VALISE artist collective & gallery

Vashon Artists Linked In Social Engagement

News

Welcome to the latest news about the gallery, upcoming events, our members, or what the press deems fit to print. Consider joining our mailing list to stay up to date about exciting upcoming VALISE exhibitions and events or what our members are up to. Click here to join our mailing list.

VALISE IS SEEKING APPLICATIONS

for an Artist Residency at VALISE during January and February 2012. Deadline to apply is 11/20/11. Click here for more information.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

Artist in Residence:

Meet Tom Hughes at VALISE on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm. VALISE is open First Fridays 6 to 9 pm and Saturdays 11 am to 5 pm. www.VALISEgallery.org

PAST EVENTS:

First Friday November 4, 2011 from 6-9pm

All are invited to attend the opening reception for the November show 'TIME' featuring VALISE members Carol Schwennesen and Elizabeth Conner. For further information please contact VALISE member Carol Schwennesen at 206.595.0388.

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.

First Friday October 7, 2011 from 6-9pm

All are invited to attend the opening reception for the October show featuring VALISE member Gay Schy and guest artist Lynn-Mauser-Bain from California. For further information please contact VALISE member Gay Schy at 206.567.5450.

Sunday October 9, 2011 from 3-5pm

4W Event - In conjunction with the October show at VALISE,
the collective will host a free poetry workshop

featuring the October artists Gay Schy and Lynn-Mauser-Bain.

For further information please contact VALISE member Gay Schy at 206.567.5450.

Saturday September 17, 2011 from 4-5pm

4W Event - 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 September 2, 2011 from 6-9pm

All are invited to attend the opening reception for the September show Imagining the Future We Want curated by VALISE member Beverly Naidus. Click here to learn more about the show. 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.

First Friday August 5, 2011 from 6-9pm

All are invited to attend the opening reception for the August show Special Relativity featuring Leanne Olds from Madison WI and VALISE member Heather Joy. Click here to learn more about the show. 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.

First Friday July 1, 2011 from 6-9pm

All are invited to attend the opening reception for the July show featuring Sana Krusoe from the University of Oregon and VALISE member Brian Van Buren. Click here to learn more about the show. For further information please contact VALISE member Brian Van Buren at 206.227.0061

Saturday, June 18 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, just south of Express Cuisine. Questions? Call VALISE member Nan Joy at 206.579.6494.

First Friday June 3, 2011 from 6-9pm
All are invited to attend the opening reception for the June show Home featuring Liz Brugato from Portland, OR and VALISE member Nan Joy. Click here to learn more about the show. For further information please contact VALISE member Nan Joy at 206.579.6494.

Friday May 20th 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.

First Friday May 6, 2011 from 6-9pm
All are invited to attend the opening reception for the May show The elephant in the room... the snake in the suitcase... or... What is censorship, anyway? An all-ages all-island (and beyond) conversation... in words, images, objects, and then some... Click here to learn more about the show. For further information please contact VALISE member Elizabeth Conner at 206.310.0251.

First Friday April 1, 2011 from 6-9pm
All are invited to attend the opening reception for the April show Amalgamation featuring Shelly Stefanko from Leavenworth, WA and VALISE member John Martin. Click here to learn more about the show. For further information please contact VALISE member John Martin at 206-619-2364.

Sunday, March 27 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.

First Friday March 4, 2011 from 6-9pm
All are invited to attend the opening reception for the March Tatto show. Click here to learn more about the show. For further information please contact VALISE member Nan Joy at 206.463.6569.

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.

First Friday February 4, 2011 from 6-9pm

All are invited to attend the opening reception for the January show featuring artists Elizabeth Conner (a member of the VALISE collective) and Patti Shaw. Click here to learn more about the show. For further information please contact

Elizabeth Conner at 206.310.0251.

First Friday January 7, 2011 from 6-9pm

All are invited to attend the opening reception for the January show featuring artists Beverly Naidus (a member of the VALISE collective) and Shahreyar Ataie. Click here to learn more about the show. For further information please contact VALISE member Beverly Naidus at 206.463.4223.

First Friday December 3, 2010 from 6-9pm

All are invited to attend the opening reception for the show Gift featuring all current VALISE members. Click here to learn more about the show. For more information, please contact VALISE Artist Member Elizabeth Conner at 206.310.0251.

