Friday boasts museum reopening, arts fest launch and more

Vashon Chamber’s monthly Summer Nights First Friday street party will take place on July 5, with Vashon Highway, stretching from Bank Road to 178th Street, closed to traffic from 6-9 p.m. from the Bank Road to 178th St.

Islanders can mingle with friends, sip, snack and stroll through town, enjoying the new warm-weather tradition.

A new event, called NTMRKT (“night market”), presented by Vashon Film Institute, will take place in Vashon Theatre’s Backlot, featuring games, a deejay and vendor booths.

Island arts spots will also open new exhibits on First Friday, of course.

At Vashon Center for the Arts, July 5 will mark the opening of its 7th annual Vashon Summer Arts Fest, exclusively featuring the work of 70-80 local artists.

Another must-see on First Friday: the grand reopening of Vashon Heritage Museum after an extensive remodel of its permanent exhibit.

Swiftwater Gallery

“Swiftwater Regatta: Float Your Boat,” will invite islanders to create their own miniature boats from a wide variety of provided materials and test those boats out in a wading pool that will be set outside the gallery.

VALISE

“The Risky Rascals,” opening on Friday and running through July 30, will include work by three VALISE members, George Wright, Lenard Yen and Sharon Shaver.

In a press release, Yen offered up an observation to help explain his work in the show.

“I often paint myself into a corner where the only way out is in,” Yen said. “Or if I’m being ghosted by a blank canvas my best course of action is throwing paint and seeing where it sticks. So when planning appears to take over, I let ambiguity and illusion sneak in, because as Yogi Berra once said, ‘If you don’t know where you’re going, you’ll end up someplace else.’”

The exhibit opens from 1-9 p.m. Friday, July 5. Regular gallery hours are 1-6 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and 1-4 p.m. Sunday.

Vashon Center for the Arts

VCA’s 7th annual Vashon Summer Arts Fest (SAF) will kick off with an artist reception for 5-8 p.m.

SAF, which exclusively features local artists, will take place over a nine-week period.

Each year, SAF includes 40 individual and group shows, comprising the work of 70-80 artists — including longtime locals, new folks in town, and others who have never before shown their work on Vashon.

The exhibitions rotate every three weekends instead of four, with each rotation having its own opening reception. This summer, the receptions will take place on July 5, July 26, and August 16. In addition, VCA will also present its regular First Friday receptions as part of the monthly gallery cruise.

July 5 is the opening night for shows by Matt Beursken (recycled art sculptures), Brette Flora (acrylics and mixed media), Lali Groth (monotypes), Gretchen Hancock (oil paintings), Jonathan Kuzma (raku, mixed media wall art) , Marc Pease (mixed media), Deborah Rieschl (encaustics), and Pamela Wickard (mixed media).

Brian Brenno’s collection of glass sculptured hats will be showcased in the gallery shop.

Vashon Heritage Museum

At 5 p.m. on Friday, July 5, the the Vashon Heritage Museum will throw open its doors to welcome islanders to the grand reopening of its newly remodeled permanent exhibit, aptly titled “Vashon Stories.”

This immersive exhibit invites visitors to step through time to explore the rich tapestry of life on Vashon Island — from its earliest inhabitants to the present day. New interactive displays in the museum detail the s ̌xwəbabs Indigenous community who have called Vashon home since time immemorial; the first contact between cultures; the rise of industries on the island; the transformative impact of War World II and the post-war era; as well as the gentrification and activism that defines island life today.

Find out more at vashonheritagemuseum.org.

Regular gallery hours are 12-5 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday.