Art Beat: Theater, exhibit openings, author talk and Comedy Night tickets

You may be entering the dreary season where you long for spring, but there are a lot of artistic opportunities going on to keep you engaged.

Phoenix Theatre puts on Chemical Imbalance: A Jekyll and Hyde Play

Rear L-R: Ingrid Sanai Buron, Amanda Petrowski, Josiah C. Miller, Brandon Jepson, Kaira Hensler. Middle: Susan Connors, McKenzie Wilson, James Lynch. Floor: Julia Mounce. Not pictured: Melanie Calderwood (Photo by Eric Lewis)

Feb. 3-26
Phoenix Theatre
9673 Firdale Ave., Edmonds

Dr. Jekyll’s research finds him – as usual – investigating the split between good and evil in the human psyche. Of course, things get out of hand when he decides being evil might be more fun and recreational. This hilarious spoof of the classic story by Robert Louis Stevenson will keep you in stitches as this fast-paced comedy takes the stage. The show is directed by Eric Lewis with costumes by Elizabeth Shipman. Get tickets here!

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Twin Stars exhibition to open at Gallery North

Master of Love and Everyday in Seattle by Tatyana Brown
Belly Dancer and Lviv Ukraine by Irina Kirienko Milton

Reception Saturday, Feb. 4, 1 to 4 p.m. and Art Walk Thursday, Feb. 16, 5 – 8 p.m.
Gallery North
401 Main St., Edmonds

Gallery North announces the February 2023 Featured Artist Exhibition “Twin Stars” by  Tatyana Brown and Irina Kirienko Milton.

Tatyana Brown is a member of Seattle Print Arts, COCA and A/NT gallery regularly showing her art throughout the Seattle area and participating in numerous art shows and competitions. Making art is pure passion for her. It’s messy, fluid, sexy and joyful. She is in constant search for beauty, balance and harmony in her life and art. Transformation is a perpetual theme and she finds inspiration from nature, her dreams and travel. Working in black and white is her favorite because it gives so much character to the drawing while allowing her to focus on what the subject is expressing, leaving room for imagination. These black-and-white graphics with occasional splashes of color communicate her passion for life and art.

Irina Kirienko Milton is a Signature Member of American Women Artists and National Oil and Acrylic Painters Society. Irina Kirienko Milton as an explorer of life and art, which leads to her unique perspective. She always seeks to see new aspects of her subjects that she can incorporate into her art work. Irina explores the human condition, human-made objects, and the natural world in all its manifestations. She pushes the limits of what is possible in her painting, seeking challenges and learning from the experience. Irina is a highly educated professional artist. With 20 years of teaching experience, her education includes masters of fine art and engineering degrees. All of Irina’s artworks display a fundamental element of classical realism, master craftsmanship and attention to detail through a highly developed execution of technique.

The public is invited to come to Gallery North, meet the artists and enjoy refreshments on Feb. 4 from 1 to 4 p.m. and during the Edmonds Art Walk Feb. 16 from 5-8 p.m.

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Author Marilyn Morgan to discuss her new book, ‘Trailblazing Black Women of Washington State,’ in a conversation with Alicia Crank

Author Marilyn Morgan

Saturday, Feb. 4, 11 a.m.

Edmonds Bookshop

111 5th Avenue S., Edmonds

Join Edmonds Bookshop to celebrate Black History Month with a local emphasis as author Marilyn Morgan discusses her recently published book, Trailblazing Black Women of Washington State, in conversation with Alicia Crank, Saturday, Feb. 4 at 11 a.m.

Marilyn Morgan is a Seattle-based author and photographer. She earned a B.A. degree from Virginia State University and obtained a documentary production certificate from the University of Washington. Trailblazing Black Women of Washington State is her third book It’s a compilation of stories about incredible Black women throughout Washington’s history who have made an impact in the fields of journalism, medicine, business, the arts and beyond. With photographs dispersed throughout, it is an intriguing and inspiring read.

Alicia Crank

Alicia Crank is an Edmonds resident, executive director of Seattle CityClub, the owner of Crank’d Up Consulting and columnist at The Everett Herald. She will be facilitating the conversation with  Morgan. The event promises to be a delightful and informative look at the past. The event will be in person and also live-streamed on Edmonds Bookshop’s Facebook page.

