Lilac City Local (Summer 2023)

by Sharma Shields

The

CONTENTS

3 WELCOME

4 BUILDING SPOKANE BUSINESSES

6 TRANSFORMING THE SEEDS OF AN IDEA INTO A GARDEN

7 THE GLASS LIBRARY BY SHARMA SHIELDS

10 Q&A WITH ANWAR PEACE

12 SOCIAL WORK AT THE LIBRARY GAINS MOMENTUM

14 CREATING SPACE FOR INDIGIQUEER ARTISTS

SPOKANE PUBLIC LIBRARY LAND ACKNOWLEDGMENT

All Spokane Public Library buildings sit on the traditional homelands of the four bands of the Spokane Tribe of Indians: sntútʔulixʷi, snxʷmeneʔi, s̓qesciłni, and slʕʷotéw s̓ i (Upper Band, Middle Band, Lower Band, and Chewelah Band). Since time immemorial, the Spokane Tribe of Indians has lived and cared for these grounds. Identifying themselves as “sqélixʷ,” or “Flesh of the Earth.” We pay our respects to their Elders—past, present, and emerging. We show gratitude to the land, river, and peoples who have been fishing, hunting, harvesting, and gathering here for generations. May we learn from one another’s stories, so that we may nurture the relationship of the People of the Spokane Tribe and to all those who share this land.

Amanda Donovan

Managing Editor

Alina Murcar

Copy Editor

Skyler Noble

Contributing

Writers

Mark Pond

Sharma Shields

Shane Gronholz

Eva Silverstone

Juan Juan Moses

Martin Meráz-García

Spectrum Center

Executive Director

Andrew Chanse

Board of Trustees

Lara Hemingway

Gary Stokes

Mary Starkey

Danielle DeJaegher

Shelby Lambdin

We are thrilled to introduce our brand new library magazine, Lilac City Local, packed with exciting content that showcases Spokane. We’ve brought together an assortment of voices to create a diverse and engaging publication to inform you about your libraries and the community who makes them thrive.

In this issue, you’ll find an exclusive story by the renowned local author Sharma Shields, who shares her short story, The Glass Library. We’re sure her work will captivate and delight readers of all kinds. Sharma is joined by Dr. Martin Meráz-García, a professor who shares a chapter excerpt from his autobiographical novel-in-progress.

We’re also excited to feature an overview of our library’s business services, providing valuable insights and resources for entrepreneurs and business owners alike.

And that’s not all! In this issue, we’ve also included an insightful Q&A with Anwar Peace, Chair of the Spokane Human Rights Commission, providing a fascinating look into his work in police accountability.

We’re proud to introduce you to the Discovery Garden, an exciting project located at Shadle Park Library. This space is a unique and exciting opportunity for patrons to learn about a farm-to-table lifestyle, from waterwise gardening to composting and more.

Additionally, we’d like to showcase our Social Services Welcome Team, who work tirelessly to help those in need in our community. We’re grateful for their dedication and hard work, and we’re excited to share their story with you.

Finally, we invite you to discover the amazing Artists-In-Residence at The Hive®, a space dedicated to supporting and promoting local artists. Their work is sure to inspire and amaze, and we’re proud to feature them in our magazine.

We hope you enjoy this issue and look forward to bringing you more exciting content in future editions.

Lilac City Local A publication of Spokane Public Library

Editor-In-Chief

BUILDING SPOKANE BUSINESSES

By Mark Pond

Spokane Public Library contributes to the economic vitality of the region by providing free support to startups and entrepreneurs, allowing businesses to access cutting edge resources.

Hey there, business owners and entrepreneurs of Spokane! If you’re not taking advantage of Spokane Public Library’s business research collection, you’re missing out on some seriously awesome tools. Let’s dive in, shall we?

First up, we’ve got DemographicsNow. It’s like your own personal research team that can help you figure out everything from the age range of your target audience to their average income. It’s like magic, but with data. And let’s be real, who doesn’t love data? ;) If you’re not using this tool, you’re basically flying blind.

