SEQUIM — An award-winning photographer with an eye for storytelling through images of nature and a community group flexing its collective creative muscle take the proverbial stage at Blue Whole Gallery in March.
Katherine Loveland, a member at Blue Whole as well as Gallery 110 in Seattle, will exhibit her artwork, “Stream of Nature,” alongside the working of Clallam Mosaic artists at “Celebration of March,” the gallery’s new exhibit.
The exhibit opening is slated for 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, March 5, at the gallery, 129 W. Washington St.
The gallery is open 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday; facial coverings and social distancing are required.
See bluewholegallery.com.
Loveland’s “Stream of Nature” was inspired by a quote by Celtic poet John O’Donohue: “I would like to live like a river flows, carried by the surprise of its own unfolding.”
A successful showing of my photography at Gallery 110 in Seattle and being selected for the 2001 Collective Visions Gallery Juried Show encouraged Loveland “to think about my art in new and exciting ways,” she said.
“I have repeated and reversed original photographs of nature to replicate the unfolding journey of the spirit,” Loveland said. “As life’s terrain changes, the course of the flow may also change. Each ensemble can be rearranged by the owner to represent their own current life force.”
The gallery also is celebrating National Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month by showcasing artists from Clallam Mosaic.
Since 1987, March has become a month-long celebration of the impact individuals with developmental disabilities have throughout their communities, highlighting contributions made through employment, recreation and the arts.
The Mosaic window will be jointly curated by Blue Whole Gallery member Kathy Shreiner and Catherine McKinney, program and communications director for Clallam Mosaic.
As a local nonprofit, Clallam Mosaic strives to empower individuals with special needs. The sole source for year-round non-vocational day programs in Clallam County, Mosaic provides lifelong learning opportunities, recreational experiences, supports for creative endeavors, social interactions, and advocacy education.
”At Clallam Mosaic we believe that the creation of art is a fundamental human right and that everyone is entitled to its avenues for self-expression,” group representatives said. “By providing space, opportunity and exposure to various mediums and methods of creating art, we are committed to fostering personal and artistic growth.”
Adapting to pandemic circumstances, Mosaic offers two Zoom art sessions each week taught by two instructors, artists themselves.
“Their diverse approaches, aesthetics and mediums are expanding our artists’ creative possibilities,” group representatives said.
With support from various individuals, the Olympic Peninsula Arts Association and United Way of Clallam County, Clallam Mosaic is able to send art materials and supplies to artists at home.
Clallam Mosaic artists have been showcased at the Port Angeles Public Library, the Juan de Fuca Festival, the Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Port Angeles, and the Wintertide Makers Market at the Port Angeles Fine Arts Center.
“In addition, we work to build public awareness of the creative contributions artists with special needs bring to the broader arts community,” Clallam Mosaic representatives said.
