Join us at Olympia Parks, Arts and Recreation for some great classes!
To register or for more information, please click the link after each class, call 360-753-8380 or stop by to see us at The Olympia Center, 222 Columbia Street NW, Olympia.
Performing Arts & Dance
Ukulele Summer Songs, Jun 10-Jul 8
Beginning Guitar, Jun 18-Jul 16
Yes, You Can Play the Ukulele! Part 1, Jun 20-Jul 25
K-pop Dance, Jun 20
Adult Beginning Violin/Fiddle, Jun 22-Jul 20
Creative Contemporary Dance, July 6-Aug 24
Sensory Friendly Toddler Dance Class, Jul 7-Aug 25
Sensory Friendly Creative Dance Class, Jul 7- Aug 25
Blues Ukulele, Jul 15-Aug 12
Discover Voice Overs!, July 18
Guitar II, Jul 23-Aug 6
Yes, You Can Play the Ukulele! Part 2, Aug 1-29
Visual Arts, & Crafts
Life Drawing, Jun 3-17
Beginning Watercolor, Jun 4-Jul 19
Beginning Drawing, Jun 4-Jul 19
Large Flower Power Workshop, Jun 8-Jun 29
Color Your Canvas Painting - Hometown America, Jun 11
Shibori, Jun 13
Glass Flowers Cast in Glass, Jun 13
Summer Solstice Mandala, Jun 20
Starscapes, Jun 27
Life Drawing, Jul 1-15
Gelli Plate Mono Printing, Jul 6-Aug 10
Ceramic Lab, Jul 18-Aug 25
Beginning Ceramics, July 9-Aug 27
Palette Knife Painting with Acrylics, Jul 11
Want to learn to paint en plein air? Join us at the Nisqually Reach Nature Center for a Plein Air Workshop taught by award-winning artist Nancy Romanovsky on Friday, June 26th 9am-4pm.
This one-day workshop will explore the fundamentals of plein air painting, geared for the beginner and intermediate plein air painter.
The day begins with a short presentation from Nature Center staff about the history and landscape of the Nisqually Reach, followed by an indoor crash course on the fundamentals of plein air painting including composition, color, value, and scene selection.
After a painting demonstration, we'll head outdoors to paint the beautiful surrounding views. Participants will receive personalized instruction throughout the day while working on their own paintings. Enjoy a relaxing, creative day in nature filled with demonstrations, feedback, and plenty of painting time.
Tickets and Pricing: Proceeds will be shared between Nisqually Reach Nature Center (501(c)(3)) and Nancy Romanovsky. Sliding-scale pricing is included in this event to help keep it accessible to people of all financial backgrounds. The household incomes listed for each tier are suggestions only, each attendee should select whichever price is best for their household.
Nisqually Reach Nature Center
Homo A GoGo: A conversation with organizers from Olympia's finest gaycation! An Olympia Timberland Library event
Date and Time: Mon June 1st 6:30 pm
Location: Olympia Timberland Library
Description:
Join us for an evening of video and conversation featuring organizers from Olympia's Homo A Go Go Festival.
The First Homo A Go Go music and arts festival was held at the Capitol Theater and adjacent downtown locations for 3 days, September 26-29, 2002. After moving to Olympia from Minneapolis, Homo a Go Go's founder Ed Varga participated in YoYo a GoGo, the Transfused rock opera, and Ladyfest. These events inspired him to create a multidisciplinary multi-venue festival that served as an alternative to traditional Pride tropes and amplified queer voices, film, visual art, and music.
The panel will include:
Ed Varga
Jerry Lee Abram
Bridget Irish
Johannah Goldstein
This program is organized by The Olympia Music History Project. Olympia Music History Project's mission is to document and make public the music history of Olympia, WA, through oral histories, images, and ephemera. They have been hosting public presentations featuring people involved in the Olympia music scene between 1980 and 2002.
Grasslands Local to Global Exhibition at Olympia City Hall
The United Nations has declared 2026 the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists (IYRP). This global effort celebrates rangelands and grasslands - wide-open places that are home to an incredible variety of plants and animals. It also honors the pastoralist and ranching communities who care for these lands and depend on them.
The upcoming City Hall "Grasslands Local to Global" photography and arts exhibit aims to build understanding and visibility of and care for these landscapes and the pastoral and ranching communities that steward them.
