Crowdsourced Poetry Night: Lost, Recorded, Found, Read
Hosted by Oly's Poet Laureate Ocean
Bring a poem you love or a recording from a passed poet. Together, we'll put a ton of poems and words in a room and see what happens.
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Wednesday June 17, 6:30 - 8:00 PM
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Orca Books Cooperative, 315 5th Ave SE
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FREE, Open to All Ages. No Registration Required
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For more information, contact [email protected].
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To learn more about Olympia's Poet Laureate program, visit olympiawa.gov/poetlaureate.
Traffic Box Voting Open through June 30!
Olympia's Traffic Box Wrap Project turns traffic boxes found on sidewalks & street corners into a collection of public art pieces.
Help choose the 2026 Traffic Box Wraps by submitting your vote on Engage Olympia. There are 100 wraps to choose from submitted by local artists of all ages. NOTE: You must be registered on Engage Olympia to participate. If you already have an Engage Olympia account, please sign in. If not, you will have to create an account.
Join us at Olympia Parks, Arts and Recreation for some great classes!
To register or for more information, please click the link after each class, call 360-753-8380 or stop by to see us at The Olympia Center, 222 Columbia Street NW, Olympia.
Performing Arts & Dance
Beginning Guitar, Jun 18-Jul 16
K-pop Dance, Jun 20
Adult Beginning Violin/Fiddle, Jun 22-Jul 20
Creative Contemporary Dance, July 6-Aug 24
Sensory Friendly Toddler Dance Class, Jul 7-Aug 25
Sensory Friendly Creative Dance Class, Jul 7- Aug 25
Blues Ukulele, Jul 15-Aug 12
Discover Voice Overs!, July 18
Guitar II, Jul 23-Aug 6
Yes, You Can Play the Ukulele! Part 2, Aug 1-29
All About Guitar Chords, Aug 13
K-pop Dance, Aug 22
Visual Arts, & Crafts
Tree of Life, Jun 17-Jul 1
Summer Solstice Mandala, Jun 20
Starscapes, Jun 27
Life Drawing, Jul 1-15
Gelli Plate Mono Printing, Jul 6-Aug 10
Ceramic Lab, Jul 18-Aug 25
Beginning Ceramics, July 9-Aug 27
Palette Knife Painting with Acrylics, Jul 11
Painting People and Faces, July 16-Aug 20
Advanced Drawing, July 16-Aug 20
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Free Yoga Event
The Indian American STAR Foundation (IASF), a non-profit organization, is hosting a free public event, "12th International Day of Yoga 2026 (Yoga for Healthy Ageing)."
Please join us with your friends and community for a serene morning of yoga. We ask that participants wear comfortable clothing and bring their own yoga mats.
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The event will take place on Sunday, June 21, 2026, from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
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Heritage Park (330 5th Avenue SW, Olympia, WA 98501)
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Please RSVP by registering at our website, https://iastarfoundation.org, by June 19, 2026
Guided Museum Tours at the Olympia AHA Museum
Join a museum curator for an in-depth exploration of the Olympia AHA Museum. Share a meaningful visit with fellow visitors and community members as your guide connects exhibitions with the people and places that shaped our region.
Public guided tours are offered the third Friday of every month at 10am. These events are open to the public. Walk-ins welcome on a space-available basis.
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Friday, June 19 10-10:30am
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Olympia AHA Museum & Visitor Center, 203 Columbia Street Northwest
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Tickets are $10 per person. All proceeds support the Olympia AHA Museum & Visitor Center
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Purchase tickets here.
DOCD Board of Directors Meet & Greet and Q&A
Join the Downtown Olympia Creative District's board of directors for an instructive series of introductions, questions, and answers. We hope you will benefit from and enjoy this opportunity to learn more about the individuals working on the district and the projects upon which they labor. Topics discussed will include the launch of the new Downtown Olympia Creative Directory, Creative Calendar, and DOCD Website as well as plans for upcoming projects and organizational development.
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Wednesday the 17th of June from 6pm to 7pm
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Thurston County Museum of Fine Arts (120 Olympia Ave NE).
Olympia Poetry Network June featured poet and open mic
Featured poet: Sandy Yannone
Sandra Yannone is the author of the new chapbook, Fire at the Big Top (MoonPath Press, 2026); two full-length collections, The Glass Studio (2024) and Boats for Women (2019); and co-editor of the anthology, Unsinkable: Poems Inspired by the Titanic (Salmon 2026). She hosts the international online reading series Cultivating Voices
LIVE Poetry and is the poet laureate of Old Saybrook, CT. Visit her at www.sandrayannone.com.
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All are welcome.
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Wednesday, June 17, 2026 6:00-7:30 pm
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Open mic signup starts 5:30pm
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Reading live at Traditions, the Gathering Place 5th & Water Street, downtown Olympia
OPN Poetry Workshop with Sandy Yannone
The Long and Short of It: Lines and Line Breaking
"Poetry is the sound of language organized in lines" wrote James Longen-bach in his preface to The Art of the Poetic Line. In this workshop we will play with line lengths and line breaks to enhance meaning, release power and energy, and wow our readers using our own and others' poems. Bring to the workshop two printed copies of a current poem with which you are currently engaged.
