Here are a few Arts Walk spots you won’t want to miss this weekend
Into The Mortuary
The Mortuary at 414 Franklin St. SE, Olympia, is not an actual mortuary. But expect a macabre vibe in the multipurpose community space, which received one of the city’s Innovation Awards. Its Friday-only Arts Walk installation will include a lobotomy chair, part of an immersive exhibition created by the Frequenseers, a collective of artists working in film, sound, sculpture, digital art and more. Also part of the event is Alfred Montez’s demonstration of oobleck, a mix of cornstarch and water named for a substance in Dr. Seuss’s “Bartholomew and the Oobleck.” Montez, a bassist and artist, will explore how the mysterious mixture responds to sound.
Living art
At Underhill Plants, the Olympia Bonsai Club will be showing off its tiny trees and shrubs, which are not dwarf varieties but rather full-size varieties that are trained and shaped to be miniatures. Those who stop in more than once will be able to see some of the plants transform over the course of the event. Also at the shop, which also won an Innovation Award: sculpture by Fran Potasnik and drawings by Edmund VanSuchtelen. The shop, at 117 Washington St. NE, Olympia, is open for Arts Walk from 3 to 7 p.m. Friday and from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday.
Meet a monster
Fantasy writer Jonah Barnett, accompanied by a monster puppet, will read from their story collection “Moss-Covered Claws” Friday at Browsers Bookshop, 107 Capitol Way N., Olympia. The stories in “Claws,” now out in an expanded third edition, are inspired by Barnett’s fascination with monsters and dinosaurs and rooted in their Pacific Northwest upbringing. (One tale is set in the dorms of The Evergreen State College.) The author will read the same story four times — at 6, 6:30, 7 and 7:30 p.m. Also at Browsers: books and art by illustrator Amy Schimler-Safford, who’ll talk about her work from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday and sign books at 11 a.m. Saturday.
Showcasing dance
Dance devotees can get a behind-the-scenes look at Ballet Northwest’s rehearsal process. The company will rehearse “Sleeping Beauty,” opening May 8, from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Saturday at Johansen Olympia Dance Center, 412 Jefferson St. SE, Olympia. The dance center is also hosting a creative movement class taught by Sally Anvari. The free class will happen from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. Saturday.
The same day, Moving Parts Dance, 302 Columbia St. NW, Olympia, will host a Company Showcase at 1 p.m. Also on the program: dance by the Random Acts of Dance Collective (RADCo) and piano and choral singing. Admission is by donation, with no one turned away. Also at Moving Parts Friday and Saturday: a mixed media art including a short film, “Origins,” by Konya.