Enjoy the beautiful campus at Washington State University Vancouver in Salmon Creek even if you aren’t a student. There are great walking trails, a Disc Golf Course, and Art Exhibits that are free to visit.

“An exhibit of large black-and-white photographs called “The InBetween” by Sara Yerkes is on display through September 15, 2011  in the Administration building gallery at Washington State University Vancouver. The exhibit focuses on the surface of water.

Yerkes is taken with how water responds to the wind above and currents below. Her photos show images of ripples, reflections and shadows in water. Using a long exposure, Yerkes captures the water’s movement. She says this technique softens the crisp distinction between water and air. The result is an image not seen by the naked eye. She also edits out much of what might give the observer clues as to where the photos were taken and frames the water in isolation.

Yerkes has been creating black-and-white photographs for about a decade. She has exhibited in California, Colorado and Washington. Her work has been published in the magazine Artifacts and in the Stanford University Continuing Education catalog. She was awarded the 2006 Pictorial Photo of the Year by the Channel Cities Camera Club. To see more of Sara Yerkes work, go to her website, Sara Yerkes Photography.” ~WSU Vancouver

WSU Vancouver is located at 14204 N.E. Salmon Creek Ave east of the 134th Street exit from either I-5 or I-205. WSU Vancouver art galleries are open from 8 a.m. – 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Friday. Admission is free. Parking is available at parking meters or in the Blue Daily Pay lot for $3.

This Friday, March 4, 2011, is the First Friday of the month! Camas First Friday Event will feature local Camas Middle School and High School students in the second annual Arts & Letters showcase, which was a huge hit last year for the locals. Visitors will be able to vote on their favorite works of art and the artist will win a prize.

Some other activities will include local authors doing readings and book signings at Journey Church starting at 6 pm and a local historian, Virginia Warren, with a look at Camas History at the Camas Hotel.

Hours for first Friday are always 5-8 pm; local merchants keep their doors open late and welcome visitors with special offers and showcases of the themed art. Participating merchants include 360 Threads & 360 Boards – Local Author; Alida Art Gallery- Local Author; Bloom Organic Body – Student Art; Caffe Piccolo – Student Art & Local Author; Camas Antiques- Student Art & Local Author; Camas Hotel- Virginia Warren/Camas History; Déjà Vu Camas(window on 4th)- Student Art; El Rancho Viejo- Student Art; Journey Community Church-Local Authors; Lily Atilier- Local Author; Lizzabeth A- Student Art & Local Author; Mesa- Student Art; Navidi’s Olive Oils & Vinegar- Student Art & Local Author; and The Uncommon Gift- Student Art & Local Author.

For more information visit Downtown Camas Association or call 360-561-0600. Downtown Camas Association is a non-profit organization that promotes the revitalization of the City of Camas.

This post: “March on Over to Camas First Friday Event” was originally featured at Clark County Live!

For more detailed coverage of the People, Places, Activities and Events throughout the neighborhoods of Clark County, please visit Clark County Live!

February’s First Friday Event in Camas will take place from 5 to 8 pm on Friday, February 4. Participating downtown businesses will be serving and selling chocolate specialties as well as other romantic gifts.

Come see the chocolate fountain at Camas Antiques, the fabulous dinner special at Olivers, or chocolate strawberries, at Déjà Vu Camas Consignment.Other downtown businesses that will be participating are The Uncommon Gift, Lizzabeth A, and Navidi’s. This event will be perfect for a romantic evening with your loved one, or a great chance to get out and get that perfect gift.

Look forward to future Camas First Fridays! The First Friday events promote downtown business by offering shoppers art, dining, and after hours fun.  The event takes place the first Friday of every month from 5-8 p.m. These events are put on through Downtown Camas Association, a non-profit organization that is part of the Washington Main Street Program.

For more information, visit Downtown Camas, or contact program coordinator Alicia McAvay at (360) 561-0600.

This post: “Camas Celebrates February First Friday” was originally featured at Clark County Live!

For more detailed coverage of the People, Places, Activities and Events throughout the neighborhoods of Clark County, please visit Clark County Live!

Take a walk down Clark County’s memory lane by visiting “Picture Clark County” now through February 4, 2011 in the Library at WSU Vancouver in Salmon Creek (14204 NE Salmon Creek Avenue). The exhibit features reprints from the digital photographic collections of the Clark county Historical Museum, along with several antique cameras from the curator’s private collection.

