Past Exhibits
Pride Stories
June 11 – 28, 2026
In partnership with Capital City Pride and Window Seat Media, Pride Stories brought an interactive audio-visual experience to our South Gallery, where visitors could hear directly from community members about what it means to be part of the LGBTQ+ community in our city. Visitors were invited not only to listen, but to record a story of their own and add their voice to the collection.
Billy Frank Jr. Statue Maquette
April 24 – June 30, 2026
We were honored to host the Billy Frank Jr. maquette, a half-scale model of the full-sized statue being installed in the National Statuary Hall in Washington, DC later this year. Sculpted by Pacific Northwest artist Haiying Wu, the statue recognizes Billy Frank Jr., Nisqually Tribal leader, treaty-rights activist, and lifelong advocate for equality, justice, and environmental protections.
The Billy Frank Jr. Statue Project is a collaboration between ArtsWA and the Nisqually Indian Tribe
Remembering Exclusion, Honoring Community: Chinese Life in Olympia
February 27 — April 19, 2026
Each February marks the anniversary of Olympia’s Chinese exclusion event and reminds us of the broader season of anti-Chinese organizing across the Pacific Northwest in 1885-1886. Through this six-panel exhibit, we honor the Chinese and Chinese American communities who live here now, whose presence reminds us that history is marked both by loss and by renewal.
Light in the Dark
November 14, 2025 – April 14, 2026
This winter, we invite you to step inside Light in the Dark, an exhibit celebrating illuminated artwork and the story of how electric light transformed Olympia’s streets. From handcrafted wooden lamps to glowing creatures of the Procession, each piece explores how light guides, gathers, and grounds us—especially in the darkest months of the Pacific Northwest.
Our town through Sylvester’s Windows
Our South Gallery, the museum’s largest exhibition space, hosts Our Town Through Sylvester’s Windows. This remarkable collection of eight paintings captures Sylvester Park and the heart of Olympia from the early 1800s through 2000, showing how city streets have evolved while the park remains a beloved gathering place. Alongside the art, discover stories of local traditions, from Capital Lakefair to the lively Pagan Frolic of 1935.
Power of place
July 2025 - March 2026
Power of Place explored a dynamic blend of past and present: works by seven regional artists are thoughtfully paired with a fascinating collection of historical postcards. Featured artists included Doyle Fanning, Kathy Gore Fuss, Mimi Williams, Sherry Buckner, Don Freas, Joe Seymour, and Tom Anderson. This exhibit was curated by Jonathan Happ, gallery director at Childhood’s End Gallery.
howard point marker
February 2022
Olympia Arts & Heritage Alliance installed a marker to commemorate Alexander and Rebecca Howard. The marker honors the Howard Family and Howard Point, a geographical feature along East Bay Drive that is visible from the marker. The interpretative panel located on East Bay Drive near Glass Avenue, funded by a Thurston County Heritage Grant, is a project of the Olympia Arts & Heritage Alliance in partnership with the City of Olympia.
It’s the Water preview. Posters designed by Kristen Ramirez. Installed in the 1912 City Hall/ Fire Station, Capitol Way and State Street, downtown Olympia.
it’s the water
April 2021
It’s the Water was an installation highlighting the arts, history and cultures of the South Sound as they illustrate the theme of water. Sited in the windows of the historic, 1912 City Hall/ Fire Station at State Street and Capitol Way, It's the Water used historic photographs, contemporary art and artifacts to tell the rich story of everything from shipbuilding, oyster harvesting, maritime fleets, the fire department, beer brewing, artesian wells, festivals, Capital Lake, rain fall, sea level rise, tribal fishing and trade routes, little Hollywood, and the Port. Funding for It's the Water came from our generous donors, a City of Olympia Grant to Arts & Culture Organizations, and a grant from the Squaxin Island Tribe.