Ignite the Arts at Your Washington Public Library

Here at the library we are gearing up for Washington’s “Ignite the Arts” weekend, June 13-15. Last fall, the city of Washington was awarded the distinguished designation as one of Iowa’s “Cultural and Entertainment Districts.” This status was appointed to our town because of our reputation for numerous concerts, artistic events, building murals, art-focused businesses, and a vibrant public library.

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We are fortunate that The Washington Performing Art Series brings a broad array of professional music and talent to town throughout the year, our Washington Chamber of Commerce brings us Thursday Night Live and Municipal Band concerts all summer long, and your Washington Public Library hosts two free noon time concerts every 2nd and 4th Thursday of the month. Our town also has a proud history of arts and theater, including our Washington Community Theater bringing us live theater since 1976 and our historical State Theatre, the world’s oldest continuously operating movie theater. More recently the Farm to Film Festival has been established and is growing. They showcase independent films and filmmakers every spring.

Your Washington Public Library is proudly at the center of this creative community. We provide a calendar filled with programs for all ages and all skill levels of artistic endeavor. Besides our concert series, which began because of the generous donation of our 1888 restored piano, we also have two art galleries for local artists to exhibit their work. The Helen Wilson Gallery is on the second level of the library and Art Underground is on the lower level. We even enjoy a curated collection of permanent art at the WPL. Patrons can stop in anytime we are open and stroll around all three levels to get their art fix. In addition, we are now coming upon our first anniversary of the opening of the Make IT Place! It includes a variety of machines and technology for patrons to design and make items. Once you are certified through our process, you can use our laser cutter, cricut cutter, 3-D printers, memory lab equipment, sewing machines, recording studio, and pottery studio.

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On the weekend of “Ignite the Arts,” the library will be presenting some fun opportunities for everyone. Around the square will be a Story Walk. Take a saunter with your little ones and follow the children’ story as it progresses to a heartwarming end. On Friday, June 13 from 8-5 and Saturday, June 14 from 9-1, the ever-popular Life-Sized Candyland returns. Bring the whole family, grab a spinner, and have a round of sweet amusement as you weave through the Candy Cane Forest and Gumdrop Mountain to make it to the Candy Castle! On Saturday June 14 from 10 a.m. to noon, the library will kick off its next Community Fiber Art Project with the Bubbleverse experiments in the alley behind the library. K-6th graders are invited to come try creating a bubble globe from balloons, yarn, and glue. There are also two art tours of the WPL collection on Saturday at 10:30 a.m. or 1:30 p.m. Carol Ray will talk about the pieces we have curated, many of which are by local artists. Finally, the WPL will be hosting a Make IT Place Open House on Saturday, June 14 from 10-3 p.m. which will include demonstrations and make-and-takes. You can come create a quilted or paper bookmark on the sewing machines, cut out a flower on the Cricut, engrave a wooden bookmark on the Glowforge, do a drop-in recording in our recording studio, or watch demos on pottery, 3-D printing, and the memory lab. The place will be bustling with creativity, so make sure to stop in!