STAGE NOTES
The WICA Blog
BIOGRAPHY | DAVID LAWRENCE
Jacob Lawrence (1917-2000) was one the most renowned African American artist of his time. Known for producing narrative collections like the Migration Series and War Series, he illustrated the African American experience using vivid colors set against Black and brown figures. He also served as a professor of art at the University of Washington for 15 years.
Early Life and Career
Born in Atlantic City, New Jersey, on September 7, 1917, Jacob Lawrence moved with his parents to Easton, Pennsylvania, at the age of two. After his parents split in 1924, his mother sent him, along with two other siblings, to a foster care facility in Philadelphia, while she looked for work in New York. At 13, Lawrence and his siblings reunited with their mother who was residing in Harlem.
Encouraging him to explore the arts, Lawrence's mother enrolled him at Utopia Children’s Center, which had an after-school art program. Although he dropped out of school at the age of 16, he continued taking classes at the Harlem Art Workshop with under the mentorship of artist Charles Alston and frequently visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
'The Migration Series'
In 1937 Lawrence won a scholarship to the American Artists School in New York. When he graduated in 1939, he received funding from the Works Progress Administration Federal Art Project. He had already developed his own style of modernism, and began creating narrative series, painting 30 or more paintings on one subject. He completed his best-known series, Migration of the Negro or simply The Migration Series, in 1941. The series was exhibited at Edith Halpert's Downtown Gallery in 1942, making Lawrence the first African American to join the gallery.
World War II and After
At the outbreak of World War II, Lawrence was drafted into the United States Coast Guard. After being briefly stationed in Florida and Massachusetts, he was assigned to be the Coast Guard artist aboard a troopship, documenting the war experience as he traveled around the world. During this time, he produced close to 50 paintings but all ended up being lost.
'War Series'
When his tour of duty ended, Lawrence received a Guggenheim Fellowship and painted his War Series. He was also invited by Josef Albers to teach the summer session at Black Mountain College in North Carolina. Albers reportedly hired a private train car to transport Lawrence and his wife to the college so they wouldn’t be forced to transfer to the “colored” car when the train crossed the Mason-Dixon Line.
When he returned to New York, Lawrence continued honing his craft but began struggling with depression. In 1949 he admitted himself into Hillside Hospital in Queens, staying for close to a year. As a patient at the facility, he produced artwork that reflected his emotional state, incorporating subdued colors and melancholy figures in his paintings, which was a sharp contrast to his other works.
In 1951, Lawrence painted works based on memories of performances at the Apollo Theater in Harlem. He also began teaching again, first at Pratt Institute and later the New School for Social Research and the Art Students League.
Teaching and Commissions
In 1971 Lawrence accepted a tenured position as a professor at University of Washington in Seattle, where he taught until he retired in 1986. In addition to teaching, he spent much of the rest of his life painting commissions, producing limited-edition prints to help fund nonprofits like the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, the Children’s Defense Fund and the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. He also painted murals for the Harold Washington Center in Chicago, the University of Washington and Howard University, as well as a 72-foot mural for New York City’s Times Square subway station.
Death
Lawrence painted until a few weeks before he died, on June 9, 2000.
SOURCE: Biography
RELATED PROGRAMMING | ART TALKS: DAVID LAWRENCE | MAR 10, 2021
ON SCREEN
Always the best seat in the house.
We’re bringing the best of Broadway and West End theatres to our big screen on Whidbey Island.
With state-of-the-art filming techniques, tailored to every play, National Theatre Live and Broadway HD capture each performance as it happens, in all its glory. From close-ups that capture every flicker of emotion, to sweeping wide shots of the stage.
Plays are filmed in front of a live theatre audience, but everything is optimized for the BIG screen so it’s the next best thing to being there!
The actors on stage deliver their performances as they normally would any other night. But, to make sure audiences watching in theaters around the world have the best seat in the house, cameras are positioned to capture each production — and technical teams make sure every element on stage such as lighting and hair and make-up look fantastic on the big screen.
RELATED PROGRAMMING: STAGE TO SCREEN
A MESSAGE from our Executive Director
The Board and Staff at Whidbey Island Center for the Arts thank you for your support in 2020!
