‘Spring Fling’ looking to draw a crowd to help artists and KP students

Scott Turner, KP News

You know spring has officially arrived on the Key Peninsula when Two Waters Art Alliance hosts its annual Spring Fling.

“It’s our biggest fundraiser of the year,” said Taylor Reed, co-chair of this year’s event.

The 2015 Spring Fling will take place May 2, 7 p.m. at the Key Peninsula Civic Center.

“It’s kind of a fancy gala with hors d'oeuvres, and champagne when you enter,” Reed said.

“People wear fancy cocktail attire and it’s a fun way to see some of the wonderful art that’s created in our community and to get together and have fun getting kind of dressed up.”

This year’s Fling includes a juried art show and sale of art created by KP residents, live and silent auctions and music by the Tacoma Youth Symphony quartet.

There will also be artist demonstrations and an exhibit of artwork done by local students.

“Two Waters was started more than a decade ago when school art programs were severely cut back,” Reed said. “The goal was to get arts back into the schools because so many kids respond to art. It often helps them improve their grades and even stay in school.”

Every year, TWAA selects a topic that students respond to through drawings and paintings. “We start in November and it goes through the end of the school year,” Reed said.

“This year we had the Ravens Stories that included an amazing presentation on Native American art and Native American contributions to our culture,” she said.

Proceeds from the Spring Fling support the local TWAA artists who teach art classes in Key Peninsula schools.

The event will also feature an exhibit of work by nationally known artists who live in the Gig Harbor area, all of whom have had their work shown at the Smithsonian and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

Featured artists include Tip Toland of Vaughn, winner of a 2014 United Stated Artists Fellow Award for ceramic sculpture.

Phoebe Toland, also of Vaughn, is a nationally recognized oil and printmaking artist who won an Artist's Innovation Award from the National Endowment for the Arts in 2009.

Raft Island resident Barbara Lee Smith will have some of her mixed media work on display at the Spring Fling.

Ceramic artist Richard Notkin of Vaughn will also show some of his creations.

Spring Fling ticket prices are $30 for TWAA members, $40 for nonmembers and $50 for families. Tickets can be purchased at Sunnycrest Nursery, Blend Wine Shop, Fresh Food Revolution co-op and online at twowaters.org.

Want to know more?

TWAA also sponsors a monthly first Tuesday “Artist Blend” at Blend Wine Shop in Key Center. This month’s meeting takes place May 5, 4-6 p.m. The goal is to engage with other artists and learn about each other’s processes and artistic inspiration.

On July 29, TWAA will hold an art walk with exhibits at many Key Center business establishments. For information visit twowaters.org.