On Saturday night, stone sculptor Anthony Kaufmann will hold a special event of gratitude for the community at his 3000BC Studios. At 5 and 6 p.m., Japanese Butoh dancers Jyl Shinjo Brewer and Katrina Wolf will perform dances inspired by Kaufmann’s art and philosophy, weaving their way around his sculptures, ankle deep in autumn leaves.

Butoh first arose out of the ashes of Nagasaki as a way of transforming heartbreak into beauty. These performances will also honor the ongoing disaster at the Fukushima nuclear plant damaged by the 2011 tsunami.

Walking into Kaufmann’s studio at the Beall Greenhouse, Number 33 on the Art Studio Tour, involves a bit of intuitive creativity. The greenhouse entrance is not that obvious, nor is the exact hallway to Kaufman’s studio, but once through what looks like the door of a cold storage locker, the end result is stunning. Tall abstractions of the human figure — carved from columnar basalt, granite, onyx and marble  — stand throughout this working studio. These elegant yet primordial shapes hint at a reference to the mysterious individual yet communal forms at Stonehenge.

Kaufmann commutes to Vashon from his Seattle home to be part of the island arts scene. Deeply aware of the importance of community, Kaufmann said he believes in giving back and so will offer this free event of thanks to the public.

— Juli Goetz Morser