Festival Displays A Tapestry Of Arts

The Shoreline Arts Festival opens Saturday, June 27 for a two day celebration of community arts.

This year, the Festival's theme, "Weaving a Cultural Tapestry," features the arts and heritage of many local cultural groups.

A diverse range of music, dance, theater, and all of the visual arts are included in the festival, which takes place on the grounds of the Shoreline Center.

Performing artists on the Shoreline Room Stage this weekend include Rhys Thomas and Jugglemania, the Shoreline Senior Singers, Baile Glas Irish Dancers, Filipiniana Dancers, Deaf Dancers, Melody Institute Chinese Dance, Hokulani's Hula Studio & the Kupunas, Eclectic Cloggers (Appalachian Folkdance), Lakota traditional music by Cindy Minkler and Rhythms of India dancers.

Festival attendees can explore the Juried Art Shows and the booths in the Artists Marketplace. Adjacent to the offerings of the Food Court, the Showmobile Stage features popular bands and danceable music with acts like the steel drums of Panduo, blues with the Dented Trucks, Spirit of Ojah's African rhythms and funk, rock 'n roll classics with Timeslip, the indie pop rock of Kris Orlowski and lively Latin music with Cocoloco.

Art projects in the popular Children's Hands-on Art Arena will relate to the theme this year. Again this year, the Northwest Collage Society will sponsor an exhibit and collage making workshop using recycled materials.

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Spanish Royal Armor, Portraits, Tapestries At Washington’s National Gallery

For first time ever, magnificent Spanish royal armor will be shown alongside Old Masters’ portraits of Spanish emperors, kings and their horses wearing the regalia that dates back to the time of Columbus.

Washington’s National Gallery of Art perfectly named the exhibition (June 28 through November 1) “The Art of Power: Royal Armor and Portraits from Imperial Spain”.

Armor is an extraordinarily exquisite art form, a sort of wearable sculpture. Great artists such as Albrecht Dürer drew designs that were elaborately etched, engraved, or embossed on armor.

The portraits of armor-clad rulers are by Peter Paul Rubens, Diego Velázquez, Anthony van Dyck, among other masters. And of course, Spain built one of the world’s most powerful empires ever, from late 15th century into the 18th century.

Also, royal armor and such portraits enhanced and exalted rulers' power and chivalric image, so-called “gods in uniform”. This dazzlingly ornate armor was used less for military purposes than for parades, pageants, jousting tournaments, and other Renaissance rituals.

Armor enhanced the power and image also of diplomats who presented these hugely expensive, prized gifts to Spanish rulers. Talk about influence-peddling -- a full suit of armor could “cost the equivalent of today’s executive jet”, said exhibition curator Alvaro Soler del Campo, Director of Madrid’s Spanish Royal Armory.

Read complete article in Examiner.com