Events

Seattle native Mare Blocker shares 50 years of making artists’ books. Blocker proves that paper and ink are all you need to bring a world to life. Her retrospective focuses on four themes of her life: Fun & Games, Science & Nature, Myths & Legends, and Waterlife. Blocker’s, whimsy, honesty, and daring will entrance you from cover to cover.

BIMA displays the largest selection ever of artwork in the Permanent Art Collection (PAC). Art will be featured on a rotating basis, making this a great opportunity to review the PAC at the twelve-year mark, and to reflect on and inform our collecting priorities for the coming years.

Included are favorite works by Humaira Abid, Larry (Ulaaq) Ahvakana, Jenny Andersen, Gayle Bard, Barbara Helen Berger, William Ingham, Louise Kikuchi, Phillip Levine, Robert McCauley, Linda Okazaki, Paul Rucker, Ramona Solberg, and Preston Wadley, plus new acquisitions by Pat DeCaro, Eric Chamberlain, Charles Emerson, Dennis Evans & Nancy Mee, Barbara Lawrence, and William Turner.

Aisha Harrison (Olympia) presents work created over the past four years in clay, bronze, paper collage, and mixed media. Porous Body, Harrison’s first solo museum exhibition, speaks to their focus on life cycles – both human and in nature, while experiencing the world through a mixed-race, queer, mothering lens. It is a confluence of a spiritual ancestral space and the land they inhabit, relate to, grow, and decay with. Porous Body explores wonder and joy, grief, connection, and growth, and how to stay grounded in times of upheaval.

Start the new year on a high note with BAC’s 2026 opening exhibition: Joy, a celebration of hope, joy, and the power of laughter.

Humor, charm, and warmth prevail through painting, clay, glass, fiber, mixed media constructions, and works on paper in this exhibition of works by inspiring visual artists including Jennifer Caldwell, Jason Chakravarty, Sharon Carr, Diane Culhane, Max Grover, Woodleigh Marx Hubbard, Tom Johnson, Peter Koronakos, Gregory Lastrapes, Ellie Mathews, Kim Murton, Linda Okazaki, and Tomoko Suzuki.

Once again, art asserts its power to lift, transfix, and warm our hearts.

Join us for a light, bright, and uplifting evening of Joy at BAC’s First Friday opening on January 2, 6–8pm.

OIL PAINTING - CLASS DESCRIPTION:

In this Oil Painting Palette Knife art class, artists will discover how to mix, layer, apply and blend pigment using a variety of palette knives for different purposes. Drying times will be shortened or extended through the use of additives such as Cold Wax and Gel Mediums to achieve the artist’s intent. We will work from landscape photographs of nature, and lesson demonstrations will be given oil.

SKILLS: A variety of palette knives, tools and techniques for creating texture, energetic brush marks, composition and color mixing.

JAN 13, Tuesday, 1:00-4:00, This class repeates once each month with a different painting skill.

LESSON COST:  $120 per student.  Please inquire about group rates.

PAYMENT:  Venmo  https://venmo.com/u/SHINEartacademy

MATERIALS LIST:

Canvas: 10x12, 12x 16, or 16 x 20

Palette Knives:

One set of assorted sizes.I prefer using a small short #1 for mixing, and a long narrow shape for skies. Several others are used for details and scraping. For long straight edges, I use a common 6” finish plaster putty knife.

Oil Paints:

Please bring whatever paints you have and are familiar with. The following is a suggested list: White, Transparent Red Oxide, Alizarin Crimson, Magenta, Viridian, Sap Green, Phthalo Blue, French Ultramarine, Cadmium Orange, Cadmium Yellow Hue, Hansa Yellow, and Yellow Ochre. Occasionally, I also use Portland Medium Gray, and Black. Winton by Windsor Newton is the brand I use.

Solvent: I use a 50/50 mix of refined Linseed oil and Gamsol odorless solvent. Gel medium.

