September 2021
When fall arrives, the arts come alive! Join us this Saturday for the Arts Alive! info fair. Then plan for Give More 24! on 9/23, Día de Muertos in 10/30, and Open Studios Tour in November. So much to do — masked and socially distanced, of course.

ARTS brief is designed to intrigue you while sharing useful information, events, happenings, and current news related to arts growth in our region. If you love what you see here, please forward this to your friends and encourage them to join our email list and subscribe.
Advancing the arts
Join us for Arts Alive!
Noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, September 18

25 arts organizations representing the visual arts, fiber arts, theater, music, poetry and dance will gather this Saturday for the first-ever Arts Alive! event, complete with information booths, live performances, food carts and kid’s activities.

Arts Alive! will be held from noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday, September 18 in the Clark County Public Service Center Plaza at 1300 Franklin St. in downtown Vancouver. Admission is free.


The gazebo will host poetry by current and past Clark County Poets Laureate Armin Tolentino, Gwendolyn Morgan and Christopher Luna.

Free parking will be available in the adjacent parking garage plus the event is just an easy walk from the Vancouver Farmers Market.

A partnership of Clark County Arts CommissionArtstra, and Columbia Arts Network, Arts Alive! is designed to reconnect the community with local arts organizations and to remind everyone that the arts are still alive and well in Southwest Washington.

Día de Muertos in Esther Short Park
October 30 Day of the Dead celebration needs volunteers and support
Mark your calendar and please join us at Esther Short Park for the Day of the Dead ancestral celebration when we remember and honor our departed. Día de Muertos is truly a celebration of life and this year it is also a time of healing after two difficult years of the pandemic. Experience beautiful luminarias, tradtional Mexican dancing, music, catrinas, and an altar to the beloved deceased.

On October 30, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., community members will be invited to join Vancouver Ballet Folklórico to cherish the memory of family and friends who have passed away and who we hold close to our hearts. Your support is needed to make this event a success. Please make a donation to Artstra to support this program or email Anna Cruz if you are interested in volunteering.
Countdown to Give More 24!
Please donate to Artstra on September 23
When you give to Artstra, you can be assured that your dollars go directly to supporting arts programs in our community. As an all-volunteer organization with no physical offices, we don't have administrators or rent to pay. We are also very proud to have been awarded the Platinum Seal of Transparency by Guidestar, the world's largest source of information on nonprofits.
Give More 24! brings together our entire region for 24 hours of generosity. By giving together, and boosting donations through match dollars and nonprofit prizes, we have the potential to make one incredible impact.

Your support for the arts can yield boundless dividends in strengthening our culture, lifting our spirits, and invigorating our local economy. Let's work together on September 23 to turn up the volume on giving for the arts in southwest Washington!

View our Give More 24 profile page where you can donate online on 9/23.
Don't miss
Mosaic Arts Alliance Fall Show
Art at the Cave
The Cave hosts the Mosaic Arts Alliance Fall Show for in-gallery viewing through September 29. A virtual exhibit is also available through October 31 at the MAA website. Mosaic Arts Alliance is a non-profit organization, providing local 2D and 3D artists in all media the opportunity for collaborative and creative growth. The mission of Mosaic Arts Alliance is to create a community that recognizes the importance of art in each individual life and in our wider world. 

108 E Evergreen Blvd, Vancouver
View Vancouver gallery listings on the VDA website.
Theater
Much Ado About Nothing

Magenta Theater's WWII-era adaptation of Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing continues through September 25. Adapted and directed by David Roberts, one of Shakespeare's best comedies is set in 1940's war-torn England. A trio of singers bring harmonious hits from the era via lively musical interludes.


Magenta Theater
1108 Main St, Vancouver
Out and about
Art Space at the Park
Espacio de Arte en el Parque, the program spearheaded by Artstra board member Anna Cruz, continues through October. The program is a collaborative effort between Vancouver Ballet Folklorico (VBF), Fourth Plain Forward, and Artstra and is also an extension of Artstra's Creative Relief Clark County. 


Evergreen Park
E Fourth Plain & Rossiter Lane, Vancouver
4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
First and Third Saturday of the month through October
Quiltfest Northwest
The Clark County Quilters Guild show is October 21-23 at the Clark County Event Center and will feature about 300 quilts created by Guild members,
along with special exhibits, a vendor mall, and other activities.


Clark County Event Center
17402 Delfel Rd, Ridgefield
In memoriam
Wanda Brewster
March 8, 1947 – August 9, 2021
Longtime arts supporter, artist, and Vancouver resident Wanda Brewster will be missed as member of the local arts community. She was actively involved with the Society of Washington Artists, Mosaic Arts Alliance, Columbia Arts Network, as well as the Color Pencil Society of America. Beyond her work with the arts, she enjoyed reading, cooking, travel, and exploring her Chippewa (Ojibwe) heritage. She was a member of White Earth, Pembina Band, Chippewa Tribe.
Our all-volunteer organization works toward building greater arts awareness, rewarding creative excellence, and expanding arts accessibility. We are working to facilitate long-term arts development for Southwest Washington. We envision a stronger arts infrastructure that includes an art center and a community-focused performing arts facility. 

Your support will help to make this vision a reality. Artstra's current programs include our annual Clark County Open Studios Tour and Poetry Moves, a collaborative effort that features the words of local poets on C-Tran buses. Both of these programs have already demonstrated the power of art in our lives to connect us, transform us, and fuel the economy.
Five ways to support the cause
If you love what Artstra is doing for our community, please consider the different ways that you can contribute.

1- Donate
Use PayPal to make a tax-deductible donation to Artstra. 
 
2- Declutter
Give useable items to Nifty and Thrifty at 6607 E. Mill Plain Blvd. And when those items sell, the money is split 50/50 with participating nonprofits. Just let them know your items are donated to benefit Artstra. 
 
3- Shop 
Link your Fred Meyer Rewards Card to Artstra using our code #84120. Just by using your rewards card number, and at no cost to you, every time you shop you'll help Artstra earn a quarterly donation from Fred Meyer.
 
4- Shop online 
Use this link to login to Amazon, and they will donate a portion of the proceeds from your purchase back to Artstra.
 
5- Volunteer 
Artstra is an all-volunteer organization. If you have specialized skills, especially in fundraising, outreach and marketing, we'd love to talk with you.
ARTS brief team
Cam Suttles, editor, designer 
Editorial Policy and submission guidelines
ARTS brief is intended to be useful to readers by offering a curated selection of stories and announcements related to the growth of arts in our region. Submitted items should be newsworthy. This means that arts-related items for content consideration must perform well in at least two of the following five areas: timing, significance, proximity, prominence, and human interest. Please submit materials to [email protected]no later than the 25th of each month. Note that submission does not guarantee publication. We evaluate each submission to determine how it fits our goals for ARTS brief and whether the item under consideration aligns with the mission and vision of Artstra. We do not accept materials that primarily have a commercial objective.
About Artstra
Artstra is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization advocating for the arts in Clark County and southwest Washington. We envision a vibrant arts economy in our region, north of the Columbia River, with public/private investments and facilities that sustain artists and enrich community. Our mission is to elevate the arts, build greater arts awareness, reward creative excellence, and expand arts accessibility.