Arts Briefs | Jan. 8 edition
Published 10:30 am Tuesday, January 6, 2026
Jim Page
Northwest folk legend Jim Page will play a show at 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 8, at Vashon Havurah, 15401 Westside Hwy. SW.
Page, a singer, songwriter and social justice activist, has made 24 full-length albums, been on a dozen compilations, done numberless tours and written hundreds of songs. He’s toured with Dick Gaughan, Planxty, Leftover Salmon and Rob Wasserman and shared the stage with Bonnie Raitt, Donal Lunny, Barry Melton, Robert Hunter and Björn Afzelius.
He sings about almost everything: politics and romance, adventure and comedy, tragedy, history and meditations on life, death and the absurd. His show on Vashon, with tickets $20 at the door, is being presented by his friend and admirer, local singer and songwriter Kat Eggleston.
Contact kat@kateggleston.com for reservations.
Second Friday gallery cruise
It regularly happens in January: Vashon’s monthly gallery cruise moves from being held on the first Friday of the month to the second Friday. This month, it will happen from roughly 5-8 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 9, with many of the usual art spots — Vashon Center for the Arts, VALISE, Swiftwater and others — hosting opening receptions for new shows.
Be sure to include a new stop on the Jan. 9 cruise: an open house for Sarah St. Germain’s new business, Island Sunsation, a tanning salon adjacent to her hair salon in Thriftway Plaza at 9730 SW Bank Rd. From 5–8 p.m., the event will feature refreshments, beverages and a chance to win gift certificates at the salon. Works of art by Marianne McDonnell will be on display, along with kitchen and bath designs by Julie Hart of Poppy & Company.
McDonnell, who now lives on Vashon, was born in Hollywood, California, and grew up in Calistoga among the orange poppies and oak trees. Her family moved to the Northwest, where she first lived on Friday Harbor and then in Gig Harbor. She graduated from The Evergreen State College with a degree in performing arts, and since that time, her life has been dedicated to artistic pursuit in one form or another. After nearly four decades, she has found her passion in painting works with bold color — a tribute to the beautiful places she has lived.
Dirty Dozen Brass Band
For more than 45 years, the Dirty Dozen Brass Band has been redefining the sound of New Orleans brass. Now, they’ll play a show at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 10, at Vashon Center for the Arts.
Fusing jazz, funk, R&B and soul into what they call a “musical gumbo,” this Grammy Award-winning ensemble makes legendary music — bursting with rhythm, joy and an unstoppable groove. Find out more and get tickets (free for those 18 and younger) at vashoncenterforthearts.org.
Dogs in Art
Noted art historian Rebecca Albiani will present a talk, “Dogs in Italian Renaissance Art,” at 2 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 11, at Vashon Center for the Arts. Find out more and get tickets at vashoncenterforthearts.org.
Americans in Paris
Four noted musicians from the Governor’s Chamber Music Series will perform a tribute to the City of Lights in “Americans in Paris,” at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 17, at Vashon Center for the Arts.
Pianist Judith Cohen will lead the evening of chamber works by American composers inspired by their time in Paris — George Gershwin, Cole Porter, Aaron Copland, and Astor Piazzolla. Featuring Brittany Breeden (violin), Kevin Krentz (cello), and Stephanie Porter (American Jazz Vocalist), the program brims with romance, sophistication, and jazz-infused flair.
Find out more and get tickets (free for those 18 and younger) at vashoncenterforthearts.org.
Tell stories on Family Day
Vashon Heritage will hold its first Family Day of the year from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 17, at the museum, 10105 SW Bank Rd.
On that day, museum staff will also collect Vashon stories from adults. An open call for five-minute oral histories, which will be filmed on site and kept in the museum’s archives, will take place from 1 to 4 p.m. Islanders can tell stories alone or with a friend. Find out more at vashonheritagemuseum.org.
Wassail
Wassail, an old winter tradition of blessing an orchard to ensure that trees wake up from winter slumber and produce a good harvest in the year to come, will take place at Dragon’s Head Orchard from 4 to 7 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 17, at 18201 107th Ave. SW.
The event, produced in conjunction with EnJoy Productions, will include entertainment, participation in the orchard blessing, food from Dragon’s Head Orchard chef Jacob Wiegner and one drink ticket good for a glass of cider (for those 21 and older) or a nonalcoholic beverage. Additional drink tickets will be available for purchase.
This event will happen rain or shine — the orchard must be blessed either way — so dress and prepare accordingly. Costumes and a participatory nature are highly encouraged — bring noisemakers, including pots and pans, drums, horns or other instruments.
Find out more and get tickets — free for children 12 and younger — at tinyurl.com/5n73s7w3.
Early Music
The first in a series of noon concerts by the Salish Sea Early Music Festival will take place at 12 p.m. Monday, Jan. 19, at the Episcopal Church of the Holy Spirit, 15420 Vashon Hwy. SW.
“Little Evening Concerts for Louis XIV” will feature music from an almost completely unknown manuscript discovered by festival director and flutist Jeffrey Cohan — suites of music prepared in 1713 for the aging king that harkened back to the music of his youth. The concert will feature Anna Marsh on baroque bassoon; Ethan Lin on baroque violin; Vicki Gunn on baroque viola and Cohan on baroque flute.
There is a suggested donation of $20-$30 for the concert, with those 18 and younger admitted free. Find out more about the concert and the upcoming season at salishseafestival.org/vashon.
Whim W’Him
The award-winning contemporary company Whim W’Him will soon return to Vashon with a powerful winter program featuring new creations by celebrated choreographers FLOCK (Florian Lochner and Alice Klock), Emilie Leriche and Olivier Wevers.
The show, “Winter ’26,” will take place at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 22, at Vashon Center for the Arts.
Expect breathtaking movement, poetic physicality and bold artistry in an evening that showcases the very best of contemporary dance. Reserve tickets — free for ages 18 and younger, although those 12 and younger must be accompanied by an adult — and find out more at vashoncenterforthearts.org.
Also, tell off-island friends about the show — it’s part of a collaboration between VCA and Vashon Lodges, which is offering a package of discounts to those coming to Vashon for the show.
14/48 Vashon
Join the madcap theater-makers of 14/48 Vashon as the annual festival returns for a thrill-packed two-night run, with performances at 7 and 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Jan. 23 and 24, at Open Space for Arts & Community.
The festival — whose company includes seven writers, seven directors, a gaggle of actors and designers, musicians and technical wizards — famously results in the creation of 14 new plays, from scratch, in only 48 hours.
Here’s how it works: On Thursday night before the first show, the theater-makers gather — some meeting for the first time — and throw themes into a hat. After a theme is drawn, the writers head home to write new 10-minute plays overnight. The next morning, directors draw the play they will direct, then draw their cast, and then get to work. The result? Seven new plays are rehearsed, designed and scored throughout the day and performed twice on Friday night. Then the whole process starts all over again. By the end of Saturday, 14 new plays have been born, produced and presented in just 48 hours.
Get tickets and find out more at openspacevashon.com.
