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Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration
Call to Action: A Celebration of the Work and Vision of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr Join us for the second annual celebration of the work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr at VCA! The afternoon will include presentations from Trish Dziko, co-founder and Executive Director of Technology Access Foundation and Karen Dhaliwal, Director of Development at the Freedom Project; and performances by Just Speak, a student group using spoken word as a vehicle to examine identity and social justice;…
Find out more »ENOUGH: Vashon Women in Conversation
Do you feel good enough in the world? Have you had enough? Where you do feel like mostly enough in life? Being in community and conversation help us to tackle these questions together. This event—presented by Vashon Center for the Arts, Women Hold the Key, and writer Shauna Ahern—will be part community gathering and part communal conversation. The first half of the evening will take place in the lobby of VCA, which will be filled with tables of Vashon women-centered…
Find out more »Rise Up! The Hamilton Tribute Band
Rise Up, the Hamilton Tribute Band! is coming to the Kay White Hall! Rise Up is an ensemble of top Seattle vocalists and musicians that performs the amazing music of “Hamilton”. "Hamilton" is a record-breaking Broadway musical and winner of 11 Tonys including Best Musical. It is a sweeping national cultural phenomenon with music that marries hip hop, R&B and Broadway. Rise Up delivers a performance that captures all the sophistication, detail and emotion of the music of “Hamilton”. Rise…
Find out more »Brian Reed – Birds, Song, and Poetry
As a professor of English with a specialty in modern poetry, Brian Reed became intrigued by the way poets across cultures and ages have written about birds. He is fascinated by the way the avian species has been a rich source of poetic inspiration. Reed, the Divisional Dean of the Humanities at the University of Washington, will take us on a visual and auditory exploration of this deep and creative relationship. He is a specialist in twentieth-and twenty-first century poetry…
Find out more »Vyacheslav “Slava” Gryaznov
The remarkable Russian pianist and composer Vyacheslav Gryaznov has performances in China, Australia, France, U.S., Russia, Poland, Ukraine, the Netherlands, Croatia, and Belgium this year. And Vashon Island! "Slava" returns to Vashon Center for the Arts for his second engagement with us. Vyacheslav graduated with honors both from the Central Music School of the Moscow Conservatory, and the Moscow Conservatory. He continued at the Moscow Conservatory as a post-graduate, and was on its teaching faculty. He later completed Yale University…
Find out more »Mike Veseth – Around the World in Eighty Wines
Mike Veseth is editor of the award-winning The Wine Economist blog and author of four books on wine over the last decade: Wine Wars; Extreme Wine; Money, Taste & Wine: It’s Complicated; and most recently, Around the World in Eighty Wines. By profession, he is a political economist, and is professor emeritus of international political economy at the University of Puget Sound. His writings on wine and globalization have been widely praised, and he is a sought-after speaker at wine industry meetings around the world. Inspired by Jules Verne, he takes us on a mad global dash, collecting wines and their stories, not just to find the best wines, but to understand what they mean and why they are important to us. The lecture will be followed by a wine tasting hosted by Vashon wineries.
Find out more »Shakespeare and the Alchemy of Gender
Internationally renowned actor Lisa Wolpe has arguably played more of the Bard’s male roles than any woman in history. From cross-gender exploration to the unforgettable story of her life, Lisa triumphantly illustrates that Shakespeare’s insight into the human condition is as relevant as ever. Lisa Wolpe Finding celebration and solace in the words and enchanting power of Shakespeare, Wolpe explores the courageous, often tragic, always fascinating history of her troubled family–weaving in glorious passages from Hamlet, The Merchant of Venice,…
Find out more »David Armstrong’s Broadway Nation Live Presents: “In the Mood for Love”
Women have had a much greater impact on the Broadway Musical than is generally acknowledged. David Armstrong, Artistic Director Emeritus of The 5th Avenue Theatre, will share the fascinating stories, and timeless musical creations of top lyricists and composers such as Dorothy Fields, Carolynn Leigh, Betty Comden, Janine Tesouri, Lucy Simon, Cindi Lauper and more! With special guest Albert Evans, and musical performances by stars of The 5th Avenue Theatre. Friday, February 14 | 7:30PM $20 members, $15 youth, $20…
Find out more »LOVE ME OR LEAVE ME—letters of longing, loving, and leaving
What happens when a letter crafted uniquely for one reader is put on stage for all to see? Intimate thoughts laid bare, intended for one, are held up for us like a mirror, making us reflect on our own hearts, lives, desires, and times. Letters Aloud’s “LOVE ME OR LEAVE ME—letters of longing, loving, and leaving” is by turns steamy, lustful, and sweet. Through these real letters by real people read by great actors from Seattle and Vashon Island, we…
