August Director's Journal

“There are a lot of new folks finding their way to Sitka,” Assistant Director Nicola Harrison observes, noticing how fresh instructors are drawing a next generation of workshop participants to our campus this summer. “The music they’re listening to in the studio while they’re drawing sounds like a mix of folk and soft punk.” In Aidan Koch’s Environmental Comics workshop, participants gather in circles, trading sketches and listing shared environmental concerns. “Their sketchbooks give me hope,” Nicola elaborates. “It’s invigorating to see how invested they are—exploring environmental issues in creative ways.” “That’s what I love about Aidan’s teaching,” adds Program Manager Maria Elting. “Concern for the environment and the climate can feel overwhelming. Her practice breaks things down into sequences and exercises so we can move forward, a frame at a time.

”Meanwhile, in Julia Hames’ Farm to Fiber workshop, another cohort—many visiting Sitka for the first time—works with bold, hand-dyed fibers. They spin yarn, knit and felt wool into artwork, pulling traditional techniques forward. Earlier in the season, Hames shared her fiber skills with K–8 Create’s summer camp students at Nestucca K-8. Young fiber artists embellished felted journal covers with buttons and wool locks and learned to spin their own yarn. “Working with instructors who teach both youth and adults connects our learning community,” says Youth Program Director Leeauna Perry, noting the impact of these intergenerational throughlines. “When young people see that they’re using the same professional tools and techniques as adult learners, they stand a little taller.”

”The same spirit of connection carries into August at the Tillamook County Fair, where Sitka helps oversee the visual arts exhibits and interactive area. Community members of all ages submit everything from photography and paintings to craft projects and poetry. In the mixed media section, I spot a familiar felt book cover made by a K-8 Create kindergartner the week before—adorned with a blue-ribbon prize.

Just a few displays down, Tillamook County Commissioner Mary Faith Bell’s mosaic, created during a Sitka workshop earlier this summer, has earned a blue ribbon of its own.“I felt like the fair exhibits were finally recovered from COVID-19,” Commissioner Bell observes when I reach out to congratulate her. “There were some lean years when people were out of the habit of sharing their work.” John, a longtime Fair volunteer and fiber artist, shares a similar sentiment: “The fair is important because it gives us an opportunity to see and celebrate the creativity throughout our community.

Whether it’s growing flowers or baking or quilting…I’m always encouraging folks to enter what they make in the Fair. ”This summer is a reminder that creativity connects us. It helps us make it through hard times together, bridge differences and celebrate what we share. Whether you’re in a Sitka studio, encouraging a young artist or admiring handmade work at a county fair or at Sitka’s Art Invitational in the fall, thank you for being part of this creative community.

—Alison