In spite of a tumultuous year, your commitment to WICA inspired us. Because of your support, we were able to navigate the rules and regulations designed to keep our community safe and simultaneously deliver on our promise to produce, present, and support artistic endeavors and cultural events.
Over the past 10 months, while other arts organizations ‘closed up shop,’ your incredible staff produced the outdoor Summer Nights Series, streaming lectures, a virtual gala, an online DjangoFest NW, and presented months of favorite films. And, as a result of their work, we were invited to co-author Washington State’s “Theaters and Performing Arts Sector Reopening Plan.”
Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Wishing you and your loved ones a very happy and healthy New Year,
Verna Everitt, Executive Director
November 23, 2020
Along with my board of directors and the entire staff at Whidbey Island Center for the Arts, I would like to take this moment to thank you for your steadfast support in 2020.
What a year it has been! It also happens to be our 25th anniversary and we have much to celebrate. Yes, we do!
Though we’ve had to close our doors three times in the last eight months, we are grateful each time we reopened. We’re grateful to have had the opportunity to reimagine how we gather and how we find new ways to use existing tools and technology to deliver music, films, conversation and connection to you. It’s been your unbelievable commitment to WICA that has inspired us to always push forward no matter what obstacles we’ve faced!
When you return, we want you to be safe and comfortable, so we’ve redesigned our theatre by adding three new aisles to ensure physical distancing. And, we are so pleased that our new tables and little red lamps have created a cozy, cabaret feel! Early in the pandemic, we recognized that clean, healthy air must be part of the WICA experience. This decision led to the investment in a new HVAC system featuring a state-of-the-art UV light ray component designed to kill germs and viruses.
With your help we are confident that we can regain the solid footing we lost in 2020 and rehire our dedicated and talented staff that we’ve had to lay off. And, when the time is right we will again offer a robust schedule of programming in our newly-designed theatre!
During the holidays we’ll be thinking of you. I hope you'll be thinking of the moments you've been moved and inspired by your experiences here at WICA, and determine what part you will play in its future by making a tax deductible, year-end gift to support your community arts center. Thank you so very much for your valuable time and consideration.
Warm regards and happy holidays,
Verna Everitt, Executive Director
P.S. Returning to a social setting will always be a personal choice, and we understand that. What we want to say to you is, we’ll be ready when you’re ready.
September 12, 2020
Our mission is to “quicken your heart and engage your mind” through the art we deliver to you. During the pandemic we have kept our mission front and center, even when we closed our doors in March, when we reopened in June, and when we closed again in July.
In the spring, we knew though our building was “dark,” we still had to move forward, we still had to carry out our mission. But how? Like so many others, we began the journey of reinventing ourselves. First, we kept our website filled with interactive stories and showcased your art and the art of the world. We created an episodic video program, 98260. We delivered an art lecture through YouTube. And for three precious weeks, we were able to once again produce live entertainment for you during our open air Summer Nights Series on the Zech Patio.
Though our outdoor programming was limited to 50 guests, and required physical distancing and other safety protocols, we created a beautiful model, a model we knew could be brought inside to our 246-seat Michael Nutt Main Stage. But, how could we distance our patrons inside? Reinvention! We redesigned the theater to create a cabaret-style arrangement with tables, add more aisles, and created two, luxurious theater boxes. We installed a new HVAC system with highly effective germicidal UV light rays. This technology has been used by the medical industry for decades as a method for destroying micro-organisms (germs, viruses, bacteria). We have created a charming space with an emphasis on your comfort and safety.
No matter what limitations we face as we open our 25th season, I know our stellar staff will transform our challenges into opportunities. This is testimony to our resilience and our commitment to continue delivering innovative programming to you.
Thank you. Thank you to our generous donors and sponsors, patrons, and volunteers. Thank you to all of our partners and advertisers. Thank you to our committed board of directors. Together, you’ve built the foundation of this organization and we can’t thank you enough for helping us grow this artistic, community jewel.
Warmest regards,
Verna Everitt, Executive Director
May 19, 2020
The WICA Staff and Board of Directors are working hard and earnestly exploring new ways for us to produce, present, and support exceptional works that celebrate our community’s artistic excellence. And, at the heart of every conversation and every decision, is a singular focus on your experience and safety.
Be assured that, as programming resumes, the fundamentals of your experience will be the same as they always have been: we will gather together, we will be energized by the connection between artist and audience, we will share a collective thought or emotion, and we will give thanks through our applause.