Next, we have Reference Solutions. This is like a crystal ball for your business prospects. With over 57 million business and consumer records, you can find the perfect leads for your biz by searching by industry, location, size, and more. Plus, it gives you all sorts of juicy intel on each business, from financials to executive contacts.

And then there’s LinkedIn Learning. This platform is like the Netflix of business education, with thousands of courses on everything from marketing to software development. And the best part? It’s FREE with your library card. That’s right, you can up your game without spending a

Mark Pond is the Business Research Librarian at Spokane Public Library and an adjunct faculty instructor at Eastern Washington University. Mark was the 2021 recipient of the American Library Association’s BRASS Excellence in Business Librarianship award.

single dime. And with courses taught by industry experts, you’ll be a pro in no time.

But wait, there’s more! Spokane Public Library’s business research collection also includes access to industry reports, business journals, and newspapers. It’s like a buffet of knowledge, just waiting for you to chow down. And if you need help navigating all of these resources, we offer one-on-one appointments with me - your Business Librarian! I can help guide you through the process. It’s basically like having a personal assistant, but without the pesky salary.

And let’s not forget about www. spokanelibrary.org/businesslab. This webpage is like a cheat sheet for all things business in the Spokane area. Need to know about local business resources? We’ve got you covered. Want tips on marketing and financing? You got it. Plus, we have access to a comprehensive directory of local businesses, so you can connect with other badass professionals in your industry. It’s like having a whole team of business gurus at your beck and call.

So what are you waiting for?

Head on down to Spokane Public Library and start exploring these resources. Your business will thank you!

Mark Pond mpond@spokanelibrary.org

A Q&A with Spokane-based startup GoldenSHERPA

Spokane-based startup, GoldenSHERPA is a global platform for senior living solutions that aims to empower consumers and providers in the eldercare industry with unbiased and easy to understand information. Founder Margie Bensching reflects on Spokane Public Library’s impact on their startup journey.

How has Spokane Public Library been able to support you in your startup journey?

Spokane Public Library has been a resource for my company from day one. I started accessing business resources by attending a Business Model Canvas class at the idea stage. During my first business accelerator, I was introduced to IBIS World and Statista. These two resources alone give me access to information I could not afford as a startup. I have a market research background and understand how expensive and essential market research is to business.

What’s next for GoldenSHERPA?

GoldenSHERPA continues to add providers in Eastern Washington and across the state. Right now, we are waiting to hear if we were accepted into a program that offers seed funding to startups working to eliminate barriers in health and healthcare. If accepted, GoldenSHERPA will work with families and providers on the east coast. We went to Brazil in May as part of the Washington State Department of Commerce International Small Business Trade Delegation, attending the Hospitalar Conference. It was the first time GoldenSHERPA shared our company and vision with over 700,000 healthcare professionals. I have always imagined helping ex-pats find information about senior living for their parents and themselves in their home countries. I know more than 2 million Brazilian ex-pats are currently in the United States.

Lastly, while I don’t have the time to drop in as much as I’d like, I want to encourage all entrepreneurs to use the Business Lab located at Central Library. It is a fantastic space for any startup to connect and access resources from an array of professionals who understand the startup world.

By Juan Juan Moses

Aseed flourishing into a mighty plant is often used as a metaphor to describe an idea growing into plans, actions, and outcomes.

The seed to plant a garden at one of our renovated libraries was planted by John Edmondson of Growing Neighbors Spokane—an initiative of Shadle Park Presbyterian Church to help neighbors grow and share healthy food and relationships all while creating more opportunities for equitable access to food.

The intent of the Discovery Garden at Shadle Park Library is to teach people how to grow organic, wholesome food and use what we grow as ingredients for our summer cooking classes. Consider it a mini one-stop shop for our “Farm-to-Table” series.

Though modest, the Discovery Garden is a living embodiment of our mission to be a community of

learning. It is a place of discovery for all ages and a living extension of the books housed inside the library. The words and stories are in between the onion rows instead of the pages!

From young kids to seasoned adult gardeners, we’ve welcomed over 1,800 attendees to our garden-related events since 2021. Shadle Park Library has quickly become a horticulture hub of north Spokane!

