Spokane Art School marks 50 years with anniversary celebration

In 2008, Spokane Art School rang in its 40th anniversary in an atypical fashion: By clearing out of its longtime home on North Howard Street and holding a series of sales to get rid of excess inventory.

The building was put up for sale at the beginning of the year after the school’s board decided the 10,000-square-foot space was too costly to operate.

There was also a “Looking Back/Moving Forward” party to celebrate both the school’s history and then uncertain future.

According to a March 15, 2008, Spokesman-Review article, a deal was in the works, though nothing was finalized at the time.

But just two weeks later, on March 30, The Spokesman-Review reported that a buyer offered the asking price, somewhere in the vicinity of $1.1 million, for the building, which would provide the school with the funds needed to continue indefinitely.

“In 100 years, someone in a room will be teaching art to a student because of this funding,” Ann Glynn, the head of the school, told the S-R.

Ten years later, still on steady ground and now located on Garland Avenue, the organization is able to mark its 50th anniversary with a more traditional event.

The Spokane Art School 50th Anniversary Celebration will be held at the school on Thursday, doubling as a preview of the annual ornament and small works show, which runs Nov. 9 through Dec. 22.

The show features the work of more than 45 local artists, much of which is priced under $50.

“There will be ornaments, small paintings, drawings, jewelry, fiber arts, ceramics and photographs, to name a few categories,” program director Karen Kaiser said in an email.

Attendees will also be able to purchase limited edition 50th anniversary ornaments that Tybre Newcomer, a professor of art at Spokane Falls Community College, created for the event.

Participating artists include Viza Arlington, Autumn Bunton, Roger DuBois, Janie Edwards, Shannon Haight, Ilse Kilian-Tan, Bill and Kathy Kostelec, Collista Krebs, Karen Mobley, Karmen Naccarato, Tresia Oosting, Jerri Shepard and Angelika Wilson-Wipp.

Kaiser, curator of education at the Jundt Art Museum at Gonzaga University, is also participating in the exhibition.

She taught her first class at the school in 1987, was program manager from 2004 to 2006 and has been program director since 2008.

Over the years, and looking back at the organization’s history, Kaiser has seen Spokane Art School grow significantly.

What began as a program started by members of the Junior League, “looking for a way for their children to get quality art instruction,” in the Litho-Art Printers building on Lincoln Street eventually expanded to its North Howard Street location before moving to Garland Avenue, all the while providing a variety of classes, master classes and workshops to artists young and old, amateur and advanced each year.

“SAS evolved into a huge organization of artist/educators and students …,” Kaiser said. “I can think of very few artists who have not taught at SAS at one time or another.”

Looking ahead, after the organization’s most financially successful year since moving to its current location in 2008, Kaiser believes the school will continue to grow and hopes the organization will be able to provide ceramics and printmaking classes in the future.

“There is obviously a need and desire for people of all ages to work with professional artists and benefit from their experience and expertise,” she said.

Over the years, many people have made Spokane Art School part of their lives, taking and/or teaching classes, attending workshops and lectures, acting on the board of directors or showing their work in the galleries.

It’s these memories Kaiser loves hearing about, memories that show the organization is succeeding in its mission to, as per the organization’s Facebook page, “remove barriers, both financial and otherwise, to hands-on arts education.”

“When people think back about the ‘old’ art school I always have to ask what decade they are referring to,” Kaiser said. “SAS is significant part of many people’s lives… There are so many ways that Spokane Art School has supported the artists in the Spokane community.”