Find out more »Eugenie Jones’ Tribute Performance to Nina Simone
Award Winning singer/songwriter Eugenie Jones performs the music of Nina Simone to honor Simone's 92nd birthday. Jones will also perform music from her own compositions. Eugenie Jones is a performer that makes audiences feel jazz. Jones is an emotive, engaging song stylist that entertains, dazzles and decisively wins over audiences. Reminiscent of style and sophistication of iconic vocalists of the past, Jones sings and scats her way vivaciously through mainstream jazz, but also draws listeners inside contemporary storylines, sharing original…
Find out more »LeRoy Bell & His Only Friends
Acclaimed singer and songwriter, LeRoy Bell will be rocking the Kay White Hall with His Only Friends on February 22. Bell is known as a dynamic performer in his own right, but along with long-time co-writing partner, Casey James, has also penned many hits recorded by the likes of Elton John, The Spinners, The O'Jays, The Temptations, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Teddy Pendergrass and many others. Bell and James released three albums: Bell and James (1978), Only Make Believe (1979) and In Black…
Find out more »Art History Talk – Louise Nevelson and Louise Bourgeois
Two of the most important American sculptors of the twentieth century were immigrants named Louise. Nevelson, who emigrated from Ukraine as a child, incorporated found objects, spray-painted a single color, into her distinctive constructions. Paris-born Bourgeois used a wide variety of mediums to explore the human body and psyche.
Find out more »Round-Trip Africa
Gansango Music & Dance And Vashon Center for the Arts present "Round-Trip Africa," a performance of contemporary and traditional African dance and drumming. Gansango is directed by Etienne Cakpo, originally from Benin and now a choreographer and teacher based in Seattle, Washington. Gansango company collaborating artists perform regularly in the Seattle area, nationally and internationally for audiences of all ages. The company performances fuse music and movement from across the African continent, drawing heavily from the dance and music traditions of…
Find out more »Roger Fisher
The music of HEART has captivated radio and live audiences for decades. Original member Roger Fisher co-wrote many of the band’s early hits including, “Barracuda” and “Crazy on You” which have stood the test of time and been covered by countless artists and featured in film, television and the video game Guitar Hero. Inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2013, Fisher has played in every major city in North America many times. He has also toured…
Find out more »Chandler O’Leary & Jessica Spring – Dead Feminists: Speaking Volumes
It started as a collaboration between two Tacoma artists who created a series of colorful broadsides featuring quotes by historical feminists tied to current political and social issues. The letterpress poster series was so successful that O’Leary and Spring created Dead Feminists, Historic Heroines in Living Color, a 2018 Pacific Northwest Award winning book using the original broadsides with archival photos and ephemera to describe the accomplishments of women like Eleanor Roosevelt, Rachel Carson, Harriet Tubman and Shirley Chisholm, with an inspiring foreword by writer Jill Lepore. Join us as they tell the story of this extraordinary collaboration, which continues to provide hope and inspiration through challenging times.
Find out more »Christine Andreas – “Piaf, No Regrets”
Mesdames et Monsieurs…… ATTENDEZ-VOUS! Christine Andreas returns to Vashon Center for the Arts to celebrate Edith Piaf...brought to life in the words of her friends, her triumphs and her music. An extraordinary portrait in song, performed in French and English ....."La Vie En Rose", "Hymne A L'Amour", "L'Accordeoniste", "Milord", et "Je Ne Regrette Rien' (bien sur!).... Haunted by Edith Piaf (1915-1963), Christine Andreas has for years presented iconic material associated with the little sparrow. Piaf—No Regrets is the illuminating and…
Find out more »Heidi Roop – From Data to Dialogue: Preparing the Northwest for a Warming World
From smoky skies to shifting shorelines, climate change will affect our lives in many ways here in the Pacific Northwest. Heidi Roop is Lead Scientist for Science Communication at the University of Washington Climate Impacts Group. She will explore the range of observed and projected climate impacts here in our region, discuss the factors that hinder and motivate changes in political will and social acceptance of climate change, and suggest ways we can work together to prepare our communities for…
Find out more »Art History Talk – The “White, Marmorean Flock”: American Neoclassical Sculptresses in Rome
In the mid-1800s, several American women sculptors were living and working in Rome. Harriet Hosmer settled there first, followed by Edmonia Lewis, Emma Stebbins, and others. They were drawn by the abundant marble, inspiring classical heritage, and surprising lack of societal prejudice.
