Visual Arts Committee Presents:
Featured Artist:
Peter Fisher
Community Show: Orcas Retrospectives
Installation Day: Thursday, May 22nd from 10:15am – 12pm
Art Opening: Friday, May 23rd 5:30pm – 7pm
On Display: May 23rd – June 23rd
Pickup: Wednesday, June 25th from 10:15am – 12pm
For this community show, let’s celebrate the history and art of our beautiful island!
We are opening this show up to include pieces from artists who may have moved off-island or are no longer with us. Too often, beautiful artwork and photographs depicting our community live in individual collections, hidden from the public eye. Not this time!
For this show, we’re looking for recognizable Orcas landmarks or people from past or current Orcas Island artists. Artwork on display for this show does not need to be for sale. We are just excited to appreciate the talent of Orcasonians from both the present and past.
During intake, in addition to the title and artist, we will ask for a one-sentence description on how the piece is connected to Orcas. For example:
Barbara Meyer (1918-2009)
First Eastsound Airport Office (Built in 1947)
Barbara was a beloved watercolorist who called Orcas her home for over 25 years.
From the Collection of Bethany Marie
Not for Sale
Please feel free to bring in your photographs, artwork, sculptures, and more! Whether you are a current island artist, or have work in your collection from former islanders that deserve a bigger audience than your living room – We welcome you for this show!
On Installation Day, you will fill out two labels including title, artist name, the medium, and the price, (or denoted NFS). One label will be attached to the artwork, the second will be given to the committee. The artist will also fill out an Artist Agreement and Sales Information Sheet if she or he does not already have one on file. All placement and hanging of the art will be done by the VAC.
Artists are urged to attend and contribute hors d’oeuvres for the Artist Reception on Friday, May 23rd from 5:30pm – 7pm.
To learn more about exhibiting your art, commission structures, and upcoming shows, please visit: www.OrcasCenter.org/VAC
Featured Artist: Peter Fisher
The Visual Arts Committee (VAC) of Orcas Center is proud to announce a special art exhibition from Peter Fisher, opening on Friday, May 23 at 5:30pm, celebrating the cultural, spiritual, and natural significance of Madrona Point.
Presented in honor of the ancestral burial ground of the Lummi Nation and the three historic cemeteries at Madrona Point, this exhibit features works that explore the beauty of the land and our deep connection to the past. Through Peter Fisher’s stunning photography, the exhibition reflects the community’s journey to preserve this sacred site.
“In 1984, I began documenting Madrona Point when it was threatened by development,” said Peter C. Fisher, Orcas Island Historical Museum President. “This place, the spiritual and geographic heart of Orcas Island, carries profound meaning. Art became my way of honoring its story and helping others feel its sacred presence.”
The exhibition revisits a pivotal community moment, when over 20 artists came together in 1986 in the first group show at Orcas Center to raise awareness and support the preservation of Madrona Point. The Madrona Point Committee was then formed, and their collective efforts culminated in a historic land transfer to the Lummi Nation in 1990.
“This show is about more than history,” Fisher added. “It’s about the enduring power of place, spirit, and community. Art, at its best, can be a vessel for healing, memory, and transformation.”
Peter Fisher will also be holding a free slide show and talk on June 7 at 2 PM on the Orcas Center main stage, discussing how the Orcas and Lummi community joined together in the 1980’s to save Madrona Point, and present further actions we can take to preserve this sacred land. Donations to the sponsors, Orcas Center and the Historical Museum, gladly accepted. More information can be found at https://orcascenter.org/event/a-call-to-action-the-preservation-of-madrona-point/.
Join us for the art opening reception on Friday, May 23 at 5:30 PM with remarks by Peter C. Fisher, Ron Myers on the piano, light refreshments, and a community show, “Orcas Retrospectives” in the Madrona Room.
