Natalie & Xin hanging "Rose Trinity" by Janci Mannigton, oil on canvas

Over the past eight weeks Kirkland Arts Center has had the pleasure of working with two Teens In Public Service Interns. Xin Xin and Natalie Nichols have been exemplary KACers, working in our summer art camps and helping create new arts programs to serve the community. Today, Xin and Natalie were our resident art install

ers for the upcoming KAC Members’ Exhibit 2011. With hammers, museum wax, and good ol’ work ethic, these two arts rockstars helped get the show up. Here they both speak about the 2011 KAC Members’ Exhibit and their summer at Kirkland Arts Center.

NATALIE
As a Teens in Public Service (TIPS) intern I have had the pleasure of working on a variety of projects at the Kirkland Arts Center (KAC), which have allowed me to explore a variety of career opportunities. I have been privileged to assist with many projects, including summer camps, grant proposals, web design, and installation. One of my greatest experiences at KAC was working with the Center’s Exhibitions Director, Jayme Yahr, to install the 2011 Members’ Exhibition.

Through taking great care of the pieces, I was really was able to examine the art. As I handled the soft pink roses of Janci Mannington’s “Rose Trinity” I was engulfed by the silky flowers and their large flopping petals almost cascading from their bud. I was then taken upon a drastically different journey while looking into Collen Meacham’s grayscale photograph “Spring Chaos,” which is of a deep and highly detailed forest. I felt at peace with the stillness of the trees, yet still quite stimulated by the vast amounts of contrast within the photograph.

Natalie & Xin with "Roman head" by Lisa Sviric, 2010, hand carved alabaster

Overall this experience allowed me to explore an exhibit in a way I never thought I would be able to. From discovering the artwork at KAC, to exploring the variety of careers at the Center, I have been constantly absorbing information. I am very thankful to have had this fantastic opportunity and I will never

forget the great experiences I had at the Kirkland Arts Center.

XIN
My name is

Xin Xin, I am an intern from the Teens In Public Service. I‘ve been working with Kirkland Arts Center this summer. I first worked with the summer art camps and then moved into the offices to do some behind the scenes office work. I’ve really enjoyed working in both settings. I love kids and art, and had great time helping the campers and inspiring them to be creative. At Kirkland Arts Center, I got a lot of different tasks every day. I worked on marketing, budgets, education and the art gallery. I received the best of both worlds.

Today we put up artworks in the gallery for the Members’ Exhibition, which opens on August 19. I really enjoyed this and learned a lot about how to place and arrange art works so they can fit with the surroundings. I actually had a lot of fun hanging the art works with Jayme and Natalie. I had the privilege to look at the gallery first-hand, and I have a deeper understanding of each artwork.
Personally I love art that is about nature, so one of my favorite works in the show is by Janci Mannington titled, “Rose Trinity”. It is a painting of three white and pink roses. I really love the details of this work and feel like the roses look very real. It feels like this is not a painting, but a photo. Thank you, and I hope you will enjoy the gallery as much as I did!  ~ Xin Xin

More information about Kirkland Arts Center.

More information about Teens In Public Service.

Winter Holiday Ceramic Art Sale

Nonstop Clay is accepting applications for the Winter Holiday Ceramic Art Sale.  This is the second show for 2011 and will be held at Columbia Winery in the Columbia Room.  The show will open with an evening reception Friday, November 18 and run through Sunday, November 20. Please fill out the application and return it by Friday, August 5.  Visit www.nonstopclay.com for show details or contact Betsy Smith at 425-681-4157.

Summer Solstice Ceramic Art Sale

Celebrate summer’s start amid an offering of beautiful and unique functional and sculptural ceramics by 22 regional ceramic artists at Redmond’s Happy Valley Grange.  The show features clay demonstrations, Raku firing, Ikebana floral art and a supervised space for children to “Play with Clay”. Visit www.nonstopclay.com for show details.

Kirkland Arts Center’s Members’ Exhibition

The 2011 Kirkland Arts Center Members’ Exhibition is just a few months away. This year, John Braseth of the Woodside/Braseth Gallery will be serving as Juror. Contact Jayme Yahr, 425.822.7161 x 102 for details.

Kirkland Uncorked Artist Booths

Kirkland Uncorked provides an unique opportunity for artists to reach premier customers. Download stats here. Apply for an artist booth online. And click here for booth schedule, requirements, and logistical information. Due Wednesday, June 15.

More information on the Kirkland Arts Center website.

We are dedicated to giving each volunteer a fulfilling and positive experience here at KAC, and we hope to achieve this through an enjoyable work environment, volunteer appreciation, and the wide variety of volunteer jobs that we have to offer.  You can join our store team (did you know that KAC store is completely volunteer run?), be a class assistant, help out at events, or apply for one of our exciting internships.

Come volunteer at KAC! It’s a fun place to be! Contact Aarti Khanna, our Special Events and Volunteer Director at akhanna@kirklandartscenter.org or 425.822.7161 x103. Visit our website to learn more about KAC’s volunteer program.

