Art Beat: Art Walk Edmonds, Kenmore Quickies, books, summer events galore, more

Upcoming Art Happenings:

Third Thursdays: Art Walk Edmonds
Thursday, July 16, 5-8 p.m.
Downtown Edmonds
Printable map

Art Walk Edmonds (AWE) is a monthly community event that runs all month long. Every third Thursday, participating businesses open their doors to showcase local and regional art, giving the public a chance to meet the artists and see new work.

Highlight: Hoadley Gallery West, 319 Main St.

Hoadley Gallery West showcases soulful, meaningful work defined by a deep commitment to craftsmanship.

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Sea Notes: summer music

Mary Lou’s Block Public Plaza at the Port of Edmonds Marina, 458 Admiral Way (behind Anthony’s restaurant)
Most Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays, Through Aug. 30

Enjoy casual seaside performances throughout the summer at the plaza. A limited number of chairs will be available, and attendees are welcome to bring their own chairs or blankets and relax on the grassy knoll. Pack a picnic or grab an outdoor table at Anthony’s while enjoying live music by local student and professional musicians.

For a complete list, visit Port of Edmonds.

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Summer at SAM 

Olympic Sculpture Park, 2901 Western Ave., Seattle
Thursdays and Sundays, through Aug. 2
All ages
Free

Summer at SAM returns to the Olympic Sculpture Park with activities and experiences that combine visual art, music and community, exploring place-making, cultural confluences and learning from our local environment.

Join SAM Thursday evenings for live concerts curated by Sonic Guild, food trucks, drag bingo hosted by Aleksa Manila, and art-making activities led by Nepantla Cultural Arts Gallery teaching artists.

Sundays are activity days filled with movement classes, tours of the Olympic Sculpture Park, art-making and rotating activities like Starfinder games, mahjong, dance performance, music, clothing swaps and more.

Presented in partnership with Nepantla Cultural Arts Gallery.

For a complete schedule and most up-to-date information, visit Summer at SAM.

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Summer Thursday Concerts

Hazel Miller Plaza, 5th Avenue South and Maple Street, Edmonds
Thursdays, through Aug. 30, 4:30-6 p.m.
Rain or shine

The summer concert series at Hazel Miller Plaza, presented by the Edmonds Arts Commission, brings free performances to downtown Edmonds throughout July and August.

• July 16: Third Harbour (Celtic)
• July 23: Nick Drummond (Indie Rock)
• July 30: Those Guys (Acoustic Pop)
• Aug. 6: Sheryl Wiser (Americana/Blues)

The series continues through August, offering a variety of musical styles in the heart of Edmonds.

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Summer Sunday Concerts

City Park Pavilion, 600 3rd Ave. S., Edmonds
Sundays, through Aug. 16, 3-4 p.m.
Rain or shine

The summer concert series at the City Park Pavilion, presented by the Edmonds Arts Commission, brings free afternoon performances to Edmonds throughout July and August.

• July 19: Sturtz (Contemporary Folk Quartet)
• July 26: Umami Jazz Fusion
• Aug. 2: CHIKIRI and The School of Taiko Drums 

The series continues through August, offering a variety of musical styles in an outdoor park setting.

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Summer Sounds: An Outdoor Concert & Market at The District

The District Plaza (outside the Lynnwood Event Center), 3711 196th St. SW, Lynnwood
Wednesday, July 29, 2-8 p.m.
Rain or shine

• Vendor Market starts at 2 p.m.
• Live music starts at 6 p.m.

For a complete schedule, visit: Summer Sounds

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Watercolor for Relaxation: Monochrome Mountains

Wednesday, July 29, 6-8 p.m.
Graphite Arts Center, 202 Main St., Edmonds
Cost: $45
Supply fee: $10, payable to the instructor (cash preferred; Venmo and PayPal accepted)
Ages: Adults 18+
Instructor: Missy Hancock
Pre-registration required

Watercolor for Relaxation is designed to help participants de-stress through watercolor painting.

The class begins with warm-up exercises followed by a 10-minute visualization to encourage relaxation. Participants will then use watercolor painting as a mindfulness tool, tapping into their intuition to calm the mind.

Along the way, Hancock will share watercolor techniques, painting tips and color theory. 

The $10 supply fee includes professional watercolor paints, paper and brushes. The class emphasizes the process of painting rather than creating a finished product. No prior watercolor experience is necessary. 

Hancock holds a master’s degree in teaching from Seattle University and has more than 20 years of experience teaching in and out of the classroom. In 2022, she founded Rooted Design, LLC, with the goal of bringing positivity and purpose to people’s lives through art. She also serves as director of school programs for Art Start NW, a nonprofit that operates inside Graphite Arts Center.

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July Story Time at Edmonds Bookshop

Friday, July 31, 9:30 – 10 a.m.
Edmonds Bookshop, 111 5th Ave. S.

July Story Time at Edmonds Bookshop will be led by children’s author Chloe Ito Ward. She’ll be reading her latest picture book, All the Ways We Learn.

Caption (All the Ways We Learn cover).jpg

Ward is a teacher-turned-children’s author and has written several books, including Chopsticks Are, Made for More and Love Grows Here.

“A celebration of learning and accommodations in the classroom, All the Ways we Learn honors the many brilliant and beautiful ways kids take in the world, helping them feel seen, supported, and loved.” (Author’s website).

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‘Kenmore Quickies – The Eight Deadly Sins’

Kenmore Community Club, 7304 NE 175th St.
Friday through Sunday, Aug, 7-9, at various times; Saturday, Aug. 8 at 2 p.m. is Pay What You Can matinee

Tickets online: $20

As If Theatre Company is back and ready to misbehave. Celebrating its 6th annual short play festival, the company is unveiling a brand-new, wickedly fun twist with The Kenmore Quickies – The Eight Deadly Sins.

The festival officially started off with games of chance at a “Quick-Off” party in June with eight local playwrights, eight directors and 15 actors. 

Each playwright was randomly assigned their cast, director and a strict-but-fun list of prop constraints. 

The playwrights were also handed a single inspiration: one of the seven deadly sins, plus an eighth sin created just for this year’s festival. From there, writers had four weeks to let their darkest, funniest and strangest imaginations run wild, before handing scripts off to directors and casts for a whirlwind two weeks of rehearsal.

The result is eight brand-new short plays – funny, serious, a bit strange and downright weird – each built around only one deadly sin: Greed, Sloth, Lust, Pride, Wrath, Gluttony, Envy and, just for the Quickies, Ignorance!

Each evening, audience members will vote for the Audience Favorite Award, presented after Sunday’s performance, while a panel of three judges will determine the Critics’ Choice Award.

Playwrights for the 2026 Quickies include Caitlin Gilman, Marcus Gorman, Peter Gruenbaum, Mary Guthrie, Vincent Kovar, Andrew Meyers, Alison Reeger Cook and Jane Ryan.

*If you would like your event included in future Art Beat listings, email Nahline Gouin at [email protected]. Discover more by following the Art Beat on Instagram.

Based in Edmonds, Nahline Gouin is a freelance writer, ceramicist and arts advocate with experience in art museums and performing arts centers. She continues to create with clay, homeschool her son and write as a creative practice.