Seattle is hosting the National Council on Education in Ceramic Arts’ national clay conference for the first time at the end of March. In conjunction with this event, Edmonds-based Sculptors Workshop artists will be featured in a juried show at the Frances Anderson Center, presented by the Edmonds Arts Festival Museum and the Edmonds Arts Commission. The show runs from now through April 24, and the public is invited to an artist’s reception March 29 from 6-8 p.m.

The Sculptors Workshop is celebrating 45 years as a nonprofit arts organization, and both potters and sculptors will exhibit together for the first time with functional and sculptural artwork.

The Edmonds Arts Festival Museum and the Edmonds Arts Commission Display Case are located in the Frances Anderson Center, Main Entrance – 700 Main St., Edmonds. Gallery Hours are Monday-Friday 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Sat 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. For information, call 425-771-0228 or 425-771-1984.

For more information about the arts in Edmonds, please visit www.eaffoundation.org and www.EdmondsArtsCommission.org.

More about the Sculptors Workshop

H. O. Hutt (a retired business owner) and Wally Wise (a senior bank official of what is now US Bank in Lynnwood), wanted to create an art presence in the Edmonds/Lynnwood area. They started a non-profit organization and placed an ad in the newspaper for art teachers. David Murphey answered the ad and gradually became the long-standing director.

The Sculptors Workshop was first located at Edmonds’ Firdale Village. The owner of the complex thought that having an art studio would draw people to the adjacent stores.  He soon discovered that artists don’t make much money and asked them to leave. H. O. Hutt found the Perrinville Corner building for them, and they were there for many years, during which the Sculptors Workshop flourished. David Murphey was active on the Board of Directors, managing the growth of the Sculptors Workshop and teaching metal sculpture.

While at Perrinville, they added bronze casting with Ed Ballew, woodcarving taught by Duane Pasco, and weaving and jewelry making. Kay Henkel originally taught pottery, followed briefly by Lillianne Walker. Shortly after, Rose Morgan joined the Workshop as pottery instructor and ultimately co-director. In 1981, the City of Edmonds invited the Sculptors Workshop to come to the Frances Anderson Center, where it remains today.

Dave Murphey and Rose Morgan ran the workshop for many years. Since their passing, their legacy lives on. Sculptors Workshop is a vital arts organization of South Snohomish County, drawing its 40 members from the surrounding area. Currently the sculptor’s studio is under the direction of Janet Still and the potter’s studio is under the direction of Julie Perrine.