Playtime at ArtsNow/uLearn

Last night, ArtsNow/uLearn kicked off the 2012-2013 school year with an open house from 5pm to 8pm at the Edmonds Conference Center, in downtown Edmonds. Oil Painting, Drawing, Silk Painting, Solar Energy, and others were on hand to show their stuff and encourage guests to nourish their inner artist. Tomas Oliva, the Oil Painting instructor painted a still life to constant groups throughout the evening: answering questions and discussing his process as onlookers stood in rapt attention. Jeff House, Lindy Hop instructor, on hand to show a few toe tapping moves to the sounds of Elvis Presley. This open house was veritable buffet of art, skills, and interests. The enthusiasm of the instructors and guests was incredibly contagious.



Acting Basics instructor was available to answer questions.



In addition, as a part of ArtWalk, the gallery was filled with pieces by instructors, both present and absent. A whole array of mediums was, and is, on display to please the eye and charm the soul. Bonnie Hodges' life-like portraits line the stairs and second floor hallway; they watch you as you scrutinize them with character and determination. Photographs by Leslie Saber, Michael Wewer, and ceramics by Barbara Wyatt are on display to provoke and inspire.

If you missed out on the open house, you may still visit the ArtsNow gallery to see these fantastic pieces by our very own instructors. You may also have any questions answered by calling the office at (425) 640-1243, email artsnow@edcc.edu, or visit www.edcc.edu/artsnow.

The ArtsNow gallery is located in the Edmonds Conference Center, 201 4th Ave N (the NW corner of 4th and Bell) in downtown Edmonds.

Rotary sponsors an exchange in Russia, apply by Oct. 22

Rotary is seeking business and professional people ages 25-40 to apply for a month-long cultural/vocational exchange program May 2013 in Western Russia.

The Group Study Exchange is a longstanding program of Rotary International. It offers an all-expense paid experience with home stays with Rotarian host-country families, vocational visits, and an opportunity to exchange ideas and customs with Russian counterparts.

Applicants must live or work in Rotary District 5030, which covers all of King County and the communities of Edmonds, Lynnwood, Mountlake Terrace and Mill Creek in Snohomish County. The exchange is not open to Rotarians or their lineal descendents.

Apply by October 22. Get the application at www.gse.rotary5030.org.

ArtsNow open house Sept. 20: meet our instructors, sample a class

Precious metal clay ring by Meredith Arnold

Come to an open house 5-8 p.m., Thurs., Sept. 20 for a free class preview night at ArtsNow/uLearn, Edmonds Conference Center, 201 4th Ave N, in downtown Edmonds.

Meet the expert instructors, see their artworks, and sample some of the classes offered this fall including Acting Basics, Oil Painting, Solar Home Design, Precious Metal Clay, Silk Painting for Everyone, and Strategic Planning for Artists. Free.

The Arts Now Gallery will exhibit pieces by some of its artist-instructors: metal clay artist Meredith Arnold, mixed media artist Brittany Faulkner, pastel painter Adriana Fischetti, portrait artist Bonnie Hodges, silk painter Janet Lehwalder, oil painter Tomas Oliva, jewelry maker Tegan Wallace, photographer Michael Wewer, and ceramic artist Barbara Wyatt.

For more information, call 425.640.1243 or email artsnow@edcc.edu. See the complete class schedule at www.edcc.edu/artsnow.

Teotihuacan, Mexico Sun Pyramid by Juan Aguilera

Edmonds Community College ArtsNow/uLearn | www.edcc.edu/artsnow
ArtsNow and uLearn are Edmonds Community College’s non-credit programs for lifelong learning opportunities. ArtsNow nurtures the arts from creation to commerce with introductory to advanced classes in visual, performing, and literary arts, including workshops on the business of being an artist. ULearn classes encourage lifelong learning and personal enrichment to help individuals acquire skills and knowledge to pursue their passions and interests—both old and new. The ArtsNow gallery is located at the Edmonds Conference Center in downtown Edmonds.

Student writes beauty column for My Edmonds News

Edmonds Community College student Aygin Ghorbani, a graduate of Meadowdale High School, wrote a column "Edmonds beauty: Tips for radiant skin," for My Edmonds News.

Aygin wrote for her high school newspaper. She plans to transfer from Edmonds CC to the University of Washington.

Read her column here. Congrats, Aygin!

City of Edmonds seeks student for Economic Development Commission

The Edmonds City Council is seeking a student representative to serve for one year, beginning in September, on the city's Economic Development Commission, which meets 6 p.m., on the third Wednesday of each month.

