An Arts Olympia Historical Perspective

When I moved to Olympia in the fall of 1990, Charlie Keck said, “You might want to join Arts Olympia because one of their members is an artist/art therapist. She was Ruby Kopelman who made family art puppets which were displayed at Panowitz Jewelry on the corner of Capital Way and Fifth Street. Charlie Keck was a photographer and played a jazz piano when we opened our reception Friday evening at the Coach House Annual Arts Olympia Art Show.

I will name a few of the artists back then. Susan Emley painted Russian folk characters from her study in Russia. Paul Schaufler was “an old-fashioned photographer,” and printed his own gel photos in the dark room in the basement of his home. A former forester, Paul, has outstanding photos of Mt. Rainier, the Olympia Rain Forest, and Hood Canal at Dusk. I know. I own those three. David Edwards sculpts stone and wood. David told us that the stone speaks to him and images emerge from the stone. David sculptured a gooey duck for The Evergreen State College. He sculped a woman as she ages. Marie Hassett sewed fabrics into birds on branches. Bernie Bleha held a salon in his woodworking workshop where his collages consisted of hundreds of tiny pieces of wood. Patrick Cavendish painted a walk with family through the English forest. Myra Orsini sculps big pieces, owns, and manages the Monarch Sculpture Park on the Western-Chehalis Train in Tenino. Ed Sharp photographed tender days with his mother. Pat Hedwall, Claire Thompson, and Karen McInturff were fabric artists. Rebecca Smurr worked with tiny mosaics. Margo Westfall fabricated the steel Chalice at the Unitarian Church. Marge McGinley painted “horses of course.” She had grown up on the farm in Montana. Art Rediske was a silversmith, made fine jewelry, and taught daughter Claire. Barbara Packard rendered the image of the 2006 National Capitol Christmas Tree, a silver fir from the Olympia National Forest. Barbara’s was unveiled by Governor Gregoire before being presented to the National Director of U.S. Forest Service. Marilyn Abel did etchings on copper plates. Lois Beck did monoprint collages. Matri Sojourner made a story pole for conversations with those on the street in downtown Olympia. Laraine Wade-Butter quilts. Jo Jenner, at age 90, gave a solo retrospective at Childhood’s End. Diane Fairbanks painted Washington State rivers. I learned to make masks with the Native women of the Shoalwater Bay Indian Tribe. Masks became my medium in plaster of Paris, clay, and steel. I presented mask making salons.

Many fine artists have not been mentioned. You asked me to give you two sentences.

Barbara Young

Olympia, Washington

March 27, 2025