The best way to stay warm is to keep community close.
To facilitate just such a gathering, the Art Farm Gallery on the outskirts of Port Townsend will be hosting an event with live music, good food, and an array of artistic displays starting 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 17.
The event will exhibit work by artists Virginia Ashby, Lisa Politz, Carole Marshall, Patricia Hagen, Sawyer, Robin Purcell, Carol Nicosia-Whelan, and DJ Whelan.
In addition to their work will also be a number of handmade crafts from local people.
“We’re trying to do a little bit of art gallery, little bit of art market,” said Whelan, who recently built the gallery herself with help from her mother and aunt.
To keep spirits high, Whelan has also enlisted live music from The Spiderleg Salad Posse. Whelan recently came across band member Kim Thompson playing her violin and reached out to connect.
“This ethereal violin music just kind of harkened back to something and I thought, ‘That would be a great sound for the event,’” Whelan said.
While there will be plenty to delight the eyes and ears, perhaps the most warming art of all is that which Whelan and her mother have worked out for the mouths.
“We’ve been planning menus for weeks,” Whelan said.
The gallery itself is only large enough to admit a handful of folks at a time, so most of the festivities will take place outside, but attendees won’t be overly exposed to the elements as Whelan managed to procure tent coverings and heat sources.
“If there’s a major windstorm, all bets are off. But I think that we’re pretty well covered for people not feeling like they have to stand out in the rain,” Whelan said.
“I was pretty leery about doing something at this time of the year, but I thought, ‘This is hardy Port Townsend stock. They can handle it,’” she added.
This is only the second event that Whelan and her mother have hosted at their newly built gallery, and things continue to evolve as they add new artists and art forms to their event.
“It’s just kind of grown organically,” Whelan said.
The gallery is located at 131 W. Island View Ave. in Port Townsend. To learn more or be added to a mailing list for future events, reach out to djliveshere@yahoo.com.