Some of the most memorable partnerships have been Vets on the Farm for their weekly produce stand, a seven-part gardening series with Master Gardener and former Spokesman-Review garden columnist, Pat Munts, and the City of Spokane Water Department weekly Water Wise programs.

A garden is truly life’s best teacher. Every lesson one needs to learn is reflected in the garden—life, death, rebirth, the inevitable changes of seasons, the give and take of all kinds of relationships, parenting, and so on.

Juan Juan Moses is a Community Educator, Master Gardener, and the driving force behind the Discovery Garden at Shadle Park Library.

By Sharma Shields

In the library made of glass, the clerk dusts the glass books, the glass shelves, the glass computers. She, too, is made of glass, and her glass slippers click on the pale green floor as she moves through the rooms. Every morning the clerk readies the library for its opening, when the people made of glass clatter into the bright space and attempt to find sanctuary. Now and again something—or someone—breaks, and the clerk sweeps up the shattered pieces with her wire broom and metal dust pan, shaking out the dust in the large bins outside. When she cries over what’s been lost, her glass tears fall and plink against the floor like tiny marbles. The children rush to collect them, filling their pockets with these precious rare stones.

They smash the books out of fear or out of anger or out of misunderstanding.

The clerk understands the fragility of the library and of the people who gather here, herself included. She longs for others to understand it, too. She wants everyone to notice the young glass child who arrives and sits cross-legged in the children’s area, opening a selection of books one at a time. Each book reflects the child’s clear glass face back to them: These books, when opened, become mirrors. When the clerk moves through the stacks, she hears the books singing to her with their reflective potential: They are all distinct, these titles, but they sing in one ongoing chorus. The more varied the stories, the clerk knows, the healthier the people will be. She is grateful to see how much of the community cares for the library and all that it contains.

And yet there are always people who arrive with their hammers. They smash the books out of fear or out of anger or out of misunderstanding. They smash them because they, themselves, have been smashed. The clerk can sense how hurt these individuals are; she can see, in the right light, the cracks in their hands or forearms or faces or shins that are almost imperceptible unless you look closely. The clerk has her own cracks—she’s embarrassed of them. She wears long sleeves and long skirts to try to hide them. There are no people here who aren’t cracked somewhere, she thinks, but she notes, too, that some people learn to move more gently and carefully with their cracks and others prefer to take up their ball-peen hammers, opining, better to attack than be attacked. These are all modes of survival, the clerk notes, but she winces all the same when the hammers come crashing down.

One day the child arrives and nestles into her usual corner with a stack of glass picture books. Nearby a man roams the aisles, twirling a hammer in his hand. The clerk fastens herself to the space between the two of them, hypervigilant, lingering in case the man’s hurt boils over and he chooses to wield his only tool. It’s a vivid day in late spring, the sun pouring through the big windows, the glass books and shelves dazzling and dancing. The clerk sees how she shines, how the child and man shine, too, reflecting all of this radiance. She hears the man muttering to himself, about not liking the look of these books, about not seeing books that reflect him,

and the clerk steps forward to say, “Yes, of course, we have books for you, we have books for all, because we share a world. The more varied the stories,” she explains, “the safer we’ll be.”

He lifts up a book in response, gazes at it, then shakes it at her, seething. He threatens to dash it on the ground. He lifts his hammer, makes a smashing motion.

The clerk senses her own fragility, the way she, too, can be shattered. But she stands firm, aware of the young child behind her, who has looked up from her reading to gaze at them, her glass face, furrowed with curiosity, freshly gleaming in the sunlight.

The clerk recognizes how afraid she is, afraid of the smashing of another book, afraid of the hammer, afraid for the young girl to both lose her books and to be attacked, herself. The clerk pushes against her own fear, struggling to find a voice and the right words to say to diffuse the man’s anger, but then there is a tinkling noise, a dozen fragile feet tripping across the floor, and the clerk finds that she no longer stands alone—here is the library community, a trove of glass people who stand with her, who have heard the rising voices and who wish to help protect the wealth of stories. The clerk, no longer alone, asks the man gently to return the book to the shelf. He casts his gaze

Save the Date for Spokane Is Reading

about, taking in all of the bodies around him, fragile in their individuality but stronger when together, and then sighs, handing the book to the clerk. The crowd disperses soon after, and the man leaves, even throwing his hammer in the bin outside as he passes into the gardens with their glass roses and buzzing crystal bees.

