This Just In!

Edmonds Arts Festival Poster Painting

 

 

Each year the Edmonds Arts Festival selects an artist to create artwork for their poster. The selected artist creates multiple pieces and the Edmonds Arts Festival selects one. But what happens to the other pieces that are not selected? The artist gets to keep them and do what they want with them. This month, the Edmonds Historical Museum was lucky enough to receive the donation of one of the paintings created by the 2017 poster artist, Pamela Harold.

 About the Artist

Pamela Harold, an Edmonds artist, is a noted watercolor artist, art teacher, and lecturer. She was a member of Women Painters of Washington, a founding member of Artists Connect, a signature member of the Northwest Watercolor Society, and is on the board of the Edmonds Art Commission. Her work is in private and corporate collections in the United States, Canada, and Australia. She was also chosen as the Edmonds Arts Festival Poster Artist in 1999 making her the only artist to date that has been chosen twice to create artwork for the event.

 The Beginnings of the Edmonds Arts Festival

The Edmonds Coterie Club, established in 1909, focused on “attainment of a higher literary culture” by fostering education and advancement in the community. In 1957, the club sponsored a professional arts exhibit using funds from their own pockets. This exhibition took place at the Surf and Sand Marina on the Edmonds waterfront and grew to became what we know today as the Edmonds Arts Festival.

 Continuing the Edmonds Arts Festival

In 1976, the Festival made its first profit of $75. This prompted the event’s leadership to create the non-profit organization the Edmonds Arts Festival Foundation. The Foundation became the primary benefactor of the Festival’s profits. Since then, the Foundation has funded several public art pieces throughout Edmonds and was instrumental in the funding and development of The Edmonds Center for the Arts.

 

 

In 1980, the Frances Anderson Center and playfield became the home of the Festival. It is still located there and continues to thrive today attracting as many as 50,000 visitors throughout the three-day festivities. This year, The Edmonds Arts Festival will be held June 15 to 17. For more information, please visit their website https://www.edmondsartsfestival.com/.

 

Do you have any items relating to Edmonds and South Snohomish County history that you wish to donate to the Museum? We would love to hear from you! Please fill out the Artifact Donation form, https://historicedmonds.org/artifact-donation/. For further information, please contact us at artifacts@historicedmonds.org.