Lasher Gallery Artist Profile: Daniel Imburgia

Through August, artist Daniel Imburgia will be showing works at the Whidbey Island Center for the Arts (WICA) Lasher Gallery. To learn more about Imburgia’s creative process, inspiration, and much more, check out the following Q&A with the artist.

WICA: When did you first become interested in this art form?

Imburgia: “After I encountered my first Van Gogh in the 6th grade I became interested in what paint could do. I was raised Roman Catholic by my Sicilian grandparents so I was also influenced by ecclesial iconography/icons; which I also later went on to “Write” (as they say in Eastern Orthodoxy), but constructing images/meaning with paint has been my main focus—with constructing images/meaning with language a close second.”

WICA: How do you determine the subject matter?

Imburgia: “Many/All ways. For example, the “Horse Slaughter Camp” painting was first conceived more than 50 years ago when I worked on the Yakama Indian Reservation and learned of the horrific slaughter of 900 Indian ponies near Spokane in 1859. Over the next 5 decades I made some sketches, wrote some poetry and songs, read Sherman Alexie’s short story about the massacre, attempted several paintings, and then at the beginning of Covid lockdown I (with the help of artist friends) constructed the mural now installed here at WICA. After that I encountered a science magazine that described “gynandgomorphism” and after doing some research I was so taken with the beauty of these amazing beings that I began painting gynandromorph butterflies. The painting titled “The Inventions of Eve” was inspired by a trip to the Sistine chapel and Vatican museum where I first began reimagining alternative creation stories that might challenge the patriarchichal narratives that have dominated Western cultures.”

WICA: What do you love most about what you do?

Imburgia: “Creativity.”

WICA: What is it like for you to show your pieces at WICA?

Imburgia: “This will be my first show at WICA, and so far I greatly appreciate all the enthusiastic support for my work and the amazing opportunity this place/people offer to so many different types of art/artists. Much obliged.”

To view the art pieces, please visit WICA’s Lasher Gallery during regular business hours or by appointment.

Whidbey Telecom Summer Nights Series Returns to Whidbey Island Center for the Arts

Once again, music will be heard along Camano Avenue in Langley with the start of the Whidbey Telecom Summer Nights Series at the Whidbey Island Center for the Arts (WICA). A musical tradition born out of the COVID-19 pandemic, the series features community and concerts under the big tent as well as concerts and theatre on the WICA mainstage.

“Summer Nights began during the COVID shutdown to provide entertainment and good company,” says WICA Executive Artistic Director Deana Duncan. “That first night, with the sounds of a piano filling the air, bringing us all together, we knew the power of the arts could and would help us heal. And so, Summer Nights was born.”

Now in its fourth year, the Summer Night Series is a summer-long community celebration of the arts—iconic with its large white tent that takes up residence outside of Zech Hall through the warmer Pacific Northwest months. Happy Hour Under the Tent will begin on June 21, and will continue throughout August on every Friday and Saturday evening, 5:00-7:00 p.m. Happy Hours do not have a cover charge or a minimum purchase for attendees.

The Summer Night Series will officially start on July 5, with a Summer Kick-Off Party featuring Rubatano Marimba. Back by popular demand, this outdoor music event brought laughter, dancing, and community connection to the tent last year, and is sure to be another wonderful experience.

With summer just around the corner, be sure to check out all of the wonderful programming available at YOUR community arts center. Click here to learn more about the Summer Nights Series programming and updates on the series schedule.

The Hundred Acre Wood Comes to Whidbey Island

REGISTRATION NOW OPEN

The 2024 Summer Conservatory is back at the Whidbey Island Center for the Arts (WICA) with registration now open for youth ages 8-13. In collaboration with the Whidbey Institute, the Youth Summer Theatre Camp will take place August 5-16, with time split among the WICA and the Whidbey Institute campuses.

