Pybus called “Land of Color.” The reception is from 5-7 pm and will feature live music Ted & Brandon on the Pybus stage.

Above: Stonehenge Memorial, Maryhill - right: Secret Cove

1. MAC Gallery “Making a Living Painting

2. Visit Wenatchee Tasting Sherwood Tuft That, artist,

3. Lemolo Café & Deli 3 Corey Milne, artist. Exhibit

4. Two Rivers Art Gallery Chet Harum and Marilynn

5. Watercore 6-8 PM Malachi Castillote, aerosol expressionist artist. Artist reception. Exhibit extended through March 31.

6. Ground Control 5-10 PM “made by HER,” group artist showcase. Pop-up market and artist showcase celebrating women’s

experience PLUS two project presentations by Loni McKenzie (Community Herbalism Project) and Sandi Bammer (Quilt of Hope from Liberia).

11. Art Alley @ Pybus 5-7 “Land of Color,” Kristine Kordell, artist. Ted & Brandon, live music. Beverages and hors d’oeuvres by donation.

Noyd,

Estates Winery

pours.

12. Wenatchee Valley Museum & Cultural Center 6-9 PM Dia de los Muertos, Day of the Dead celebration. Free admission. Join us for crafts, mariachi, face painting and more.

EAT & DRINK

1. Horan Estates Winery 3-7 PM $2 off glass pours.

2. Crayelle Cellars 3-6 PM $2 off glass pours.

3. Visit Wenatchee Tasting Room 4-7 PM

6. Steam Panda 4-9 PM Buy one noodle soup, get 2nd noodle soup $5 off when you mention First Fridays. Dine in only

Happy hour special: $5 flights of cider or beer.

4. Stones Gastropub 3-9 PM $10 specialty cocktail.

EAT & DRINK

7. Cave Noire 4-10 PM Enjoy a complimentary glass after any wine tasting flight.

5. Watermill Winery On The Ave 3-8 PM Wine specials.

1. Horan Estates Winery

$2 off glass pours.

8. South @ Pybus 5-9 PM Maria’s Dream cocktail special, inspired by the trailblazing Mexican artist Maria Izquierdo.

2. Crayelle Cellars 3-6 PM $2 off glass pours.

3. Stones Gastropub $10 specialty cocktail.

FIRST FRIDAYS FEATURED EVENT

6. Steam Panda 4-9 PM Buy one noodle soup, get 2nd noodle soup $5 off when you mention First Fridays. Dine in only

7. Cave Noire 4-10 PM Enjoy a complimentary glass after any wine tasting flight.

8. South @ Pybus 5-9 PM Maria’s Dream cocktail special, inspired by the trailblazing Mexican artist Maria Izquierdo.

5. Steam Panda 12-9 PM Buy one noodle soup, get 2nd noodle soup $5 off. Dine in only when you mention First Friday.

6. Cave Noire 4-10 PM Enjoy a complimentary glass after any wine tasting flight.

1. American Shoe Shop 5–7 PM Extended hours

4. Watermill Winery on the Ave 5-8 PM Wine specials.

2. Mercantile All Day $10 day pass for First Fridays.

4. Woody’s Classic Man 3-8 PM Happy Hour pricing on all beers and ciders. Extended hours.

3. The Original Children’s Shop 3-5 PM 10% discount on all merch when you mention First Fridays.

5. Time Capsule 3-7 PM Roll a D20 and get up to 20% off your entire purchase. 30% off Funko Pop figures.

SHOP DOWNTOWN

1. American Shoe Shop 5-7 PM Extended hours.

2. Mercantile All-day $10 day pass for First Fridays.

3. The Original Children’s Shop 10 AM-5 PM 10% discount on all merch when you mention First Fridays.

7. South @ Pybus 3 - 9 PM Cocktail special: Ruptura de Acero, a mezcalforward cocktail inspired by the monumental metal sculptures of Manuel Felguérez.