Some volunteer jobs you can help with:

KAC Store team: KAC’s Art Store
You can help! KAC store is completely volunteer powered and we would love for you to join the team! Please contact Special Events and Volunteer Director, Aarti Khanna for details or to sign up for a shift. Retail experience recommended.

July 4th parade
Help decorate kids for the start of Kirkland’s popular 4^th of July parade!

Kirkland Uncorked
July 15-17 at the Kirkland water front! Help us set up artist booths, art activities, and take down, and share information about the local arts community.

Iron Potter: KAC’s take on the popular Iron Chef competition where two potters have 1 hour after the theme is revealed to make the best & most creative sculpture/pottery that fits within the theme. The theme for May 21, 2011 was Spring God/Goddess. Aaron Murray (with sous-potter Chris Franz) and Sandra Farmer (with sous-potter Betsy Smith) gave a good run. In the end Aaron & Chris took the cake with their creative & humorous “Spring God”. Look for our next Iron Potter competition at Kirkland Uncorked – arts & wine on the waterfront July 15 – 17, 2011.

Kids Activities: Several budding artists joined us in making some fantastic hand puppets. Paint, glue, crayons, colored paper galore, and glitter were used to make individual characters. We offer art classes for ages 3 and up every quarter.

Raku Firing: Have you seen the Raku firing process yet? This is a fascinating way to create very cool & organic decoration on your pottery. The pottery is fired until it’s glowing red (yes, literally glowing red pottery). The pottery is then picked up by metal tongs and placed into metal cans with newspapers and possibly a few KAC catalogs from last quarter and the lid is put on. As the pottery is smoked for 15 – 20 minutes beautiful things happen in that can. Check the photos to see the final effect. By the way, we will be doing our annual Pit Firing at the beach this summer. Sign up for the Pit Firing class with Paul Metivier.

Printmaking: Joan Mamelok and Mary Mac Dahlke were in the print studio with fun lino-cut blocks. Kids and adults were able to choose from an assortment of fun blocks or carve their own to make their very own bookmark or greeting card. We’ve got some great printmaking classes open for summer quarter (the quarter starts June 20).

Pottery Sale: The 2011 KAC Student Ceramics Sale returned after a few years’ absence, to universal acclaim. On May 20 through 22, several current students displayed and sold their work in the Kirkland Arts Center parking lot. Many of the visitors to the Education Open House bought pieces, as they explored the raku firing, children’s activities, and of course, the Iron Potter competition. Look for the sale next year, in late Spring or early Summer. A great thank you to the following participants and volunteers: Wayne Pennington, Robert Moreno, Barbara Hoftstetler, Julie Johnson, Kat Morrell, Chris Franz, Lisa Sorenaka, Marty Peterson, Anne-Marie Worden,Chris Barbee, Steve Tidwell, Kei Hirose, Ken Caldwell

Did you miss the sale? We have pottery (among other art forms like paintings, handmade greeting cards, garden art, prints, and other fun gifts) available for sale at our KAC Store in ParkPlace Center near the Kirkland movie theater. All artwork in the store is made by KAC members. Every purchase goes toward your local arts community.

Kirkland Arts Center is hosting its third quarter of Toddler Family Art Studio, unique studio sessions geared towards developing creativity.

Not only do kids have fun with art but they also develop and sharpen problem solving, motor skills, imagination, and self esteem through creation.

You and your little one will have fun interacting with other families in this drop-in studio. Toddlers will make their own masterpieces and learn to appreciate work of fellow artists. Projects include painting, gluing, constructing, and coloring. Introduce the world of art to your little one as you create lasting memories.

Toddler Family Art Studio is instructed by Curtis Erlinger who has taught art in many programs, including Foundations at SUNY Buffalo, Youth Photography at Buffalo’s CEPA Gallery, and AmeriCorps – VISTA in the Northshore School District.

Sessions are held every Wednesday, 9:30 – 11:30 AM, through March 16.

Ages 1 – 3 with an adult. $10 per child per session. Dress to mess!

Summer classes are ending this week but Fall Quarter registration is open for members and nonmember. Sign up for your class(es) today!

This Friday at 3 PM, we will be sending Myra Kaha off in style as she leaves the Education Director position. Myra’s farewell party will be held in the KAC Gallery. Refreshments will be provided.

Also this Friday at 6:30 PM, ArtLuck! will be held at the Heritage Hall park. We will meet at KAC then head down to the park and do creativity boosting exercises.

Visit the current Members’ Exhibit showcasing 40 works of art by 34 artists. KAC Satellite Exhibits are showing Francesca Lohmann at Kirkland City Hall and Nathan Lincoln at Kirkland Performance Center. The gallery is open from 11 AM – 6 PM weekdays, 11 AM – 5 PM on Saturdays.