“We are excited to welcome the Summer Conservatory back to WICA with the Whidbey Institute,” says WICA Executive Artistic Director Deana Duncan. “Our community is an important part of our mission, and supporting youth as they explore the arts brings me so much joy. We must nurture our youth in following creative endeavors, which have the power to touch their lives in profound ways. This camp is a wonderful opportunity to do that.”

The camp is taught by Whidbey Children’s Theatre teacher Katie Kammerer, who holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Theatre Arts with an emphasis in stage management from Southern Oregon University.

“This camp provides the unique opportunity of getting to learn and create both in a professional theatre and exploring the great outdoors on a beautiful stage. The setting is idyllic for both this play and this age group,” says Kammerer. “My belief is that theatre and the arts are about more than just a creative outlet. Theatre helps to teach empathy and kindness, two traits that cannot be learned too early or too often. I am never happier than when teaching children and watching them grow their skills in the way they treat each other as they discover new things in the world around them.”

This year’s play takes youth on a journey through the Hundred Acre Wood, or to be more precise, 106 acres of the Whidbey Institute. With a special Winnie-the-Pooh screenplay by playwright Lindsay Price, participants will enjoy a two-week adventure camp filled with magic, acting, and the great outdoors.

“The arts can give our youth community self-confidence, it can provide a place where there's a moment of release and levity,” says Price. “The arts build so many important skills that students will use for the rest of their life. It gives me a lot of pride to play a small part in that experience.”

The first week of the camp will be spent at WICA, with students learning about lightning, sound, costuming and sets as they build their own show on the WICA mainstage. The second week will take place on the outdoor StoryHouse Stage at the Whidbey Institute, where attendees will rehearse the play and enjoy the natural surroundings of this transformational learning center. The camp will conclude with a weekend of performances by the students.

“I am so excited for this collaboration with Whidbey Island Center for the Arts,” says Rose Woods, co-executive director for the Whidbey Institute. “Nothing gives my heart more joy than bringing back some theatrical magic to the enchanted StoryHouse amphitheatre with Winnie-the-Pooh with young theatre artists, directed by Katie Kammerer! This collaboration is a dream come true for me!”

With registration now open, the camp’s 16 spots are filling up. The fee for the two-week camp is $500, with some scholarship funding available. For those interested in learning more and participating in the camp, please visit the 2024 Summer Conservatory website for registration details.

June Programming at the Whidbey Island Center for the Arts

New programming is set to open at the Whidbey Island Center for the Arts (WICA) in June. From a one-man play to a celebration of stage icons, the arts center will be busy with engaging new programming.

“We are thrilled to bring this new programming to the WICA stage,” says Executive Artistic Director Deana Duncan. “The quality of these works speaks to WICA's role as an innovative arts organization. Swing State comes directly from New York to Whidbey Island, and James Morrison and Robert Egan bring their world-class performance to our stage. The core of our mission is to create connections between artists and audiences locally, regionally, and internationally. Every story on our stage grows out of the fact that we fundamentally believe that the arts impact and enrich lives through powerful shared experiences.”

On June 13, Leave Your Fears Here will open. Written and performed by actor James Morrison and directed by Robert Egan, the play will run through June 16. It is an intensely personal play—recounting Morrison’s beloved son's struggle with and ultimate recovery from brain cancer. It is a tale of losing a language and learning a new one, of a child teaching the parent, and the power of hope in the darkest of times. Click here to learn more about Leave Your Fears Here. The performance has been described by the late American screenwriter and film producer Norman Lear as “an extremely moving play by an extremely moving performer. I was moved by this powerful story.” Morrison, who has appeared in television shows like NCIS Hawai’i and Law and Order: SVU, will be onstage at WICA in this one-man play about a journey that affirms love and human connection as the antidote to fear and despair. Click here to view Morrison’s acting reel.

