Gallery at Graphite seeking artists for ‘Intersections’ show

Art Start Northwest, the nonprofit located at the Graphite Building at 202 Main St., is seeking artists of intersectionality. The gallery will be hosting is first juried show in May and the call to artists is currently open. For this groundbreaking exhibition, artists who are affected by one or more aspects of intersectionality are invited to submit their work.

The show Intersections seeks to give a platform to artists whose work is underrepresented in more traditional settings — those whose voices and visibility are marginalized due to overlapping and intersecting attributes like race, religion, gender, ethnicity, orientation, class, citizenship or ability.

Graphite owner Mary Olsen explains, “Our vision for the Gallery at Graphite has always been to create innovative art installations. We are not a commercial gallery, so we have leeway to present more educational and cutting-edge artwork.”

Mason Fraker, ARTspot co-owner, is the curator of the Intersections show. Fraker took an interest in Graphite’s mission to “make art accessible to all” and submitted a proposal for the show.

“I’m excited to be presenting a new perspective in my hometown. As a creative community, Edmonds stands to gain so much from artists who look, act or make art differently. Intersections is a celebration of these different viewpoints!” Fraker said.

The submission deadline for art is March 31 and the online link to apply is on the ARTspot website. Donations to fund awards to artists are also welcomed and can be sent to the Paypal account @ArtStartNorthwest.

Celebrating St. Patrick’s Day with Irish dance open house

The Carroll-Henderson School of Irish Dancing is celebrating the upcoming Irish holiday with free open Irish dancing classes for all ages. From the youngest little jumper at 3 years old to an adult looking for an energetic fitness class, all can hop into the dance studio and experience a bit of Irish culture. At the Carroll-Henderson School, dancers experience the harmony between the traditional Irish music and dance.

The open house will be on March 19, with classes throughout the day:

11:15 a.m.-noon – 3 to 6 year olds
12:15-1 p.m. – 7 to 12 year olds
1-1:45 p.m. – Adults

Registration is required online; click here for more information. The location is at the Edmonds Masonic Lodge at 522 Dayton St. You can also email for more information.

Hot Java Cool Jazz Concert to raise funds for school music programs

It’s happening at 7 p.m. Friday, March 18 at the Paramount Theatre: The future stars of Seattle jazz will be performing in the 25th Annual Hot Java Cool Jazz event. For more than 25 years, Starbucks has presented this concert dedicated to highlighting the finest high school jazz ensembles in the region. All ticket sales proceeds benefit the music programs of participating high schools schools, which include Garfield, Edmonds-Woodway, Mountlake Terrace, Mount Si and Roosevelt. Since this event began, Hot Java Cool Jazz has raised more than $1 million for high school music programs.

Tickets are available at stgpresents.org for $25.

Author Neal Thompson, Edmonds’ own John Keane discuss The First Kennedys

On Wednesday, March 16 at 6 p.m., the Edmonds Bookshop is hosting journalist and author Neal Thompson in a virtual Facebook Live event. The First Kennedys is Neal’s sixth book and chronicles the immigrant origins of one of America’s most famous families – focusing on John F. Kennedy’s grandmother Bridget.

Joining Thompson for the evening will be Edmonds resident John Keane, Honorary Consul of Ireland in Seattle and author of Irish Seattle. You can watch the event 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.