PORT TOWNSEND — From the beginning, local artist Julie Read and her crew envisioned an open art studio for teenagers, a place to come to every week.
In 2018, the Bunker, Northwind Art School’s teen art space, opened its doors at Fort Worden State Park. Run by volunteer artists, the Bunker opened only a couple of Fridays a month.
“It has always been hard to find enough volunteers, so meeting every other week was really the only option,” Read said. Come 2024, though, she and her team, buoyed by the young people who’ve been coming to the Bunker, have made it an every-Friday thing.
“We are seeing many of the same teens every time, and we know they want to come every week. As a group, we felt we ought to take the leap and hope that volunteers will come out of the woodwork,” Read said.
The free art studio for middle and high school students is now offered from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Fridays at Northwind Art School; more information and the parent permission form are at https://northwindart.org under the Courses link. The nonprofit art school, in buildings 306 and 324 at Fort Worden, also offers more than 40 classes and workshops for teens and adults this season.
Read’s fellow Bunker volunteer artists include Margie McDonald and Michele Soderstrom of PT Artscape, the nonprofit organization that has provided the Bunker with ample snacks, supplies and moral support.
“A few generous community members donate financially, which helps to fund art supplies and snacks,” Soderstrom added.
Grace Black, a middle school student, has been relaxing into the Bunker atmosphere since last year. But there was one late October Friday afternoon when she didn’t want to go. She’d had the worst day at school: a group of boys taunted her about her Halloween costume; they would not stop until Grace was weeping when her mother came to pick her up. She was in no mood for the art studio.
Gently, her mom encouraged Grace to reconsider. Maybe it will make you feel better, she said. Maybe it will take your mind off of the day you’ve had.
Grace did opt to go. When her mother came to get her at the end of the session, Grace emerged with a smile and showed off the two pumpkins she had carved.
“It feels like a place where I can come and make art, and people listen to me, and I feel comfortable,” Grace told a friend.
Dana Sullivan, a Port Townsend illustrator and author, is a frequent Bunker volunteer. He gives drawing demonstrations, and admires people like Grace and Yemma Blair, a home-schooled student and frequent Bunker-goer.
“I love how honest Grace is. She wants to make art. She wants to draw dragons … she’s completely genuine. She’s not ‘cool’ about it. She doesn’t try to be ‘cool,’” Sullivan said.
Grace and Yemma have found out they don’t have to put on a face as they might do in school. They “realize they’re in a safe spot, where they can be real,” he added.
Local artists and craftspeople interested in volunteering at the Bunker are encouraged to contact Read at artbyjulieread@gmail.com. To support the teen studio with a donation and learn more about PT Artscape, visit https://ptartscape.com.
“Duties include setup and cleanup of the classroom, alongside additional adult volunteer artists, and mostly spending time engaging with these awesome characters who come to the Bunker. Many of them come every time,” Read said.
The Bunker has the same mission as it did when it started: providing a safe, no-pressure place to learn and create in community. Demonstrations have ranged from figure drawing and creating posters for rock bands to wire sculpture and self-portraits.
This year, a couple of Fridays each month will be devoted to artist demos, with participants expected to join in. The other Fridays will be open studios, where youngsters can do their own thing. All Bunker afternoons are hosted by trained artist volunteers.
Last fall, Read and crew held a couple of meetings to figure out what the volunteers and the teens wanted in the new year. Snacks were high on the list for the young people. So Read has one more advisory note for potential volunteers:
“You will also have to make some popcorn,” she said.