Payment: Venmo  https://venmo.com/u/SHINEartacademy

Contact: David Repyak - teaching artist

Phone: 206-790-8577

Email: SHINEartacademy@gmail.com

Join us for an upbeat evening of line dancing lessons + open floor fun with the crew from One More Time Line Dancing.

$17 at the door includes:

1.5 hours of lessons & dancing
Your first drink on us (house wine, beer, cider, or NA)

Additional drinks & food available for purchase.

No partner needed, all levels welcome - just come ready to move and sip and pay when you arrive

Strolls for Well-Being is a complimentary, seasonal program at Bloedel Reserve that supports connection to nature through a series of 12 self-guided walks.

We invite anyone interested in finding new ways to nurture this connection to join the program. New participants receive a guidebook with instruction and inspiration for 12 distinct mindfulness-based walks through the Reserve. Each walk is built around themes such as awareness, joy, and gratitude, and the walks are designed around the distinct garden spaces.

Participants become part of a small group that meets three times during the program, for an orientation, mid-point check-in, and closing meeting. The meetings provide an opportunity to hear from others and share experiences. Everyone in the program receives a complimentary 6-month membership to Bloedel Reserve, which provides timed ticket entrance when booked in advance.

WHEN

Winter Strolls for Well-Being Program: January 14 – March 26, 2026

Register for one of the two orientation sessions below to join the winter program.

January 14, 10:30 AM – 11:30 AM at the Japanese Guest House
TICKETS
January 17, 10:30 AM – 11:30 AM at the Japanese Guest House

TICKETS

The Bainbridge Island Youth Orchestra (BIYO) is offering a "Beginner Strings" class for elementary and middle school students to learn violin, viola or cello in a group setting. Students will learn beginning skills for their chosen instrument, note reading, rhythmic foundations, how to play together and they will have an opportunity to make new friends.

The program meets once a week on Thursdays in the Fellowship Hall at Bethany Lutheran Church and will have two performances.  The final performance will be at BIYO's Spring Concert at Bainbridge Performing Arts. No prior musical experience is necessary to join!

Families are responsible for providing their own instrument, however, BIYO has a limited number of instruments available to rent on a first come first served basis based on time of registration.

Grades 2-4:  Thursday 3:00pm-3:45pm

Grades 5+: Thursday 4:00pm-5:00pm

Term I: 9/18, 9/25, 10/2, 10/9, 10/16, 10/23, 11/6, 11/13, 11/20, 12/4, 1/8, 1/15, 1/22, 1/29, 2/5 (concert)
Term II:  2/26, 3/5, 3/12, 3/19, 3/26, 4/2, 4/16, 4/23, 4/30, 5/7, 5/14, 5/21, 5/28, 6/4, 6/7 (concert, 3pm BPA)

Tuition: $300/term
Instrument rental: $50/term

Tuition assistance is available

Drop by Battle Point Observatory for an all-ages short Planetarium Show! Learn what's up in the night sky and get a peek inside the Observatory. Shows offered at 12:30 pm and again at 2:30 pm.

Open to the community, $10/adult and $5/child tickets (plus tax) available at the door until show is full. $5 ticket discount for BPAA Members, we appreciate your support!

Check the Observatory Events calendar for more details. Planetarium is wheelchair accessible with advance notice.

Nature provides the perfect setting for us to connect; to ourselves, to the earth, and to each other. Meditation is an invitation to practice compassionate awareness and acceptance of who we are and what is. Surrounded by the natural beauty of Bloedel Reserve, Alexa will lead a mindfulness meditation in the Japanese Guest House incorporating poetry that speaks to the wisdom inherent in nature and sound bowls whose melodic vibrations can contribute to healing and deep relaxation.

Please dress comfortably and plan to meditate for at least 30 minutes, seated in a chair.

WHERE

This event is held indoors at the Japanese Guest House

WHEN

Feb 18, 11:15 – Noon

COST

$20 Members
$42 Non-members, includes the price of admission

Kitsap ERACE, Living Arts Cultural Heritage Project, and other local organizations return to BIMA for our 2026 Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration. The program considers the ongoing relevance of Dr. King’s work and how it continues to inform the efforts of a new generation committed to equity and justice.

