director’s notes Hello Vashon!
PO Box 576 Vashon Island, WA 98070 206.463.5131 19704 Vashon Hwy SW Mon-Fri 10 to 6, Sat noon to 5
VashonAlliedArts.org Board of Trustees President Tim Roden Vice President Duane Bedard Treasurer Chuck Weinstock Secretary Judith Burwell Member at Large Susan Kutscher Trustees Stephanie Halstead Baker, Scott Benner, Randee Crisman Blackstone, Karin DeSantis, Denise Katz, Jennifer McMurdo, Robert Misel, Bruce Morser, Ann Nicklason, Tom Nicolino, Mary O’Leary-Bryant, Susan Rives, Jon-Eric Schafer, Nancy Sipple
VAA Staff Executive Director Molly Reed Deputy Director Angela Gist Gallery Curator Janice Mallman Director of Communications Justin Huguet Director of Performing Arts Stephen Jeong Director of Dance Christine Juarez Director of Arts Education Wendy Finkleman Bookkeeper Lara McKnight Office Manager Meredith Neal Development Coordinator Jill Venturi Volunteer Coordinator Katie Horner Registrar Crissy Baker Database Manager Eileen Burke Heron’s Nest Manager Kathy Pine Artists in Schools Coordinator Pam McMahan Cleaning Services Jeremy Edmonds Facilities Manager Harmon Arroyo IslandArts Issue#1015 Editor Justin Huguet Design Novak Creative, Inc. Submissions 1st of the month prior to publication date, as space allows. Call 463.5131, ext 226 or email IslandArts@VashonAlliedArts.org. Published 10 times yearly (combined March/April and July/August issues). Copyright © 2014 by Vashon Allied Arts. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. Printed by Oregon Web Press
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June 2014
June is Garden Tour month! We hope to entice you to this traditional all-Island event June 20-21. And do not miss the Seattle Rock Orchestra show VAA coproduces with O Space on June 7. We are making progress to break ground for Vashon Center for the Arts this fall. It depends on completing three critical tasks: finish our $13.5 million capital campaign, finalize our financing plan and sign a contract with Washington State to access our $2 million appropriation. We have reached $11.3 million of our campaign goal as of mid-May. The remaining $2.2 million is very doable and will come from individuals and grants. So far, gifts from over 350 donors have ranged from $10 to more than $1 million and been
motivated by different reasons. Dance families want a safe dance floor for students, the Vashon Island Chorale needs easily movable risers and great acoustics, families and friends seek memorials for loved ones, visual artists and patrons want a professional gallery, opera and musical theatre lovers value an orchestra pit, audiences want comfort when they attend a performance, and others are simply civic minded even if not passionate arts lovers. After several years of planning and fundraising, some bumps and detours, a few tears, much laughter and a lot of joy, we are ALMOST ready to break ground. Please give a little, or a lot. Be a part of this long-held dream and celebrate with all of us. You can donate online at VashonCenterForTheArts.org or call us at 463.5131. Thank you.
Molly Reed
Executive Director
The Heron’s Nest Debi Shandling Crawford’s work as an artist started at an early age, fostered by her artist father, Barney Shandling. She was initially recognized on Vashon Island for her work in stained glass, moving exclusively into working in watercolors more than 25 years ago. Having spent several years in Tucson, Crawford recently returned to her beloved Island home. Bringing the subject From top: “She Loves Red” and “Good Day Sunshine.”
matter “up close and personal” to the viewer is the style most often seen in Crawford’s work, particularly in her big, bold florals. Crawford describes herself as ‘first a colorist.’ “Color sparks my imagination, brings my senses alive and elicits an emotional response. Within the context of color, I like to create value extremes (light to dark) in my paintings, again calling forth the emotions. My eye looks for beauty in form, contrast, color... I like my paintings to be enjoyable to look at. It is how I choose to use my gift of creativity and return the gift to you, the viewer.”
Her love of the Pacific Northwest brings new images to her paintings. Crawford likes to travel, and is inspired by images seen on trips—particularly in the Four Corners region of the U.S., and Northern Italy. – by Kathy Pine
Heron’s Nest Tuesday-Saturday, 11 am–5 pm Sunday, Noon–3 pm First Friday, June 6 Open until 9 pm Thank you to our major contributors