Come celebrate our region's prairies, grasslands, and grazing lands through art, photography, and education. This photography and art exhibit, and a series of short talks, explores the connections between Puget Sound grasslands and the species-rich grasslands of Europe, the important role that restoration and grazing animals play in grassland wildlife conservation, and the social and cultural importance of prairies and their overlap with grazed grasslands today. A great exhibition and educational talk for those interested in wildlife, biodiversity, rural land stewardship, and the ways that ruminant animals, wildlife, and pastoral cultures have shaped some of the worlds most dramatic and beautiful biomes: the earth's great grasslands!
Local grassland and prairie images were contributed by local livestock producers and prairie conservation organizations including Ecostudies Institute, Withywindle Farm, Tracking Y Ranch, Raine Grazing Services, Lost Peacock Farm, and Riverbrook Ranch. Images drawn from a global context for the exhibit were gathered by local WSU Extension specialist Stephen Bramwell during an 8-month tour of European grasslands.
Please join us for an opening reception/talk on May 28. Light refreshments will be provided, community interaction, and a few short talks by regional grassland specialists and livestock stewards. The event is an opening celebration in Olympia for the United Nations designated International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists, an incredibly important international event to bring awareness to underappreciated landscapes and pastoral cultures.
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Grasslands Local to Global Exhibition
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Thursday, May 28th, 5:30pm to 7:30pm
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Olympia City Hall, 601 4th Ave E
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Exhibition continues through July
2026 South Sound Studio Tour
The South Sound Studio Tour is a free self-guided tour of studios and artists throughout Olympia, Tumwater and Lacey.
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May 30-31 | 11am - 4pm
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Learn more
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Supported by Inspire Olympia
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Olympia Zine Fest 2026!
All events are free, all ages, and masks required.
Main event:
Saturday, May 30
11am - 4pm
Olympia Center (222 Columbia St NW)
*80+ zine vendors, workshops, DIY screenprinting, raffle, and more! *
After party:
Saturday, May 30
7pm - 10pm
DECAY (402 Washington St NE)
*all-ages dance party with DJ HDBG!*
Stay tuned for workshop details!
www.olympiazinefest.org
www.instagram.com/olyzinefest
nightmayor, Olympia's DIY theater collective presents their new original musical: CRAZY DINNER!
A heaping helping of romantic comedy with a side of thrilling intrigue! Marty and Lynn, a couple madly out of love, must enjoy the meal of a lifetime in a pressure cooker of deception. Each one has everything to hide- and everything to lose! Don't let that spoil your appetite- it takes a stomach of steel to share this meal.
A feast of visual and auditory delicacies await all who partake in the CRAZY DINNER!
Featuring performances by Dean Crabapple, Velva Kelly, Rick Ridgeway, Glim Sìofra, Marlo Winter, Carolanne Riat, Kaz Hoey, Riley June, Robert Bruce, and Jordan Richards. Directed by Elizabeth Lord. Original score and lyrics by nightmayor.
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June 12, 13, 14 (Friday-Sunday)
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Oly Theater 412 Jefferson St. SE. downtown Olympia, WA
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$20. Tickets available at the door. Online presale tickets available beginning in April at www.eventbrite.com
If you can't catch in Oly:
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June 6 and 7 (Saturday and Sunday), 7pm, Doors: 6:30pm
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Theater 4 in the Center house at Seattle Center
More Info:
nightmayor has been creating original musicals, touring shows, albums, dance performances, and video projects since Halloween 2018. From its first incarnation as a 2 person punk band to the sprawling casts of recent full-length productions, nightmayor has dared to laugh in the face of pure evil. Collaborating with a wide range of local artists, performers, and musicians, nightmayor has created the musicals "The Oculist" and "The Total Package," the touring shows "Bring Life 2 U" and "Adopted Brothers: Not Related By Blood," mini-musicals "The Frog Show" and "The Angels Show," a multimedia feature film version of "The Total Package," and the album "Does It Ring?? It Does…" This brand new musical, CRAZY DINNER, promises to showcase new heights and depths from the group that refuses to do the same thing twice.
Protect our Mother Earth
Stories of Protecting what we Love in nature
The Heartsparkle players are collaborating with Restoring Earth Connection for an evening of fun, inspiration and laughter…as well as a fundraiser! Playback Theatre is a style of theatrical improvisation where audience members tell real moments from their lives; then the actors and musicians create art from those personal stories. The Players will act out stories from the audience of people's efforts to protect our mother earth.
Please save the date on your calendar, invite some friends and get your tickets from Traditions. (Reserving ahead is advised as there is limited seating. There will be food available for sale on site as this is inside the Soul Café half of Traditions.) Bring your own stories.