The clerk knows there will be others with hammers, that there will be more fraught moments when misunderstanding and fear and frustration threaten the peace of this sacred space, but for now she relaxes. She brings the girl a few more books. She assists other patrons, too, with books, with resources, with connection. She shelves a selection of new books, books she, herself, has ordered, a diversity of titles that reflect the sparkling luminescence of the children who gather here. The glass clerk hums as she works, and the books hum, too, their stories melting together into columns of light.

Sharma Shields is the Writing Education Specialist at Spokane Public Library. She is the author of a short story collection, Favorite Monster, and two novels, The Sasquatch Hunter’s Almanac and The Cassandra. Sharma’s short stories and essays have appeared in The New York Times, Electric Lit, Catapult, Slice, Slate, Fairy Tale Review, Kenyon Review, and more.

Read Lesser Known Monsters of the 21st Century and then join Spokane Public Library, Auntie’s Books, and SCLD for a discussion with the author on October 26. Read Alikes: Discover more magical realism titles

“El Globo”

A novel excerpt by Dr. Martin Meráz-García

“Mamá said not to be out too late, she wants to talk to us when she returns from work.”

Oh no—she’s going to tell us she’s leaving for the U.S., I thought. Although I was worried, it didn’t deter me from running outside to join the other kids from the neighborhood. Today we gathered to see the deployment of the globo, the sky lantern.

The globo was a magical and enchanting event. The success of the launch required team effort and nature’s cooperation. Now light winds blew and scattered clouds floated by, but all in all, nothing would avert the globo’s success.

Three people held the balloon in an effort to expand the globo to its full capacity. The flame from the candle illuminated the colorful thin paper shades as it filled the remaining cavities of the balloon. By now the fully inflated globo easily floated against the palms of one of its handlers.

We were euphoric. “Suéltalo,” we shouted.

The handler moved to the middle of the street to avoid the power lines. “Se va,” we hollered, and the globo began its climb.

When the balloon cleared the power lines we screamed, “Se fué,” and prepared to chase it.

The globo first headed north, so we ran down the cobblestone street. When we got to the bottom of the hill, we turned left. We lost sight of the globo momentarily but picked it

up again as we reached la secundaria and the soccer field. We crossed over the bridge of El Río Chiquito. Some of us covered our noses so as to not take in the stench coming from underneath the bridge. That river, where the sewer was discharged, acted as the treatment plant for Coalcomán city dwellers. This year not much rain had fallen, so the water level was low and the stench atrocious. We crossed over as quickly as we could. As we reached the next street, the corner store introduced more pleasant smells: fruits, vegetables, cheeses, candies, soaps, and the aromas of other goods they sold. A couple of street dogs patrolling the corner store gave chase, forcing us to run even faster.

“Corre, corre,” we encouraged each other.

The sun was now setting on the horizon.

“Look carefully where the balloon is headed,” one of the boys said.

“We have to find it before it gets dark,” said another.

Soon after, we observed the balloon starting its descent. We wanted the candle, a small trophy for whoever got it. We’ll be able to sell it or re-use it to send off a globo of our own, we hoped.

The globo was now on a free fall as the flame faded. The thick shrubbery didn’t allow us to advance fast enough to catch it but we were able to pinpoint a vague location. When we got there, we could not locate the candle or the remaining debris from the lantern.

“It must have burned up when it crashed into the shrubs,” someone said.

We looked for a long while.

It was getting dark now and no one had a flashlight. We gave up and went back to town. It was dark already as we descended the trail of La Peñita. We stopped briefly to admire the stunning view where the trail and the road of La Peñita met. The sky had cleared up by now and we observed the lights of the town as well as the starry sky. I was more worried about Mamá being annoyed than the street dogs that had chased us earlier. I thought about the family talk we were supposed to have, the instruction to return home before dark.

