Community Calendar

Announcing the 20th annual and FINAL Wedgwood Art Festival, July 12 &13 at Our Lady of the Lake parish schoolyard. Circumstances beyond our control will make this the last festival. So, come celebrate 20 wonderful years with us at this fun-filled event! Featuring 70 PNW artists displaying a wide variety of handmade artwork in all price ranges. Enjoy free live performances at the festival's music stage, including Ann Renyolds with Clave Gringa, ThorNton Creek and more. Dive into delicious treats from Seattle food trucks and a beer garden featuring Project 9 Brewing Co. Check out the Seattle Art Cars and talk to the driver/artists. Kids will have a ball with activities from PNC Learning Adventure, Seattle Weavers Guild, and more! Free admission. We want to thank our host, Our Lady of the Lake church, for many great years of support and appreciate all you have done for the festival.

Don't miss the final Wedgwood Art Festival Located at 3544 NE 89th St, Seattle
Sat, July 12, 10am-6pm & Sun, July 13, 10am-5pm
See the artists, the full music lineup and all the activities at: Wedgwoodfestival.com
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facebook.com/WedgwoodFestival
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Mandela: The Official Exhibition explores the life of the world’s most famous freedom fighter and political leader. His epic journey is told in a series of experiential galleries, from his rural childhood home through years of turbulent struggle against the apartheid regime, to his eventual vindication and final years as South Africa’s first democratically elected president.

An immersive and interactive experience, the exhibition features previously unseen films, photos, and the display of historical artifacts and personal effects on loan from the Mandela family, museums, and archives worldwide. This unprecedented exhibition offers fresh insights into the people, places, and events that formed Nelson Mandela’s character and the challenges he faced.

MOHAI will also highlight Mandela’s 1999 visit to Seattle and present a look at Seattle’s role in the anti-apartheid movement, including the work of the Seattle Coalition Against Apartheid. Mandela recognized Seattle as one of the first U.S. cities to boycott South African goods.

The period from the 1870s to the 1900s, known as the Gilded Age, saw the rise of the railroad, textile industry, and production. It also saw a rise in migration to US cities, providing workers to fill low paying jobs producing many of the fashions of the era. This era marked a turning point in fashion as new technologies and changing cultural norms transformed the ways in which people dressed.

Explore this history and enjoy the rare chance to see clothing, notions, and artifacts of the period from the Washington State Historical Society collections.

Get pumped for the Fire Rescue Spectacular, the ultimate firefighter and first-responder experience for kids! The free street fair is held outside the Museum and is guaranteed to be an action-packed day. Kids can explore Olympia’s fleet of emergency vehicles, take the Junior Firefighter Challenge, meet Sparky the Fire Dog, and enjoy free popsicles. Inside the Museum, kids can see wacky Dr. Science demonstrations, practice first aid techniques, and learn how to start a campfire. Museum activities are free with admission.

Presented by MultiCare Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital and Health Network in partnership with the Olympia Fire Department

Never Turn Back: Echoes of African American Music unveils the profound legacy of Gospel, Blues, Jazz, and Soul artists who shaped the soundscape of American culture and used their music as instruments of resistance, identity, and representation.

Gospel, Blues, Jazz, and Soul embody the profound influence of African American music on culture and history. From the spiritual foundations and transformative movements of Gospel hymns to the revolutionary improvisations of Jazz, the Blues’ Southern roots rising from the Mississippi Delta, and Soul’s powerful amplification of the Civil Rights and Black Power Movements, these genres have defined the unique sound and undying spirit of a nation that continues to echo through contemporary Black music today.

Opening Reception: July 3, 6pm-9pm
1213 Cornwall Ave, Bellingham, WA 98225

Allied Arts of Whatcom County proudly presents "Puzzles in Pigment," an exhibition celebrating the diverse language of abstract art through the work of four distinctive local artists. The show features Brett Sandström's balanced compositions emphasizing mindfulness and simplicity alongside Jake Gombis's large-format conversational paintings that explore both tangible and abstract relationships through pedestrian mediums. Visitors will also experience Lori VanEtta's vibrant acrylic abstracts that breathe life into every space, and Marjie Miller's encaustic pieces created using an ancient Greek technique of fused, melted wax. We regret that artist Mansur Ahmed cannot join us due to border travel limitations.

