The VALISE 4W Community program hosts free activities during, or close to, the fourth week (4W) of the month. Past events have included artist talks, community discussions, performances, workshops, readings, and hands-on art projects for adults and children. VALISE events are an opportunity for all ages to engage with artists to learn, gain inspiration, or play with new mediums or concepts. We invite you to tap the artistic resources we offer! If you would like to be notified of upcoming 4W events please
click here to join our mailing list.
UPCOMING 4W EVENTS:
PAST 4W EVENTS:
Saturday November 12, 2011 from 10am-Noon
4W Event - In conjunction with the November show at VALISE,
Seattle artist Vaughn Bell
will orchestrate a walk, beginning at the VALISE gallery. You will be invited to borrow an I Ped, created by Vaughn and described as: “a tool for walking, or a more rustic version of your digital mobile device.” Please join us to “explore and create your own landscape by walking, noticing, writing and drawing.”
For further information please contact VALISE member
Carol Schwennesen at 206.595.0388.
Sunday October 9th, 2011 from 3-5pm
In conjunction with the October Show at VALISE, the collective will host a free community activity on October 9th.
Lonny Kaneka, a poet and teacher, will lead an interactive poetry workshop at the VALISE Gallery in Downtown Vashon. The workshop will draw inspiration from the images of Gay Schy, a VALISE member and
Lynn-Mauser-Bain, a California artist. These artists will be showing their own encaustic paintings as well as a joint installation of encaustic monotype scrolls which are back lit. This workshop are free and open to all. Please bring paper and a pen. If you need further information please contact Gay Schy at 567.5450.
Saturday September 17, 2011 from 4-5pm
In conjunction with the
September show at VALISE, the collective will host a free community activity on September 17th. The artist Beverly Naidus will facilitate a discussion of the works on display at 4 pm at VALISE Gallery and fellow Vashon Islander, Margot Boyer who is a writer, teacher, beekeeper and gardener, will do a reading. For further information please contact VALISE member Beverly Naidus at
bnaidus@uw.edu.
First Friday August 5, 2011 from 5:30-6pm
In conjunction with the August show at VALISE, the collective will host a free community activity prior to the opening reception on August 5th. The artists Heather Joy and Leanne Olds will discuss their work from 5:30-6pm. For further information please contact VALISE member Heather Joy at 206-551-3180.
Saturday July 30, 2011 at 2:30pm
In conjunction with the July show at VALISE, the collective will host two free community activities on Saturday July 30th.
At 2:30 p.m., a workshop for children, and those who are young at heart, will offer an opportunity to construct bird or insect puppets and assist their migration home following maps or navigational charts drawn by participants. All materials will be provided by VALISE.
At 4 p.m. Sana Krusoe, Associate Professor of Art at the University of Oregon, whose luminous porcelain forms are now on display at VALISE, will speak about her recent trip to the Arctic and its influence on her life and work. She will bring ceramic forms, on which children or adults may create personal maps. Please join us for this rare opportunity to gain greater insight into Sana's "fuse" series, about migration, navigation, desire, and home.
For additional information please contact Brian Van Buren at 206-227-0061.
Saturday June 18, 2011 at 2:30pm
In conjunction with the June show at VALISE, the collective invites the public to join Chris Phillips who will make music in response to the art work currently on display in the gallery. Everyone is encouraged to chime in. Let your creativity out through sound! There will be instruments provided or bring your own. Ukuleles and accordions encouraged. Free, all ages welcome at VALISE Gallery, 17633 Vashon Hwy. Questions? Call VALISE member Nan Joy at 206.579.6494.
Friday May 20, 2011 from 5-7pm
Join participating artists and VALISE artist collective members for a “celebratory walk-through” and discussion of the May show: “The Elephant in the Room … or… what is censorship, anyway?” The work islanders are exhibiting at VALISE gallery during the month of May has provoked thoughtful and wide-ranging discussions around the topic of censorship. We would like to continue the discussion, and share some of the “back-stories” behind the art, on Friday May 20th, from 5 to 7 p.m. During the walk-through and conversation, Chris Phillips will improvise on acoustic bass guitar, in response to ambient sounds inside and outside the gallery. As part of VALISE’s ongoing “4-W” series, this event is free and open to the public; all ages are welcome.
Sunday, March 27, 2011 from 1-2:30pm
In conjunction with the March show at VALISE, the collective offers "Tattoo Talk", a discussion, show and tell, question and answer forum for those who know the historic tales of their tattoo images and the thinking behind their choices, those who want to know, and those who have stories to tell about having gotten - or not gotten - a tattoo. Free, everyone welcome at VALISE Gallery, 17633 Vashon Hwy, just south of Express Cuisine. Kathy Johnson and Casey Buxton will needle the discussion. Questions? Call Carol Schwennesen 206. 567.5907 or 206. 595.0388 (cell) for details.
Sunday February 27, 2011 from 1-3pm
In conjunction with the February show at VALISE, which features a large, improvised three-dimensional drawing by member artist Elizabeth Conner, a FREE two- and three-dimensional drawing workshop, for all ages, will be offered in the gallery from 1-3 p.m. on Sunday February 27th. All materials will be provided. When she is not busy with wild experiments at VALISE, Conner teaches drawing, in many dimensions, at the University of Washington – Tacoma. Questions? Call Elizabeth at 206.310.0251 for details.
Saturday October 9, 2010 from 10-11am
All are invited to a workshop, WORDS AND ART, for children of all ages. It will be hosted by Anders Blomgren and Carol Schwennesen on Saturday October 9th from 10 to 11 a.m. at VALISE Gallery. Anyone who can hold a pencil is welcome, and for those who cannot hold a pencil, the words you come up with will be transcribed by an assistant! For further information please contact VALISE member Carol Schwennesen at 206.567.5907.