The commission addresses specific issues related to economic development; helps identify new sources of revenue as a direct result of economic development projects; creates new strategies for economic development; and provides recommendations regarding strategies for economic development and other matters that will improve commercial viability, tourist development and activity for consideration by the Edmonds City Council.

The youth seat will be non-voting but will participate in discussions and be encouraged to comment. Community service hours can be arranged.

Qualifications and requirements for applicants:

• 16-25 years of age 
• reside in Edmonds 
• course work in Social Studies, U.S. History or the equivalent 
• able to meet on 3rd Wednesday of each month at 6 p.m. 
• commit to reading materials 
• fill out and submit application along with suitable references 

To apply pick up an application at the reception desk in the lobby of City Hall located at 121 - 5th Avenue North, or call 425.771.0247 to receive an application by mail or email.

Mail the application to Office of the Mayor, 121 5th Avenue N., Edmonds, WA 98020 or leave it with the receptionist on the first floor of City Hall.

Edmonds, let's do lunch! College Convocation Sept. 17 for employees

Edmonds Community College will hold its Convocation Mon., Sept. 17 for college employees at Edmonds Center for the Arts. It's the start of our college’s 46th year.

As the third largest community college in the state of Washington, we are impacting the lives of more than 20,000 students a year. Fall quarter classes start Mon. Sept. 24.

College employees will:

• Celebrate accomplishments;
• Learn about initiatives for 2012-13; and
• Get ready for the start of fall quarter Sept. 24 by hearing from some of our students and learning more about their diverse needs. 

Services at the college will be limited that morning so that all employees can attend. The event begins at 8 a.m. and ends around 11:30.

Employees are being encouraged to have lunch at one of the great restaurants in Edmonds and to make reservations!

Students, the Advising Resource Center will be open at 9 a.m. (usual time) in the lobby of Lynnwood Hall to answer general questions, make advising appointments and take documents from students.

Many other offices open at 1:30 p.m. including Enrollment/Financial Services, Advising, Testing, Human Resources, and Running Start.

Sno-Isle Libraries' Issues That Matter Sept. 25 at the Black Box Theatre: Marriage laws R-74 panel discussion

Sno-Isle Libraries' program Issues That Matter comes to the Edmonds Community College campus 7 p.m., Tues., Sept. 25 for a panel discussion on marriage laws Referendum 74 at the Black Box Theatre. Free. Open to the public.

 Be an informed voter. Before you vote, hear the pros and cons from this panel discussion on the hot topic of R-74, the referendum that will ratify or reject Senate Bill 6239, which passed the Legislature this year and would allow same-sex couples to marry in Washington. Audience members will have the opportunity to submit questions through moderator, Marshall Goldberg.

Panelists include representatives from Preserve Marriage Washington and Washington United for Marriage. They are: Joseph Backholm, Dr. Joe Fuiten, State Rep. Marko Liias, and Ret. Judge Anne Levinson. Funded by the Sno-Isle Libraries Foundation.

Celebrate the Black Box Theatre’s 5th Season at Edmonds Community College

Join us for: music • movies • lectures • comedy
Tickets: 425.640.1448 

The Black Box Theatre, a 200-seat on-campus theater, offers full service support and technology for all types of events. It offers more than 150 arts and cultural events -- dance, music, lectures, plays, films, and comedy – to the community annually. This year marks the 10th anniversary of Edmonds Community College’s Arts, Culture, and Civic Engagement initiative.

Lawfully Wedded: Free ArtsCrush show Oct. 4 in the Black Box Theatre

Lawfully Wedded shows 7:30 p.m., Thurs., Oct. 4 in the Black Box Theatre at Edmonds Community College. Free.

What is love? What is marriage? What does it all mean? Explore the different views people have on the subject in the collaborative piece, Lawfully Wedded. From more than 100 collected personal stories and surveys taking various sides on the hot topic, two playwrights, a poet, and a musician create a series of micro-plays, poems, and songs that might challenge preconceived notions on the matter. Three directors and six actors will stage it in a continuous, non-stop format that will keep you guessing and is sure to speak to your heart.

Produced by Arouet, Lawfully Wedded is a featured event of ArtsCrush Theatre Puget Sound's October arts festival.

Celebrate the Black Box Theatre’s 5th Season at Edmonds Community College! 