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Saturday June 6th 6:30 pm
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New Traditions Café, 300 5th Ave SW, Olympia
Roundup
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4Culture Public Art Calls for Artists + May 2026
Each month we send out artist calls managed by 4Culture, as well as a selection of calls submitted to us by organizations around the world. Visit our website to see all open calls, grants, jobs, and other opportunities.
Art in Olympia's Storefronts Call for Art:
FEAST - Let's Dine Together
Olympia Artspace Alliance is seeking proposals from artists and artist teams to develop site-responsive, temporary two- and three-dimensional art installations inspired by the theme "FEAST - Let's Dine Together." Installations will be displayed in the windows of the Goldberg Building, located at the corner of Capitol Way and 4th Avenue in downtown Olympia, from early August through early November.
Installation Information
The theme "FEAST - Let's Dine Together" explores the cultural, emotional, and social rituals surrounding food, gathering, and shared tables. Living in the Pacific Northwest, we are nourished by the region's bounty - from the sea to local farms and orchards. Dining together may evoke images of picnics, after-party messes, cherished traditions, shared laughter around the table, the act of foraging, or even the ways local wildlife gather to dine. This is a feast for the eyes, and the interpretation is yours to imagine.
Important Dates
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Call for Art: May 25 - June 22
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Jury Selection: Late June
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Installation Period: August 1 - August 8
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Deinstallation: October 30 - November 2
The application will open on May 25 here.
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Olympia Family Theater
Front of House Volunteers needed. No experience necessary!
Shifts available for ushering, selling concessions, and selling raffle tickets during performances.
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May 14-June 7, 2026
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Time commitment is usually under 4 hours.
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Thursday/Friday at 6pm, Saturday/Sunday at 2pm
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Must pass a background check.
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Please contact Tracy at [email protected].
Volunteer at the Thurston County Museum of Fine Arts
TCMoFA is currently looking for volunteers to help support our organization in upcoming programming. The museum is a volunteer operated project run on the passion, commitment, and enthusiasm of local artists and arts organizers. We are seeking volunteers for front desk shifts and flyering in Olympia. To apply visit our website tcmofa.org
Looking for Volunteers for 2026 Olympia Juneteenth Celebration
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Saturday, June 20, 2026
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Volunteer hours: 9am-6pm (split shifts are available). Set up and take down positions available as well.
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Contact Shawna Hawk at [email protected]. You can also call 360.352.8526 and leave a message with your contact information.
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Learn more
Olympia Historical Society
If you have an interest in local history, please consider becoming a volunteer with the Olympia Historical Society and Bigelow House Museum. We have a variety of roles to fill, including tour guides for the museum's Sunday afternoon open hours (1:00pm-4:00pm), groundskeeping at monthly Saturday morning work parties, and committee work for our Education, Bigelow House Operations, and Events (annual historic homes tour and spring fundraiser) committees.
To learn more, please email us at [email protected].
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Museum & Visitor Center Front Desk Docent
The Olympia Arts & Heritage Alliance is seeking volunteers to support the OlyAHA! Museum & Visitor Center. Volunteering at the Olympia AHA Museum is a chance to learn and share Olympia's stories, to build connections in the community, to gain museum and customer service experience, and to be a part of something local, vital and lasting. Our volunteers are the face of the Olympia AHA Museum. They greet guests, share stories, and connect visitors to the best of Olympia.
As a volunteer you will:
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Welcome and assist visitors
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Interpret exhibitions
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Sell merchandise
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Help visitors to discover Olympia's arts, heritage, and cultures
We're looking for committed volunteers who are enthusiastic about Olympia's arts, cultures and history.
Our volunteer team is:
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Friendly, welcoming, and professional
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Comfortable learning point-of-sale and scheduling tools
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Reliable, cooperative, and ready to assist visitors
Volunteer Experience
Volunteers work in pairs at our front desk for three- or four-hour shifts. Volunteers can expect seasonal appreciation events and ongoing learning opportunities!
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The ARCH Digest is a summary of Arts, Culture and History happenings in the greater Olympia area, submitted by the community. Please turn in ArCH Digest listings to [email protected].
Deadline Monday morning, 8 a.m.
If you know of anyone who would like to receive the City of Olympia Arts & Culture news, which includes a weekly ArCH Digest, direct them here and have them mark the Arts & Culture box.
Disclaimer: Information in the Arts Digest is not vetted through the City, nor is it endorsed by the City. The reader is solely responsible for checking background on any opportunity listed above.
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Contact
Stephanie Johnson, Arts Program Manager
Olympia Parks, Arts & Recreation
360.709.2678
[email protected]
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