Submitted by the Funhouse Commons.

Join us on April 13 from 5-7 p.m., at Clever Cow Creamery for the gallery-opening showcase of Orcas Island High School and OASIS students Trinity Wood, Thian Armenia, Richard Sanders and Alana Lago.

The gallery opening culminates the first-ever arts-focused mentoring session, a collaboration between the San Juan County Arts Council and Funhouse Commons. The artists’ work will be displayed for one month, for visitors of the ice cream shop to enjoy.

This four-month mentorship was established to create and support relationships between established artists and young people interested in the arts, across San Juan County. Brook Meinhardt, Andrew Youngren, Kevin Cron and Thomas Leonard have each been working alongside a student weekly to create works of art for the showcase.

Armenia, a junior at Orcas Island High School, has been working with Leonard.

“Being able to learn skills like metalworking and carving has given me another two art mediums to continue exploring and the knowledge to make any tool I might need in the process,” he said.

Prior to being matched with Leonard, he had not worked with metal or carving.

“Finishing a project and holding something in my hands that I made, you don’t get that feeling with a drawing or painting,” Armenia said. “Every strike of the hammer or cut of the chisel counts towards the final piece.”

The San Juan Arts Council has funded each adult artist to purchase any necessary art supplies in their mentee’s pursuit of their creative work, such as high-quality pencils, paints and paper.

Light refreshments will be served at the opening, and the art will be on display until May 12.

For more information, to make a donation or to get involved with the San Juan County Arts Council, check out SanJuanCountyArts.org, or contact board president Claire Wright at 505- 702-6796.

For more information about the Funhouse Mentor Program, contact mentor program coordinator Trillium Swanson at 360-376-7177.