Join us for: music • movies • lectures • comedy
Tickets: 425.640.1448 

The Black Box Theatre, a 200-seat on-campus theater, offers full service support and technology for all types of events. It offers more than 150 arts and cultural events -- dance, music, lectures, plays, films, and comedy – to the community annually. This year marks the 10th anniversary of Edmonds Community College’s Arts, Culture, and Civic Engagement initiative.

Epic Literary Series/Writing Group underway for fall at Edmonds Library

The EPIC (Edmonds Prose|Poetry Interactive Community) Literary Series starts tonight, 6:30-8 p.m., Thurs., Sept. 13 at the Edmonds Library, 650 Main Street, Edmonds.

Tonight's event is a workshop on "Writing Your Story." Authors Marcia Woodard and Jessica Star Rocker will discuss turning nonfiction narratives into essays and books. Bring paper and pen!

The series continues on the 2nd Thursday of each month in Oct. and Nov. Free.

The EPIC Writing Group starts 10-11 a.m., Mon., Sept. 17 at the Edmonds Library and continues each Monday through Nov. 19. Free. 

Read more about EPIC in MyEdmondsNews, Janette Turner interviews Amanda Laughtland about tonight's event.

Founded by managing director Janette Turner and creative director Amanda Laughtland, EPIC Literary Series is presented in partnership with Edmonds Arts Commission, Edmonds Library, Friends of the Edmonds Library, Swedish Hospital Art Committee, Edmonds Community College ArtsNow, and Edmonds Community College literary magazine, Between the Lines.

Public invited to SummerSet Arts Festival Sept. 15 in Shoreline

The Meridian Park Neighborhood holds its first SummerSet Arts Festival 1-5 p.m., Sept. 15 at Ronald Bog Park, 2301 N 175th Street, Shoreline. Volunteers restored the park over the summer and the festival will celebrate the park and the community. 

A free event for all ages, the festival will include: live music, dance and drumming performances, kids activities, art making stations, park and arboretum tours, and a sculpture exhibition. The public is invited to bring a lawn chair or blanket and a picnic and to plan to spend an afternoon in the park.

Local resident and artist Cynthia Knox is pioneering the festival with the approval of the Shoreline Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services Board, supported by a City of Shoreline Neighborhood Mini-Grant, and sponsored by the City of Shoreline and the Shoreline-Lake Forest Park Arts Council.

Participating visual and performing artists include:

•  Cynthia Knox, featuring a community art-making table and its works;
•  Meghan Lancaster, creating and guiding visitors to complete a Disappearing Artwork sculpture from natural materials found at the park;
• The Unearth Collective, creating a site-specific piece for the park;
• glass and light sculptor Carol Milne, creating a piece to be viewed across the park lake on the distant shore;
• Seattle artist Mary Coss, installing a giant conch shell on a floating pier in the bog;
• Shoreline Children’s Center, creating a labyrinth and a clay turtle mandala;
• musician Brittain Barber leading a jazz duo; and 
• musician Elena DeLisle-Perry playing bluegrass and calling a square dance. 

Read more about the event in Shoreline Area News.

Our Resident Assistants are ready for fall! Live on campus in Rainier Place.

The Edmonds Community College Resident Assistant Team looks ready for fall quarter. Have a great year living on campus in Rainier Place!

Call the Housing Office at 425.640.1080.

Candidates' forum on aging readiness to be Oct. 9 at Everett Station

A candidates' forum on Washington's aging readiness will be 1:30-4 p.m., Tues., Oct. 9 at the Weyerhaeuser Room at Everett Station, 3201 Smith St., in Everett. Free and open to the public.

Candidates from legislative districts throughout Snohomish County — Districts 1,10, 21, 32, 38, 39, and 44 — have been invited. The forum will provide an opportunity to discuss related to the aging population and include perspectives from family members about programs for older adults.

 The forum is sponsored by the Snohomish County Council on Aging, Snohomish County Long Term Care and Aging, AARP, Elder Care Alliance, the Washington Association of Area Agencies on Aging, and the Washington State Senior Citizens’ Foundation.

For more information, call Joyce Frasu at 425.388.7377 or email j.frasu@snoco.org.

Upcoming Play Discusses Meaning of Love and Marriage

What is love? What is marriage? What does it all mean? Scratch the surface of this topic in the play, Lawfully Wedded, at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 4 in the Black Box Theatre on the Edmonds Community College campus, 20000 68^th Avenue W, Lynnwood WA 98036.

