Officially, it was called the Cook on Clay Zakin Apprentice Program in Studio Pottery, Small Business Practices and Artisan Manufacturing.

Or a mentorship in mud.

Whidbey Island has lost a luminary in Oak Harbor resident Kay Parsons, a watercolor artist whose life was as vibrant and inspiring as her art, and a bright light for all artists who crossed her path. Parsons died June 9 of natural causes. She was sixty-eight.

In 1987-88, a thirteen-member Committee on Planning for the Arts Center (COPAC) was formed. Over the next two years, COPAC members visited centers in Orcas Island and Friday Harbor and brainstormed facility needs. They agreed that the performing arts center should be located in Langley.

Island Arts Council's first fundraiser (31 December 1979)
Excerpted from "The Smokehouse On Whidbey"

Established on February 10, 1980 as the Island Arts Council – according to the Articles of Incorporation, the founding Board of Directors initially consisted of nine persons…