Find out more »VAIS Stop Motion Film Fest
Save the Date! Info coming soon. March 25, 5:30pm - 7:30pm
Find out more »Music History Talk – The Spanish School
Toward the end of the 19th and into the early 20th century, Spanish artists, architects, writers, and musicians dazzled the world with their unique Iberian culture. Spain’s growing industrial economy, along with a more progressive political environment, helped give rise to a new wave in Spanish culture. Michael Tracy will discuss the Spanish orchestral suites, dances, and rhythms of Isaac Albeniz, Enrique Granados, Manuel de Falla, and Federico Mompou. With their work, Spanish culture joined the world stage of great national genres.
Find out more »Paul Bannick – Arctic Messenger: What the Snowy Owl Tells Us
Paul Bannick is an extraordinary photographer who not only captures gorgeous images of birds in their daily lives, but also makes a compelling case for preserving the habitat that sustains them. He is especially drawn to owls, particularly snowy owls, which is the subject of his talk. “For many of us, they embody the essence of wilderness,” he says. “They are also important messengers in that they tell us by their presence or absence about the health of vast ecosystems in the Arctic that are experiencing the pressure of climate change.” The photographer and author of two best-selling books, Owl, A Year in the Lives of North American Owls, and The Owl and the Woodpecker, Bannick is a frequent keynote speaker at Audubon events, bird festivals, and conservation events across North America.
Find out more »Stephen Jones – Notes from the Bread Lab: Art, Beauty, and Accessibility
Stephen Jones is founder and director of the Bread Lab in the Skagit Valley, where scientists, bakers, chefs, farmers, activists, and others experiment with improved flavor, nutrition, and functionality of wheats, barley, and other small grains. Jones, who has a doctorate in genetics, works with his graduate students and staff to develop and breed wheat and other grains to be grown on small farms in the coastal West and beyond. The talk will cover the work of the Bread Lab—through…
Find out more »Art History Talk – The Impressionist Garden
Gardens were an important motif of early Impressionist art, featuring prominently in the works of Monet, Renoir, Morisot and Cassatt. Several Impressionists were also passionate gardeners. Much later in his career, Monet would create a garden at his home in Giverny, which gave him the glorious waterlily theme of his final decades.
Find out more »Blaine Harden – North Korea—Stranger than Fiction
Blaine Harden is the author of a trilogy of highly praised books about North Korea: Escape from Camp 14, The Great Leader and the Fighter Pilot, and most recently King of Spies, which has been described as “a thrilling and jaw-droppingly good story of intrigue, daring, and depravity.” Harden is a veteran journalist whose 28 years as a correspondent for The Washington Post and his expertise on North Korea have made him a sought-after contributor to programs like PBS’ Frontline and many national and international publications. He will bring us up to date on the books’ characters, like Shin Dong-hyuk, the only person born in a North Korean prison camp to escape to the West, and share his views on the current relations between the Kim Jong Un regime and the U.S. Government.
Find out more »Mouse Reusch – New Earthquake Warning System Coming Our Way
What would you do if you knew that the shaking from an earthquake was about to rock your location in 15 seconds? Mouse Reusch, regional ShakeAlert coordinator with the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network (PNSN) at the University of Washington, will discuss the development and future public release of the ShakeAlert Earthquake Early Warning program. After earning her doctorate from Penn State University, Reusch worked for a lending library of seismometers. During that period she spent some 12 years traveling all…
Find out more »Foss Miller – The Sawbones Story—An Innovative Island Enterprise
Foss Miller was a young, Washington State University engineering graduate when in 1972 he went to work for K2 Skis on Vashon Island. Three years later he was head of his own business, by chance developing and manufacturing a few plastic bones for the University of Washington Medical School that cut, drilled, and felt like real bones. For the first time, students studying orthopedic surgery could practice techniques, a hands-on methodology found to be superior to the then-practice of watching…
Find out more »Music History Talk – Beethoven 1770 to 1802
Beethoven’s formative years were spent in Bonn, Germany, until 1791 when he left for Vienna, Austria, then the leading musical and cultural capital of the world. Soon this young virtuoso pianist, who was clearly the heir to Haydn and Mozart, dazzled the salons of aristocrats. His first six symphonies, the first 7 quartets, and the first 15 piano sonatas mark a few of the major compositional works that are still performed on concert stages throughout the world. However, by age 28 Beethoven experienced ringing in his ears, losing the ability to hear high pitches, and faced the greatest horror for any musician: complete hearing loss. Lecture II, covering the years 1802-1827, will be held next season on November 29.
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