QUILCENE — The Quilcene Gallery will host, beginning today, the first-ever show since its 25-year historic restoration was completed.
The building received the historic preservation last fall from the Jefferson County Historical Society.
Anne Ricker, who owns the property and has organized Quilcene Gardens and the gallery, will exhibit “Paper Shapes,” her collection of handmade paper 3D constructs.
Some are electrified; some are framed; some just hang, the artist said.
The reception will be from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the renovated gallery in the Old Quaker Church at 71 Old Church Road in the center of Quilcene. The show will continue through the holidays, Ricker said.
“When we started the gardens five years ago our mission was creating community through the visual and garden arts,” Ricker said.
“It’s taken this long to get the garden going. Now we’re finally getting the visual arts going.”
Ricker said the garden and gallery were pulled together with a lot of volunteer help and donations.
“The garden,” a community garden, “is very successful now,” she said.
Pre-school teacher Vivian Kuehl had been bringing 3- and 4-year-olds to the garden to teach them where bread comes from, “so we planted wheat, we’re going to build a cob oven and bake bread,” Ricker said.
In the garden is a surprise pumpkin. A plant originally thought to be a squash has grown a large pumpkin that hangs in the middle of a ladder in the garden, Ricker said.
“The kids have adopted the pumpkin and they will decide what to do with it — probably carve it and make a pie,” Ricker said.
Ricker said that the garden will take precedence during the growing season, then in winter the highlight will be the gallery in the old church.
Ricker has made paper art for many years, she said. She also paints watercolors on paper.
“Everything has to do with paper,” she said.
Lately she has been studying how to make Japanese paper and has designed some 3D paper sculptures.
She expects to have about 75 pieces — accompanied by some watercolors — in the show.
Call 360-774-0465 or quilcenegallery@yahoo.com for more information.
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Executive Editor Leah Leach can be reached at 360-417-3530 or at lleach@peninsuladailynews.com.
