In 2013, the Yakima Arts Commission, an advisory group appointed by the Yakima City Council, developed an idea to harness the creativity of Central Washington artists to help invigorate windows of empty downtown storefronts by displaying their work as part of a new project called, \u201cWindows Alive!\u201d. Based on similar projects that have proven successful in other cities, \u201cWindows Alive!\u201d is part of an ongoing effort to bring new life and activity to Downtown Yakima.<\/p>\n
Following a submission and evaluation process that took place earlier this fall, six outstanding artists from the region were chosen to be part of the 2015 \u201cWindows Alive!\u201d exhibition, which will run from March 8th<\/sup> through September 6th<\/sup>. To kickoff the project\u2019s spring-summer exhibition, a reception will be held on Sunday<\/strong>, March 8th<\/sup><\/strong> from 2:00 pm<\/strong> to 4:00 pm<\/strong> at the Hilton Garden Inn located at 401 East Yakima Avenue<\/strong>. The six artists chosen to display their work through will be on hand at the reception to talk about their pieces and to help explain the concept of the \u201cWindows Alive!\u201d project.<\/p>\n \u201cEmpty windows in unoccupied storefronts send a message that isn\u2019t very positive,\u201d said Yakima Cheryl Hahn who is chairperson for this year’s “Windows Alive!” project. \u201cThe idea behind \u2018Windows Alive!\u2019 is to fill those storefront windows with beautiful art and create a more engaging and vibrant environment downtown. The project also gives local artists a wonderful opportunity to showcase their work,\u201d said Hahn.<\/p>\n The six artists who were chosen for \u201cWindows Alive!\u201d, each of whom received a $250 stipend, are Renee Adams (surreal sculptural forms), Deborah Ann (fiber art), Goathead Press (collection of prints), Lynne E. Harrison (nature photographs), Raul Marquez (metal sculptures), and Stephen Robbins (acrylic paintings and pencil drawings).<\/p>\n In addition to the contributions made to the project by the Yakima Arts Commission, support has also been provided by the City of Yakima, JEM Development, Inc., Stems, Gasperetti’s, Action Window Cleaning, David Lynx and the Yakima Bindery.<\/p>\n Additional information is available at www.windowsalive.com<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n