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Yes, I want to support My MLTnews!March arrives suddenly. The cherry blossom trees begin to show their pink petals like small confections.
The spring equinox tilts us toward longer days, and there is a push and pull between winter and spring, as if we were granted permission to move slowly through this transition. At the same time, life often feels like it’s moving too fast.
This is where art comes in.
Art invites us to pause. It gives space to our feelings and too many “thinks” – like Jojo in Seussical. Creativity allows us to sit with the unknown.
And like March’s sun rays and rain, art seeps in quietly nourishing. It reminds us that inspiration and growth doesn’t need to be rushed.
Let color return in its own time.
Art, after all, is a kind of healing.
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Spotlight: Evergreen Ensemble presents ‘How Beloved’
Sunday, March 8, 3 p.m.
Trinity Lutheran Church, 6215 196th St. SW, Lynnwood
Tickets and concert memberships
Evergreen Ensemble presents a special addition to its 2025-26 season 3 programming.
The program revisits music from the ensemble’s inaugural 2023 concert while expanding into repertoire reflecting themes of praise, stewardship and hope. Rooted in psalmic thanksgiving and a sense of place, How Beloved celebrates the beauty of the natural world and considers what it means to care for what we have been given.
Highlights include works by Caroline Shaw, Jake Runestad, Marques L. A. Garrett and Kevin Siegfried, with other contemporary voices whose music bridges tradition and innovation.
The concert follows the group’s appearance at the American Choral Directors Association Northwestern Regional Conference in Tacoma earlier in the week and marks an expanded moment in the ensemble’s third season.
Founded in 2023, Evergreen Ensemble is a professional vocal group dedicated to advancing choral artistry in the Pacific Northwest through community-centered programming and collaboration.
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Spotlight: Cascade Symphony presents ‘Brahms’ Double Concerto’
Monday, March 9, 7:30 p.m.
Edmonds Center for the Arts, 410 4th Ave. N.
Tickets online, by phone at 425-275-9595 or in person at the box office ($30 for adults; $25 for 50 and younger; $10 for youth 12 and younger)
Pre-concert lecture: 6:30 p.m. with KING-FM personality Dave Beck
Cascade Symphony Orchestra (CSO) continues its 2025-26 season, featuring works by Edward Elgar, Ferdinand Hérold, Johannes Brahms and Gustav Mahler, with the program Brahms Double Concerto.
Twin sisters Jacqueline and Katherine Audas, members of the Seattle Symphony, will perform as soloists in Brahms’ “Double Concerto” for violin and cello. Both earned degrees from Rice University Shepherd School of Music and have won international competitions, appearing with major orchestras and festivals on four continents.
The concert opens with Elgar’s “Pomp and Circumstance March No. 3” and Brahms’ “Double Concerto” closes the first half. Followed by Hérold’s overture to the opera “Zampa.” The program concludes with the “Langsam” movement from Mahler’s Symphony No. 3.
More details at a previous article.
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Upcoming Art Happenings
Torchbearers: Women’s Clubs and the Arts in American History
Thursday, March 5, 6-7 p.m.
Cascadia Art Museum, 190 Sunset Ave. S., #E
Presented by Dr. Karen J. Blair, the lecture explores the overlooked role of women’s clubs in supporting the arts since the late 19th century. Blair will examine how voluntary organizations nurtured music, theater and especially the visual arts, shaping cultural life for artists and audiences at regional and national levels.
A retired history professor at the University of Washington and Central Washington University, Blair has written extensively on American women and the impact of voluntary organizations. She is a founder of the Pacific Northwest Historians Guild and a recipient of the Washington State Governor’s Award for contributions to women’s history.
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Poetry reading by Priscilla Long in conversation with Bethany Reid
Thursday, March 19, 6 p.m. during Art Walk Edmonds
Edmonds Bookshop, 111 5th Ave. S.