There’s great shopping at has, Tuesday – Saturday, 10 AM – 6 PM and Sunday 12 – 5 PM

Printmaking Open Studio will be held Friday & Sunday 12 – 5 PM for currently enrolled printmaking students. Skylight Open Studio will be held Friday 1 – 5 PM for current students and members. Sunday Life Open Studio will be held Sunday 1 – 4 PM for $8, open to the public. Ceramics Open Studio will begin September 10 for ceramic students enrolled in Fall Quarter classes.

Check out our newly posted volunteer & intern positions. We’re also accepting volunteers for the REDUX volunteer team.

View the new videos on our website. The most recent was created by the summer Teens in Public Service (TIPS) interns at KAC.

Mini-golf meets conceptual art at the “KAC Links Invitational,” a nine-hole putting course designed and built by a dozen Northwest artists at the Kirkland Arts Center.

The # 8 hole at the “KAC Links Invitational” was designed by local art trio SuttonBeresCuller. Photo by Lynn Jacobson.

READ THE ARTICLE HERE!

Haven’t seen the show yet? Now’s the time: here’s a preview (Thanks, CityArts!)

Artist Ben Hirschkoff, alongside gallery visitors at Jason Hirata's installation at the public opening.

I’m now entering my second year as a resident of the Pacific Northwest, originating south of the Mason-Dixon Line, and by way of Buffalo, New York.  One might say that I’ve experienced a genuine range of American weather, so I mean it when I say:

We do not get enough summer out here.

In Junes spent elsewhere, leaving the office for lunch would mean preparing oneself to run to the car, opening all the doors to let the accumulated heat and steam out, and then crossing fingers that any bare skin doesn’t touch the fiery leather seats.   As a newly assimilated Pacific North-westerner, preparing to leave the office now means grabbing my jacket.

I’m not complaining.  Much like Caravaggio’s tenebrism, the murky darkness of our landscape only makes the sunny days that much brighter.  If I see even a glimpse of the sun on a Saturday morning, I instantly consider the many ways that I can treat the day like “summer”:  biking, visiting the beach, grilling, or getting a margarita with friends.

Right now, Kirkland Arts Center’s gallery is featuring the ultimate summer exhibition: an artist-designed, functional miniature golf course.  If you didn’t attend the opening last Friday evening, I assure you that you missed out.  The course is surprisingly addictive, and it really is the most fun in a group setting.  If you didn’t make it to the opening (and even if you did) we have another exciting opportunity for you to experience the exhibition while enjoying many of the seasonal essentials that constitute the perfect “Summer Party” on Saturday, July 24:

For a mere $25, you can grab tasty hamburgers, hot dogs, and veggie burgers right off our outdoor grill and cool off with delicious clubhouse cocktails sponsored by Dry Soda Co.  (These locally made beverages feature exotic and refreshing flavors like Kumquat, Rhubarb, Cucumber, Lemongrass, and Lavender.)  Play the course against other visitors for a chance to be crowned victor with our custom Links Invitational Green Jacket, awarded to the winner at the party.  Assuming you can tear yourself away from the course, you can step outside and enjoy a live performance by Whiting Tennis + Band (think guitar, bass, drums, and cello).

Whiting Tennis + Band performing at Open Satellite in 2009.

As if the idea of firing up the grill, sipping cool cocktails, playing a round of miniature putt-putt, and taking in a live outdoor concert didn’t already conjure nostalgic memories of sunny seasons’ past, then Molly Moon’s ice cream truck should do the trick. The truck makes a stop by KAC at 7:30PM to scoop out flavors like salted caramel, Theo’s chocolate, balsamic strawberry, and honey lavender, to name just a few.

Don’t forget to break out those plaid knickers and caps! We’re encouraging attendees to sport their best golf apparel, and we’ll even have a contest for the best fairway style.

When: Saturday, July 24

Where: Kirkland Arts Center

Tickets:  $25 (includes dinner and drinks) purchase HERE, Ice cream (sold at the event):  $2.20 small cone, $3.30 large cone.

The best part: Proceeds from ticket sales go directly to support the kind of ambitious programming that brought the Links Invitational to life!

Molly Moon's new ice cream truck will pull up to KAC at 7:30PM. Small cone: $2.20, Large cone: $3.30

This Friday, June 11 at 6 – 8:30 PM, “drive” on over to KAC for the Tee-Off/Preview of The KAC Links Invitational Exhibition!

The KAC Links Invitational brings together 12 artists, transforming the KAC Gallery into a playable, nine-hole miniature golf course. Working within loosely defined boundaries, the artists (and artist groups) respond to notions of accessibility, sport, and the balance between art and entertainment. Aiming to connect a wider audience to contemporary approaches in art-making, KAC Links Invitational challenges visitors directly with something partially familiar. By adhering (mostly) to an established format and set of rules, this exhibition already meets even the most distant arts participant half way.

Curated by Cable Griffith, with participating artists/artist teams:
Tim Cross & Whiting Tennis
Noah Grussgott
Jason Hirata
Ben Hirschkoff & Jason Wood
Trevor Johnson & Ryan Molenkamp
Kristen Ramirez
Elise Richman
SuttonBeresCuller
W. Scott Trimble