On June 20, Swing State, a staged reading by Rebecca Gilman, will open for a four-day run at WICA. This new American play recently closed in New York City, making its way to WICA in a professional stage reading directed by Vito Zingarelli. It is a contemporary portrait of America’s heartland, with Opening Night featuring a post-play discussion with Gilman. The performance runs through June 23, with Closing Night followed by a community conversation featuring staff from Whidbey Environmental Action Network, the Pacific Rim Institute and Whidbey Camano Land Trust. The New York Times described Swing State as “frugal with themes, meticulous about motivation, minutely sensitive to the timing of revelations—could serve as a case study in dramatic construction.” The Chicago Tribune wrote, “Swing State is perhaps the first of the great American post-COVID plays, the first work I’ve seen not just to wrestle with what happened during the pandemic but also to explore, and call out, the fundamental changes it has wrought on our collective psyche.” Click here to learn more about Swing State. 

Glamorous costumes and icons of the stage will greet viewers on June 28 during Liberace and Liza: A Tribute, a co-production with South Whidbey PRIDE. In this performance, David Saffert and Jillian Snow share the stage as Liberace and Liza Minnelli, creating an exhilarating night of musical and comical fireworks. It’s sure to be an unforgettable evening of music and entertainment. Click here to learn more about Liberace and Liza: A Tribute.

Rounding out the month of programming is the June 30 event, The Book of Voices, a celebration of poetry and music by Andre Feriante, Sheila Weidendorf, and Joni Takanikos. Click here to learn more about Book of Voices.

WICA is also proud to announce it has been awarded a Community Accelerator Grant in the amount of $7,500 from the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation and administered by ArtsFund. This June programming is directly funded by part of the grant, and speaks to the importance of community support in ensuring the long-term financial sustainability of arts institutions. 

To learn more about WICA and its mission in the community, visit wicaonline.org.

Record-Setting Aspire Gala at Whidbey Island Center for the Arts

June 1 was a night to remember at the Whidbey Island Center for the Arts (WICA), with the arts organization hosting a record-breaking Aspire Gala fundraiser with more than $300,000 raised in support of its programming, scholarship opportunities, and community initiatives.

With catering and decorations by Freeland’s Fare Market, WICA was transformed into a whimsical floral landscape. Beginning at 5:00 p.m., 120 gala attendees mingled over creative hors d’oeuvres and specialty beverages in WICA’s Zech Hall, standing beneath delicate and transparent umbrellas brimming with vines and flowers. Guests were treated to music by Whidbey Island local Philip Van Seters while previewing the Live Auction and taking part in the Wine Grab and 50/50 Raffle.

During the Cocktail Hour, WICA was presented with the Theatre Puget Sound (TPS) People's Choice Award for North Puget Sound, 2020-2023, by Crystal Yingling, Executive Director of TPS in Seattle. During this time, one of WICA’s Bridge Family Scholarship recipients, South Whidbey High School graduating senior Ethan Heather-Ford, treated attendees to a jazz performance with his jazz trio, and spoke to guests about his plans for the future.

The event then moved to the mainstage, which was decorated with life-size floral arrangements that were reminiscent of a scene out of Alice in Wonderland. Attendees took over the stage, which featured large rounds of tables decorated in a pastel color scheme that glowed under the stage lights.

The setting served as a backdrop for the Live Auction, which featured items ranging from full festival passes and soundcheck access for DjangoFest Northwest 2024 to a VIP event with Pacific Northwest Ballet. Spirited and generous bidding took place, all while catering staff served food prepared with local ingredients—from Whidbey Island Seafood Company salmon to Whidbey Island Grown greens. Attendees also took part in the Paul & Pam Schell Producers Circle Raise the Paddle, with Executive Artistic Director Deana Duncan inviting everyone to “Be a Producer” and contribute to the arts programming at WICA.

“It was an inspiring experience,” says Duncan. “We are a community arts organization, and this event directly supports our programming, students scholarships, accessibility efforts, and Whidbey Island partnerships. We are feeling the generosity of spirit and encouragement across the entire organization right now and are so fortunate to exist within a community that values arts programming and the important role it plays in our lives.”

As the highest grossing WICA fundraiser to date, the Aspire Gala was a clear reminder of the island’s support for the arts organization and proof that at 28 years old, the nonprofit remains a relevant and important part of the community.