The event features poetry, music, dance, and presentations from local youth and community members, offering space for reflection, connection, and dialogue. Together, we’ll honor Dr. King’s legacy while recognizing the continued work of building a more just and inclusive society.

Header Image: Cory Bennett Anderson (Poulsbo), “Have a Dream” MLK Jr, 2020, 36″h x 24″w, Courtesy of the Artist

Join BI Metro Parks and our incredible partners, for the annual Martin Luther King Jr Day of Service.  From 10a-1p on Monday, January 19th volunteers come together to make this day of service a “day on, not a day off.” Let’s celebrate Dr. King’s legacy through action! Together, we can help create a healthy ecosystem through removing invasives and building upon the ongoing restoration work in Blakely Harbor Park.

The Young People’s March for Peace and Kindness, an opportunity to practice service in the spirit of MLK Day will happen this year on Monday, January 20th. Children of all ages, their families, and community members, are invited to gather for letter writing between 10:30-11:15 at the Bainbridge Island Library. At 11:15, we will march together to the Winslow post office to mail our letters. Bring signs, banners, friends, and your own postage stamp. Addresses and inspiration provided. Dress appropriately for the weather. We will joyfully be walking rain or shine!

This event is held with thanks to Bainbridge Island School District, Kitsap Regional Library, and the BISD Multicultural Advisory Council.

Battle Point Observatory Cosmic Conversations

January Topic: "Exoplanets"

Cosmic Conservations at Battle Point Observatory are a friendly small group discussion, with all experience levels welcome. Topics are pre-selected by the group and become the basis for the evening's conversation. These are non-mathematical discussions, designed to “ignite a passion for science through the lens of astronomy!"

We offer a hybrid in person and optional Zoom format for this conversation.  In person will be a small group (up to 15 people) at Battle Point Observatory, and a second option to attend via Zoom. Ages 16+.  Advance registration, see REGISTER for more information and optional Zoom registration.

Visit our Events calendar for more astronomy-themed public events!

Join Bloedel Reserve Creative Resident Alexa Luborsky in creating a communal Bloedel Reserve “Memory Book”. Alexa will be using the Armenian Houshamadyan and Jewish Yizker-bikher as examples. These books are moveable, fluid memorials that recollect a physical location of a homeland. Community projects, created by survivors, they were meant to invite collective memorialization of a lost town in the wake of their displacement.

This special interactive workshop will focus on the first portion of these books, which involve mid-maps and personal recollections of landscape. Participants will have the option to contribute to the Bloedel Reserve “Memory Book” via a drawn map and/or a written account of their experience of an area on the Reserve. We will explore connections that allow us move beyond just the physical space of the Reserve, and into a collective understanding of place as a location of potential for connection, community, and survival. After the conclusion of the workshop, the pages we created will be bound and everyone will receive a scan of this collectively created monument.

Come prepared for weather, as this workshop will take place both inside the Japanese Guest House and outside on the grounds.

WHERE

Meet at the Japanese Guest House

WHEN

January 22, 10:30 AM – 12:30 PM

Join the Bainbridge History Museum for a lively, interactive exploration of our community’s past. This special event invites visitors to discover hidden stories, surprising artifacts, and little-known facts about Bainbridge Island. Whether you're a longtime local or new to the island, come test your knowledge, learn something new, and see the museum in a whole new light! With speaker Lindsay Ogles, Director of Exhibits and Engagement.

Join award-winning artist Mare Blocker for a hands-on workshop focused on sculptural artist’s books, inspired by her piece Coral Reef from BIMA’s current exhibition Storytime with Mare. Participants will learn a variety of non-adhesive bookbinding techniques, including suture joining stitches, slot-and-tab construction, and simple pop-up devices.

Designed for all skill levels, the workshop encourages creativity and exploration. Throughout the day, Mare will provide personalized guidance as participants experiment with materials and techniques. By the end, each student will have completed a unique sculptural artist’s book to take home.