Explore the different views people have on the subject in this collaborative piece. From over 100 collected personal stories and surveys taking various sides on the hot topic, two playwrights, a poet, and a musician create a series of micro-plays, poems, and songs that might challenge us and our preconceived notions on the matter. Three directors and six actors will stage it in a continuous, non-stop format that will keep you guessing and is sure to speak to your heart.

Lawfully Wedded is presented as a featured event of ArtsCrush, the month-long arts festival in the Puget Sound.

Performance Schedule and Locations

October 4, 7:30 pm       Edmonds Community College Black Box Theatre, Mukilteo Hall
Admission: FREE

October 6, 7:30 pm       King’s Books, 218 Helens Avenue, Tacoma, WA 98402
Admission: FREE

October 10, 7:30 pm      Theatre 47 at Magnuson Park (courtesy of Seattle Musical Theatre)
7400 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle WA 98115
Admission: FREE

October 11, 7:30 pm      Kenyon Hall (presented in partnership with Twelfth Night Productions and Kenyon Hall); 7904 35^th Avenue SW, Seattle WA 98126
Admission: FREE

October 17, 7:30 pm      Odd Duck Studio, 1214 10^th Avenue, Seattle WA 98122
Admission: Pay-What-You-Can

STEM Education: Preparing Our Children for the 21st Century Economy

The Economic Alliance Snohomish County and Workforce Development Council Snohomish County present a forum 7:30-9:30 a.m., Thurs., Sept. 13 at Woodway Hall, Edmonds Community College on STEM Education: Preparing Our Children for the 21st Century Economy.

The event will focus on science, technology, engineering and math education across the state and in Snohomish County.

The featured speaker will be John Cerna, superintendent of Toppenish School District. Emily Yim, executive director of Washington Alliance for Better Schools, will moderate a panel discussion on STEM with: Robin Lake, director, UW Center on Reinventing Public Education; Anne Luce, policy manager, A+Washington/Partnership 4 Learning; Mark Lewis, senior program manager, Washington STEM; and Amanda Goertz, director, Education Programs, Future of Flight Foundation.

The cost of the event is $35 (or $25 for EASC members).

 Register online or call 425.248.4227 for more information.

College president to speak Sept. 20 at Edmonds Chamber of Commerce

Edmonds Community College President Dr. Jean Hernandez will be the featured speaker 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., Thurs., Sept. 20 at Epulo Bistro, 526 Main St., Edmonds for an Edmonds Chamber of Commerce lunch.

The cost of the event is $20 (or $17.50 for chamber members).

Register online or call 425.670.1496 for more information.

Car and Dog Wash Sept. 9 for the Lynnwood Police Dept. K9 Unit

Helping Hands Veterinary Clinic at 18415 33rd Ave. W Suite R in Lynnwood at the northwest corner of Alderwood mall is hosting their second annual Car and Dog Wash fundraiser in their parking lot.

All proceeds will benefit the Lynnwood Police K9 Unit.

This event will be from noon to 3 p.m. on Sun., Sept. 9 and will include a Lynnwood Police K9 Unit among other activities.

South Snohomish County Candidates' Forum

Join us on Saturday, September 15, 10 a.m.-12 p.m. for a South Snohomish County Candidates’ Forum, hosted by Edmonds Community College, the City of Lynnwood’s Neighborhoods and Demographic Diversity Commission, and the League of Women Voters. This forum will give residents a chance to hear from the candidates running for offices that serve the cities of South Snohomish County. The forum will take place at Edmonds Community College, Woodway Hall, located at 20000 68^th Ave W in Lynnwood. Doors open at 9:30 a.m.

This is a non-partisan forum and the event sponsors do not endorse any candidates. This is an educational forum to help educate and encourage the residents of South Snohomish County to participate and engage in local politics. Candidates running for the following offices have been invited to participate: 2^nd Congressional District, 1^st Legislative District Representatives, 21^st Legislative District Representatives, and the 32^nd Legislative District Representatives.

Other community sponsors include The American Association of University Women, Communities of Color Coalition (C3), National Association for the Advancement of Colored People of Snohomish County (NAACP), Latino Education and Training Institute (LETI), the Equity Alliance for Achievement (EAACH), and the Black Policy Foundation.

For more information about this forum, please contact Julie Moore, Community Outreach Specialist for the City of Lynnwood, jmoore@ci.lynnwood.wa.us or 425.670.5023. Spanish interpretation will be available. Please call for other accommodations. Voter registrations will be available during the forum.