What will be different is how we navigate once familiar exterior and interior spaces, recognize old friends, and create a sense of community and intimacy while we follow public health guidelines.
In the days to come, we’ll be sharing details of the innovative ways the staff is working to ensure your safety. A few examples include the creation of wayfinding tools to guide you on your journey around the WICA campus, rigorous cleaning protocols, the reorganization of our seating charts, and new approaches to how we’ll purchase tickets and enjoy “hands-free” beverages and concessions.
In the meantime, it is my great pleasure to announce that we are launching an outdoor Summer Nights Series on the Zech Patio at the end of June. This open air series will feature an array of favorite local artists performing music, comedy, and drama; lectures and demonstrations by guest speakers; and special events.
We acknowledge that there will be hesitancy about returning to public spaces as current restrictions are lifted. We expect that you will have many questions or thoughts about how we’ll be using our space and our decision to make the bold step forward with summer programming. This message to you is not just an announcement, it is also an invitation for you to reach out and talk with me so we can define our future at WICA together.
Thank you so much for your support,
Verna Everitt, Executive Director
April 28, 2020
For many, this period of isolation affords time to reflect on the year that has passed and offers hints of the possibilities and future ahead.
The WICA staff and board is diligently preparing for the future. When it is safe to do so, we will open our doors and immerse ourselves in stories and songs shared from the stage, marvel at works of art in the gallery, engage in lively conversations, and most importantly, gather together as a community.
During your stay at home, I hope you'll be reminded of the times you've been entertained or inspired by the remarkable experiences that happen within your center's walls, and determine what part you will play in its future.
We are affected by events, but we are not defined by them. We have the power to define our future. Join us in making it one that quickens our hearts, engages our minds, and demonstrates what it means to be a community.
We miss you and can’t wait to see you again,
Verna Everitt, Executive Director
March 23, 2020
Your family at WICA is thinking about you and hoping you are well!
Moments of great uncertainty do two things: they call on our resolve to face the challenge and make us take stock of what's most important. Now is undoubtedly the time to focus on our physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being as well as our loved ones and our neighbors. Under normal circumstances, we’d be working on the next production and welcoming guest artists to our stage right now. From the moment we made the decision to “go dark,” however, our focus shifted immediately to creating, curating, and sharing experiences intended to feed the soul, challenge the mind, explore what it means to be a community in a time of social distancing, and occasionally tickle the funny bone.
We hope you’ll take some time to explore the programs and events we’re creating, check back often, and share the ways you’re staying grounded and connected.
Looking forward to seeing you soon,
Verna Everitt, Executive Director
March 11, 2020
On March 11, 2020, Governor Jay Inslee announced a ban on gatherings and events of more than 250 people in King, Snohomish, and Pierce Counties in an effort to slow the spread of the COVID-19 outbreak.
We understood the potential impact of the coronavirus on our island and made the decision to take a significant measure to protect the health of our community, artists, patrons, volunteers, and staff.
After much careful deliberation, and with a heavy heart, we decided to postpone upcoming events.
Verna Everitt, Executive Director
March 5, 2020
Over the last few months, I have heard from a number of community members about the excitement they are sensing or experiencing at Whidbey Island Center for the Arts. That “buzz” is due in large part to the new, continuing, or renewed engagement of our neighbors and their embrace of our efforts to better educate audiences, our commitment to the belief that the arts should be accessible and affordable, and bold new programming.
It is my great pleasure to announce that we are continuing to be bold by presenting our first opera!
Philip Glass’ experimental work, The Photographer, focuses on the life of the pioneering photographer Eadweard Muybridge, whose motion studies of people and animals made him famous, and whose murder of his wife’s lover made him notorious.
My husband and I bought our first CD player in 1983 and carefully considered each CD purchase to build our library: the Beatles "White album," Frank Sinatra's greatest hits, Neil Young, Paul Simon... Early in my collecting, a friend suggested Philip Glass. I had no idea who he was, so I randomly chose The Photographer. I'd never heard any music like it in my life. It was riveting, strange, and moody and I became obsessed. I've been listening to it for 37 years, and having the opportunity to bring it to the stage is my wildest dream come true.
