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ART AUCTION -- Northern raises funds after theft: All of the sound equipment – from mixing boards to microphones – was stolen Saturday from Northern, home of the Olympia All-Ages Project. The facility, which hosts all-ages music shows, classes and art exhibits, had already planned a monthlong silent auction of work by more than 50 artists from well known to unknown. “The auction was to help us get more equipment and buy more supplies that we needed to get,” said Judith Baumann, Northern’s gallery director. “It has a different focus now that we have nothing again.” See the art tonight and on Saturday and Sunday afternoons during October. The auction and month will wrap up with a Halloween party and closing reception Oct. 31. Go to olympiaallages.org.
CHILD'S PLAY -- Face painting and other arts: Arts Walk, let’s face it, is really for grown-ups. It’s a chance to see and be seen as much as an opportunity to see art. And kids and galleries go together like, well, peanut butter and art. But parents need fear not, because there is a “kids menu.” Among the offerings:
The city of Olympia hosts a hands-on art project – making fall-themed luminarias with help from Hands On Children’s Museum staff members – and face painting done by Lakefair princesses. The fun happens from 5 to 9 p.m. today outside The Washington Center for the Performing Arts, 512 Washington St. S.E. Call 360-753-8380.
Olympia Family Theater will offer previews from “Go, Dog. Go,” opening Oct. 12, at 5:30, 6:30, 7:30 and 8:30 p.m. at its Playspace, 112 State Ave. NE.
Author Beverlee Boe will read stories from her book “Zackery Puppy” at 7 p.m. today at the Eagles Hall, Plum Street and Fourth Avenue.
DANCE -- Acts of improv: Like an MP3 player on shuffle, Radco’s Arts Walk concert comes up with some surprising juxtapositions. The concert begins with a number in which each iPod-wearing performer dances to a different (unheard by the audience) tune. The concert, from 7-8 p.m. at the Olympia Ballroom, 116 Legion Way, includes all-new dances. Among them: a choreographed technical piece about relationships, a contact-improv duet and “A Night Out,” in which the dancers improvise with peanuts, potato chips and brooms. “It’s my favorite style of improvography,” said Mary Nelson, who created the piece with Susan Gresia. “It’s a slice of normal life made into art.” The variety is part of the fun of Radco (Random Acts of Dance Collective), a loose-knit group of dancers and dance-makers of various backgrounds.
GLOBAL MOVEMENT -- Spanning the traditions of dance: If contemporary dance is not your thing, fear not. The grand old dance space of the Eagles Hall Ballroom, 805 Fourth Ave. E., Olympia, will host a wide array of traditional styles from 11 a.m.- 5 p.m. Saturday. The event will travel from the Middle East to Spain to Hawaii and will also will include liturgical dance and a performance of musical theater favorites by Wrinkles of Washington. Those who would rather do than watch can learn swing, Charleston and belly dancing and join in a French Renaissance circle dance. Along with the smorgasbord of dance, there’ll be snacks available by donation, with proceeds benefiting SafePlace.
FILM -- Hot stuff: It’s asking a lot to expect people to spend two hours in one place during Arts Walk, but sci-fi buffs are likely to oblige for a chance to see the 1966 classic “Fahrenheit 451” on the big screen. The Olympia Film Society and Timberland Regional Library are hosting the free screening at 6 p.m. Friday at Capitol Theater, 206 Fifth Ave. S.E. The Ray Bradbury book is the library’s Timberland Reads Together selection. For those who are excited to spend the first evening of Arts Walk in one place, the film will be followed by a discussion of topics explored in the film. (Also at the theater: art by Nick Baldridge.) Go to trlib.org.
MULTIMEDIA -- New ‘Perspectives’: What does the art of mediation have in common with visual art? They “both revolve around how you look at things,” said Dispute Resolution Center volunteer Bonnie Jean Rose. “Shifting perspective can create harmony and beauty in a situation that previously appeared hopeless and discordant.” In an exhibit titled “Perspectives,” Rose and fellow volunteers Kitty Parker, Kristine Sogn and Andra Weddington share their points of view through assemblage, mixed media, paint and papier-mache. The center is at 312 Fourth Ave. E. Call 360-956-1155, or go to mediatethurston.org.
PAPERCUTS -- Nikki news: With bold black lines and such homespun subjects as laundry on a line and vegetable gardens, papercut artist Nikki McClure has captured imaginations in Olympia and beyond. Next month, she’ll be the subject of a career-spanning exhibition at Bellevue Arts Museum. The sight of her calendar in local stores has become an annual sign of the season, and so has the fall Arts Walk showing of the original papercuts at Bryce’s Barbershop, 198 Fourth Ave. E. Go to nikkimcclure.com.
BIRD-INSPIRED -- Feather friend: Artist Chris Maynard traces his fascination with feathers back to a childhood visit to Seattle’s Woodland Park Zoo. The zookeeper gave him a bunch of feathers and let him go in with the birds. These days, Maynard makes shadowboxes from feathers, working with their patterns and cutting feathers to create his own. “Nature is kind of a church to me,” he said. “I chose a feather as just a little piece of the perfection of nature.” His work will be exhibited at The Yoga Loft, 219 Legion Way SW. Maynard obtains all of the feathers legally, mostly from private aviaries. (Also at the loft: Kristen Rubis plays a series of sound healing mini-concerts on bowls, bells and gongs between 6- 8 p.m. today.) Go to featherfolio.com.
Birds of a feather: Hereabouts, the late Carl Cook is a household name when it comes to photography – particularly that of crows and ravens. In 2010, he was the subject of what may have been Arts Walks’ first posthumous retrospective. This weekend, Cook’s influence has led to another show: a bird-themed photography exhibit by his widow Jadine Cook and friend Kay Schultz. Jadine Cook learned a lot about photography from her late husband. “He taught me how to shoot and how to be patient.” Obviously, the couple also shared an appreciation for creatures of the air, as do Jadine Cook and Schultz; they both volunteer with the Global Owl Project, which tracks owls and works for their conservation. The show at Batdorf & Bronson, 516 S. Capitol Way, is Cook’s first – and Schultz’s first since her days as a student at The Evergreen State College. Call 360-786-6717.