First Friday November 5, 2010 from 6-9pm

All are invited to attend the opening reception for the show Crenellated Hearts featuring artists Jiji Saunders and Heather Timken. Click here to learn more about the show. For further information please contact VALISE member Jiji Saunders at 206.463.4165.

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.

First Friday October 1, 2010 from 6-9pm

All are invited to attend the opening reception for the show re:source featuring artists Carol Schwennesen and Tracy Linder.

Click here to learn more about the show.

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.

First Friday September 3, 2010 from 6-9pm

All are invited to attend the opening reception for the September show featuring artists Terri Fletcher and Rebecca Roberts. Click here to learn more about the show. For further information please contact VALISE member Terri Fletcher at 206/463-1979.

First Friday August 6, 2010 from 6-9pm

All are invited to attend the opening reception for the show Words In Art featuring artists Francesca Fuller, Gay Schy and Joan Wortis. Click here to learn more about the show. For further information please contact VALISE member Gay Schy at 206/567-5450.

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.

First Friday, June 4, 2010 from 6-9pm

First Friday, May 7, 2010 from 6-9pm

First Friday, April 2, 2010 from 6-9pm

Please join us for the opening reception!

To welcome the month of April on Vashon, Elizabeth Conner, VALISE member, and Jacob Galle, an artist who farms in a small town in Maine, will collaborate with several of VALISE’s neighbors in downtown Vashon, to create an installation that begins in the VALISE Gallery and may spill into the street. The precise results of this week-long effort will be a surprise to all, including the artists and the generous businesses loaning items from their inventories, and sharing stories about what they do and create for a living. Galle and Conner have communicated cross-country since January, trading ideas and images that may also appear in the gallery and streetscape. Please join us to be surprised by the resulting artwork. Click here to read more about the show. For more information, please contact VALISE Artist Member Elizabeth Conner at 206.310.0251.

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.

First Friday, March 5, 2010 from 6-9pm

VALISE Gallery welcomes Seattle artist, John Feodorov and Whidbey Island artist, Lauren Atkinson for a show opening March 5th, entitled, De-Natured. Both artists were students of Valise Gallery member Beverly Naidus over twenty years ago when they were undergraduate art students at California State University Long Beach. De-Natured opens on March 5th from 6-9 pm. The work will be on display every Saturday during the month of March, from 11 am-5 pm, and by appointment. For more information, please contact VALISE Artist Member Beverly Naidus at 206-463-4223.

First Friday, February 5, 2010 from 6-9pm

During February, VALISE Gallery presents Vashon artists Jiji Saunders and Pascale Judet. Jiji reveals her obsession with six archetypes in a dreamy exhibit loosely titled, Petit Mal. Pascale’s will show her mixed media constructions that feature dreamscapes inhabited with her sentient, playful creatures. The show runs First Friday and Saturdays through the end of February. For more information, please contact VALISE Artist Member Jiji Saunders (206) 463-4165.

First Friday, January 8, 2010 from 6-9pm

You are cordially invited to the January opening reception!

VALISE Gallery will launch Victor Monchego's posthumous parody, "A CIA Field Guide to Foreign Undergarments." The booklet is an assembly of broody vignettes, featuring estranged ex-pats, spies, and quixotic nomads. Victor Bravo Monchego, Jr. was born in Colorado in 1953 to an unwed pair of fur trappers. After immigrating to Canada, Vic labored as a carpenter, soldier, mining engineer, snake handler, poet, brewery worker, crop duster, produce clerk, sweatshop inspector and security consultant. He spent his final years on Maury Island. The Cold War Safehouse installation will also host photography by Muscovite Irene Stroganova and Rollin Geppert. Visit VALISE on the opening evening to enter the Safehouse Lottery to win a night's lodging and a hot meal inside the Safehouse on Saturday, January 16. The exhibit will be on display from January 8 to 30, every Saturday from 11am ‘til 5 pm, or by appointment. For more info contact: Jiji Saunders or Warren Maierhofer 206.463.4165.

First Friday, December 4, 2009 from 6-9pm

First Friday, November 6, 2009 from 6-9pm

First Friday, October 2, 2009 from 6-9pm

First Friday, September 4, 2009 from 6-9pm

VALISE Gallery is proud to present an interactive sound installation entitled Felt by Gust Burns and Melanie Noel, and Sketched, a group of new paintings by VALISE gallery member Brian Van Buren. The exhibit will be on display from September 4 to 26, every Saturday from noon ‘til 5 pm, or by appointment.