4. Woody’s Classic Man 3-8 PM Happy Hour pricing on all beers and ciders. Extended hours.

5. Time Capsule 3-7 PM Roll a D20 and get up to 20% off your entire purchase. 30% off Funko Pop figures.

4. Woody’s Classic Man 10 AM-8 PM Happy Hour pricing on all beers and ciders. 15% off store merchandise. Extended hours.

5. The Time Capsule 11 AM-7 PM Roll a D20 and get up to 20% off your entire purchase. 30% off Funko Pop figures.

47TH ANNUAL REGIONAL HIGH SCHOOL ART SHOW & BEAUTY OF BRONZE

There’s plenty to celebrate this month at the Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center.

The museum is hosting the 47th Annual Regional High School Art Show in partnership with the North Central Educational Service District and the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. This annual exhibit highlights outstanding artwork by high school students from across North Central Washington. Regional winners advance to compete at the state level in Olympia, showcasing the depth of talent emerging from our communities.

The exhibit is on view at the museum’s temporary gallery space at 30 South Mission Street, Suite B, and closes Saturday, April 11.

Also opening this First Friday is the 2026 Beauty of Bronze Showcase. This inspiring nonprofit program works with local 5th graders to create original bronze sculptures, introducing students to public art and hands-on creative practice. Donations support materials, mentorship, and meaningful arts experiences for local youth.

ON THE UPBEAT FROM NASHVILLE TO THE NORTH CASCADES: ANALISA & JOHN BRING

“THE ITALIAN AMERICAN DREAM” TO WENATCHEE

By Thom Kokenge

There is a specific kind of magic that happens when heritage meets harmony. On Sunday, March 29, the Wenatchee High School auditorium will transform from a local stage into a portal to 1900s Italy and the bustling streets of mid-century America — and if you close your eyes at just the right moment, you might smell the garlic and hear the Vespa horns.

Presented by the Wenatchee Community Concert Association, the duo Analisa & John are bringing their acclaimed show, “The Italian American Dream,” to the valley. But this isn’t just a concert; it’s a musical memoir of two lives — and two families — woven together through song.

Though they now call the songwriting capital of Nashville home, Analisa and John’s story begins with the sounds of their ancestors.

Analisa, a Belmont University alumna with a powerhouse vocal background, grew up under the influence of her grandfather’s operatic singing — the kind of singing that fills a kitchen and probably rattled the good china. Meanwhile, John, a jazz guitarist from Detroit, spent years honing his craft in the rich “American soup” of blues, rock, and Bossa Nova. While the pair initially dipped their toes into Nashville’s country scene, as you do, they soon found their true North by looking backward.

“The music that bonded us was the music of our grandparents,” they shared during a recent stroll through Nashville, punctuated by friendly waves from neighbors. From the Neapolitan soul of “O Sole Mio” to the swagger of the Italian American Songbook — think Sinatra, Dean Martin, and the velvet-smooth Jerry Vale — the duo found a chemistry that transcends even their marriage. That’s saying something.

The arrangements the Wenatchee audience will hear weren’t crafted in a sterile studio. Instead, they were forged in the fire of Italian restaurants, played live for dinner crowds in exchange for a free meal and a captive audience. It is, honestly, a beautiful way to develop a show.

“We arranged these organically,” John explains. By testing songs in the wild — against the clinking of wine glasses and the murmur of conversation — they learned exactly what moved an audience, what made a grandmother put down her fork and reach for her husband’s hand. Today, that intimacy remains. Despite being just two people on stage, Analisa & John use elements of musical theater and dynamic stage presence to make the performance feel far bigger, ensuring that every person in the back row feels the connection as personally as those in the front.