When I got home, everyone had already gathered and Mamá had told them about her El Norte decision. Mamá Goya had said she would go only if she could bring all of us siblings along. Tía Chuy had agreed, but we would have to wait until the following year to get things lined up. I was relieved Mamá would not leave us, but I worried about having to leave our hometown.

Will I ever chase after globos with my friends again? I wondered. Many other questions remained about what our eventual trip to the U.S. would be like, but for the time being I was glad Mamá wasn’t upset about my getting home after dark.

Dr. Martin Meráz-García is a professor in the Chicano/a/x Studies Program at Eastern Washington University. This chapter excerpt is from his autobiographical novel-in-progress about his childhood in Mexico and his family’s immigration to the United States and the Tri-Cities area. Meráz-García was the first person in his family to graduate high school, then college, then obtain a PhD.

CURRENT AFFAIRS

role as Chair of the Spokane Human Rights Commission.

Shane: I want to start by asking a question I asked when I first met you, which is, “Is Anwar Peace your birth name?”

Anwar: Yes. That is my God given name. I was named after Anwar Sadat, who was the president of Egypt in the late 70s, early 80s. He happened to win a Nobel Peace Prize for working with President Carter and Menachem Begin on creating a middle east peace process. And so before he won the Peace Prize, my parents had the wisdom enough to name me Anwar. Peace is a generational family name. My adopted dad was half native.

Shane: I’d say it’s a pretty fitting name for the kind of work you do. Tell me a little bit about your background and how it led you to the work you do.

Anwar: Like I said, I was named after a great leader, and so a lot of my childhood was spent reading about great leaders in the nonviolent movement. I didn’t imagine at the time that I would ever be in a position of that kind of leadership. I really thank my adoptive parents for that kind of training in my rearing to make me be able to be an effective leader. Growing up, I aspired to be an audio engineer and so that was kind of my path in life. And unfortunately, I was touched by police violence which really changed the trajectory of my life and what I focused on.

Shane: You’ve mentioned that you call yourself a police accountability expert. What does this mean? What all does it entail?

Anwar: Well, it involves a lot of research and a lot of watching body camera footage and reading police reports. I also attend conferences dealing with civilian oversight of law enforcement and go through trainings, shooting simulators, and ride-alongs. And sadly enough, I have a lot of firsthand knowledge because of the many, many, many arrests I’ve had for utilizing my First Amendment rights in police accountability matters.

It also involves trying to be in the shoes of those officers as well. We can condemn these folks, but the bottom line is that they’re doing a job that we as a normal, average citizen don’t really want to do. I honor their decision to go into this profession. It is a noble profession. I want to see officers that I can be proud of and that our children can be proud of, so I really emphasize to officers that accountability and being held to a higher standard is part of the job. I look at my activism specifically as trying to help these officers do their jobs better, but considering what’s been going on in policing for the past 20 years, folks are scared of police and they don’t trust them. And sadly, police don’t understand why. I try to bridge that gap by not only working in the community on these matters, but

also working and creating relationships within these departments to try to better gauge who these folks are and how we can better help support them.

Shane: Tell me, what is the Spokane Human Rights Commission and what do they do?

The Spokane Human Rights Commission is a volunteer commission made up of nine members of the community. Our role as a city entity is to advise City Council on matters pertaining to human rights issues. I’m really proud of the amount of diversity that we have on the commission. We’ve got a senior citizen who has been advocating for the elderly for years. We also have a high schooler, an attorney, a mediator, community organizer, and somebody in academia. All of us come together and we hold monthly meetings inside City Hall the first Thursday of each month at 5:30. I encourage everyone to come down.

Shane: If a member of the public wants to alert the Commission to a certain issue that they’re observing, what would be the best way to do that?

Anwar: So definitely check out our website – just type in ‘Spokane Human Rights Commission’ and you’ll be directed to our web page. You’ll find email addresses for myself as well as our civil rights coordinator. Contact either myself or Jerrall and fill out a complaint form. Another great resource if folks have been impacted by a possible hate crime is our county Human Rights Task Force (www. spokanecountyhumanrightstaskforce.org/). They’ve got a hate reporting page dedicated to capturing those instances of hate crimes.