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. We hope you will join us!

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.

First Friday, August 7, 2009 from 6-9pm

VALISE Gallery is proud to introduce the community to recent work by the artists, Carol Schwennesen and Beverly Naidus in a two-person exhibition they have entitled underGROUND. The exhibit will be on display from August 7-29, every Saturday from noon ‘til 5 pm, or by appointment.

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.

First Friday, July 3, 2009 from 6-9pm

Please join us for the opening reception!

During July, VALISE Gallery presents photographer and VALISE member Heather Joy with painter Matthew Olds in their ongoing multi-media exhibit Land/Structure/Impact. Joy and Olds (aka HOLD studios) collaborate to explore the relationship between humans and the land from a micro and macro level.

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.

First Friday, June 5, 2009 from 6-9pm

Please join us for the opening reception!

During June, VALISE Gallery presents Seattle painters Amy Huddleston and Jane Emens in their exhibit Foresight. Both artists present fascinating paintings reminiscent of summer mists with bold shapes of pure color. The works of these painters give a visual voice to emotional experiences, or as the poet Jean Moréas said they, ‘clothe the idea in sensuous form’. Foresight is a show about the quiet spaces and naive moments that open our minds to glimpse clairvoyance. The show runs through June.

First Friday, May 1, 2009 from 6-9pm

Please join us for the opening reception!

During the month of May, VALISE Gallery will exhibit work from its eleven member artists. Members run the gallery, which is dedicated to presenting subjects and media that are daring, unexpected and emergent. The May Members Show will spotlight the individual talents of each of our artist members. Media will include painting, photography, assemblage, textile art, installation, and printing. The show includes off-beat works from our member artists that will stir the viewing audience. The gallery is one of the stops on the Vashon Island Art Studio Tour so it be open 10am to 5pm Saturday and Sunday, May 2 & 3 and May 9 & 10.

First Friday, April 3, 2009 from 6-9pm

During the month of April, VALISE Gallery will exhibit an installation by Elizabeth Conner in collaboration with VALISE members. Inspired by the artist collective’s name VALISE, an installation titled “Carry On” will welcome visitors to a space that might remind you of storage for lost luggage… or playing in your grandmother’s attic… the aftermath of a gentle earthquake…or a collection of secrets waiting to be claimed. The show runs through April.

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.

First Friday, March 6, 2009 from 6-9pm

BRITT FREDA TO EXHIBIT IN MARCH AT VALISE GALLERY

The doors will open at VALISE gallery on First Friday, March 6th, 2009 with an opening reception for artist Britt Freda’s Fowl Brood. All are invited to attend the reception from 6-9pm! This is a show about the beauty of truth and natural cycles. Britt Freda's paintings contemplate chickens, farm animals, and birds and bees as symbols of the cyclical winding and unraveling of production and consumption. In a nod of approval to our provincial kin, Britt Freda's paintings depict chickens as symbols of self-reliance. Will we allow ourselves to become human versions of the industrial Leghorn broiler, living unfulfilled in a battery of cages? Or can we revert to the virtuous, beautiful, Klimt-esque creatures in Britt Freda's paintings. The show runs through March. Click here to learn more about the show or visit Britt's website: www.brittfreda.com

February 25, 2009

RELIEF HITS VASHON, GALLERY WILL OPEN INSTEAD

Word has hit the streets that Ramos Zamfir has skipped town, however he left some valises behind at the shop. An artist collective has now taken over the space.

And again the local newspaper was there to cover it. Click here to read the article from the Vashon Beachcomber - February 25, 2009

http://www.pnwlocalnews.com/vashon/vib/lifestyle/40229623.html

February 18, 2009

PAY DAY LOAN & PAWN SHOP TO OPEN ON VASHON

According to the signs and press release in the window, Zamfir’s Pay Day Loan & Pawn will open March 1, 2009 on the main street of Vashon Island.

And according to the local newspaper, Zamfir’s is a mystery. Click here to read the article from the Vashon Beachcomber - February 18, 2009. http://www.pnwlocalnews.com/vashon/vib/news/39752153.html