Many of the 15,000 photos in the Clark County Historical Museum collection were taken by amateur photographers. The collection includes photos from all over Clark County including Amboy, Brush Prairie, Battle Ground, Camas, Harmony, Heisson, Hockinson, La Center, Ridgefield, Vancouver, Washougal, Woodland, Yacolt and others. Photos from the 19th and early 20th centuries show Clark County as a community based on trade and agriculture. They also demonstrate the county’s growth in industry and commerce through the post World War II era.

The collection features photographs pf historic buildings, social life, scenic views, and notable families and citizens from the area.

WSU Vancouver is located at 14204 N.E. Salmon Creek Avenue east of the 134th Street exit from either I-5 or I-205. WSU Vancouver art galleries are open from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday. Admission is free. Parking is available at parking meters or in the Blue Daily Pay lot for $3. For more information, contact Erin Dengerink Madarang at madarang@vancouver.wsu.edu or 360-546-9551.

The Downtown Camas Association is welcoming the new year with a juried art exhibit opening on January 7th, the First Friday of 2011.  The theme of the Camas Winter Art show is Celebrate Camas, and includes works that highlight the City’s natural setting, rich history and interesting architecture.

Downtown Merchants will showcase the talents of local artists from 5-8pm and the artists will be on hand to discuss their work and their inspiration. “This is a great opportunity to celebrate what makes Camas so unique while highlighting all the local talent we have in the area.  I can see no better way to start a new year in Downtown Camas.” said Downtown Camas Association Vice President Carrie Schulstad.

The Camas Winter Art Show will feature guest judges and offer the community a chance to vote for their favorite works.  Vote at any participating merchant and be entered to win winter themed gifts from local merchants.  Subjects for the Camas Winter Art Show will include local nature, the gorge and the Cascade Mountains, historic Downtown Camas, Camas lilies, agriculture, wildlife, Native American culture, and a wide variety of outdoor recreational activities.

Can’t make it on Friday? Works will be on display throughout Downtown Camas until January 31st. Themed First Friday events happen every month of the year. Local merchants keep their doors open late and often welcome guests with special offers. Please visit www.DowntownCamas.com for a complete listing of 2011 First Friday themes and all the Downtown Camas events.

The Downtown Camas Association is a non-profit organization that promotes the revitalization of Downtown Camas through community building, economic development, beautification and community events. If you have any questions, please contact Carrie Schulstad at 360-834-5445, or visit The Uncommon Gift online.

This post: “Celebrate Camas the First Friday of 2011″ was originally featured at Clark County Live!

For more detailed coverage of the People, Places, Activities and Events throughout the neighborhoods of Clark County, please visit Clark County Live!

No, you don’t have to take a trip to the Coast to see glass blowing demonstrations, just check out Firehouse Glass right here in our very own downtown Vancouver, WA (518 Main Street).

“Rebecca Seymour and Greg Lueck created the Firehouse Glass Gallery to support their mission: “To provide an environment for furthering the community’s exposure to and education in glass art, and to provide a collaborative forum for artists working in the glass medium.” The spectacular gallery provides exquisite exhibit space for works by both emerging glass artists as well as nationally acclaimed masters.

Each First Friday night of the month from 6:00-10:00 there is a public glass blowing demonstration in the Firehouse Glass hot shop which is a wonderful opportunity to meet the artists and mingle with the local and regional glass working community.  There is also an open studio each Saturday from 1:30-5:30.

Work for sale in the gallery represents a balanced range of emerging and established glass artists with an openness to experimentation and exploration.  Work made during the public demonstrations each week can be seen in the gallery space for up to a month after it was made.  Artists at Firehouse Glass are happy to discuss commission work if the special thing you are looking for isn’t in our gallery.”

via Firehouse Glass Studio and Gallery – Vancouver, WA and Portland, OR area glass studio rentals.

This post: “Firehouse Glass Studio and Gallery in Vancouver”
was originally featured at Clark County Live!

For more detailed coverage of the People, Places, Activities and Events throughout the neighborhoods of Clark County, please visit Clark County Live!

And sometimes second Fridays, too. In October, the First Fridays in Felida event will be October 1st from 6 to 8 pm and October 8 from 6 to 8 pm, and will be featuring young artists from the area. Art from Middle and High School aged artists will be on display at the October 1st event; and Elementary aged artists will be showing at the October 8th event.

Everyone is welcome at this fun and free event, hosted monthly by Barbara Hill Photography and Lakeshore Interior Design. Located in the heart of Felida, in the old fire station, their new studio offers a venue for neighbors and friends to gather on the first Friday (and sometimes second Fridays, too) of each month from 6-8 pm. Enjoy displays by local artists as well as complimentary wine tasting and chocolate delights.

