Arts Briefs | October 3 edition | Vashon-Maury Island Beachcomber

Authoritarianism Rising

The second installment of a five-part speaker series with Dr. Larry Hubbell, examining the complex and pressing issue of authoritarianism in the United States, is coming up at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 3, at Open Space for Arts & Community.

The talk, “When the Shoe Fits,” will examine the defining traits of authoritarian leaders and how these characteristics show up in the current American political landscape.

Hubbell is a 10-year resident of Vashon and the former director of the Institute of Public Service at Seattle University. He holds the title of Professor Emeritus at both Seattle University and the University of Wyoming.

For more information, visit openspacevashon.com.

Deal

The electric quartet, Deal, will play in concert at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 5, at Open Space for Arts & Community.

The band plays high-energy, psychedelic renditions from the Grateful Dead catalog. Known as one of the most entertaining live acts on the Pacific Northwest’s jam scene, the group includes guitarist Ellis Hawes, bassist Tom Miller, keyboardist David Leisner and drummer Julian Douglas.

Find out more and get tickets at openspacevashon.com.

Joel McHale

A few tickets may still be available for an evening with acclaimed actor, comedian and television host at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 5, at Vashon Center for the Arts. Find out more at vashoncenterforthearts.org.

Nano Stern

Acclaimed Chilean musician Nano Stern will perform at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 6, at Vashon Center for the Arts.

Stern is agile across a range of instruments but is especially known for his masterful guitar playing and soaring vocals.

He has been hailed as one of the most influential Chilean musicians, and the potency of his performances, albums, instrumental technique, poetic voice and social activism are widely acknowledged. His work has been recognized with some of the most important awards in Chilean music and legendary musician Joan Baez has called him “the best Chilean singer-songwriter of his generation.”

Get tickets at vashoncenterforthearts.org.

Jazz in the Atrium

Jazz pianist and composer Nelda Swiggett and her talented trombonist husband, Clif Swiggett, will join forces with ubiquitous island bassist Bruce Phares at the next Jam in the Atrium, from 1-3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 6, in the atrium of Vashon Center for the Arts.

The afternoon performance is free, with donations gladly accepted.

Nelda Swiggett has been active on Seattle’s music scene since the early 1990s, and as a bandleader, she’s headlined at many of the Northwest’s top jazz venues, including the Seattle Jazz Fellowship, Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley, Bumbershoot, the Bellevue Jazz Festival, and the Earshot Jazz Festival. She is an award-winning composer and recording artist, with five album releases.

Clif Swiggett started playing jazz trombone as a teenager. He has toured with the Glenn Miller Orchestra, played with the Clem DeRosa All-Star Big Band, and was lead trombone in the McDonald’s Tri-State Jazz Ensemble for three years. He has backed up Dizzy Gillespie for shows in New York, played the Newport and Kool Jazz Festivals, and performed live on the Merv Griffin Show.

Since moving to Seattle in 1985, he’s played with bands including The Room To Move Sextet (hard bop including Jazz Messengers material), the Brian Waite Band (reggae, funk, jazz, rock), and many of Seattle’s great big bands.

Find out more about this dynamic duo at neldaswiggett.com/duo.

Show within a show

Seattle playwright David “Gordon” Gordon, who while growing up on Vashon was active in Vashon High School and Drama Dock productions, has authored a new play, “Within a Show,” that will have its world-premiere production running Oct. 10-13 at TPS Theatre4 at the Seattle Center Armory. The show can also be streamed online.

The play is billed as the ultimate “show within a show,” which opens like a conventional backstage farce, but quickly escalates and veers in multiple directions as actors playing actors go off-script, and even puppets in the show get ideas of their own.

“It’s more than just a comedy,” said Gordon. “It’s several comedies. And several tragedies. And a performance art piece. And a puppet show. It’s a lot. A lot of layers. Like a parfait.”

Find out more and get tickets at withinashow.com.

Call for artists

Vashon Center for the Arts has two calls for artists for future shows: the 18th Annual Miniature Show, and “Birds Take Flight,” which it will present with Vashon Nature Center.

The deadline for submissions to the miniature show is Nov. 6. Artists of all disciplines may submit work. Size matters: all 2-D art cannot be more than 36 square inches, including the frame, and 3D art should measure no more than 6 inches in any direction. The exhibition will run Dec. 6-22, at VCA. For more details and to apply, visit bit.ly/MiniatureShow2024

The deadline to submit work to “Birds Take Flight” — an exploration of avian-inspired creativity — is Dec. 2. The exhibition will celebrate the diversity of interpretations that artists can bring to life through all mediums, reflecting the beauty, symbolism, and dynamic energy of birds in flight. The exhibition dates will be Jan. 3-Feb. 2. For more details and to apply, visit bit.ly/CallBirdsTakeFlight.

Seth Zuckerman talk

Island author Seth Zuckerman will speak on the topic of “Living in a Forest Nation at a Time of Climate Change,” at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 16, at Vashon Center for the Arts.

Zuckerman will detail his conviction that the fate of forests and the fate of climate are inextricably bound up together. Forests store carbon, keeping it out of the air where it makes mischief with the weather, but the global warming already underway is destabilizing forests, including those on Vashon Island. As forests are degraded and put at risk, more carbon will be released into the air, further aggravating global warming.

Zuckerman believes there is a way out of this vicious circle. More thoughtful forest stewardship can make forests healthier and more resilient in the face of a changing climate. His talk at VCA will stress the need for a reciprocal, adaptive relationship with the forest that recognizes the climate is no longer static, if it ever was.

“Come to this talk and see why one of the most important tools for climate-friendly forestry is a chainsaw, even more than a planting shovel,” Zuckerman said.

Zuckerman is the author of the newly published book,“A Forest of Your Own: The Pacific Northwest Handbook of Ecological Forestry.” His talk at VCA is being presented in collaboration with Vashon Nature Center. For more information and tickets, visit vashoncenterforthearts.org.

Clarification: A previous version of this story erred in characterizing Seth Zuckerman’s Oct. 16 talk at VCA as an author’s talk about his newly published book. The talk will focus on a broader topic: ““Living in a Forest Nation at a Time of Climate Change.” We strive for accuracy and regret the error.