By Sally Gracie
Methow Arts’ Facebook timeline has a new cover photo and profile picture this Monday morning — “art baby” graphics — and the most recent post begins, “A tiny work of art has entered the world.” Congratulations to Amanda and Kraig Mott, whose daughter was born at the hospital in Brewster (if all went according to the plans Amanda had last Friday).
The decommissioned phone booth outside the Twisp post office is being transformed by artist Steve Ward into the second Little Art Library in the valley. Steve has given it a pagoda top and a red door with a giant “keyhole.” Methow Arts had planned to fill it with books today (April 21) but the excitement over the baby might have slowed things down. When I stopped by, there were no books.
Twisp Library Friends culled the generous donations from the community to start things up, but once the library is running, book lovers may follow the “give one, take one” idea to make the valley’s second Little Art Library a success.
We can thank Hank Konrad for encouraging the expansion of the produce section at Hank’s Harvest Foods to include a wide display of cut flowers and potted plants. Victoria Simms, who works there three days a week, was given leeway to add some color and variety to the flower section. Victoria has a love of flowers and an eye for appealing plants. I, for one, have enjoyed the cut daffodils, irises and tulips in my house while I wait for my own garden to bloom. By Easter Sunday, the pickings were rather slim, a good sign, but I did find a bunch of rose-colored tulips to take to a friend.
Book and movie lovers, please put May 3, on your calendar. Seattle film critic and author Robert Horton will be in the valley to present “The Movie Mashup: Wild Literary Adaptations on Film.” Horton’s presentation at The Merc Playhouse that day at 7 p.m. will be the third annual spring speakers event hosted by Twisp Library Friends and made possible by grants from Humanities Washington.
Twisp Library’s annual Memorial Day Book Sale will be held on May 24. Because storage space has run out, Twisp Library Friends requests that you hold your donations until the week of May 19. If you are moving or leaving town before then, contact me at 997-4364. The success of the sale will depend, as always, on your generous donations.
There will two art openings on Saturday (April 26). “Raven,” curated by Mary Lou McCollum and Suzi Jennings, opens at Confluence Gallery with a reception for the artists from 4 – 8 p.m. Works by local and regional artists will explore the raven theme. As familiar as we are with the valley’s ravens (and crows), the artists’ work will extend our understanding of this intelligent bird’s long history as a symbol in literature and art.
At the Winthrop Gallery, an artists’ reception will be held the same evening from 5 – 7 p.m. for the new exhibit “Artifacts.” Gallery board member Patty Yates says that the title of the show gave the artists “lots of latitude. What do you think of as an artifact? Something ancient dug from the ground? Or some thing you find in the back of the closet from the 1960s?” Several local artists will be featured, including Patty.
At 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 3 p.m. on Sunday at The Merc Playhouse, the Liberty Bell High School Drama Company will perform an original musical comedy by Danbert Nobacon. Mirificus High should be fun. It’s great that Danbert has stepped up with the high school kids since Jane Orme retired as English teacher and director of a slew of student plays.
