Two opportunities for citizens to participate in open-forum discussion surrounding civic support for the arts are coming up this week.

The first, on Saturday, Oct. 12 at 10:30 a.m. at ECA, concerns the Cultural Access Fund.

The CAF Coalition consists of 35 cultural organizations in the Puget Sound area dedicated to securing state funding that will support community access to cultural events. The proposed legislation is particularly concerned with arts education for school groups, including transportation to cultural events. As the CAF Coalition prepares to request authority from the state to put a measure on the ballot in any county asking voters to approve the new revenue source, they seek constructive input from community members. On Saturday morning, members of the CAF Coalition will give a brief presentation on the current version of the bill, followed by a Q&A session during which audience members will be have the opportunity to ask questions and share concerns.

The second, which is split into two open house sessions, is an invitation from the city planning committees to give input on the Parks, Recreation, and Open Spaces Plan and the Community Cultural Plan.

To share your priorities and concerns regarding city use of parks and open spaces, plan to attend the workshop/open house Wednesday, Oct. 16 from 6-7:30 p.m. in the multi-purpose room of Public Works (7110 210th St. SW).

The Community Cultural Plan workshop/open house will be held the next afternoon, Thursday, Oct. 17 in the Plaza Room above the Library (650 Main St.) from 3:30-5:30 p.m. Snacks to be provided at both events.

Congratulations to Lucien Knuteson, the photographer whose “The Hero’s Haircut” won the Snohomish County Art Commission’s 2013 Photography Contest. Knuteson’s photograph will be added to the County public art collection. View the winning photograph and other selections of the 50-plus submitted works in the lobby of the Robert J. Drewel Building at 3000 Rockefeller Ave. in downtown Everett through the month of October. The building is accessible during business hours Monday – Friday. Of his photograph, Knuteson said: “Whether they’re in comic books, on television, in films or even in real life, superheroes seem to be of great interest today, and this photo is part of an on-going personal project aimed to take lighthearted look at their everyday lives.” The photo is like a game of “I Spy” where every detail contributes its own quirk to the whole hilarious picture.

The Snohomish County Arts Commission presents a film discussion the evening of Oct. 16 at Cole Gallery (107 5th Ave. S.) in downtown Edmonds. Critic Robert Horton will present a lecture titled “The End of the Trail: How the Western Movie Rode into the Sunset” on classic and revisionist Western films, and how the blurring of the “good guy” vs. “bad guy” dichotomy reflects a change in our cultural history.

While I am no Western buff, I recently watched Clint Eastwood’s Unforgiven (1992), in which a retired gunslinger must take on one last job to save his failing pig farm. In addition to directing, Eastwood plays the reluctant hero, a broken-down widower who has trouble even mounting his horse as he sets off on his grand quest. As he defeats the bad guys one by one, and even when he tacks on a last-minute revenge, his remorse and apparent self-hatred grows, putting a new slant on the idea of glory. Horton sees the Western as “America’s bedrock mythology,” a fertile ground for political commentary and, later, criticism. I know I won’t miss this lecture—hope to see you there!

Open auditions for the Driftwood Player’s production of “Self-Composed,” a new play by Bellingham playwright Lyssandra Norton, will be held Oct. 13 and 14 at the Driftwood Administration Office at 306 Main St. There are parts for two men and four women ages 15-50 in this play about navigating the rough waters of college and “the real world” (I hear ya, sister!), and the struggles with identity that many people go through in their early 20s. Lyssandra Norton is a young Edmonds-based playwright currently working out of Bellingham. “Self-Composed” debuted one year ago in the WWU Fall Review, as one of three student-produced plays. Driftwood Players are excited to bring this impassioned voice to the professional stage. The show opens in mid-January. Make your audition appointment online at www.driftwoodplayers.com or by calling 425-774-9600.

Edmonds Tunes is multiplying! Starting Oct. 25, the Friday night show will open at a second location—Café Louvre, on 5th Avenue South across from (New) Old Milltown. A second simultaneous show calls for a second MC…so comedian and Mountlake Terrace High School senior Calvin Martin will host the continuing program at Red Petal Cupcakes, while Happy Ham Jeff Stilwell will move on to the Louvre the week after next. Martin guest-hosted two sets of last week’s show, and you can expect to see him again tonight telling jokes and playing his mandolin. Edmonds Tunes goes from 6-8 every Friday night—no cover charge, come when you can, and leave when you want!

Is fall bringing you down? Get a taste of the tropics at ECA Friday, Oct. 25th when PBS’s Malama Ko Aloha takes the ECA stage. “Malama ko aloha” means “keep your love,” and these performers do much more than that, sharing songs and traditions from across their personal landscapes with each other and with the audience.

Glam-pop hipster heartthrob Rufus Wainwright has grown up—he has a husband and a daughter, and is coming to Edmonds on Oct. 28! Tickets are going fast, so grab ‘em while they’re hot on ECA’s website or by calling the box office at 425-275-9595.

Plan ahead—check out the rest of ECA’s season schedule here. Highlights include Jim Brickman’s romantic piano melodies, Take 6’s funky harmonies, The Indigo Girls, Judy Collins and the Passenger String Quartet, Kurt Elling’s rich baritone, the Wailin’ Jennys with their beautiful folk and roots revival, the ever-popular Bodyvox–and that’s only half of it!

— By Juliet Brewster

Artfully Edmonds columnist Juliet Brewster, an Edmonds native and Edmonds-Woodway High School graduate, has a degree in literature from Bennington College. To have your arts happening listed, email her at brewster.juliet@gmail.com.