This is a free workshop for subscribers. Subscriptions are $20 for one year. Please visit our website to join. Since we have limited space, please send your request for participation to Terri Cohlene at [email protected].
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Wednesday, June 17, 2026 1:00-3:00 pm
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Olympia Community Center, room 205
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222 Columbia St NW, downtown
Sandra Yannone is the author of the new chapbook, Fire at the Big Top (MoonPath Press, 2026); two full-length collections, The Glass Studio (2024) and Boats for Women (2019); and co-editor of the anthology, Unsinkable: Poems Inspired by the Titanic (Salmon 2026). She hosts the international online reading series Cultivating Voices LIVE Poetry and is the poet laureate of Old Saybrook,CT.
Visit her at www.sandrayannone.com.
Newsletter Roundup
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Public Art Calls for Artists + June 2026
Each month we send out artist calls managed by 4Culture, as well as a selection of calls submitted to us by organizations around the world. Visit our website to see all open calls, grants, jobs, and other opportunities.
The TAT Lab Core Program is OPEN for applications
Applications are now open for the 2026-27 TAT Lab Core Program, a transformative professional development experience for teaching artists and arts/cultural educators working across artistic disciplines.
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Looking for Volunteers for 2026 Olympia Juneteenth Celebration
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Saturday, June 20, 2026
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Volunteer hours: 9am-6pm (split shifts are available). Set up and take down positions available as well.
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Contact Shawna Hawk at [email protected]. You can also call 360.352.8526 and leave a message with your contact information.
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Learn more
Olympia Historical Society
If you have an interest in local history, please consider becoming a volunteer with the Olympia Historical Society and Bigelow House Museum. We have a variety of roles to fill, including tour guides for the museum's Sunday afternoon open hours (1:00pm-4:00pm), groundskeeping at monthly Saturday morning work parties, and committee work for our Education, Bigelow House Operations, and Events (annual historic homes tour and spring fundraiser) committees.
To learn more, please email us at [email protected].
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Museum & Visitor Center Front Desk Docent
The Olympia Arts & Heritage Alliance is seeking volunteers to support the OlyAHA! Museum & Visitor Center. Volunteering at the Olympia AHA Museum is a chance to learn and share Olympia's stories, to build connections in the community, to gain museum and customer service experience, and to be a part of something local, vital and lasting. Our volunteers are the face of the Olympia AHA Museum. They greet guests, share stories, and connect visitors to the best of Olympia.
As a volunteer you will:
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Welcome and assist visitors
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Interpret exhibitions
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Sell merchandise
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Help visitors to discover Olympia's arts, heritage, and cultures
We're looking for committed volunteers who are enthusiastic about Olympia's arts, cultures and history.
Our volunteer team is:
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Friendly, welcoming, and professional
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Comfortable learning point-of-sale and scheduling tools
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Reliable, cooperative, and ready to assist visitors
Volunteer Experience
Volunteers work in pairs at our front desk for three- or four-hour shifts. Volunteers can expect seasonal appreciation events and ongoing learning opportunities!
Olympia Family Theater
Front of House Volunteers needed. No experience necessary!
Shifts available for ushering, selling concessions, and selling raffle tickets during performances.
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May 14-June 7, 2026
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Time commitment is usually under 4 hours.
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Thursday/Friday at 6pm, Saturday/Sunday at 2pm
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Must pass a background check.
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Please contact Tracy at [email protected].
Volunteer at the Thurston County Museum of Fine Arts
TCMoFA is currently looking for volunteers to help support our organization in upcoming programming. The museum is a volunteer operated project run on the passion, commitment, and enthusiasm of local artists and arts organizers. We are seeking volunteers for front desk shifts and flyering in Olympia. To apply visit our website tcmofa.org
Step Onto the Team: Volunteer at the Olympia-Lacey Fan Zone
The Summer of Soccer is approaching, and the Olympia-Lacey Fan Zone needs a great volunteer crew to help make it happen!
We're looking for volunteers to welcome fans, support activities, and help create an unforgettable experience for our community.
Volunteer roles include:
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Check-In Crew
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Beverage Sales/ ID Check/ Info Crew (must be 21+)
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Bartending Crew
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Set-up Crew
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Breakdown Crew
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Tidy Up Crew
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Green Room Crew
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Wherever needed!
Help us welcome visitors and neighbors to this once-in-a-generation experience at the Olympia-Lacey Fan Zone.
**All Volunteers will receive an exclusive Olympia-Lacey Fan Zone T-Shirt**
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The ARCH Digest is a summary of Arts, Culture and History happenings in the greater Olympia area, submitted by the community. Please turn in ArCH Digest listings to [email protected].
Deadline Monday morning, 8 a.m.
If you know of anyone who would like to receive the City of Olympia Arts & Culture news, which includes a weekly ArCH Digest, direct them here and have them mark the Arts & Culture box.
Disclaimer: Information in the Arts Digest is not vetted through the City, nor is it endorsed by the City. The reader is solely responsible for checking background on any opportunity listed above.
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Contact
Stephanie Johnson, Arts Program Manager
Olympia Parks, Arts & Recreation
360.709.2678
[email protected]
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