Community Calendar

RRAFA members are BUSY in August. Over 25
artists with 75+ works at Barrister Winery (1213 W Railroad Avenue), 15 artists showing 30 works at the Liberty Gallery (203 N Washington), Janene Grende, Katie Garner, and Mary Thomas at Indaba Coffee (512 W Riverside), and Joni Michels at the Garland Sandwich Shoppe (3903 N Madison). All addresses are Spokane unless otherwise noted. For many more events, see River Ridge Association of Fine Arts on Facebook and visit www.RRAFAofSpokane.com.

In John’s words: "I love to paint portraits and chose musicians from my young adult years. As I age, loss and death of good friends is ever present. In this series, my choice of subject matter links my memories of good times and great friends to these music legends. Some are deceased and some are still performing. All of the work is painted in oil on canvas."

Stop by the Historic Liberty Building this Aug to view John's paintings ~ stop by First Friday Aug 7 to Meet the Artist 5-8pm.

Kelley “Kel” Hudson is an artist and photographer currently living and working in Spokane, Washington. With community always at the heart of her work, Kel focuses primarily on photorealistic landscapes of daily, reoccurring life scenes and what Hudson refers to as “Mindcities;”aerial communities that she builds from memories. Her work resides in hushed restraint and aims to include many elements of silence and repetitive order. Alongside her love of symmetry and straight lines, she tends to reject the notion that human presence is necessary to describe the chaos or calm of a landscape. She instead focuses on the scene as having its own personality.

Robyn Smith finds that art is an adventure that never gets old, with so many possibilities to
explore. Through her teaching she has a passion for guiding others in exploring art in a way they might not have thought of before, finding that mixed media opens the door to experiment with different textures, layers, and mediums by repurposing items into art - old records, maps, sheet music, patterns, tissue paper.

Stop by Pottery Place Plus in the Historic Liberty Building this Aug to view Robyn's mixed media artwork ~ stop by First Friday Aug 7 to Meet the Artist 5-8pm.

SHOW STATEMENT:
The word rice bowl in Korean ("bab geuleus") functions as both a specific object and a figure of speech for livelihood, and survival. In my work, the bowl becomes a stand-in for what cultural memory is carried, emptied, and carefully protected in diasporic life. Meticulous craft disguises an understated humor that examines the tensions between preservation, translation, and disappearance.

ARTIST STATEMENT:
Commonplace objects embody a philosophy and culture that construct our lives. I recreate objects found from old family photographs as delicate paper sculptures. As I look through the photos, I pick out common objects that those in the scene would have had the most interaction with. My making process is intentionally repetitive and careful. This meticulous labor elevates the handmade objects through the time and care spent producing it. The limiting characteristics of paper emphasize the replicated-ness of the realized object and I am interested in this preservation that deconstructs the original. I find the accessibility and fragility of paper very poetic. The handcrafted sculptures are a ritual of labor and time meant to carry the viewer beyond the immediate object to a thoughtful connecting point. These works are not about the objects, but rather the time of the objects. Recreating these objects is a study of my family that I have always felt disconnected from, but cherish. The ghostly visual of the sculptures produces a sense of preservation and loss. These sculptures are an exercise for locating my Korean American perspective. As I make the work, I project myself into experiences I was not always present for. These objects are identifiably hand activated because I want the viewer to be able to recognize that action and insert themselves into an imagined scene with the work, participating in my attempt to connect.

Spokane Complex Fire Recovery Town Hall

Join Singleton Schreiber at an In-Person Town Hall on Friday, August 21st, 2026, at 5:00 PM, PT at Spokane Public Library - Shadle Park, 2111 W Wellesley Ave, Spokane, WA 99205.

WHAT: Spokane Complex Fire Recovery Town Hall

-Wildfire Partners: Vanessa Waldref, Rich Barker, and Dan Fruchter will be available for a Q&A, provide information and support for fire-impacted families navigating FEMA, and insurance & recovery resources for fire-impacted victims.

-Special Guests: Former Governor Jay Inslee & Gonzaga Law School Dean Linda Jellum

-School Supplies Giveaway (while supplies last): Singleton Schreiber will also be sponsoring a school supplies giveaway at the conclusion of the town hall (backpacks, pens, pencils, highlighters, notebooks).

WHEN: Friday, August 21st, 2026
TIME: 5:00 - 6:30 PM PT
WHERE: Spokane Public Library - Shadle Park, 2111 W Wellesley Ave, Spokane, WA 99205.

Think you know your classic rock? Prove it! The 2nd Annual Rock 'n' Roll Game Show, directed by Lee Duke, is back at the Circle Moon Theater for six high-energy performances, August 13-15 and 20-22. This NPA production blends the excitement of a live game show with the soundtrack of classic rock, inviting audiences to sing, shout, laugh, and play right along with the cast. With live music, fast-paced games, audience participation, and enough unexpected twists to keep everyone guessing, no two performances are ever alike. Grab your friends, bring your best rock trivia, and get ready for a night you'll be talking--and humming--about long after the curtain falls.

The Regional Theatre of the Palouse (RTOP) invites audiences to experience one of the most moving and uplifting musicals of our time with Come From Away, running August 20 through August 30, 2026.

We are excited to invite you to the 2nd Annual Spokane Permaculture Symposium, taking place August 22–23, 2026, at the beautiful Harmony Woods Retreat Center in Spokane, Washington.

This two-day educational and community-building event brings together the Spokane permaculture community along with gardeners, farmers, educators, land stewards, and community members who are interested in learning how permaculture principles can be applied to gardening, farming, ecological restoration, and community work. Our focus area includes the City of Spokane, Spokane County, the Spokane River watershed and the Spokane bioregion, with an emphasis on practical, place-based solutions.

Last year folks came away from the symposium with new relationships both business and personal that are still actively pursuing the promotion and practice of permaculture. A major focus of our 2026 gathering will be exploring the possibilities of establishing mutual aid networks in regional communities.

The symposium will feature workshops, presentations, and conversations centered on topics such as: • Regeneration and regenerative design • Local food production and food security • Soil health and living soils • Community gardens and neighborhood resilience • Reducing wildfire hazard through land stewardship • Bioregional planning • Watershed health and restoration • Natural building • Wildfire resilience through permaculture landscapes • Live Music Sat. Eve. • And more

Join Interpretive Ranger Cory Carpenter for a ranger talk on the flora, fauna, and history of Riverside State Park! Discover Pass required for parking (discoverpass.wa.gov). The ranger talks will be held at the Bowl and Pitcher Amphitheater, located in the lower campground area. Parking at the amphitheater is limited to ADA parking. All other visitors, please use the parking areas notated on the map (on the webpage) and walk to the amphitheater.