Sunday September 5, 2010 at 1pm
Rebecca Roberts conducted a hands-on clay experience at Valise Gallery. The event was a community opportunity to explore touching the earth in a new way and learn a bit about the nature of clay. Participants used one of the most intimate forming methods and shared the results with each other. This was a contemplative experience appropriate for teens and adults.
Click here to read a report and see pictures from the event.
Friday July 30, 2010 from 7-8pm
VALISE Artist Collective & Gallery will host an evening music performance Friday July 30th from 7:00 to 8:00pm featuring Island musician/artist Chris Phillips at the gallery, 17633 Vashon Hwy S. Chris will play a solo electric bass improvisation creating a palette of tones with silence, texture, and duration to augment the rich and colorful
all-Island invitational show displayed in the gallery in July.
Sunday, March 28, 2010 from 4:30 to 6 pm
Please join us for an informal artists' talk with visuals will be presented by Elizabeth Conner and A. Jacob Galle at VALISE. Open to the entire community, it is an introduction to their exhibit "Invented Inventories" opening at VALISE April 2 at 6 pm. Elizabeth Conner, member of VALISE, and A. Jacob Galle, an artist who farms in a small town in Maine, will host a conversation about creative process, which involves both face to face and cross-country collaboration.
Questions? Call Elizabeth Conner at 206.310.0251.
Sunday, March 21, 2010 from 10a to 12p
Workshop: Taking a Line for a Walk
VALISE Gallery members Carol Schwennesen, Elizabeth Conner, and Brian Van Buren will offer a free workshop Taking a Line for a Walk. This is your chance to experiment with a whole lot of lines, in two and three dimensions. Just walk on in to the VALISE Gallery! The only prerequisite is the ability to hold a pencil or pen. The workshop is open to children and "children-at-heart". For information contact Brian Van Buren 206.463.7889.
Monday, August 31, 2009 from 5 to 7:30 pm at the Monkey Tree
August 4W event - A Children's Art Session
Creative art activities for toddlers to age 6. Please bring your own drawing materials. Some drawing materials will be available for those just beginning.
Saturday, August 29, 2009 from 10am to noon
August 4W event - a workshop. We hope you will join us!
Beverly Naidus will lead a workshop: "Eco-art for Everyday Life." Participants are invited to bring a sketch pad, journal or blank paper, pencils, a camera and scavenged materials. All ages are invited, please dress for the weather and a walk. Destination and distance to be announced when the group meets at VALISE Gallery at 10 a.m.
Friday August 28, 2009 at 7pm
August 4W event - an Artist Talk.
Beverly Naidus will give a talk entitled, underGROUND: Artifacts of this Moment. She invites members of the community to participate in a lively conversation about contact improvisation (in the studio, the woods and the street) and the interweaving of art and social issues.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009 from 7 to 8:30 pm
July 4W event - Artist Talk
Heather Joy and Matthew Olds discuss their current show Land/Structure/Impact, where they explore
the relationship between humans and the land.
Monday, July 27, 2009 from 5 to 7:30 pm
July 4W event - A Children's Art Session
Creative art activities for toddlers to age 6. Please bring your own drawing materials and a chair or cushion. Some drawing materials will be available for those just beginning.
Monday June 29, 2009 from 5:00 to 8:00 PM
June 4W event - A children's art session
Please bring your own drawing materials and a chair or cushion. Some drawing materials will be available for those just beginning.
Sunday June 28, 2009 from 12:00 to 3:00 PM
June 4W event - A life drawing and still life session
Please bring your own drawing materials and a chair or cushion. Some drawing materials will be available for those just beginning.
Sunday June 28, 2009 from 3:00-5:00 PM
June 4W event - Amy Huddleston, whose work is currently featured at VALISE, will give a demonstration of her monoprint techniques and process. She is looking forward to an informal dialogue with her audience as she develops three-dimensional form on a flat surface, using unexpected tools such as Q-tips and bamboo.
Thursday June 25, 2009 from 6:00 to 9:00 PM
June 4W event - A life drawing session
Please bring your own drawing materials and a chair or cushion. Some drawing materials will be available for those just beginning.
Sunday, March 29, 2009 from 12:00 to 3:00 pm
Another March 4W Event: A Drawing Session
The Valise Artist Collective will host a drawing session Sunday, March 29 from 12:00 to 3:00 pm at the Valise Gallery, 17622 Vashon Hwy. The session is open to all ages and will include some life drawing and still life studies. Please bring your own drawing materials and a chair or cushion. Materials will be available for those of you who are just beginning to draw. Valise will host this session monthly. For more information contact Brian Van Buren at 206/227-0061.
Saturday, March 28, 2009 at 2:15pm
VALISE’S FIRST “4W” EVENT: Mason Bees and Chickens!
At 2:15 pm Saturday, March 28 after the Farmers Market closes, everyone is invited to Valise Gallery located at 17622 Vashon Highway. The Valise Artist Collective will host presentations by Jerry Gehrke on, “Mason Bees on Vashon: Why, When, and How To” and Amy Beth and Toby Holmes, with Sheryl Allen and Grace Hockley on “Having Chickens - a Local Pecking Party Panel.” Amy Beth Holmes and her husband Toby own Holmestead Farms www.holmesteadfarms.com. Questions are encouraged. Prizes will be awarded for the best chicken and Mason bee imitations. Bring a cushion or folding chair to sit on! Questions? Call Carol Schwennesen at 206/567-5907.