Their studio is located at: 12216 NW 36th Ave. 98685. Limited parking is available behind the studio, so they encourage carpooling or walking. Barbara Hill can be reached at 503-314-0302 or online at Barbara Hill Photography, and Suzanne Simon at 360-904-8083 or online at  decdens.com.

“We look forward to celebrating our neighborhood together!”

Studio Eighty Twenty will be hosting Rising from the Ashes, featuring works by Isaiah Wyckoff, at LSW Architechts (2300 Main Street). There will be a special show opening on Friday, August 6th between 5 and 9 pm, and Saturday August 7th between 10 am and 4 pm. Works will be on display August 9th through the 31st, Monday through Friday, 9 am to 4 pm (closed from noon to 1 pm).

Rising from the Ashes is the first in a two part series of recent works by Isaiah Wyckoff that attempts to offer a sense of hope in the face of pain. Whether it’s physical, emotional or spiritual… whether it’s deeply internal or rides on the surface… the landscape of our lives can wrench our hearts. The weight of it is real… but so to is the hope.  Select pieces from this show will be offered for sale with 80% of the proceeds going to local charities for those who need it most.

In fact, at Studio Eighty Twenty, all artists are committed to making a difference to those in our local community with the greatest needs: the homeless, the abused, the neglected. Through the sales of their art, 80% goes directly to local organizations that have demonstrated a commitment to helping those in need. For more information, visit Studio Eighty Twenty.

This post: “Rising from the Ashes”
was originally featured at Clark County Live!

For more detailed coverage of the People, Places, Activities and Events throughout the neighborhoods of Clark County, please visit Clark County Live!

Hot jazz, fabulous wines, fine art, and delicious cuisine…experience it all at the 13th Annual Vancouver Wine and Jazz Festival taking place in the heart of Vancouver, USA, Esther Short Park, on August 27,28, and 29, 2010.

This year’s Festival features a diverse lineup of American “jazz legends”—including blues, fusion, Cajun, straight ahead and contemporary bands. Local and regional jazz bands will also be performing, and the Festival’s Jazz Education Stage will also provide an opportunity for middle school and high school musicians to perform on the same venue as the Grammy winners. More than 20 bands will be featured throughout the weekend!

In addition to the music, the Festival features over 200 wines from around the world. Attendees can sample wines, or purchase a glass to sip while enjoying food from 9 restaurants. The cuisine ranges from Northwest to German, Lebanese and Italian fare. Art lovers can shop the 40 fine artists from California, Idaho, Washington & Oregon. “The Festival is a true arts festival, in that we present American jazz music, fine arts and crafts, premium wines and great food” says Dr. Michael Kissinger, Artistic Director. “Our goal is to create a rich cultural and artistic environment, a palate from which people can sample and hear great music, drink a nice Northwest wine, purchase a piece of art, and just immerse themselves in an arts-rich weekend.”

Bravo! Vancouver produces the Vancouver Wine and Jazz Festival which is “one of the most important jazz festivals on the west coast.” Advance discounted tickets are on sale now, but tickets will also be available at the gate.

This post: “13th Annual Vancouver Wine and Jazz Festival”
was originally featured at Clark County Live!

For more detailed coverage of the People, Places, Activities and Events throughout the neighborhoods of Clark County, please visit Clark County Live!

First Fridays in Felida, where friends and neighbors meet for wine tasting, chocolate nibbling, art viewing, and conversation. Everyone is welcome at this fun and free event, hosted monthly by Barbara Hill Photography and Lakeshore Interior Design. Located in the heart of Felida, in the old fire station, their new studio offers a venue for neighbors and friends to gather on the first Friday of each month from 6-8 pm. Enjoy displays by local artists as well as complimentary wine tasting and chocolate delights.

Each month boasts its own theme for your entertainment. August is a heated month with gorgeous images of Arches National Park in Moab, Utah by Al Krause, as well as playful floral watercolors by SuzyArt. October will feature Young Artists night and an additional Friday for an evening Coffee House performance. Want more information about this event, or interested in participating in the next event? Give either Barbara or Suzanne a call.

Their studio is located at: 12216 NW 36th Ave. 98685. Limited parking is available behind the studio, so they encourage carpooling or walking. Barbara Hill can be reached at 503-314-0302 or online at Barbara Hill Photography, and Suzanne Simon at 360-904-8083 or online at decdens.com.

“We look forward to celebrating our neighborhood together!”