Did you know there is an art gallery in Enumclaw in the midst of the business stretch on Cole Street? And did you know all of the art in this gallery has been formed by the minds and hands of local artists?

Walk through the front door of our gallery and you will encounter beautiful locally-made art – ceramic dishware, oil and acrylic paintings; photography, jewelry made from fused glass, intricate beading and fine metals, drawings in pastel, pen and ink and scratchboard, stone sculptures, giant bells, flowers and abstract sculptures made from metal; wood bowls, wine stoppers and a wine-barrel wine rack, mosaic vases and candle holders, and the list continues to expand as new artists join the gallery.

Enter through the back door of our gallery into the classroom and you will see watercolors bleeding together to form ominous clouds. You will smell the historically rich aroma of oil paints; you’ll hear the gentle and kind guidance of instructors; you’ll see children learning to show perspective in their drawings and trying their hand at oil and acrylic painting; and you will even encounter quilters hard at work and poets marinating in words.

Arts Alive! Center for the Arts isn’t called “Alive!” for nothing; this space is living and breathing with a wealth of artistic expression.

Arts Alive! Center for the Arts is a nonprofit organization in Enumclaw that supports the arts on the Plateau. Arts Alive! began by offering scholarships and grants for art-related ventures and hosting events to raise these funds, an area in which we still thrive. In January, I began overseeing the gallery and classroom space. With six years of experience teaching art, a master’s degree in arts education and a B.A. in art emphasizing drawing and painting, my past has prepared me well for this position. Becoming the gallery manager at Arts Alive! has meant inheriting a venue and structure lovingly formed to support local artists.

I invite you to drop by the gallery, pick up a class schedule to consider trying your own hand at art-making, and visit www.plateauartsalive.org to get a broader look at Arts Alive!. May is an exciting month with the artist’s studio tour and Enumclaw Wine Walk both on the 12th, two new artists joining the gallery, a themed gallery wall emerging and A Lot of Art starting on the 26th.

Art is alive; come by the gallery and we’ll prove it to you.