I want to add that I became chair in January and one of the things I recognized was missing from our commission was advocating for our homeless folks. And so, we as a commission have been studying this over the last few months and are hoping to help support the city on how to address this, possibly with a homeless bill of rights. Our commission wants to help support our homeless folks better, to understand what their human rights are, and have the city better understand how they should be treating our homeless folks.

Shane Gronholz is the Current Affairs Specialist at Spokane Public Library. Find him on Twitter at @LibraryShane.

Did you know there’s a lot of overlap between librarianship and social work? Both value confidentiality, connecting people with resources and information, and meeting people where they’re at. Our libraries are a lively nexus of diversity and a lifeline for our most vulnerable populations. We are blessed to have such caring employees at Spokane Public Library.

Within the first year of developing foundational elements to a social services program in our library system, we’ve collected more than 1,400 surveys, created on-hand directories of 100+ local resources for staff to share with patrons, allocated a space for informational resource support from 40+ organizations at Central Library, offered light case management to 37 individuals, provided support to house 18 neighbors, developed a full social services calendar supporting ongoing partnerships with more than 15 organizations and, in partnership with Peer Spokane, received a $400,000 grant to implement a two-year peer support program!

While incorporating social services into our library system allows us to better support our patrons, we would get nowhere without the consistent support, participation, and growth from staff. A main focus this past year has been to advocate for system change to provide guidance and education beyond the regularly requested library services. For example, to date we’ve had approximately 50 staff members attend two or more de-escalation workshops and started the implementation of a trauma-informed framework.

It can be a challenge to create something new and initiate change. We’ve encountered many experiences where we had to react and adjust accordingly. We’ve

Social Services Manager Bethiah Streeter reflects on one-year in the role

had growing pains which help us plan for the future, but the one thing I keep coming back to is the mission that drives me in my work every day. My mission is to empower the community to spin a web of creative collaboration to support individuals in their journey toward more stable lives.

Daily, I see our staff assist a variety of patrons. They juggle daily library-related service needs and diligently work to notice when someone needs a little extra help and be able to refer them to the appropriate team member.

Since September, we’ve had a dedicated Welcome Team of three student interns from the EWU Social Work Program who have been integral in supporting the foundational growth of our social services program. This team takes part in daily rounds to assess and support staff and patrons needs while dealing with additional, more complicated issues as well. Having their support has offered the library an opportunity to provide a higher level of connection and support for our staff and patrons.

We’ve also started Coffee & Conversation, an ongoing community engagement program that provides a space for open dialogue on topics that unite us, rather than divide us. We gather weekly in an effort to help people feel seen, heard, and connected within our community. Any and all are invited to enjoy a cup of coffee and join the discussion. The conversation is usually free form, but there are also low-key activities available, such as coloring pages, puzzles, and conversation starters. This is a peaceful, engaging, all-voices-areinvited-to-speak type of space, but participants are welcome to simply listen, too. So far this year, 216 people have participated.

The abundant partnerships, overflowing empathy, plentiful connections, and the commitment to change is evident in all the work we are doing. Thank you to everyone for welcoming new ideas and embracing the changes within your library. I feel the momentum growing and I look forward to our continued efforts and the impact it will have for our community in the coming years.

Bethiah Streeter is the Social Services Manager at Spokane Public Library. Join us at Coffee & Conversation Wednesdays at 10:30am at Central Library.

Spectrum Center reflects on the need for safe, intergenerational community space and their plans for using their artist residency at The Hive® in 2023 to create just that.

Whenwe

think of queer art, we think of many things. We think of safety; our art serving as a place where we can freely express ourselves without fear of harm. We think of culture; our sacred stories are shared with each other in many mediums. We think of change; our creations demand justice, demand radical empathy, demand that perspectives be broadened. And we think of community.

Since Spectrum Center was founded in 2018, our mission has always been to create safe, intersectional, intergenerational community spaces in the Spokane area. Focus groups and surveys we conducted over the course of three years revealed that the 2SLGBTQIA+ folks in Spokane are in need of real queer community spaces: spaces that are safe, spaces that don’t center around alcohol,

spaces for adults or intergenerational gatherings, spaces that are intersectional, spaces that address the needs of the global majority.

