A weekend celebrating Blaine and Birch Bay’s broad artistic talent returns for its second year Friday, August 25 through Sunday, August 27. The event, formally known as The Wave, will kick off with an opening night gala and silent auction and continue through the weekend with free self-guided tours of art studios in the area.
The opening evening event will run 6-9 p.m. at the Blaine Harbor Boating Center and feature appetizers, drinks and the chance to engage with artists from the area. New this year is the wine pull with local and regional offerings valued between $25 and $90.
Self-directed tours of seven art studios and two public pop-up galleries at the the Blaine Community Center Pavilion and the boating center are August 26-27. This year’s tour highlights 25 artists, a number that organizers said they hope grows along with the local arts scene in future years.
Blaine Arts Council (BAC) is hosting The Wave this year after member Kay Dee Powell and the Blaine Chamber of Commerce organized the inaugural studio tours last year. Earlier this year, the council received a grant from the Blaine Tourism Advisory Committee to further its mission of making Blaine a destination arts town.
“We just want to infuse the very bones of Blaine with beauty and art – all kinds of art,” Powell said.
The BAC, which celebrated its one-year anniversary in June, has plans to embellish Blaine one community connection at a time, said event organizer Diane Butts. The group’s free monthly meetings often feature a creative component led by a local artist, such as dance, watercolors or pottery.
Works featured at the studio tours will include paintings, fiber art, sculpture, encaustic and more.
Future events hosted by BAC plan to include partnerships with local businesses that can benefit the nonprofit, the business and the community.
“I hope people come to Blaine, not just for the tour, but that they find this a great place to come for the weekend,” Butts said. “They can take the kids to the beach. They can have a bite to eat. They can get a little bit of culture. It’s a fun destination and doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg.”
Tickets for the opening night gala are available on the Blaine Arts Council website; $20 for BAC members and an additional $5 for non-members. The website also features an interactive map of the art studio tour locations, which includes information about the featured artists and photos of their work.
“I’m looking forward to a lot of people coming and being pleasantly surprised,” Butts said.
This article was updated August 17 to correct a location for one of the pop-up galleries. A gallery will be located at the Blaine Community Center Pavilion, not H Street Plaza. We regret the error.
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