The mission of PNWS is to share knowledge and appreciation of sculpture with each other and the general public. Those goals were clearly met at Vancouver’s Art and Music Festival in beautiful Ester Short Park recently over the three-day festival. Our booth attracted a steady stream of art lovers who appreciated our volunteer demonstrator’s willingness to pull back the veil and expose the public to a bit of what goes on behind the scenes by sharing their skills and talents.
This tradition of demonstrating at art festivals has been an ongoing feature of PNWS from the beginning and as our organization evolves, it is fitting that we seek to explore new opportunities to reach a broader audience. Though we have a significant number of members who reside in Washington State, this is the first time PNWS has jumped the Columbia River to bring a public presence to Clark County.
My role in facilitating our presence at this event allowed me to act as a witness to the power of education through demonstration. Each of us have been touched by a mentor at some point who gave us a picture of what a sculptor looks like doing what they love. That was the picture that was presented by our volunteers for hundreds of folks who visited our corner of the park.
My thanks go out to the many who participated in this adventure. We could not honor our commitment to education without the support of members who step up to volunteer. When you do, you build relationships and strengthen communities. 