Art Chowder January | February 2018, Issue 13

From the I Publisher Dean Cameron say this every time. “Where did the year go”? Seems like it flew by! Let’s just say that 2017 was a tumultuous year and leave it at that. So where do we go in 2018? My belief is that we only have so many brain cells; with what are we going to infuse them? I know that I enjoy life much more when I invest my mind in beautiful art, awe-inspiring performance, and of course a great meal to tie it all together. We at Art Chowder have spoken many times this past year about an unfolding new excitement we sense in the arts community. I have sat in on meetings where true networking and comradery have taken hold, such as the newly forming Spokane Gallery Association. Gallery owners and key artists are meeting and networking together, choosing to move beyond being islands unto themselves. Spokane Arts rewarded numerous arts-oriented ventures with their first year of SAGA grant monies; the recipient artists and their organizations are making great use of these opportunities to enrich our community. We have vibrant 1 st Fridays, 2 nd Fridays, 4 th Fridays, Family Fun Fairs and Food Festivals. Art Fest, Art on the Green, Valleyfest and new public art murals and installations invite everyone to revel in the pleasures of enhancing our lives with art. We have so many incredible performance venues it is impossible to list, but please take advantage of our Symphony, the Broadway Musicals and numerous concerts and performances both large and small. The music scene in Spokane clubs is top notch! As for the restaurants in our city, well, my pant size tells that story. I have lived in Spokane my entire life. I have travelled to every state in the US (save Hawaii—going to have to go there someday.) There is no better place to experience the arts than where we live today. Let’s help give our region the reputation it deserves and get out and enjoy it. Tell your friends! Art Chowder will keep on sharing the enticing secrets you may not know about. The National Center for Arts and Research named these cities as the top five “Arts-Vibrant” cities in the US: Pittsfield, MA Santa Fe, NM San Rafael, CA Missoula, MT Burlington-South Burlington, VT I say, hold our beer and watch this list! Dean Cameron 4 ART CHOWDER MAGAZINE

Art Chowder January | February 2018, Issue 13 | Page 4