Our production of The Photographer, with a libretto by Talking Heads' David Byrne, features drama, modern dance, orchestral music, and film. The cast is comprised of local and visiting actors and singers, local and regional musicians are playing the score, and Seattleite Megan Moore is choreographing a gorgeous 20-minute dance piece that fills the third act.
In the coming days, the WICA staff will be sharing more information about the opera, introducing you to the artists, and offering Suggested Readings and videos about our production. I hope you’ll take a few moments to learn more about The Photographer and make plans to attend this extraordinary event!
I look forward to seeing you soon,
Verna Everitt, Executive Director
ABOUT VERNA EVERITT
Upon graduating with a BA in International Relations from UCLA, Verna co-founded a film production company in Hollywood where she wrote and produced commercials, videos and feature films. Simultaneously, she was a script analysist for the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences.
Verna eventually moved back to the PNW, back to her hometown on Vashon Island. She held the title of Community Outreach Director for Vashon Center for the Arts during their $20 million capital campaign. Verna also sat on three boards including Vashon’s Chamber of Commerce.
Finding an affinity for the nonprofit work Verna was immersed in, she returned to school earning a master’s degree in Nonprofit Arts Leadership from Seattle University. After graduating, she was offered an opportunity to become the Executive Director of a new nonprofit - Vashon Community Care Foundation. For the next three years Verna raised $1.5 million dollars for Vashon’s senior population.
With her fundraising skills sharpened, Verna’s next goal was to lead an arts organization. In August of 2018, Verna found her dream job as the new executive director for Whidbey Island Center for the Arts. Verna also serves on the board of the Langley Arts Commission and sits on the steering committee for Langley Creates.
“My vision for WICA is to expand our culture through new experiences that inspire, educate and quicken the heart. It's an easy goal because the team here at WICA is already enthusiastically working hard every day to bring the touchstones of our time to this community.”
Your support today is more important than ever
As a nonprofit arts organization, Whidbey Island Center for the Arts relies on support from our community. Please consider the role that art plays in your life, and support your center with a gift of any amount today.
Our Partnership with The Clyde Theatre
Whidbey Island Center for the Arts (WICA) and The Clyde Theatre shared resources and expertise to present Dawn Porter’s 2020 documentary, The Way I See It, at The Clyde.
“The Way I See It offers an unprecedented look behind-the-scenes of the Reagan and Obama presidencies, as seen through the lens of photographer Pete Souza,” says Deana Duncan, WICA Artistic Director. “As Official White House Photographer, he witnessed and captured moments that are powerful, poignant, and joyful. The movie also reveals how Souza evolved from an apolitical photojournalist to commentator on the issues we face as a country and a people.”
The screening provides both partners a rare opportunity under existing conditions and restrictions.
“Immediately after venue closures and capacity limits were announced earlier in the year, we created robust safety protocols, redesigned our theatre to ensure proper physical distancing, and installed a new state-of-the-art UV filtered HVAC system,” says WICA Executive Director Verna Everitt. “Because of our early work, our annual film festival’s success, and the ability for movie theaters to welcome patrons, we received approval to begin screening films in October.”
WICA has a digital projector, surround sound, and newly enlarged screen, but, “we’re lacking some of the technology The Clyde has,” says Duncan, “and that is limiting the range of films that we can screen. We’re looking forward to learning more about film presentation from Blake and Brook Willeford!”
“We’ve been as anxious to get back to showing movies as the community has been to see them,” says The Clyde Theatre’s Brook Willeford, ”but we want to be sure that we can do it in a safe way that allows us to cover our costs. This special showing provides us an opportunity to work with another organization that has invested a great deal of effort into making entertainment safe for community members.”
Deana Duncan, co-author of Washington’s Theaters and Performing Arts Sector Reopening Plan, is “looking forward to sharing what we learned at WICA, and proving our proposed state guidelines through practice, in a beloved business close to home.”
RELATED PROGRAMMING | THE WAY I SEE IT | NOV 21
Improving the Air That We Breath
As we move into our 25th year, we’re planning for many changes and improvements to our landmark building.
One of the most important upgrades we can do at this time is a major renovation of our HVAC system, the air flow and control system that regulates how air is delivered throughout our building, into the theater, through our lobby, and every corner of the arts center.
Today, it is more important than ever that clean, healthy air is a part of the WICA experience.