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October is here and pumpkin spice lattes are back. The leaves are already showing their colors in ochre, cadmium orange and crimson red.
Scarves are being pulled from closets, rain boots are essential once again and warm drinks feel more like small rituals rather than just beverages.
Maybe it’s time to try that new art class. Maybe it’s time to visit your local bookshop and discover your next great read. Or maybe it’s time for a walk along the waterfront and take a self-guided tour, beneath crisp blue skies, where you can deepen your sense of place.
And just maybe, a night out on the town will strengthen your sense of belonging, identity and community.
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Spotlight: ‘Origin / Identity / Belonging II’ solo art exhibit
Edmonds College Art Gallery, 20000 68th Ave. W., 3rd floor (Lynnwood Hall)
Reception: Friday, Oct.10, 2:30 – 4 p.m.
Exhibition: Oct.10 – Dec.12
Edmonds College Art Gallery presents the solo exhibition Origin / Identity / Belonging II, featuring the works of Michael Wewer.
Wewer, an alumnus of Edmonds College and faculty member since 2001, expands on his original project with 50 black-and-white portraits – more than twice the number shown in its first iteration. The collection includes students, faculty and administrators – who have come from around the world to live and work in the community. Portraits represent national origins including Palestine, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Tibet.
Through these portraits, Wewer celebrates the rich cultural diversity and shared humanity within the Edmonds community. His work creates a space for visibility, recognition, and connection, illuminating stories of origin, identity and the search for belonging.
“In capturing portraits of these individuals, I aim to highlight one of the many great aspects of Edmonds College: the diversity of the campus and the strength of our multicultural community,” said Wewer. “Through my photos, I am also able to help people be seen and make their stories heard.”
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Spotlight: ‘The Secret of Orange Blossom Cake’
Thursday, Oct. 16, 6-7 p.m.
Edmonds Bookshop, 111 5th Ave. S.
Rachel Linden will be the featured Art Walk author at Edmonds Bookshop where she’ll discuss her latest novel, The Secret of Orange Blossom Cake, in conversation with Edmonds author Nova McBee.
Linden is a novelist and international aid worker whose adventures in more than 50 countries have provided rich grist for her fiction. She is the author of The Magic of Lemon Drop Pie, Recipe for a Charmed Life, and several other novels. She now lives with her family in a small harbor town in the Pacific Northwest where she writes stories about her favorite things: Strong women facing big challenges, food, travel, romance, a touch of magical realism – and always, a hopeful ending.
The Secret of Orange Blossom Cake combines a magical family recipe book and a summer at an Italian olive farm. Author Susan Meissner, a USA Today bestseller of Only the Beautiful, called it “the perfect mix of delicious backdrop details, family secrets, and the quest for purpose and lasting love. Enchantingly delightful from first page to last.”
McBee is the author of the award-winning young adult thriller series Calculated, the first installment of which is currently being adapted for film.
Follow Edmonds Bookshop on Facebook and Instagram.
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This Week in the Arts
A curated calendar of upcoming art exhibits, performances, classes, author readings, art walks and more.
‘VOYAGER’: Art Talk with Steve Jensen
Thursday, Oct. 2, 7 p.m. (doors open at 6:30 p.m.)
The Gallery at Graphite, 202 Main St.
Join Northwest artist Steve Jensen for an evening exploring Jensen’s personal journey into the imagery of boats as an artistic symbol of voyage, and the process of turning something painful into something beautiful.
Jensen has been an artistic presence in the area for 46 years. His sculptural works have been featured in 30 solo exhibitions and can be seen in countless public spaces through the Pacific Northwest.
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Taylor Takeover event in Edmonds
Prelaunch listening party at Musicology Co.: Thursday, Oct. 2, 9 p.m.
Downtown Edmonds ‘Taylor Takeover’ event: Friday, Oct. 3, 10 a.m. – 10 p.m. (see flyer)
Celebrate the release of Taylor Swift’s new album with Musicology Co.’s Taylor Takeover, a community-wide event featuring bracelet-making, all of Taylor Swift’s albums, orange glitter galore, raffle prizes, photo ops by Sunlight Gallery, themed drinks from Vertical Wine Collective and Kelnero, balloons, a Molly Moon’s sundae special and more.
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Season 18 Begins with Ms. Frankenstein’s Monster
Oct. 3-26, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m., Sundays at 2 p.m.
The Phoenix Theatre, 9673 Firdale Ave. (at Firdale Village)
“You’ve never seen Frankenstein like this! In this comedy, Baron Frankenstein, once successful and lauded for his monster creation, faces steep competition when his sister creates a monster of her own – and her creation is quickly headed for Hollywood stardom.”
Ms. Frankenstein’s Monster, written by Albert Green and directed by Renée Gilbert, is a hilarious horror-comedy produced with permission from Concord Theatricals, a Samuel French Inc. title.
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Duo Milu
Saturday, Oct. 5, 7 p.m.
North Sound Church, 201 4th Ave. N.
While autumn leaves gather at the base of the white picket fence surrounding Edmonds’ historic North Sound Church, world-renowned pianist Ch’uqi Hwaen and concertmaster violinist Pamela bring the season to life with music.
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Intro to Clay Hand-building
Wednesday, Oct. 8, 6-8 p.m.
Graphite Arts Center, 202 Main St.
Register (Children age 10+ may attend with a registered adult; both adult and child must register separately)
Led by Mary Olsen, founder of Art Start NW and the Graphite Arts Center, explore hand-building techniques like pinch, coil and slab construction. Create pieces, such as mugs, bowls or small sculptures.
Finished pieces will be fired and ready for pickup two weeks after class. Students interested in glazing their bisqued pieces can return during one of Mary’s “Sunday in the Studio” sessions.
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Sketching Nature – Fall Color in Pencil, Ink & Watercolor with Kathleen Moore
Thursdays, Oct. 9 – Nov. 6, 10:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Cole Art Studio, 107 5th Ave. S. (located in the lower level of Cole Gallery)
Level: All Levels
In this five-week course, Moore will lead you into the art of sketching nature, capturing everything from the intricate textures of leaves to the graceful forms of trees. Inspired by the beauty of late summer and early fall, you’ll take your sketchbook outdoors to observe and draw the world around you.
Along the way, you’ll learn simple watercolor washes, pen-and-ink techniques and tips to bring vibrancy to your pages. Perfect for beginners and continuing students alike, this class will help you build confidence and keep your sketchbook brimming with color.
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Inaugural “stubus” Indigenous Walking Tour
Monday, Oct. 13, 3:30 p.m. program starts; 4 p.m. walk begins
Edmonds Waterfront Center, 220 Railroad Ave.
stubus (pronounced stoh’-boos) is a new self-guided walking tour around Edmonds that explores Indigenous art, history and culture.
The name stubus comes from the Indigenous Lushootseed language and refers to the bluff at Point Edwards in Edmonds, a site historically significant to the Coast Salish people.
The launch event includes a short program followed by the first self-guided walk. The 90-minute tour features 15 sites, accessible via QR codes. Docents will be available to guide visitors along the tour.
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Art scene recap
The Mountlake Terrace Arts Commission and Friends of the Arts presented its 45th Annual Arts of the Terrace Juried Art Show last week, featuring more than 370 works by 165 artists.
Organizers reported a 70% increase in entries compared to last year with more than 840 submissions from artists across the region and beyond, including Seattle, Shoreline, Edmonds, Kenmore, Lynnwood, Mountlake Terrace, Tacoma, Oregon and California.
Check out the 2025 Arts of the Terrace award winners.
*If you would like your event included in future Art Beat listings, send an email to 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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