‘Art brings us together’ for 15th year of Terrain

Before Terrain’s inaugural flagship event in 2008, Ginger Ewing, executive director and co-founder of Terrain, wasn’t confident anyone would show up.

There were no expectations for the event, which aimed to celebrate and encourage local artists of all mediums. It was simply meant to be a one-night, one-time-only party with the goal to bring artists together in a single room.

Long story short, Ewing had nothing to worry about. Thirty artists submitted work for the first juried show, and 1,200 people attended. Fast-forward to the 10th iteration of Terrain, when more than 300 artists submitted work, and 8,500 people took in the event.

Fast-forward a few more years, and Terrain is holding its 15th flagship event Friday at the Jensen-Byrd Building with 427 artists presenting their work. (If you’re doing the math, this would’ve been Terrain 17 had the pandemic not interrupted things.) The event features music from Abyss, Jessiqa Jones, Anne Christine, Lights in Mirrors, Jinx Universe, Jang the Goon, Timeworm, Automatic Shoes and Anthony Naseeb.

There will also be a ticketed preview night with early access to art buying and music from ROSiE CQ, Helmer Noel and Estimate on Thursday, also at the Jensen-Byrd. Both nights are all ages.

The 427 artists at Terrain 15 represent visual arts, including painting, mixed media, digital projections, site-specific installations and sculpture, performance arts, dance, music, film and literature, culminating in an “explosion of creativity.” Ewing said if that’s not the biggest group of presenting artists in Terrain history, then it’s pretty close.

“One of the things that continually amazes me is we keep on feeling like ‘It’s going to plateau. It’s going to plateau,’ ” she said. “That’s not necessarily a bad thing. Bigger doesn’t necessarily mean better. But I feel like every year I’m shocked about how many artists are applying and how many artists I’ve never heard of. I think that shows the growth of our community. I think it shows empowerment of folks who are willing to put themselves out there and consider themselves artists.”

Each year, submissions are reviewed by a jury representing the appropriate medium (visual arts, dance, literature, etc.). The members of the juries change each year, with each group working to bring as much diversity to the event as possible in terms of medium, voice and perspective.

Though the event is bigger in nearly every way, Ewing said the goals of Terrain haven’t changed. Back in 2008, it felt like there was a gap between the burgeoning and more established artists in the Inland Northwest. There also seemed to be separation between each artistic discipline, with many artists sticking close to their own communities.

Terrain gave artists and creators of all experience levels a safe space to present their work and learn about other mediums. Younger artists mingled with more experienced creators, painters chatted with dancers. And, perhaps most importantly, artists who were primarily or entirely creating alone learned that there were others they could turn to for support and encouragement.

“We discovered really quickly, about an hour and a half into that very first event, that we had tapped into something pretty special,” Ewing said. “People were coming up to us and saying ‘Finally, Spokane feels like home,’ or ‘Finally, I’ve found my people.’ Even after the first one, we still didn’t intend to continue them, but we did know that the event, all in all, was successful.”

With each year, Ewing said she sees progress in the creative community in Spokane. The barriers between artists of different experience levels, between artists of different mediums, even between artists and art patrons have broken down, leading to more collaborations and synergy.

The arts scene in the Inland Northwest likely wouldn’t be so collaborative if Terrain’s flagship event was one and done. By encouraging the mixing and mingling of artists and creators, Terrain, the organization and event, have built a welcoming environment in which everyone has a chance to shine.

That collaborative spirit is in Spokane’s DNA, Ewing said.

“We are a city that shows up for each other,” she said. “The fact that we continue to see so much growth with our event, but also growth in so many other aspects of the cultural community here in Spokane is a testament, not only to the artists – putting your art out there is a really vulnerable experience and for people to feel supported and empowered to do that, I’m always in awe of folks who are willing to put their voice out there in such a meaningful way – and then for the community to continue to respond to it.

“Art brings us together, and no other thing can,” Ewing said. “It shows us our humanity. It shows us our connectivity.”