PORT TOWNSEND — The retail area of downtown and uptown will be transformed into an art gallery displaying some 400 pieces of student artwork during Art Wave in May.
“We will exhibit a cross section of art from all students,” said Susan Doyle, program manager of PT Artscape.
“Every student has a gift for art, and they are all included here,” she said.
Port Townsend Main Street Executive Director Mari Mullen said she hopes 30 to 40 merchants will participate by putting student art in their store windows.
Merchants will be assessed $10 each to participate, with proceeds benefiting the Arts in Education program at Port Townsend’s public schools.
Art Wave has existed in one form or another in Port Townsend since 2000 to make a connection between art created in the schools and the merchants, Mullen said.
Since 2006, the fundraising element has grown stronger, Mullen added.
This year, that will include three artists workshops Saturday, May 4 — each open to all ages to give people hands-on experience to help them develop their artistic skills.
The classes — which will be at the Jefferson Museum of Art & History at 540 Water St. — cost $40 with registration by this Friday and $45 thereafter.
The May 4 art workshops will comprise “Silk Batik,” taught by Wanda LeClerc from 10 a.m. to noon; “Calderesque Wire Sculpture and Collage,” taught by Margie McDonald and Max Grover from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.; and “Seascapes and More: Line, Tone and Value,” taught by Jesse Joshua Watson, also from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
The workshops are inspired by the Jefferson County Historical Society’s “Scapes” exhibit, which features landscapes, cityscapes and seascapes, at the Jefferson Museum of Art & History.
Another fundraising component comes from three fine-art prints donated by Centrum, an international art center operating in Fort Worden State Park.
The prints will be auctioned off, with one on display at each workshop.
The art is unique to Port Townsend, Mullen said.
“In this town, we are surrounded by natural beauty, which inspires artistic impulses,” she said.
Doyle also recognizes the region’s special qualities: “This area attracts a certain kind of creative soul.”
“This is an intelligent, well-educated community that respects the arts and knows how important it is for kids to participate,” she said.
Doyle said the local value of art is shared by young and old alike.
“Art matters to this town and gets continuous support from people of all ages,” she said.
“It provides a dynamic that connects the generations.”
Doyle said art plays a role in schools that goes beyond just painting pictures.
“When you engage students in the arts, it improves their performance in all subjects,” she said.
“It enhances the other stuff they are learning, since art instruction includes elements of math, science and history.
“Teaching kids art creates well-rounded citizens who have an attention to detail and gives them a rich experience that broadens the horizons for every single child.”
For more information or to sign up for a workshop, visit www.ptartscape.com or www.ptmainstreet.org.
Jefferson County Editor Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at charlie.bermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