It was from this intent to create these spaces that our Indigiqueer (Indigenous, queer) programming began. Spectrum’s Indigiqueer programming centers Indigenous queer identities, which are rarely centered in the queer community. Our first event at The Hive featured a screening of Sweetheart Dancers, a film by Ben-Alex Dupris highlighting a Two-Spirit couple participating in the Sweetheart Dance. This event was a joyous gathering of those who celebrate

about The Hive®, a non-traditional library centered around arts education

Two-Spirit identity and joy, and kicked off our series of programming that created both open, celebratory spaces like our Winter Indigiqueer Celebration, and closed cultural community spaces, like the Beading Circles and Regalia Making events.

With the Spokane Falls Two-Spirit Powwow rapidly approaching in June, we host safe, creative spaces for folks to join together in

community and work on preparing their culturally-specific regalia so that they can dance in a Powwow created to uplift queer, Indigenous voices.

Our arts programming also seeks to fill other gaps in Spokane’s landscape. When we put out our first call for 2SLGBTQIA+ adults to register for our Adult Art Camp, nearly every person checked a box stating, “I am looking for community with other queer adults,” as a key reason for their participation.

Through four classes in writing, painting, photography, and zine creation, taught by professional queer artists, we aim to foster a creative, community environment for queer adults to build technical skills in a medium of their choice, confidence in expressing their artistic and personal perspectives, experience presenting work in a gallery setting, and connection to a network of queer creatives and queers supporting creatives. With this programming culminating in an Open Mic Night and gallery exhibition during Queer Art Walk, we hope to celebrate queer art and artists in community with one another.

We are so thankful to The Hive for serving as a sort of home base for much of our arts and culture programming. In our partnership with The Hive and Spokane Public Library, we have been able to create the safe, intersectional, intergenerational spaces that we usually only dream about.

If you are interested in learning more about Spectrum Center and how to donate to sustain our community building work, check out our website at www.spectrumcenterspokane. org.

Healing through Art at The Hive®

Former Artist-In-Residence Julie Smetana reflects on her residency

For six months, I was given the gift of space. As an artist-in-residence at The Hive, I had unlimited access to a gorgeous art studio. It became a creative sanctuary where I was able to explore new ideas and renew my focus and commitment to the work I love—ceramic sculpture.

Six months came and went. A lot of weird ceramic sculptures were produced. But underneath the bright colors and undulating shapes there is time and place. And this time—this place was wrought with healing, with balance, and with learning.

I didn’t know it when I started, but The Hive would become a space of great healing. Halfway through my residency, I suffered a head injury while skiing. After being hospitalized for a month and getting discharged from rehab, I felt incredibly anxious and frustrated. I was unsure I’d be able to continue on with my residency work. Although it was slow-going at first, I quickly realized how invaluable art and being at The Hive would be—not just aiding my recovery, but in accelerating it. Recovery is still a roller coaster, but I always know that art is one of the most useful tools I have to help me move forward with my life and gain perspective on my situation.

For the past 12 years, I have made a living as a digital designer. My design job requires me to spend a lot of time in front of a computer, so being able to physically craft art with my hands helps me to achieve a healthy balance between my professional and artistic endeavors. While at The Hive, I set up a corner for my design work and spent most days going back and forth between my computer and the clay. I have never had a set up like this before. Having the ability to split my time like this was incredible. The balance of hands-on work and computer work complemented each other and helped me stay motivated and focused.

The art I create teaches me so much. With clay, things never go to plan. I have a slightly masochistic desire to make ceramic work that is structurally as close to as impossible as possible, so it will often break. Is it worth trying to fix? Adjustments are constantly needed. I have to roll with what is happening as it unfolds. I have to know when to walk away. I have to let the emotions of a loss wash over me and then show up the next day ready to move forward. Most importantly, I need to revel in the beauty and absurdity of it all and remind myself over and over again to not take things so seriously—because really, it’s just dirt.

See Julie’s work on display at Central Library in June 2023.