“The Italian American Dream” follows the immigrant journey across the 20th century, and the setlist itself is a

roadmap through history. It begins with classical Italian roots — the songs of the old country, full of longing and sunshine — then moves through the streets of New York and New Jersey, inspired by Analisa’s own family story. From there, it traces John’s family history from the coal mines of West Virginia to the thundering auto plants of Detroit, where generations of immigrants built both cars and the American dream, one shift at a time.

Expect a genuinely genre-bending afternoon where Andrea Bocelli meets Motown, and Frank Sinatra shakes hands with “Take Me Home, Country Roads.” It sounds like it shouldn’t work. It absolutely does.

Local musicians, lean in — there’s a lot to admire here beyond the repertoire.

John performs on a custom 7-string guitar handmade by celebrated Detroit luthier Gary Zimnicki, modeled after a Gibson L-7. This isn’t an instrument that was simply ordered and delivered. John was involved in the process from the very start, personally selecting the specific cuts of wood that would eventually become the guitar in his hands. Every note he plays carries that intention with it. Guitarists in the audience, you’ve been warned: you may spend half the concert staring at his hands.

For the singers in the room, Analisa’s “big voice” — shaped by the storytelling grandeur of Barbra Streisand and, perhaps unexpectedly, the narrative in-

stincts of a young Taylor Swift — is a genuine masterclass in vocal technique and health. Her secret? Plenty of steam, plenty of tea, and an iron rule about never “sprinting” into a high note without a proper warm-up. Every singer knows the temptation. Few resist it as gracefully as she does.

In a world that sometimes feels like it’s moving too fast to remember where it came from, “The Italian American Dream” offers something quietly radical: an invitation to slow down, to listen, and to remember that the music our grandparents loved didn’t make it this far by accident. It survived because it meant something.

Wenatchee doesn’t often get shows like this — intimate enough to feel personal, polished enough to feel worldclass. Don’t let it pass by.

Know Before You Go

Who: Analisa & John

What: The Italian American Dream

When: Sunday, March 29, | 2:00 PM

Where: Wenatchee High School Auditorium

Tickets: Available via the Wenatchee Community Concert Association - $35 for adults | $10 for students

Grab your tickets, bring your parents, and maybe — just maybe — wear something that Sinatra would approve of.

FEATURED POEM OF THE MONTH

FATHER by Chuck McClure

Over the hill you go Your footfall raising small Clouds of dust.

That linger in the air Then settle back from Where they came.

Your once strong Shoulders are now stooped With age or is it just

From the burden of Carrying me as a child?

Did I seem as lite To you then as My own son is now, Is it the same?

I watch you further Up the road, Knowing that I also

Will one day walk Where you are now. On up the road through

The dust, leaving my Own son behind as I Pass over the hill and Go beyond his view.

Will he call to me, as I Called to you, “Don’t Leave me. I need you so.” Or will I simply be one day gone?

The sun shines down on My face. Its heat makes me Drowsy and ready to sleep. Will I dream of you?

I’m tired now and weary From these thoughts. I Would go on, but linger to Become clear, now I Hope that someday

When I’ve gone beyond The hill that I will Meet you again, know you And call you friend.

Regional artists are invited to submit work for the Courageously Created Fine Art Show & Auction Beneﬁt, a juried exhibition taking place April 25–26, 2026 at the new Alatheia Therapeutic Riding Center Arena in Wenatchee.

This inspiring event pairs fine art with community impact, raising funds to expand Alatheia’s equine-assisted services for children and adults with disabilities, veterans, and first responders. The weekend features an elegant opening reception and benefit auction, public exhibition and sales, and juried awards.

The submission deadline is March 22, 2026. Artists may submit up to 3 samples per entry. Submissions may include a range of styles and mediums: landscapes, abstraction, portraiture, equine, still life, and more. Art must be original and appropriate for all ages.

For more information about artwork requirements, visit alatheiaridingcenter.com.

Submissions accepted online via CaFÉ (CallForEntry. org).

Entry fee: $30

Interested in more opportunities for artists? Check out the opportunities listings at ncwARTS.org.