Priscilla Long will read from her newest collection, Cartographies of Home: Poems, followed by a conversation with Edmonds poet Bethany Reid. A book signing and informal discussion will follow the program.
Long’s Cartographies of Home opens with poems centered on her rural childhood, travels, social activism of the 1960s and 1970s and old age in the Pacific Northwest. The collection reflects on the shifting and multi-layered meaning of “home.”
The cover artwork is from an original painting, House of Dreams, by Edmonds Bookshop owner, Michelle Bear.
Long is the author of nine books, including Cartographies of Home (MoonPath Press, 2026) and the forthcoming On Spaces and Colors (University of New Mexico Press).
Her how-to-write guide is The Writer’s Portable Mentor. Her writing has appeared in publications including The Hudson Review, The Southern Review and The American Scholar.
Her awards include a National Magazine Award and ten of her essays have been honored as “notable” in various years of Best American Essays. She holds an MFA from the University of Washington and grew up on a dairy farm on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.
Bethany Reid, a poet, editor and writing coach, holds an MFA in poetry and a Ph.D. in American literature from the University of Washington. She taught composition, American literature and creative nonfiction in the greater Seattle area for nearly 30 years and lives in Edmonds.
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NW Pastel Society 40th Open International Exhibition
Exhibition: March 7-31
Award reception: March 7, 5-7 p.m.
Cole Gallery, 107 5th Ave. S., Edmonds
Cole Gallery is honored to host the Northwest Pastel Society, which presents its 40th Annual Open Exhibition.
The juried showcase features 65 pastel works by artists from the Pacific Northwest and around the world, highlighting the range and expressive qualities of the medium, from landscapes to portraiture.
The exhibition was juried by artist Loriann Signori. Awards totaling $6,000 will be presented.
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Heart Art Healing: Art Journaling Workshop
Friday, March 13, 3-4:30 p.m.
Mountlake Terrace Library, 23300 58th Ave. W.
Part of the Heart Art Healing series, this workshop provides a supportive space for participants of all ages to reflect and express themselves through intuitive, process-based art. Each session includes a guided invitation to create a personal art journal page using simple collage techniques.
The program is led by trained facilitators and is designed to support wellness, self-reflection and creative empowerment in a welcoming community setting. All supplies are provided. No experience is necessary.
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Saturday, March 14, 3-5 p.m.
Lynnwood Library, 19200 44th Ave. W.
The program offers writing prompts and examples of creative writing, along with dedicated quiet time to write. Participants will also have the opportunity to share their work and exchange feedback in a supportive setting.
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March 18 and 25, 6-8 p.m. (two sessions)
Graphite Arts Center, 202 Main St., Edmonds
Cost: $90
Ages: Adults 18+
Level: All levels
Mary Olsen, founder of Art Start NW and Graphite Arts Center, will lead a plant-focused art workshop. Participants will draw inspiration from the center’s collection of houseplants, as well as florals, wildflowers and trees. Working with pencil, charcoal, watercolor and acrylic, students will study plant forms, textures and composition.
The first session will focus on drawing exercises and material exploration; the second will be devoted to completing a final painting in the medium of each participant’s choice.
The class is designed to provide a supportive environment for skill development and creative exploration. All supplies are included, though participants may bring their own materials and reference photos.
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‘Local Spirits’ exhibit opening
Opening reception: Saturday, March 28, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
Edmonds Historical Museum, 118 5th Ave. N.
The Edmonds Historical Museum invites the public to the opening reception of their latest exhibit Local Spirits. The exhibit explores the history of prohibition, speakeasies and alcohol in Snohomish County.
Visitors will have the opportunity to meet exhibit curators and local historians who contributed to the exhibit.
There will be snacks, mocktails and more. Visitors will get a chance to see the museum’s newly updated lower-level exhibits.
*If you would like your event included in future Art Beat listings, email Nahline Gouin at nahline.gouin@gmail.com.
Based in Edmonds, Nahline 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. Contact her at nahline.gouin@gmail.com.
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