A complete materials kit—including collage and construction supplies, needles, and thread—is provided and included in the workshop fee. The workshop runs from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM, with a one-hour lunch break. Bring your creativity and enthusiasm for a day of artistic discovery.

$200 members/$235 non-members

ARTIST BIO

Currently featured in a solo retrospective exhibition here at BIMA, Storytime with Mare, Seattle native Mare Blocker comes from a family of artists and makers. Her first job, at age five, was painting trees in the backgrounds of her grandfather’s landscape paintings, which they sold at the Seattle Center and Pike Place Market. She likes to say she grew up in the Seattle Center’s Fun Forest. She had a little bed under the platform of the Bubbleator where she napped in the afternoons while “working” in her grandparents’ shop.

She’s had many adventures—coaching a swim team, owning a biker bar in Arizona, and running a small rural library in a log cabin in the mountains of Idaho. Now, she’s back in Seattle, working in the studio she and her dad built. Mare has been making books since 1976 and founded The MKimberly Press in 1984. She has published 69 limited edition titles, over five hundred unique artist’s books, and numerous broadsides and prints. Her work is included in more than 100 museums, libraries, and public collections internationally, including the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, the University of Washington Special Collections, the Library of Congress, and The Cynthia Sears Artists’ Book Collection at BIMA. Mare has received numerous publication awards, including commissions from the National Museum of Women in the Arts and the Center for Book Arts in NYC.

Learn more about Mare’s work.

Performances take place at the Bainbridge Public Library on Saturday, January 24 at 7:00 pm and Sunday, January 25 at 3:00 pm. No reservations are necessary. Donations are deeply appreciated as they enable us to stage these productions.

“Reckless,” which premiered on Broadway in 2004, is a dark comedy about a woman whose perfect Christmas is shattered when her husband informs her that he’s hired a hit man to kill her. Rachel scrambles out the window into the snowy night, beginning a surreal adventure where nothing is as it seems.

The production is intended for mature audiences. It deals with challenging themes of mental health, gun violence, and alcohol abuse. Discretion is advised.

The staged reading is directed by Pete Benson, and features Catherine Conoley, Ed Courtway, Sabrina Fiander, Richard Gustafson, and Kate Henderson.

Performances take place at the Bainbridge Public Library on Saturday, January 24 at 7:00 pm and Sunday, January 25 at 3:00 pm. No reservations are necessary. Donations are deeply appreciated as they enable us to stage these productions.

“Reckless,” which premiered on Broadway in 2004, is a dark comedy about a woman whose perfect Christmas is shattered when her husband informs her that he’s hired a hit man to kill her. Rachel scrambles out the window into the snowy night, beginning a surreal adventure where nothing is as it seems.

The production is intended for mature audiences. It deals with challenging themes of mental health, gun violence, and alcohol abuse. Discretion is advised.

The staged reading is directed by Pete Benson, and features Catherine Conoley, Ed Courtway, Sabrina Fiander, Richard Gustafson, and Kate Henderson.

The "Women in STEM" theme book club will meet on Zoom on the fourth Tuesday of each month at 6pm, starting in January. It will be hosted by Erin Howard, the Education Director for Battle Point Astronomical Association. Join us online for a lively discussion!

January 26th: Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly

February 24th: The Other Einstein by Marie Benedict

March 24th: Galileo's Daughter by Dava Sobel

We recommend reaching out to your local book store, such as Eagle Harbor Books, and ordering a copy. For details and to register on Zoom: Book Club Event

Visit our website for more astronomy info & science events, online and in-person: bpastro.org

Social Hour: 5pm  •  Potluck & Program: 6pm

Join us for free beverages, good company & the crowd-favorite potluck dinner!

Bring your family, friends, & a favorite dish to share! The potluck is free & no RSVP is needed, though donations are graciously accepted. As this is a zero waste event, please provide your own cups, plates & cutlery.