By Isa “Kitty” Mady
and Kat Bryant
This weekend the Aberdeen Art Center and Harbor Art Guild will present Rain Glow, a festival like no other on the Harbor.
Similar events are staged all over the world, aimed at bringing out the light inside people with music and inspirational dialog. They are about people coming together to enrich one another with cutting-edge art and technology.
Aberdeen’s Rain Glow, conceived by Art Center owner Douglas Orr, will feature eight “glow worlds” along K Street between Market and Heron streets from 9 p.m. to midnight on Saturday.
“Doug is known for always going for a ‘wow’ factor, as opposed to just having an event,” says Orr’s partner, David Rodriguez. “And I am sure you will be amazed by the magical and whimsical worlds he is creating.”
Each glow world is being created by a different group or artisan with a specific theme.
The lobby of the historic Hotel Morck will feature a lighted installation of hotel memorabilia and large pictures showing what each area looked like in its heyday, presented by the Friends of the Aberdeen Museum.
The organizers note that visitors will be required to keep within the lighted corridor for safety’s sake, and there will be no access to the dangerous upper levels of the long-vacant structure.
In the former Goldberg Building, illuminated artistic doors created by local artists will be showcased. The “ADoor Project” is presented by downtown beautification group the Sweeping Beauties and destined for inclusion in future building projects.
In the parking lot next to the Salvation Army, Justin the Circler, the Ocean Shores artist who’s known for his beach and sidewalk art, will create large glowing mandalas that viewers can help light or create.
Aberdeen High School juniors and seniors are creating a brightly colored underwater world of kelp, fish and jellyfish for a glow world staged at the Aberdeen Art Center.
The festival grounds along K Street will also have food and craft vendors; laser, LED and projection areas; fire dancers from Portland; street dancers from Westport; costumes from Ellensburg’s Downtown Association; Olympia’s Procession of the Species; dancing to techno music; and a beer garden.
While the festival grounds on K Street are free, it’s $8 admission to the eight glow worlds — or just $2 if you’re wearing an illuminated costume. (There will be a contest!)
Tickets and wristbands will be sold during event hours near the southeast corner of K and Wishkah streets, just north of the Hotel Morck.
Proceeds from this event will go toward the creation of a “pocket park” for the new Aberdeen Senior Center on Market Street, next door to the Art Center. Broken, uneven sidewalks in front of the center will be torn up to build the park, which will feature four game tables and tall, colorful mosaic sculptures created by members of the Harbor Art Guild.
For additional information, visit AberdeenArtCenter.com/rain-glow or contact Orr at mindsculptor@gmail.com.
Kat Bryant | Grays Harbor News Group A mounted photo from the Aberdeen Museum of History shows the Highlander, which took up this corner of the Hotel Morck’s ground floor once upon a time. The interior will be dark during the event, with lighting used to mark the pathway and show elements of interest.
