“That’s the most fun I’ve had in Wenatchee in years!”
An acquaintance waved me down amid the Costco Christmas rush. The “that” to which she referred was the ArtBox event held by NCW Arts as part of last month’s First Fridays Arts Walk in Wenatchee.
I welcomed the praise, a. because I knew just how hard so many volunteers had worked to make ArtBox happen and, b. because that’s especially high praise for a fundraiser – an activity more commonly “endured” than “enjoyed.”
More comments like that filtered into our inboxes in the weeks that followed ArtBox. Truth is, it had been surprisingly fun.
The concept was simple enough. Rent a local industrial space, gather local artists to exhibit and sell their works, set up a little bar, add lights and music, spread the word and hope for the best. The outcome proved to be more than the sum of its parts.
Despite our location in the former Wells and Wade Warehouse being about as easy to find as an unmarked speakeasy, more than a thousand people streamed through the doors. Nearly two hundred works of original art flew back out.
Up on the turntables, high school teacher and local audiophile Tanner Dotzauer set the mood with his vinyl curations. The energy buzzed. And everywhere, there was art. Folks sat for live oil portraits with Henry Stinson. We meandered among fine art abstracts from artists like Scott Bailey, Alessandra Piro or Adele Caemmerer; inspired camp from Ron Evans or Spencer Piestrup; mixed media; ceramics; jewelry; fiber arts – eighteen talented artists in all.
Even the drinks in our hands – local vintages from Armour Wines, Icicle Brewing Company and Yonder Cider – qualified as artistic creations from right here in our Valley.
Another gentleman, a former mayor of Wenatchee this time, pulled me aside to say, “This has been missing from Wenatchee for too many years now.”
And that’s when I identified it – the hunger. Everyone there was hungering for this creative experience; hungering for art; hungering for community.
It’s the same thing I feel in the air when we jam the downtown core for the Night Market events. We’ve lost the Radarstation, Collapse Gallery, Gallery 76 and too many other permanent establishments that once helped sate this local appetite for the arts. Our artistic repasts grow fewer and farther in between.
But there is no need to starve here in North Central Washington, surrounded by such beauty, rich beyond measure with our own talent and creativity. To allow our artists to go uncelebrated and under-supported is as criminal as allowing the abundance of our orchards to go unpicked. Because, just like every piece of fruit glistening from the branches, the Arts provide vital sustenance to our people and sustain life-giving connections across our communities.
NCW Arts is here to help ensure this creative harvest continues. We are here to support the pop-ups, the night markets, the short-run plays, the mid-week gigs – anything and everything we can as we work toward replanting the rows in our artistic orchards and re-establishing the vigor of our creative economy.
“You should do this every month!” was another common refrain that evening. I’d watch our pleased but exhausted volunteers wither at the idea of it. But we should, really. All it takes is more of us – more resources, more hands on deck, more attention directed toward the Arts. Join us – become a member, make a donation, volunteer – and just maybe that’s exactly what we’ll do in 2026.
Become a member or find out more about NCW Arts at ncwarts.org.
