Create Spokane kicks off a monthlong arts celebration

For years, the first weekend in October has been a doozy. First, there was the Fall Visual Arts Tour, in which dozens of area venues open their doors to the arts and arts patrons. For nearly a decade, Terrain has been part of that scene as well, bringing works from emerging artists and live music together for a one-night-only party.

And now for the second year, Spokane Arts has used the first Friday in October to kick off an entire month of arts programming, culminating in the Spokane Arts Awards costume gala on Oct. 30.

“It’s like last year, on steroids,” said Laura Becker, executive director of Spokane Arts. “People have found out about it and so this year we had a really big return on our requests for community partners.”

Between now and the end of the month, Spokane area art fans can check out:

Two new murals in downtown. One is already completed, on Railroad Avenue between Adams and Jefferson streets near Barrister Winery, created by Addison. The other, by Thorp, Washington, artist Justin Gibbens, is in the Post Street railroad overpass. It should be completed by next weekend, Becker said.

The return of Spokane Throw, featuring the the public’s musings about Spokane −be they good or bad − projected large on the sides of buildings. The messages were curated by writers Sharma Shields and David Alastair. Artists Monica Hoblin and Jenn McCoy have created images to go with the words. The Throw will show up in two locations this year − the River Park Square parking garage downtown beginning Friday, and in the Garland District beginning Oct. 9. The installations will be up all month.

There was a conscious effort, Becker said, to getting out into the community, and it’s something she expects to do in future years.

“I felt a strong pull toward the Garland District because they have a pretty strong, vibrant arts community there,” she said. “And so we partnered up with the Garland Business District and are doing a projected installation on the Spokanite Cleaners Building” at 718 W. Garland Ave.

Window Dressing, which brings large-scale art installations to empty storefronts in the downtown core, is unveiling five works in the Ridpath block on First Avenue. Four of the installations will be in the old Ridpath Motor Inn; the other will grace the skywalk that connects the Motor Inn with the abandoned Ridpath Hotel. (See related story). Spokane Arts was able to kick in some money to finance a couple of the larger, more ambitious installations, including the skywalk piece, Becker said.

“There’s a lot going on there,” Becker said.

The Costume Ball will not only include presentation of the Spokane Arts Awards; it will include the biennial Mayor’s Urban Design Awards and the announcement of Spokane’s new poet laureate.

At the Chase Gallery in City Hall, which Spokane Arts programs, the October exhibit is called “In Search of Lost Time: Bob Gilmore and His Former Students.”

Gilmore celebrated his 42nd year teaching art at Gonzaga University with an exhibit “Lost Horizons: The Paintings of Robert Gilmore” at the Jundt Art Museum on campus. This time, he’ll share wall space with several of his former students: Ken Spiering, Dan Spalding, Katey Mandley, Abigail Mcallum, Jon Yerden and John Deroulet.

“It’s a really great way to honor Bob’s work here and spotlight some of his student who also are educators,” Becker said.

Helping out with all this is Spokane Arts’ successful application for a $10,000 “Arts Engagement in American Communities” grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, Becker said.

In addition to bringing forth its own programming Create Spokane gathers listings of arts events created by various community partners. Becker’s goal for the month is to not only bring the work of numerous regional artists to the forefront, but bring the arts alive for the community.

“I hope people can have an unexpected art experience,” Becker said. “I hope they can stumble on something in their everyday meanderings and identify it as artwork or a creative enterprise or a new experience.”