When I first moved to Olympia, WA in 1988, it was right on the verge of becoming a vortex for the music scene. Being an introvert, I was only on the periphery, but the music scene around me was oozing with energy. Some of my friends were more involved, playing guitar on the street with Kurt Cobain, filling in for the Black Happy drummer out at the Steamboat Firehouse, making zines at the library. I was in Kathleen Hannah’s apartment one night when she and Allison Wolfe were in the brainstorming stage of what would become Bikini Kill and Bratmobile. They didn’t even play instruments yet, and I honestly didn’t think it would amount to anything. A few years later, Bikini Kill was at the center of a feminist-punk revolution, and along with a whole lot of other Olympia bands, were drawing people to the area from far and wide.
Recently, I have noticed that creatives are bursting from Olympia’s seams once again. I think this city is on the cusp of another cultural revolution. The old Armory is being transformed into an art center, an art museum is being developed, and a new tax has passed that will ensure some robust funding for the arts.
At the end of January, I attended an event at The Washington Center where around 70 people gathered, united by mutual interest in creative collaboration. The event was structured a bit like speed dating, and every 10 minutes we rotated to different groups and gave a quick introduction. Our missive was to think of ways each combination could collaborate if resources were unrestricted. It was so much fun! I met amazing people doing mind-blowing work in our community. I met someone who uses art to help people with Alzheimer’s, a physician with a pay-what-you-can element of her practice, an Indigenous podcaster, someone who takes puppetry to schools and kids’ camps, documentarians, podcasters, filmmakers, science teachers… it was a truly inspirational night! It was intended to be a first step, and I look forward to seeing what comes down the line.
Arts, Heritage and Science Week with the legislature took place during the first week of February and I signed up to represent the 24th district, along with one other participant who runs the historical society in Port Angeles. This was my second time participating in this event, where legislators meet with constituents to discuss pending bills. I find that I really enjoy advocating for the arts, and I think I’m pretty good at it. When I feel strongly about something, my enthusiasm supersedes my inherent shyness. I live in a rural area of Washington state and I am painfully aware that, when worthwhile public art opportunities become available, it is almost exclusively restricted to artists in King, Pierce and Thurston counties. For artists in rural areas, these projects are out of reach and we have to pursue work in other states. Our district includes a significant portion of the Pacific coast and Hoh Rainforest, so failure to support the arts in this district is a huge lost opportunity. If only there was more funding for galleries, museums, festivals and public art, more visitors to the coast would have reasons to stop along the way, and it would help to boost the local economy.
Aside from these events, I’ve been focused on working in the studio, making steady progress on the current commission. I’ve been posting a lot more frequently on instagram and my facebook page. If you aren’t on those platforms, I also occasionally post little videos on YouTube.
