Cascadia Art Museum showcases Edmonds artist Howard Duell

Cascadia Art Museum is hosting the first solo exhibition of work by longtime Edmonds resident Howard Dallas Duell (1929-2009). Duell’s family loaned the collection to Cascadia, including many works that had never before been seen by the public.

Duell was a sculptor, painter and designer craftsman born in Philadelphia and raised in Spokane before moving in 1960 to Edmonds, where he remained until his death.

Duell was a decorated Marine and served in the Korean War, where he was awarded a Purple Heart. He earned a bachelor’s degree in art from Eastern Washington University in 1955 and an master’s of fine arts from the University of Washington in 1957.

Duell came back to teach in the area, serving as an instructor at both Edmonds and Everett Community Colleges (1965-1989) and teaching arts and crafts for the Bureau of Indian Affairs in Nome, Alaska (1964-65). He served as chair of the Edmonds Community College (now Edmonds College) Art Department and was gallery coordinator for the PRIMA gallery.

Duell won many awards for his work and was commissioned to do pieces for private and public collections across the Pacific Northwest. Locally, Duell was an active participant in the early years of the Edmonds Arts Festival.

Day of Remembrance – Cascadia Art Museum

The Day of Remembrance commemorates the signing of Executive Order 9066, which began the incarceration of people of Japanese descent. On Feb. 20, Cascadia will commemorate this day and celebrate the last day of the exhibition Kenjiro Nomura, American Modernist: An Issei Artist’s Journey.

From 10 a.m.-5 p.m., there will be events, performance, workshops and food honoring Japanese Americans. The line-up and schedule of events are available on the Cascadia website. Tickets are available online or at the door, and guests are welcome to come and go throughout the day.

DeMiero Vocal Jazz Festival returns to Edmonds March 3-4

The 46th annual DeMiero Jazz Festival takes place at several downtown Edmonds locations March 3-4. This event will be bringing in more than 30 jazz chors for a non-competitive chance to perform and work with professional jazz artists. The daytime performances, clinics and master classes are open to the public for free. Venues include the Edmonds Center for the Arts, North Sound Church and Community Christian Fellowship.

Tickets are available for purchase to see the performance of the professional jazz artists in concert Friday night at 7 p.m. The headline artists this year include ethe New York Voices and Emily Braden. The New York Voices features top-tier vocalists Kim Nazarian, Darmon Meader, Lauren Kinhan and Peter Eldridge. These artists will be working directly with students during the daytime festival.

There will be required proof of vaccination or negative COVID test to attend. Learn more about the festival here.

Olympic Ballet Theatre seeking trainees for 2022-2023 performance season

Olympic Ballet Theatre is looking for both male and female trainees for its 2022-2023 performance season. Trainees must be age 18-plus or a high school graduate. Dates for auditions are:

Feb. 19 – 9:30 to 11 a.m.
March 5 – 9:30 to 11 a.m.

The audition will take place at Olympic Ballet Theatre Studios located at the Frances Anderson Center, 700 Main St., Edmonds. The audition fee is $25 and can be prepaid here.

— By Rachel Gardner

Rachel Gardner has a heartfelt appreciation for art in all forms and believes everyone is an artist, some just don’t know it yet. A dedicated and involved Edmonds resident, she can often be spotted onstage cracking jokes between sets or in the audience enjoying local live performances. She enjoys being playful with her art and finding unique ways of expression, like forming a boho-grunge-folk ukulele trio with local Edmonds moms.