PORT ANGELES — About 30 people met Thursday at Maureen Hope Wall’s downtown art studio to discuss how to attract more artists to the area and get more residents interested in art.
The ideas ranged from an arts advocacy group to a Port Angeles film festival.
The meeting was the second in a series, the first of which involved only artists, Wall said.
Thursday’s meeting included board members and the executive directors of the Port Angeles Downtown Association and the Port Angeles Chamber of Commerce.
Wall said there has always been links between art and economic development.
She cited the advertising campaign “Hawaii Arts,” which encouraged people to visit Hawaii for its painters, dancers, storytellers and musicians as well as state’s natural beauty.
A broad-based organization, like the Jefferson Arts Alliance, is necessary to promote the interests of artists, Wall said.
Port Angeles-area artists need to invent an audience, not settle for same small group of artists visiting galleries and attending each other’s events, she said.
“We want to see people besides artists come to our shows,” Wall said.
Wall, a European-trained sculptor, owns her own business, Revival Artisan, which is in the big, yellow former International Order of Odd Fellows’ building at 316 W. First St., at the west end of the downtown area.
At Revival Artisan, Wall creates and sells individual copies of fine-art sculptures for homes and restores historical art pieces.
Appreciation needed
Internationally known artist Bob Stokes, who has a sculpture on display at the World War II memorial at Pearl Harbor, said he was attracted to Port Angeles because of the Art on the Town sidewalk sculptures.
He has since became heavily involved in the Art on the Town program.
“How do we get better artists? Show them they are appreciated,” Stokes said.
