Elementary school students have their work on view at fine art center
Published 1:30 am Thursday, June 4, 2026
PORT ANGELES — The work of more than 250 kindergarten through second-grade students from Franklin, Jefferson and Dry Creek Elementary schools is on view this week at the Esther Webster Gallery at the Port Angeles Fine Arts Center.
The pop-up show, Blooming Artists: The Creative Start Showcase, is the culmination of the Creative Start Program. This year, PAFAC staff and guest teaching artists visited 14 classrooms and logged more than 100 hours of instruction.
“We seek to honor the legacy of Esther Webster and also to inspire the artists in every person, and that will be from our youngest to our oldest,” said Christine Loewe, PAFAC’s executive director. “Creative Start really perfectly aligns with that goal and that vision for ourselves.”
The Creative Start Program, which started in 2021, integrates arts and science education with garden-based learning. Developed with Port Angeles School District staff, volunteers and community educators, the curriculum connects plant life cycles, ecosystems, pollination, soil and habitats, as well as elements of Klallam culture.
Students explore insects, pollination, habitats, ecosystems, plants and soil — in the classroom, in their school gardens and through a field trip to the PAFAC to see the Field Notes exhibition, which showcases birds of the Pacific Northwest.
“First grade learned about seed dispersal, and when they visited the art center, we made the connection that birds are the largest group of seed dispersers,” said Mandy Miller, PAFAC’s youth education director.
Those connections run throughout Creative Start.
“This program has created opportunities for young people to explore and imagine and create and connects their learning in meaningful ways,” said Amelia Depue, Washington State University Extension’s school garden coordinator.
“School gardens are not just places where we grow vegetables, they’re living outdoor classrooms,” Depue said. “They provide opportunities for hands-on learning in every subject area.”
Kicking off the Blooming Artists exhibition on Tuesday was the Creative Start Celebration, where children could participate in hands-on activities and view their work.
At the bee station, children learned about pollinators from the North Olympic Beekeepers’ Association. At the insect station, entomologist Richard Lewis showed children how to make what he called “maggot art” — dipping a live blowfly larva into paint and placing it on paper to crawl and wriggle.
Deneb Maine, education coordinator at the Dungeness River Nature Center, brought barn owl and barred owl wings for children to compare.
Depue invited children to plant radish seeds in eggshells.
The activities and artwork reflected the connections students made throughout the year between art, science and the natural world.
The Creative Start program is funded in part through funds awarded to the PASD by ArtsWA and the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional support comes from the Port Angeles Education Foundation, the Port Angeles Garden Club, community donations and the PAFAC. Partners include the PASD and WSU Extension’s North Olympic Farm to School program.
Blooming Artists will run through Sunday. Field Notes will run through July 5. Entry to exhibitions is free or by donation.
The Port Angeles Fine Arts Center is located 1203 E. Lauridsen Blvd. Gallery hours are from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday through Sunday.
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Reporter Paula Hunt can be reached by email at paula.hunt@peninsuladailynews.com.
