First Friday celebrates culture, cultivation for start of Irrigation

First Friday Art Walk Sequim

When: 5-8 p.m. May 4

Where: Various venues, downtown Sequim

The Sequim Irrigation Festival’s “where water is wealth” inspires the aqua color theme celebrating cultivation and culture during the May 4 Sequim Art Walk.

The color aqua expresses responsible, sustainable elements of cool fresh water, abundant salty seas, renewing rain, and bright sunny skies. Art and music inspired by our natural resources, creativity, positive partnerships, and revolutionary ideas are included in the May First Friday Art Walk Sequim.

From our inventive cultivating irrigation ditches that make our valley abundant to our future forward-thinking ideas are highlighted at the Innovative Arts and Crafts Fair. Besides wearing the color theme of aqua, everyone is encouraged to dress up in amusing and whimsical outfits for the Irrigation Festival’s “Crazy Callen Weekend”! And, remember it is “Star Wars” May the Fourth Be With You Day too!

First Friday Art Walk Sequim is a fun and free self-guided tour of local art venues in Sequim on the First Friday of every month from 5-8 p.m. Visit online at www.sequimartwalk.com to print your own map, find special events and links, and how to be part of art. Our mission is to create approachable and accessible art and cultural venues that encourage the community to connect and celebrate expression and diversity.

Initiated in 2006, this encouraging and educational arts event is sponsored and produced by unique as you/Renne Emiko Brock. To participate in the First Friday Art Walk Sequim, contact Renne directly at renne@uniqueasyou.com or through Facebook.com/sequimartwalk.

Special events

The Irrigation Festival Innovative Arts and Crafts Fair launches the First Friday Art Walk Sequim Patron Preview at the Sequim Civic Center Plaza at 152 West Cedar St. (see story, B-10). This year is the 28th year for the Arts and Crafts Fair that provides an opportunity for vendors to sell their handcrafted wares. Recycle, Reuse and Repurpose are an underlying theme of the Innovative Arts and Crafts Fair which will have creative demonstrations throughout Saturday and Sunday, as well as an Innovative Reuse Showcase and Contest you can enter on Friday night and Saturday morning. Enjoy entertainment and food as well on May 5-6! Find more details at IrrigationFestival.com.

Throughout the town, artwork created by our local students for the 2018 Irrigation Festival Button Contest will be on display at several Sequim Merchants.

In anticipation of World Accordion Day, Olympic Theatre Arts welcomes Ken Lillagore’s “Accordion My Way” performance beginning at 5:30 p.m. at 414 N. Sequim Ave. Lillagore is quick to dispel the accordion’s cliché image: “When you hear ‘accordion’, the first thing that comes to mind is polka or Lawrence Welk,” he says. “I don’t play that music. I play the music I enjoy, like show tunes, ballads and standards.” First Friday at Olympic Theatre Arts is always free to the public where the snack and beverage bar will be open.

Rainshadow Café at 157 W Cedar St. is hosting live music with Bread and Gravy from 6-8 p.m. They will have their full menu available and some small plates paired perfectly with local wine and beer such as Camaraderie, Harbinger, Finn River and Port Townsend Brewery.

The Museum and Arts Center features Shirley Mercer’s “A Story to Tell II – Local Sights in Watercolor” exhibition at 175 W. Cedar St. This is the second installment of her “A Story to Tell” Series and new paintings of the Olympic Peninsula local vistas. There will be a demonstration with the artist on May 5 at 1 p.m. called, “Photo to Finished Painting.”

Blue Whole Gallery, at 129 W. Washington St., features “Shadows of the past” with digital artist Marilynn Evans. Marilynn creates emotional reality from her original photographs brushed with refined technical skills. A tapestry of beautifully composed images will lead the viewer to the shadow of the past. The gallery will also present a silent auction window by the member artists in support of the scholarship for Sequim High School students.

Forage Gifts & Northwest Treasures at 121 W. Washington St. features amazing blown glass art by Megan Schmidlkofer of Molten Mama Hot Shop.

Get involved

To participate as a venue or artist on the Official First Friday Art Walk Sequim map, listing and website, contact Renne Emiko Brock at 360-460-3023 or renne@uniqueasyou.com. If you are an artist of any media, please get your information to Renne for publicity and opportunities.

To create inclusion between venues, artists, and audience, everyone is encouraged to participate in the Art Walk’s monthly themes as a fun community activity in any creative form they wish to express it. January is silver, February is red, March is green, April is pink, May is aqua, June is white, July is purple, August is yellow, September is blue, October is orange, November is brown and December is gold.