Kristen Grainger and True North
American Roots singer-songwriter Kristen Grainger and her band, True North, will perform at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 9, at Open Space for Arts & Community.
True North brings together guitarist, mandolinist and banjo player Dan Wetzel; mandolinist and fiddler Martin Stevens; and upright bassist Josh Adkins, three standout Pacific Northwest bluegrass multi-instrumentalists.
Grainger has won honors at MerleFest, Wildflower, Kerrville New Folk and the Telluride Bluegrass Festival, and she won the USA Songwriting Contest in 2020. She was named, alongside Dolly Parton and Brandi Carlile, as one of the “Women Who Wrote Our 2020 Soundtrack” by The Bluegrass Situation.
For tickets and more information, visit openspacevashon.com.
Ron Pope and Joshua Radin
Acclaimed singer-songwriters Ron Pope and Joshua Radin, on tour now through the western United States, will perform at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 8, at Vashon Center for the Arts.
Nashville-based recording artist Pope carved his niche in the digital era’s early days with his breakout hit, “A Drop in the Ocean.” The song has amassed over 1 billion streams and earned platinum status in the United States and double platinum status in Sweden.
Radin has enthralled audiences with his empathetic singing and songwriting since emerging on the scene in 2004. Over the years, he’s also tallied north of 1 billion streams, sold over 1 million albums worldwide, and scored a gold certification for the single “I’d Rather Be with You.”
Find out more and get tickets at vashoncenterforthearts.org.
Sherlock, Jr.
Cellist Gideon Freudmann, who uses his instrument and real-time digital effects to create live soundtracks for classic silent films, will play an imaginative live score to Buster Keaton’s hilarious film, “Sherlock, Jr.,” at 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 9, at Vashon Center for the Arts.
Freudmann’s imaginative, original accompaniment will provide a sublime soundtrack to Keaton’s 1924 silent masterpiece, with Keaton’s physical antics (as well as his cinematic storytelling genius) on full display. This show is free for youths.
Find out more and get tickets at vashoncenterforthearts.org.
Portage Fill
Vashon’s Portage Fill Big Band will bring the Big Band era to life in a performance at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 10, at Vashon Center for the Arts. Come and enjoy timeless jazz standards and dance tunes played by Vashon Island’s own home-grown garage band.
Find out more and get tickets at vashoncenterforthearts.org. Youths are admitted free to the show but must reserve tickets in advance.
The Cowboy and the Queen
Calling all horse lovers and royal watchers for the documentary film “The Cowboy and the Queen,” to be screened at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 12, at Vashon Theatre.
The film chronicles the unlikely friendship between Monty Roberts, a pioneer of nonviolent horse training, and Queen Elizabeth II, a lifelong rider and advocate for horses. Together, they brought Roberts’s methods to equestrians across the world, demonstrating “how trust can build a better world for both horses and humans.”
This event is a fundraiser to support islander Ashleigh Rauen’s ride in the Gaucho Derby, a 500-kilometer race across Patagonia. Learn more about Rauen and her adventure at tinyurl.com/bdzm9fr4, or donate to support her ride at tinyurl.com/yffdwxh9.
Tickets to the film are available at the door or can be purchased in advance at tinyurl.com/3uew585j.
Secret play
Have you noticed signs around town, urging islanders, “Don’t Tell the Secret?” Spoiler alert: they are meant to pique interest in a new youth theater production.
Vashon High School theater students, many of whom are 16 years old and new to the school’s theater program, will soon present a play about some events they have researched. Working from interviews and other documentary materials, their creation will have audiences riveted to their seats, said theater teacher Andy James.
The play’s title is yet to be announced, but performance dates are set for 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturdays, Nov. 15, 16, 22 and 23; 2 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 17; and 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 21. Get tickets and find more at tinyurl.com/5xmz7wh7, or call 206-463-8707.
Photography workshop
The final stand-alone photography workshop in a three-workshop series led by islander Ray Pfortner will take place from 2-4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 16, at Vashon Library.
In the workshop, participants will show their results from an assignment to take photos of water — salt or fresh, rain, dew or even snow, boats or wildlife, with or without people as long as there is some water in the frame.
The group will share 5 selects for each participant who wants to share — whether made new or harvested from previous work, or shot on a phone or a regular camera. Feedback will be provided by everyone present.
The objective is to help everyone decide on four photographs taken during the workshop’s sessions to include in a pop-up print show at the library that will open on Dec. 6, and run for two weeks at the Library.
Additionally, anyone who wants to do so can submit five photographs of anything water related to Pfortner by the end of day on Nov. 13 for use in his Nov. 16 presentation at the library. Contact Pfortner at raypfortner@gmail.com.
No registration is needed to take part in the workshop.
Art Talk
Art historian and Mexican art expert, Deborah Caplow, and Vashon print artist Brian Fisher will present a free talk at 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 17, at Vashon Center for the Arts.
They will discuss the print process and the artists of “Impressed,” a contemporary print show now on view at the arts center. “Impressed” features 27 exceptional artists from Vashon and Oaxaca, Mexico, and highlights contemporary approaches to printmaking in both creative communities.
Deborah Caplow is the author of the first book in English about the esteemed Mexican printmaker Leopoldo Méndez, “Leopoldo Méndez: Revolutionary Art and the Mexican Print.” Local printmaker Brian Fisher, with Jean Echevarria and Laurie Brown, co-curated the “Impressed” exhibit.
Find out more about the show at vashoncenterforthearts.org.
Correction: Previous versions of this article erred in stating the day of the week that Brian Fisher and Deborah Caplow would present an art talk at Vashon Center for the Arts. The event takes place on a Sunday, not Saturday. We strive for accuracy and regret the error.
“Narcissus” by Mercedes Lopez, is part of “Impressed,” an exhibition featuring local printmakers and print artists from Oaxaca, Mexico, now on display at Vashon Center for the Arts. See the show and attend a gallery talk about it on Nov. 17, at the arts center. (Courtesy photo)
Ray Pforner’s photo of a rainbow over Tramp Harbor. Pfortner will lead a workshop at Vashon Library on Nov. 16, to discuss participants’ photograghs of water scenes. (Ray Pfortner photo)
Kristen Grainger and True North will perform on Nov. 9 at Open Space. (Courtesy photo)
