Spokane Art School’s Ornament and Small Work Show opens Friday

If it wasn’t clear from the event title, “small” is the key word when it comes to the Spokane Art School’s “Ornament and Small Work Show,” which opens Friday and continues through Dec. 23.

The works are diminutive in stature, sure, but so, too, are the prices, perfect for holiday shopping on a budget.

The “Ornament and Small Work Show” was held for years under the name Yuletide. When the Spokane Art School moved to its current, smaller location at 811 W. Garland Ave., the event had to downsize, too. The last time office manager Jodi Davis recalls hosting Yuletide in the old space, there were about 75 artists. This year, 32 artists will present their work, just seven less than last year’s event.

The following artists are participating in this year’s show: Sondra Barrington, Liz Bishop, Autumn Bunton, Dee Cherry, Jodi Davis, Nan Drye, Roger DuBois, Janie Edwards, Jo Fyfe, Kathy Gale, Rhea Giffin, Shannon Haight, Kris Howell, Collista Krebs, T. Kurtz, Jennifer LeMontagne, Lindsey Merrell, Amy Mickelson, Karen Mobley, Karmen Naccarato, Dina Natale, Alice Nelson, Tresia Oosting, Patti Osebold, Megan Perkins, Hannah Pomante, Tom Quinn, Jerri Shepard, Lauri Tesch, Gay Waldman, Lynn Whitman and Wide Hollow Naturals.

“A lot of the artists create work only for this show, so they need to have some time to do that, especially with the ornaments,” Davis said. “Most of the ornaments are created only for this show.”

Davis said shoppers can expect works from a variety of mediums including ceramics, fiber, photography, watercolor, metal and origami.

While COVID-19 didn’t impact the number of participating artists too much, it does mean shopping will look a little different this year. The gallery will be limited to no more than six people, including staff, at a time. Social distancing will be enforced, and masks, worn over the nose and mouth, are required at all times.

Spokane Art School will offer curbside pickup for customers unable to wear a mask. The Spokane Art School will be open for in-person shopping from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays through Dec. 12. In-person shopping also will be available from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Dec. 18 and 23.

Those who want to support the show but aren’t interested in traveling to the gallery can shop from the comfort of their own home any time during the event’s run via spokaneartschool.net.

Davis said most of the work is less than $50, with some ornaments starting at $10.

“There are a handful of pieces of course that are going to be more than $50, but most of the work is under $50, and some of it is even less,” she said.

With the restrictions in place, Davis is happy that artists and shoppers alike will get to once again experience this holiday tradition.

“We only briefly discussed canceling it this year for about two seconds,” she said. “Because it’s such a popular event and because it’s supporting local artists, we knew that this year was more important than any year before. A lot of the local artists depend on their shows, and many of the shows were canceled this year.

“For us, we knew we had to do it, but we also knew it was paramount that we did it in a way that everybody was kept safe. That was our primary idea behind doing this was we would keep everybody safe.”