Catch Some Culture: Art Walk on Thursday July 2, BIMA Opens Summer Exhibits, July 3rd, Art at the Library Debuts on Friday

It’s that time of the month for islanders to discover the vibrant heart of Bainbridge’s creativity at the First Friday Art Walk, which this month turns into the First Thursday Art Walk on July 2nd – in beautiful Downtown Winslow. Immerse yourself in a captivating blend of art, food, and drinks as you meander through charming streets and indulge in a feast for the senses.

BIMA Opens is Summer 2026 Exhibitions with a Wide Assortment of Artists 

The Bainbridge Island Museum of Art (BIMA) will open its Summer 2026 exhibitions on Friday, July 3. From artists’ books in which the materials act as storytellers to a solo exhibition that reimagines the power of objects through fiber, to a co-curated survey of Indigenous art across the Salish Sea region, all three shows honor craft and the handmade.

This year, BIMA is participating in Handwork 2026, a national initiative in celebration of America250 led by Craft in America and the Smithsonian. During each exhibition season, the Museum includes shows that focus on, examine, and uplift craft in all its forms.

Summer exhibition details:

Indigenous Craft (July 3-September 13, 2026)

Co-Curator Robin Little Wing Sigo (Suquamish/Duwamish) partners with BIMA to present a survey of Indigenous (Native American and First Nations) craft artists, working in traditional and contemporary forms. Media will include fiber/textiles, wood carving, ceramics, glass, and jewelry art. Wearables will include both ceremonial regalia and fashion items. More than twenty artists who have lived and worked in the Salish Sea region are featured, including Larry (Ulaaq) Ahvakana, Peg Deam, Joe Feddersen, Denita and Joey Holmes, Barbara Lawrence, Betty Pasco, Preston Singletary, and Jennifer Angaiak Wood.

Carletta Carrington Wilson: Object Lessons (July 3-September 20, 2026)

Carletta Carrington Wilson merges poetry, collage, and installation to explore memory, ancestry, and the power of objects. Based in the Pacific Northwest, she uses fabric and found materials as portals to the past, linking personal and collective histories. Her work reclaims generational knowledge through image and text, navigating time, identity, and place. Each piece becomes a site of remembrance, where hand, memory, and material converge to create meaning.

Cloth, Paper, Stitches (July 3-September 20, 2026)

Cloth, Paper, Stitches brings together a selection of artists’ books from the Cynthia Sears Artists’ Books Collection that foreground the tactile and expressive possibilities of cloth, paper, and thread. Through processes such as sewing, weaving, cutting, and folding, these works expand the idea of the book beyond a purely visual or text-based object into something materially intimate and physically engaging. Over 25 artists are featured in this exhibition, including Angela David Fegan, IBe’ Bulinda Crawley, Islam Aly, Kate Laster, Lois Morrison, and more.

The Museum also hosts programming connected to all exhibitions, which can be found on BIMA’s website: https://www.biartmuseum.org/calendar-events/. Related summer events include an Artist Talk about Object Lessons with Carletta Carrington Wilson, Open Book Tours connected to Cloth, Paper, Stitches, and the Abundance of Salalberries pədt’aqa: Celebrating the Suquamish Tribe, an all-day festival in conjunction with Indigenous Craft.

The art museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Free admission. BIMA is located in beautiful downtown Bainbridge Island, at the corner of Hwy 305 and Winslow Way, just steps away from the ferry terminal, and with easy access via public transportation or by car from the Kitsap Peninsula. https://www.biartmuseum.org/

Bainbridge Library Debuts its July Group of Artist on Friday July 3, Ahead of the Street Dance

“Happy Fourth of July, and, however you plan to celebrate, please include our July group of artists in your agenda,” says Bainbridge Library Art Coordinator Linda Meier. The library is holding its reception on July, the official First Friday, from 5-7 p.m., July 3 in the library meeting room.

“Our receptions start early, so you can move downtown for the yearly street dance and party,” notes Meier. “Enjoy a sampling of the talented regional artists in this August’s Summer Studio Tour on Bainbridge, including: Fatima Young, Barbara Weissman, Elizabeth VanDuine, Dinah Satterwhite, Melody Maleitzke, David Repyak, Rob Satterwhite and more. These artists excel at their craft, and each will share several pieces at this special 1-month display at the Bainbridge Library.”

The art mediums include: metal sculpture, paper cut art, photography, weaving, oil paintings, watercolors, and Washi tape mixed media work. The Summer Studio Tour takes place August 7 to 9, at five studios around the island, and 44 artists. Be sure to visit the Tour after the library show to see all of the artists and their beautiful work.

 You can view this exhibit during regular library hours through the month of July (unless a meeting is happening.) A portion of sales is donated to the library. “As always, thank you for supporting local artists and your Bainbridge Public Library,” Meier adds.

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