In the wake of two sold-out concerts by Rickie Lee Jones on July 17 and 18, Vashon Center for the Arts (VCA) has more nationally known talent coming to its stage in the coming weeks.

VCA Executive Director Allison Halstead Reid is excited about the shows, which she hopes will continue to bring islanders who have fallen out of the habit of attending live events back to Kay White Hall.

Community support is needed to sustain VCA, she said, as the local arts organization, like many others around the country, continues to face economic pressures following the pandemic.

Tickets are still available for country star Jamie O’Neal, who will perform on Saturday, Aug. 5.

O’Neal rose to fame in the early 2000s, charting with hits such as “There is No Arizona,” and “When I Think About Angels.”

Following O’Neal, on Wednesday, August 16, will be comedian Josh Blue, bringing his “The Freak Accident Tour” to Vashon.

Blue has gained notoriety from his third-place finish on NBC’s America’s Got Talent, and has appeared on the Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Blue’s set will be opened by comedian and actor Janae Burris.

The Manhattan Transfer — the biggest name in the trio of events — will perform on Thursday, Sept. 21.

The multiple Grammy-winning jazz and pop four-part harmony group will be celebrating its 50th anniversary and the release of its album, “Fifty,” which earned the group its most recent Grammy for Best Jazz Vocal Album. Over the years, The Manhattan Transfer has also won an astounding 10 Grammy Awards, and been nominated 20 times.

Reid says she hopes islanders come out in droves for not only these upcoming concerts by national acts, but also attend other events at VCA. The arts are alive and well on the island, she said, but that hinges largely on community support.

“I don’t want people just turning out for those bigger names,” she said. “I want people to turn out for things like PianoFete, where we’re introducing a new experience, or for one of our local musical theater productions that the kids are putting on every year. These are the things that we really encourage people to start coming back to.”

Even though VCA will have held four sold-out shows so far this year, Reid says that these events usually aren’t the “money makers” for the organization.

Significant amounts of VCA’s time and resources are poured into bringing big acts onto the island, she said, leaving the center to rely on participation in local productions, classes, and lectures presented by the organization. Beyond that, she said, she hopes that islanders also support the organization directly.

“My fear is that the community perceives the breadth of our programming and how active we’ve been as that we’re in good shape,” Reid said. “What I want the community to know is that we have always relied on the donor. Being a nonprofit, we’ve always relied on the support of the people in our community. With inflation and everything that has happened since the pandemic… it’s a struggle, you know, but we are doing what we can.”

The pandemic was “incredibly painful,” for VCA, requiring that the staff rally together in order to keep the lights on, Reid said. Three years later, the aftershocks of the pandemic are still being felt at the center and in arts organizations nationwide.

“I’ve been watching a lot of organizations in Seattle just close their doors. They’re shuttered, they’re gone,” she said. “Everybody’s really got to step up now. This isn’t about whether this building should be here or not. It’s really about how important the arts are to you.”

Donations and ticket sales are vital to the center’s operations, Reid said, but some support doesn’t cost a dollar.

“We’re going to need the community to come see shows,” Reid said. “But it’s really about participating in every way possible. If you come to a show, spread the word, if you volunteer, tell others about it. Invite people here. If you can afford it, come buy art, come see a show, sign up for a class.”

Reid said that when visitors come from off the island, they’re in awe of how such a small community can boast an arts center as expansive as VCA. Although keeping up such an operation is tiring, it’s worth it, Reid said.

“As exhausted as we are, I wouldn’t dream of being anywhere else,” she said.

Tickets for upcoming events and information on how to support VCA can be found at vashoncenterforthearts.org.