Arts Briefs | Jan 29 edition

Published 9:51 am Wednesday, January 28, 2026

Music and pizza

Alberta & the Dead Eyes, a duo with mid-1970s vibes featuring David Boone and West McLean, will play at 7 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 31, at the Rock Island Pizza. Come early, order up some food and drink and stay for a night of sonic storytelling.

Studio Tour meeting

Attend Vashon Island Visual Artists’ meet-up for island artists from 4-6 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 1, at Vashon Library.

The event centers on plans for VIVA’s spring studio tour. VIVA members and non-members are welcome to attend the meeting, which will review data from the past few tours and give artists the chance to meet potential tour partners. Feedback has shown tour visitors are attracted to stops with multiple artists. The tour will once again be limited to 40 locations. The tour application will go live on vivartists.com on Jan. 31.

Artists’ market

Attend a celebration of Imbolc — an ancient Celtic midwinter tradition marking the return of the light — where all are invited to honor the goddess and saint Brigid by making weavings called Brigid’s crosses to hang over doors.

The event, with an accompanying artists’ market, will take place from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 31, at the artists’ studios in the Beall Greenhouses, 18531 Beall Road.

Participating artists include Dee Cherry, Robert Passig, Christina Nichols, Logan Price, Nadine Edelstein, Hope Black, Jon Haaland, Lee Cattarin, Brooke Osment, Mags McGinnis, Jennifer Hawke, Julie Shannon and Steve Rocketkar. Find out more at tinyurl.com/58y8suk8.

David Nihill

The well-traveled Irish comedian David Nihill will bring his wit and stand-up skills to a show at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 5, at Vashon Center for the Arts. Nihill is the winner of the prestigious annual San Francisco Comedy Competition (previous finalists include Robin Williams, Ellen DeGeneres and Dana Carvey) and runner-up in the Moth’s largest U.S. Grandslam storytelling competition. Find out more at davidnihill.com and get tickets at vashoncenterforthearts.org.

Music at Moonwood

Join other music lovers at a house concert series, Music at Moonwood, for an intimate performance by New York City-based jazz pianist and composer Zander Knodt at 6 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 7. Doors will open at 5 p.m. for drinks and hors d’oeuvres.

Knodt, who grew up on Vashon, will blend jazz with classical and contemporary influences in a program ranging from beloved jazz standards to original compositions inspired by the works of Schumann and Mahler. His performance will be featured on a stunning 1905 7-foot grand piano.

Hosted in a private residence on Vashon, Music at Moonwood showcases a curated selection of local, national and international talent in a distinctly beautiful private setting. Space is limited. Find out more and secure your seat via TicketStripe.com at tinyurl.com/2r4uzrv3. The address to the concert site will be provided upon registration.

“A Guitar at the Opera”

Classical guitarist Davide Sciacca, who performs internationally and teaches in Italy, will play an intimate and free recital at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 13, in the atrium of Vashon Center for the Arts.

The recital, coinciding with Sciacca’s residency at Vashon Artist Residency, will off a candlelight experience in VCA’s atrium space, with bistro tables as seating.

“A Guitar at the Opera” will explore the meeting point between opera and guitar. Centered around the music of Vincenzo Bellini — the great Sicilian opera composer from Catania — the program features lyrical transcriptions inspired by “Norma,” alongside works by Italian, Spanish and contemporary composers.

Performing on a guitar built by fellow Catanese luthier Flavio Alaimo, Sciacca will deliver a concert and storytelling experience, where opera, guitar, and cultural roots meet in an intimate and engaging musical dialogue.

Find out more at vashoncenterforthearts.org.

“Right in the Eye”

“Right in the Eye,” an adventurous all-ages cinematic experience, will be presented at 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 14, at Open Space for Arts & Community.

A creation of Jean-François Alcoléa, “Right in the Eye” features the silent films of pioneering filmmaker Georges Méliès, accompanied by a live score performed by three virtuoso performers on a wide range of instruments. These include piano, percussion and guitar, along with other unexpected oddities including aquaphone, theremin and even plastic take-out lids.

The production showcases 12 films, blending live performance with visuals of Méliès mastery of technical wizardry and boundless imagination at the dawn of cinema.

An all-ages workshop taking viewers behind the scene of “Right in the Eye,” will take place at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 13, at Open Space. Billed as a “journey where history meets wonder,” the workshop will include exploration of the instruments used by the musicians and a behind-the-scenes look at Méliès’s groundbreaking special effects.

Find out more and get tickets at openspacevashon.com.

Love Duets 7

A long-awaited continuation of six previous Love Duets showcases, presented by Vashon Events before COVID hit, will be presented at 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 14, at The Station, 17816 Vashon Hwy. SW.

So far, the roster of performers includes Chris Anderson and Kim Thal; Danny and Laura Powers; Kenny and Indigo Alton; Marnie Wingett and Jacob Viramontes; Gillian and Nick Simmons; Martin and Melissa Feveyear; Allison Jones and Doug Pine; Guido and Bianca Perla; Jane Spakowsky and Paul Moomaw; Rusty Willoughby and Rachel Flotard; Jennifer Stills and Damon Gardyne; and Sarah Christine and Wesley Peterson.

In addition to musical performances, community members are invited to participate by reading a short love poem — either an original piece or a favorite work that speaks to the heart — during transitions between acts. Those interested in reading can contact Vashon Events via Facebook or email at vashonmusic@gmail.com.

Proceeds from Love Duets will support the Vashon Events Music Instrument Library and the organization’s year-round community arts, culture, and charity events calendar.

Find out more at vashonevents.org.

Love Stories with a Twist

Cellist Michelle Dodson and storyteller Merna Hecht will present “Love Stores with a Twist”at 6:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 15, at Vashon Wine Shop, 17205 Vashon Hwy SW. Hecht, a revered local storyteller and educator, will be accompanied by Dodson in this special presentation. The pair last performed together in 2019, at Snadragon’s Black Cat Cabaret, in a night of storytelling Hecht now notes, with a touch of irony, was billed as “Singing Hope in a Dark Time.”