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Spotlight: ‘Goddesses’ a d’Elaine Johnson retrospective
The Gallery at Graphite, 202 Main St. (open Fridays, 1-5 p.m. and Saturdays, noon-4 p.m.; daily, 4-8 p.m., through Charcoal Restaurant.)
Exhibition: Dec. 5, 2025 to Jan. 3, 2026
Opening Reception: Saturday, Dec. 6, 7-8:30 p.m.
Third Thursday: Dec. 18, 5-8 p.m.
The Gallery at Graphite is hosting Goddesses, a retrospective exhibition featuring more than 20 large-scale works by Edmonds artist d’Elaine Johnson. The pieces on view span 30 years of Johnson’s career.
A rare solo exhibition at Graphite, Goddesses celebrates the art and legacy of an important local artist. Goddess figures from cultures around the world have long inspired Johnson, and they appear prominently throughout her career. The exhibition features effigies drawn from ancient mythology and religious iconography, highlighting the depth and breadth of her work.
Johnson, now 93, paints full time in her home studio overlooking the Salish Sea. In addition to her own artistic practice, she has been a key supporter of Edmonds’ creative community and helped establish the city as Washington state’s first Creative District. She was also a beloved participant in the annual Edmonds Art Studio Tour, opening her studio to visitors every year until 2024.
When Graphite Arts Center owner Mary Olsen, a longtime friend of Johnson’s, learned that she was stepping away from the Art Studio Tour, she sought to honor Johnson’s impact as an artist, community member and philanthropist by exhibiting her work in the Gallery at Graphite.
Because Johnson’s first show as an artist was in Edmonds, she’s elated that her career-culminating exhibition will also be held in her hometown. A passionate feminist and supporter of women artists, Johnson says she’s grateful that the show will take place at Graphite, a woman-run art center and gallery.
The opening reception for d’Elaine Johnson Retrospective: Goddesses will include a small exhibit of works by Edmonds College art students. Johnson has long championed student artists and actively supports art scholarships at Edmonds College, helping shape the future of the creative community she calls home.
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Spotlight: Olympic Ballet presents ‘The Nutcracker’
Everett Performing Arts Center: Dec. 12-14 at various times
Edmonds Center for the Arts: Dec. 19-23 at various times
Run time: Two hours (with a 15-minute intermission)
Abridged: One hour, 15 minutes (with a 15-minute intermission)
Olympic Ballet Theatre’s production of The Nutcracker is a holiday favorite, eagerly anticipated each year. The performance features dazzling snowflakes, a dramatic battle, waltzing flowers and Tchaikovsky’s timeless score.
Choreographed by OBT artistic directors Oleg Gorboulev and Mara Vinson, the production includes sets designed by Jeanne Franz, Phillip Lineau and Ruth Gilmore.
The Nutcracker follows young Clara on Christmas Eve when a mysterious visitor, the toymaker Herr Drosselmeyer, brings gifts to her family, including a special nutcracker doll. After her brother breaks it in a jealous fit, Drosselmeyer repairs the toy, and later that night Clara falls asleep with it in her arms.
At midnight, the nutcracker comes to life, battles the Mouse King and is saved by Clara’s bravery. Transformed into a prince, he leads Clara through snow to the magical Land of the Sweets.
Clara meets dancers from around the world, Mother Ginger and her polichinelles and the waltzing flowers. Concluding with her final pas de deux with the prince before her dream ends, she awakens back in her house with the nutcracker doll beside her.
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This Week in the Arts
A curated calendar of upcoming art exhibits, performances, classes, author readings, art walks and more.
New gallery in town
Hoadley Gallery West, 319 Main St.
Open: Tuesday – Sunday, noon-6:30 p.m.
On a crisp Edmonds Art Walk evening, Hoadley Gallery West officially opened its doors and joined the city’s growing art scene.
Hoadley Gallery West is owned by Leana Hoadley, a Latina gallerist carrying forward the legacy of her aunt and uncle, founders of the original Hoadley Gallery in Lenox, Massachusetts. Hoadley continues this 40-year family tradition with her own perspective while also celebrating the work of her uncle, Thomas Hoadley, a master ceramicist known for his nerikomi porcelain vessels.
Hoadley Gallery West offers a carefully curated collection of paintings, jewelry, and functional and decorative ceramics that blend craftsmanship with contemporary design.
Among the featured artists are ceramicists Nicholas Bernard and Robert Hessler.
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Graphite Arts Center, 202 Main St.
Wednesday, Dec. 3 and 10, 6-8 p.m. (two evening sessions)
Level: All levels
Cost: $110
Ages: Adults; children 10+ may attend with a registered adult
Get your hands in clay and your creativity flowing in this festive clay hand-building class. Participants will learn how to shape, sculpt and texture clay, along with techniques for finishing and decorating their pieces. By the end of the session, each student will have a personalized set of handmade ornaments.
With guidance from Mary Olsen, founder of Art Start NW and the Graphite Arts Center, participants will have the chance to play with clay, connect with others and express their own artistic vision.
All supplies are included, and participants are welcome to bring their own tools, especially for creating patterns.
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Edmonds-Woodway High School Music Holiday Craft Fair
Sunday, Dec. 7, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
EWHS Great Hall, 7600 212th St. S.W.
The Edmonds-Woodway High School (EWHS) Music Holiday Craft Fair returns this year with more than 65 local vendors offering handmade goods, including jewelry, quilted items, pottery, artisanal toffee, indie books and more.
EWHS jazz bands, orchestras and choral ensembles will perform festive music throughout the day, adding to the holiday atmosphere.
This annual event offers a chance to shop local and support local student musicians.
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‘Gliding Through Time’ a holiday ice performance
Saturday, Dec. 13, 4:30-6:30 p.m.
Olympic View Arena, 22202 70th Ave. W., Mountlake Terrace
Experience the holidays through a magical on-ice journey as the Seattle Skating Club presents Gliding Through Time, featuring local, world-class figure skaters. The all-ages performance offers an immersive holiday program at Olympic View Arena in Mountlake Terrace.
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Dec. 14-15, 7:30-9 p.m.
Edmonds Center for the Arts, 410 4th Ave. N.
Tickets or call 425-275-9595
A delightful collection of Christmas carols and classics, including music by Johann Strauss, Bizet, Puccini, Henry Mancini, Sousa and others. Soprano Kristin Vogel returns to celebrate the season with holiday songs and famous operatic arias.
Acclaimed for her powerful lyric voice and onstage intensity, Vogel has been praised for roles that require both dramatic passion and sensitive musicality, including Puccini’s Tosca, Mimi in La Bohème and Donna Elvira in Mozart’s Don Giovanni. She performs regularly in Europe and the United States and divides her time between Vienna and the Pacific Northwest.
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‘Annie’ at the Black Box Theatre
Dec. 12-21; Thursdays through Sundays at various times
Black Box Theatre, Edmonds College, 20310 68th Ave. W., Lynnwood
A co-production between Ballyhoo Theatre and Seattle’s Performers, Annie brings some of musical theater’s most iconic songs to the stage with fresh energy.
The spirited redheaded orphan remains as endearing as ever, winning hearts as she navigates the hardships of 1930s New York City with grit and optimism. Her journey ultimately leads her to a new home and a chosen family.
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*If you would like your event included in future Art Beat listings, email Nahline Gouin at nahline.gouin@gmail.com.
Based in Edmonds, Nahline Gouin is a freelance writer, ceramicist and arts advocate with experience in art museums and performing arts centers. She continues to create with clay, homeschool her son and write as a creative practice.
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