There are many reasons to love living in Thurston County, but one of the top reasons is the focus on the arts. The Fall version of the Olympia Arts Walk will be held on Friday, October 6, and Saturday, October 7.
According to their website, the Olympia Arts Walk is a semi-annual community event celebrating the arts. Thousands gather in downtown Olympia in both the Spring and Fall for a festive arts experience that uses creativity to connect and engage.
Many of our unique downtown businesses and organizations transform their spaces into creative hubs filled with art, demonstrations, and performances. Click here for a complete list of events. In the streets and sidewalks, you will find pop-up performances and places to connect around almost every corner! Arts Walk is a program of the City of Olympia Department of Parks, Arts & Recreation, and the Arts Commission, with support provided by local businesses, artists, and community partners.
One of the special exhibits you will want to check out is the Thurston County Museum of Fine Arts – yes, we have a local fine art museum! The Thurston County Museum of Fine Arts (TCMoFA) provides free and accessible art shows to the community by utilizing vacant commercial spaces and organizing with local artists.
According to Kristen Miller, a volunteer for the project, it started a year ago when the group got short-term access to a huge warehouse space right around the time of Fall Artswalk.
“We, like many people in Olympia, had been dreaming of having an art museum here in town and decided that even though we only had the space for two weeks, that we would make it into the best museum we could,” said Miller. “The small team (which includes Miller, Isabel Yasui, David Hoekje, Frederick Dobler, Jasper Pease, Griffen Quinn, and Jolie Altshuler) invited local artists, especially people who wouldn’t otherwise be participating in ArtsWalk, and with a lot of help and elbow grease, managed to turn that empty warehouse space into a professional looking museum experience! Then, only three days after opening, we had to take it all down when that space became Legends Arcade.”
However, the group received a huge amount of support from the community for that first temporary museum and the community wanted more, so since then, they have hosted two more museum pop-ups and will be opening our fourth iteration of the museum on October 6-9th – during Olympia Arts Walk.
Coastal Salish Fine Art
Their current project is the Coastal Salish Museum of Fine Art (CSMoFA), which will be running concurrently with Fall Artswalk and Indigenous Peoples’ Day. This exhibition will feature exclusively Indigenous artists in their temporary pop-up museum.
“We transform otherwise vacant spaces into public art spaces,” says Miller. “Our community gets to experience being inside buildings that are usually locked and vacant. In addition, our museum allows space for performance artists who might not otherwise fit into the usual landscape of theater and live music. We often host community events where artists and other community members can gather around art and build stronger connections. For example, we will be hosting a museum opening event on Thursday, October 5, from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. at our upcoming museum space, located at 509 4th Avenue E.”
Since the group started, they have provided space for hundreds of artists to display their work in a museum setting, allowing thousands of community members to visit the museum and enjoy art.
“While downtown Olympia is home to many private galleries and businesses which showcase art, there is no museum space where art can be enjoyed completely separate from commercial pursuit,” said Miller. “It is our goal to provide a museum experience completely free and open to the public and to create spaces where local art can be appreciated without distractions. At our last show, we had artists from many different generations showing art together, and many of them were not aware of each other’s work. We experienced artists celebrating each other's work and learning about each other's practice. Building stronger bonds between artists and art lovers is vitally important for the health of the art community and the city. Transforming vacant spaces into a gallery for local art completely recontextualizes the space for the community. It takes a place that seems abandoned or useless and lets people imagine what it can become”.
The museum will be open October 6-9 and you can also visit their website tcmofa.org to sign up for their email list, apply to volunteer, and check for open submissions for artists. “Our organization is completely volunteer-run. Are organizers meet each week to plan and organize our events,” said Miller.
In 2024, the Olympia Historical Society & Bigelow House Museum will award a $2000 history grant along with a $500 teacher stipend. The grant funds are provided by long-time Thurston County Teacher Roger Easton.
Eligible applicants are K-12 teachers, student teachers, administrators, or classroom professionals in accredited schools in Thurston County. The successful applicant will use grant funds for securing curriculum/classroom materials, training classes or conferences, developing curriculum materials, or history programs or events.
The project or training must be related to Washington state history or the Northwest region. Extra consideration will be given to proposals that address the history of Thurston County. Projects should meet Washington State Standards for Social Studies. Deadlines, applications, and other information are available at olympiahistory.org. Questions about the grant should be sent to olyhistory@gmail.com.
Intercity Transit is looking for current riders, potential new riders, and people who are unlikely to use their services to participate in several focus groups the week of October 2. The agency’s goal is to better understand the experiences and perceptions the community has about Intercity Transit and its services. The virtual focus groups provide Intercity Transit an opportunity to better communicate their programs and services to the community and address questions and concerns about riding transit in Thurston County.
The hour-long focus groups will take place in the evening between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. and will be held virtually via Zoom. Participation is limited to 10 attendees per focus group to ensure everyone can provide feedback. If more than ten people express interest, participants will be selected based on geographic location to ensure representation from across the county. Selected participants will receive a small stipend for their time. Visit www.surveymonkey.com/r/DZSJLRV to sign up today!
Soliciting your ideas
If you know of a nonprofit that is doing something great, celebrating a success, needs some outstanding volunteers, or hosting an event, let me know! This column (aside from a little education) celebrates nonprofits!
Mary Beth Harrington, CVA (Certified Volunteer Administrator) lives in Tumwater. She travels the country speaking at conferences and to individual organizations articulating issues facing nonprofits. Send your ideas to her at MaryBeth@theJOLTnews.com
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