BY Annika Lynch
Staff Reporter
Last Friday, downtown Ellensburg had its monthly First Friday Art Walk. The First Friday Art Walk is hosted by the Art Board Committee. It was free for the community to look at artwork featured in museums and businesses of downtown Ellensburg from 5-7 p.m.
The venues that displayed art at the event were primarily locally-owned businesses and museums. Artists that came to the event talked at these locations about their artwork. D&M Coffee and Cornerstone Pie each had their own artwork to showcase.
At Cornerstone, artist and D&M co-owner Donna Malek’s artwork “Encaustic on Paper, which is a kind of wax process,” was on display. D&M Coffee had a new art exhibit by artist Julie Khyler called “Escapes,” which is made out of acrylics.
The owners of D&M Coffee, Malek and her husband Mark Holloway, are involved in the artwork for this event, which changes every month.
Holloway and Malek have been involved with this event from the beginning because their fondness for the arts. Holloway and his wife graduated from Central with art degrees and have continued their passion through their business.
“We just see being creative, both for our business and in our lives, as just a nice addition to our community,” Holloway said.
The Clymer museum also has a new art exhibit that was featured at the event called “A Sporting Life” by Zach Babat. The exhibit focused on hunting and sporting themes, from fishing in North America to African games, tools and weapons. They also had wine from Wine Works, live entertainment by Mt. Stuart Elementary, origami with Asian University Students and demonstrations by Trout Water Fly Shop.
Gallery One opened their entire building to the community to show all the artwork. The first floor featured three female artists (Sandi Bransford, Thorly James and Carolyn Nelson) as part of the exhibit titled, “Feminine Voices in Clay.”
The Mezzanine had Joan Cawley Crane artwork called “Under Pressure” made from mono print, watercolor and encaustic.
The third floor had two art events: the Eleventh Green Gallery by Community School of the Arts annual show and the Picasso Gallery by Community School of the Arts Fundraiser Auction.
The event was hosted by Gallery One Executive Director Monica Miller. The gallery had live entertainment, food and a performance by Ellensburg Piano teacher Carol Cross. Yellow Church Café catered the showing at the gallery.
“I definitely love to encourage students to come down here if they are interested in participating in downtown and learning about art. First Friday is a really easy way to come and be part of the Ellensburg community without spending money or having any knowledge of art,” Miller said.
Edward Jones Investments also had a local artist come in to show her artwork for a second time. Watercolor artist Gwen Rock and her art exhibit attracted a crowd. Rock has been watercolor painting with friends for 15 years and has shown this artwork two times in a row at the First Friday Art Walk.
Rock has lived here since 1950 with her four children and husband. She graduated from Central in 1953 with an education and art degree. Her artwork has touched and inspired many of the Ellensburg community.
“My husband and I traveled by motor home and carried our water colored paper under the mattress,” Rock said. “It comes and goes the style, I necessarily didn’t stick with it.”
The First Friday Art Walk started in 1999 and has been going ever since. The event is a huge part of the community and was originally ran by Mary Frances, the previous director of Gallery One.