Learn more about the book in this article from the Pacific Northwest Magazine.

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Graffiti Style Artists KOO x KOMA live art exhibition at Baekjeong Lynnwood


Friday and Saturday, Feb. 10 and 11, 5-9 p.m.
Baekjeong Korean Barbecue Lynnwood
3000 184th St. S.W., Ste 922, Lynnwood

Join Koo Jun-Yup aka DJ Koo (@djkoo) and graffiti artist KOMA (@koma_graffiti) for a one-of-a-kind, live art event, KOO x KOMA, at Baekjeong Korean Barbecue in Lynnwood on Friday, Feb. 10 and Saturday, Feb. 11 from 5-9 p.m. The artists are collaborating on a graffiti-style interior mural and will be creating individual artworks during both art-filled evenings. Four lucky guests will each win a piece of art by KOO x KOMA. Koo Jun-Yup, better known as DJ Koo, is a South Korean singer, DJ, music producer, dancer, and songwriter.

Koo is a well-known member of the legendary K-pop duo CLON. Koo is one of the first-generation Hallyu stars when CLON gained huge popularity internationally, most notably in Taiwan. He is also renowned South Korean DJ who has performed at the Ultra Music Festival, Ultra Korea, and World DJ Festival.

KOMA is a well-known street and graffiti artist in South Korea with a bold, distinctive style.

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Art Gallery’s winter exhibit features work of three Edmonds College instructors

The work of Edmonds College instructors Timothy Cross, Ayad Almissouri and Michael Wewer is on display until March 20. (Photo courtesy of Timothy Cross)

Now through March 20

Lynnwood Hall

20000 68th Ave. W., Lynnwood

The Edmonds College Art Gallery’s winter exhibition titled Conversations showcases the work of three Edmonds College instructors. The art exhibition will be displayed until March 20 at Lynnwood Hall.

The exhibition features the photography of Michael Wewer, the drawings of Ayad Almissouri, and the mixed media (sculptures and paintings) of Timothy Cross. The exhibit showcases three distinct voices, with each artist’s work standing on its own while also speaking in conversation with each other. The artists hope to impart to their audience that “while our differences make us stronger, our similarities create shared experiences that help to create rich learning environments at Edmonds College and beyond.”

Wewer has taught photography at Edmonds College for two decades. He is a passionate conservationist and focuses much of his work on the wilderness. His favorite subjects come from all directions, from as far south as Mono Lake and the Sierra Nevada Range in California, to the east and the Grand Tetons of Wyoming and the Sawtooth Range in Idaho, west to the rainforests of the Olympic Peninsula, and as far north as Vancouver Island. Learn more at his website.

As a Kurdish artist living in the U.S., Almissouri has experienced the cultural complexities of two distinct worlds. In his work, he has explored his psychological pain and conflict associated with his past, paving the road to freedom of expression. He says his work “takes root in my own personal emotional distress and psychological trauma that still lies in the subconscious, where thoughts and memories are often repressed or sublimated.” Learn more here.

Cross is a Seattle-based artist working in drawing, painting, and sculpture. He has been an instructor at Edmonds College for over a decade, where he works with students to encourage their creative growth. He describes teaching as a “stimulating and complementary relationship in that it brings fresh conversation and ideas to a flourishing studio practice.” Learn more at his website.

The Conversations exhibition is on display on the third floor of Lynnwood Hall at 20000 68th Ave. W., Lynnwood. The gallery is open 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Thursday, and 8 a.m.-2 p.m. on Fridays. A reception celebrating the exhibition will be held at the gallery from 3-5 p.m. Friday, Feb. 3.

For more information, visit here.

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Snag tickets to Edmonds Comedy Night before they sell out!

We shared a save the date for Comedy Night in this December Art Beat. Tickets are live and can be purchased here. Parent Leaders for the Edmonds School District are organizing Edmonds Comedy Night, where nationally recognized comics will treat our community to two wonderful nights of comedy. Each year, this event nearly sells out with over 1,400 attendees from the local community. It is definitely a “can’t miss” event.

— By Elizabeth Murray

Photo by Brittany Gross

Elizabeth Murray is a freelance writer thankful to call Edmonds home. When she’s not busy wrangling her two kids (and husband), you can find her playing ukulele and singing with The Band LeLe.

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