Community Arts

While the Arts Festival may be the biggest show in town, the following community organizations have exciting goings-on during Festival time. Also, don’t forget to check out all of our downtown businesses that welcome us into their front yards.

Here is what happened in 2007:

Kyudo Archery

In partnership with Anacortes Sister Cities Association, a unique addition to this year’s Art at the Port lineup is special performances of Kyudo archery. This form of Japanese ceremonial archery is rooted in traditional Samurai and involves precision of movements, peaking with the power of the arrow's release. It has been described as the art of finding the relationship between the bow, the body, and the spirit uniting into a harmonious whole. Master Archer Nobuaki Kikuchi from Anacortes’ Sister City Kisakata, Japan, will be among the participants. Performances will be on Saturday, August 4 and Sunday, August 5 from 11 - 12 and 2 - 3 at Art at the Port.

Washington Park Art Installation

Artist Margot Myers from Anacortes received a $5,000 Festival grant to create a temporary fiber installation in Washington Park this summer. The installation consists of silk-screened banners suspended between trees in a natural forest setting. The Anacortes Parks & Recreation and Anacortes Arts Commission approved the installation. During August, walkers along the popular Washington Park loop road have the best vantage point to view the artwork. Look for it near the .75 mile marker.

Arts-4-All

The Anacortes Arts Commission is partnering with the Festival, Anacortes Community & Youth Arts, the Fidalgo Youth Symphony and The Dance Center to present Arts-4-All, a free community cultural arts series beginning Sunday, July 29th at 1:30 at the Port of Anacortes warehouse. 

Susan Parke, Curator of the Art at the Port Exhibition will lead the audience through the work of the Past, Forward biennial exhibit. 

Fidalgo Youth Symphony, featuring Anacortes student musicians, will perform a strings concert with accompanying dance performances by The Dance Center.

The event will be the “official” opening of the Festival Youth Art Exhibit organized by Anacortes Community & Youth Arts.  The Youth Exhibit includes non-juried two and three dimensional artwork from students in kindergarten through 12th grades. 

Arts-4-All will continue with “What Makes Jazz Jazz” at the Anacortes Public Library on August 26th and an intergenerational event in November featuring the Anacortes Harmonaires.

First Friday Gallery Walk

Anacortes art galleries are continuing the tradition of an annual Festival First Friday Gallery Walk on August 3rd from 6 – 9 p.m.  Participating locations include

• Scott Milo Gallery
• Anne Martin McCool Gallery
• Insights Gallery
• Digital Art Moments
• Adrift Cafe
• Gallery at the Depot
• Bowman Gallery
• Wildflowers Home & Garden

Insights Gallery

July 28th - August 11th: Plein Air Washington members paint for two weeks on location in July in the San Juan Islands on preserved and public lands. The first night is an opening gala and a portion of sales this evening will benefit the San Juan Preservation Trust.
516 Commercial Ave - (360) 588-8044

African Drum and Dance Workshop

Master African Drummer Saeed Abbas leads an African Drum and Dance Workshop on Saturday, July 28th at 1:30 at the Port of Anacortes warehouse following the Art Dash. The first hour of the workshop focuses on Ghanaian drumming, followed by an hour of traditional dance.  The workshop is being funded by an Arts Festival grant and is free to the public.  Participants are encouraged, but not required, to bring drums.  Saeed is one of a handful of masters in his art, having performed internationally in the National Dance Ensemble of Ghana for Bill and Hillary Clinton and the Queen of England.