As daylight hours continue to shrink in November, islanders can step into brightly lit galleries filled with colorful new exhibits, starting with November’s First Friday Gallery Cruise on the evening of Nov. 1.
Also plan to attend a special evening of Indigenous art and film at Vashon Center for the Arts on Saturday, Nov. 2.
Puget Sound Cooperative Credit Union
The credit union will open an exhibition of Jeaneen Bauer’s Spirit Dolls artworks, and knitted and crocheted hats and finery by artists Barbara Waterbury and Kathryn Perkins on Friday, Nov. 1. John Browne will play music from 6-8 p.m., and the credit union will offer tasty treats and drinks.
Swiftwater Gallery
Stop in at Swiftwater Gallery, in the center of Vashon town, to peruse new works by the more that 50 members of the gallery — all local artists who create works in a wide range of mediums and price ranges.
VALISE Gallery
VALISE Gallery’s collective of artists will offer up their traditional holiday show of small works, this year called “Beyond Measure.”
The show, as usual, will be filled with edgy, eye-catching gift bargains priced to sell. Look for 5-inch by 5-inch artworks, as well as some slightly larger pieces as well. Prices will range from $40 and $200.
VALISE members Bill Jarcho, Sharon Shaver, Pascale Judet, Dot Cherch, Rachel LordKenaga. Robert Passig, Lenard Yen, George Wright, Stephen Schildbach, Hita von Mende, Jiji Saunders and Gregory Burnham will all have work in the show.
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The show will open from 1-9 p.m. Friday, Nov. 1, and continue throughout December. Regular gallery hours are 1-6 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.
Vashon Center for the Arts
The Vashon Center for the Arts will open “Impressed: The Art of Print,” an exhibition featuring 27 artists from Vashon and Oaxaca, Mexico, with an opening reception from 5-8 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 1. The show will remain on view in the gallery through Dec. 1, with regular gallery hours from 12-5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday.
Many of the local print artists in the show have a history or current affiliation with Quartermaster Press, the Vashon co-op founded by artist Valerie Willson in 1993.
Oaxaca is recognized as one of the great printmaking centers of the world, in part because of the influence of maestros Shinzaburo Takeda and Juan Alcazar. Artists in the show include Fulgencio Lazo, Mercedes Lopez, and Enrique Gijon, who studied with Takeda at the Universidad Autónoma Benito Juarez de Oaxaca (UABJO). Others, including Enrique Flores and Daniel Flores, worked under Alcazar.
Many of these artists were also part of the Asambleas de Artistas Revolucionarios de Oaxaca (AASARO), a collective dedicated to social justice. Strong ties between Oaxaca and the Pacific Northwest are embodied in artists like Lazo, who lives and works in both regions.
Vashon artist and printmaker Laurie D. Brown curated the Oaxacan pieces for VCA’s show. Since first arriving in Oaxaca in 1995, Brown has worked in numerous studios there, fostering deep connections with its printmaking community.
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“I was fortunate to work in the studio of the late Juan Alcazar,” Brown said. “After taking a class from him in Seattle, my family and I spent a month in Oaxaca where I worked in his studio. Since 2016, I’ve returned every year to work in Oaxaca’s close-knit printmaking community. Many connections between Oaxaca and the Pacific Northwest flow through my friend and Maestro Fulgencio Lazo, who continues to share his art in Seattle and Oaxaca.”
To find out more about the prints in the show, attend a free gallery talk at 2 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 17, by Vashon print artist Brian Fisher and other exhibiting artists.
Vashon Senior Center
Sally Jean Fox will present her abstract paintings at Vashon Senior Center in November and December.
Fox’s exhibition, “After the Harvest,” reflects the themes of transition, rest, uncertainty, and the possibilities that follow the harvest season. An opening reception will be held from 5-7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 1.
Fox, author of “Meeting the Muse After Midlife: A Journey to Meaning, Creativity, and Joy,” emphasizes the idea that creativity resides in everyone, regardless of whether we call ourselves “artists,” “writers,” or “musicians.” According to Fox, pursuing what lights us up can guide our way, especially during uncertain times.
Indigenous art and film
An evening including an Indigenous art showcase, silent auction, and film screening, held in support of Seattle Indian Health Board’s Thunderbird Treatment Center, will take place from 6-9 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 2, at Vashon Center for the Arts.
Featured artists will include Jack George, Steph Littlebird and Kitana Connelly.
The award-winning documentary film, “Bring Them Home,” will also be screened. The film chronicles the inspiring, decades-long effort to reintroduce buffalo to the Blackfeet Indian Reservation.
Narrated by Nez Perce actor Lily Gladstone, “Bring Them Home” won the Big Sky Award at the 2024 Big Sky Documentary Film Festival, given to films that honor the American West’s history, tradition, and imagination.
All are welcome to this evening of Indigenous art and culture. Tickets are $20, at the door.
“Peaceful Night,” by Pascale Judet, is part of the VALISE Gallery’s exhibition of small artworks priced to sell as holiday gifts. (Courtesy photo)
“A Masked Woman,” by islander Laurie D. Brown, is included in an exhibition of prints by artists from Vashon and Oaxaca, Mexico. (Courtesy photo)
“Bring Them Home,” an award-winning documentary film, will be screened as part of an evening of Indigenous arts and culture on Nov. 2, at Vashon Center for the Arts. (Courtesy photo)