"Puzzles in Pigment" invites art enthusiasts to immerse themselves in a colorful journey where each artist's unique perspective creates a different piece of an abstract visual puzzle. From Sandström's three decades of artistic exploration to Miller's revival of classical methods, this exhibition showcases the rich diversity of abstract expression while highlighting the creative vibrancy that Allied Arts of Whatcom County cultivates in the region.

Allied Arts is a non-profit gallery, all proceeds from sales go towards supporting the arts in our community.

For more information visit www.alliedarts.org or contact the gallery at 360-676-8548 x102 or gallery@alliedarts.org.

Ballard SeafoodFest is an iconic Seattle 3-day festival that attracts more than 70,000 attendees each year. While visitors are drawn year after year to the incredible bounty of seafood delicacies, the event now celebrates a live performance stage, an expansive beer and cocktail garden that highlights the best of Ballard’s beverage scene, an eclectic mix of artisan craft vendors, family-friendly and all-ages activities, and much more. It all started in 1974 as a neighborhood salmon barbeque celebrating Ballard’s fishing industry and Scandinavian heritage while raising funds to support the Ballard community. The gathering quickly became a beloved tradition. Each year, Trident Seafoods shares their salmon catch, while Alder trees are selected and felled by hand. The salmon is then artfully prepared over open flame, creating an impressive aromatic, visual and edible centerpiece to the 50+ year community festival. The event remains free of charge to the public. All proceeds from Ballard SeafoodFest are reinvested back into the neighborhood through projects and programs that help ensure Ballard remains a vital and vibrant corner of Seattle.

Celebrate Polish culture, traditions, and contemporary achievements at Polish Festival Seattle on July 12 at Seattle Center Armory Food & Event Hall and the Mural Amphitheatre.

Polish Festival Seattle is a family-oriented event, providing an opportunity for the Polish community to perform in front of audiences, to highlight their talents, products, and services, and to create experiences that will help you gain a deeper understanding about your Polish neighbors and their heritage.

Enjoy a variety of entertainers, with performances from traditional to contemporary. Headlining the Armory stage are groups like Syrena Seattle Dance Ensemble, Vivat Musica! Choir, and Sobótka dance group, as well as soloists including vocalist/instrumentalist Marcin Pączkowski, vocalist Daniel Conrad, and Zabavva band.

Stroll through the Polish marketplace inside the Armory, where you can find Polish cookbooks, Polish crystal glasses, amber jewelry, and so much more! All day there will be children’s activities, games and crafts including ‘wianki’ flower wreath making. A feature of the festival exhibits will be a presentation of the history of Polish poster art, with posters that showcase a long tradition of addressing ongoing ecological and social issues. There will also be cooking demonstrations and a pierogi making workshop.

Outside at the Mural Amphitheatre, delight in traditional dance and music performances, enjoy delicious Polish cuisine, and visit the beer garden to participate in a vodka tasting.

Polish Festival Seattle is produced by Seattle Polish Foundation (SPF), a nonprofit organization that is the main Polish American charity in Seattle and Washington state. Since 2012, SPF has produced and sponsored the festival, as well as providing financial and organizational assistance to other cultural and arts events.

Polish Festival Seattle is part of Seattle Center Festál, a year-round series of 25 free cultural festivals. Learn more about Festál (seattlecenter.com/festal).

"Echoes, Memories and Curiosities" is an unconventional one-man show of art by Chuck Iffland, an outsider artist whose works spring from his inner visions. The son of painters, musicians and craftsmen — he uses his great-grandfather’s hand tools — Iffland turns his dreams and imaginings into sculptures and prints.
The show, divided into what he calls echoes, memories and curiosities, is open noon to 5 PM daily except Tuesdays. A free opening celebration is set for 5 p.m. Saturday, July 12, and Iffland will do a free Q & A at 3 p.m. Sunday, July 27.
This artist is a free spirit. His degree is in political science, while “I have no art degrees. And I never wanted any art degrees,” says Iffland, who lives and works in rural Chimacum. He infuses his fascinations with archeology, history, borders and the natural world into wood, stone, paper and copper, making what he calls “artifacts of the mind.” His travels, including hikes in the American Southwest and explorations of Belize, also inspire him.

Join us for a fun and relaxed watercolor class where vou'll explore new techniques and experiment with vibrant colors. Perfect for all levels - no prior experience needed!

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN:

Creative watercolor technique
mixing and blending
Layering
balance between water and pigment