PORT ANGELES — Would you care for a little art with your books?
The Art in the Library program, sponsored by the North Olympic Library System, continues in both Port Angeles and Sequim this week with works on display by area artists.
The current Art in the Library show at the Port Angeles Main Library, 2210 S. Peabody St., features sculpture, assemblage work, and 100 portraits of “hot flash women” by Pamela Hastings.
The exhibit will be on display through April 12.
“Every woman is extraordinary, ‘hot’ in her own way,” Hastings said of her portraits.
“When we share our stories, we find that we are not alone in both our tragedies and triumphs.”
Hastings is a sculptor, painter, writer and teacher whose studio overlooks the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
She has exhibited her mixed media sculptures throughout the world and is widely known for her doll work and book, Doll Making as a Transformative Process, according to Diane Williams, the library’s volunteer art coordinator who schedules the artists and curates each show.
For more information about Hastings, visit www.pamelahastings.com.
The Spring Art in the Library exhibit at the Sequim Branch, 630 N. Sequim Ave., features the illustrations of Richard Jesse Watson, and will be on view through May 30.
Watson — who grew up in the Mojave Desert and now lives in Port Townsend — tells stories through his combined love of art and literature, played out in the visual space of children’s books and narrative fine art, organizers say.
For more information about Watson, visit www.richardjessewatson.com.
Art in the Library provides display space for works created by Clallam County artists, with exhibits rotating on a regular two- or three-month schedule.
Support, volunteers are key
Margaret Jakubcin, the director of the North Olympic Library System, said the Art in the Library program would not be possible without financial support from the Port Angeles Friends of the Library and the Friends of Sequim Library, the commitment and generous donation of time by volunteer Art in the Library Exhibit Coordinators, and the creativity and community involvement of local artists.
Jakubcin helped launch the program about six years ago.
Libraries are “a natural place” to display art, she said.
“The inspiration was we had a lot of blank walls here and we thought wouldn’t it be nice if we actually feature all the great artists in this community?”
The program has been a continuing success, she said.
“Over the years we have had hundreds, possibly as many as a thousand different artists” exhibit their work, she said.
Hours of operation
The Port Angeles Main Library and Sequim Branch are open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Fridays and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays.
For more information about the Port Angeles Library, call 360-417-8500 or email PortAngeles@nols.org.
For more information about the Sequim Branch, call 360-683-1161 or email Sequim@nols.org.
