SOU’WESTER EVENTS!

Discover what’s happening during your next stay or plan a visit around our free live music, workshops, wellness offerings and more!

Sep
2
Sat
Cedar and Willow Tray with Donna Crispin
Sep 2 @ 9:30 am – 4:00 pm

Workshop Series at The Sou’wester

Cedar and Willow Tray with Donna Crispin

We will use locally grown willow and red cedar bark. Learn twining and plaiting while creating a tray, about 9”x12”. Beginners will do an over/under weave, while more advanced students can pick a twill pattern.   We’ll finish it with a lashed border around willow sticks from my garden.


“Eugene weaver and basketmaker Donna Sakamoto Crispin isn’t one to expound on the depth of meaning in each piece of her vastly diverse body of work. Rather, she is one of those rare, refreshing artists who allows a work of art to speak for itself–and, often, for her. Ms. Crispin’s art form utilizes traditional Japanese and Native American techniques passed down from generation to generation for hundreds, even thousands of years. She believes her work as artist and teacher is fundamental to preserving this craft which, outside of the realm of art, is largely obsolete.

But beyond these considerations–and we should hope every artist regards the heritage of their craft with such reverence–Ms. Crispin doesn’t get overly concerned with the details. “I’m just doing what I want to do,” she says. “I like to see what I can do with different materials. Often, I’m just responding to the environment.” This usually means she works with materials gathered sustainably, from leaves and pine needles gathered from the forest floor to painstakingly harvested strips of cedar bark.

But sometimes, Ms. Crispin creates a piece that seems to be in direct conversation with the world around her. As complex, intricate, and varied as all her work is, it is these landscape-inspired pieces that are arguably the best examples of Ms. Crispin’s artistry. While artist-in-residence at Playa Home in Summer Lake, Oregon, Ms. Crispin created Willow Pod, seen above, a living willow and red osier dogwood basket. The juxtaposition of basket and landscape reminds her, she says, of the Japanese concept of wabi, “a lonely sense of impermanence.” It is perhaps appropriate that all she need say in explanation of the piece is a single word, all others failing. Isn’t that, after all, why we create visual art in the first place: because explanations, summaries, generalizations–words–simply aren’t enough.” ~Luke Fannin


COST:  $50 plus $25 material fee (Please pay material fee directly to the instructor.)

BRING: scissors, awl, water bottle, old towel, and please bring a sack lunch and/or snack. Hot tea and coffee provided.


All workshops are open to the public.

All Skill Levels Welcome. Open to students age 16 and up.

RSVP via souwesterfrontdesk@gmail.com or 360-642-2542

Sound Bath with Mamook Wellness
Sep 2 @ 10:00 am – 10:30 am

WEEKLY EVENT

A unique ambient sound experience, blending tiny ambient concert and harmonic healing in which participants are enveloped in the vibrational drones of various traditional healing instruments.

COST: Suggested donation $5-10.  No one will be turned away for lack of funds.

RSVP: souwesterwellness@gmail.com

WHERE: Wellness Trailer

Space limited to 8 people

Espacio Flamenco
Sep 2 @ 8:00 pm
 
Espacio Flamenco brings an all star cast to the Sou’wester for an intimate flamenco performance. Get ready to participate in the fun with shouts of approval (olé!), clapping, and even dancing for those who feel inspired. At the heart of the Espacio Flamenco’s experience are the soulful vocals of Moroccan born singer Randa BenAziz. Randa began her performance career at the age of ten and incorporates arabic and jazz influences into her flamenco interpretation. Espacio Flamenco musical director Brenna McDonald provides guitar accompaniment for the group. An accomplished soloist in her own right, Brenna has devoted her life to the study of flamenco music and dance and is one of the few female flamenco guitarists (“tocaoras”) in the world qualified to play for singers and dancers. Nick Hutch and Christina Lorentz bring the groove with top notch percussion and palmas (hand clapping) essential to Flamenco. Dancers or “bailaoras” Lillie Last, Montserrat Andreys, Kelley Dodd, and Christina Lorentz will charm and inspire, making for an unforgettable evening of flamenco!
 

Flamenco is an improvisational art form that combines song, dance, instruments (mainly guitar), hand clapping, and other percussion elements. Declared a World Heritage Treasure by UNESCO in 2016, Flamenco developed as an amalgamation of centuries of cross pollination between the many cultural presences within Spain and along Spanish trade routes. While it’s precise history is unknown, it is thought to be greatly influenced by the Roma people, called Gitanos, who migrated from Rajasthan to Spain between the 9th and 14th centuries, bringing with them tambourines, bells, castanets and a variety of songs and dances. The arm and hand movements of Flamenco closely resemble those of classical Indian dance. These traditions combined with the cultures of the Sephardic Jews and Moors make up the Flamenco we see today.

This event is free and open to the public

Sep
3
Sun
Kinchaku Kago: Japanese Basket Purse with Donna Crispin
Sep 3 @ 9:30 am – 3:00 pm

Workshop Series at The Sou’wester

Kinchaku Kago: Japanese Basket Purse with Donna Crispin

Weave a bit of Japanese culture into your day by making a “kinchaku kago” or Japanese basket purse, large enough to carry your phone and wallet. We will twine and plait with cane and reed to create this small purse, lined with handmade paper. The top portion will be a pre- made drawstring bag that we will sew onto the basket. This basket design by Donna was featured in Belle Armoire magazine.


“Eugene weaver and basketmaker Donna Sakamoto Crispin isn’t one to expound on the depth of meaning in each piece of her vastly diverse body of work. Rather, she is one of those rare, refreshing artists who allows a work of art to speak for itself–and, often, for her. Ms. Crispin’s art form utilizes traditional Japanese and Native American techniques passed down from generation to generation for hundreds, even thousands of years. She believes her work as artist and teacher is fundamental to preserving this craft which, outside of the realm of art, is largely obsolete.

But beyond these considerations–and we should hope every artist regards the heritage of their craft with such reverence–Ms. Crispin doesn’t get overly concerned with the details. “I’m just doing what I want to do,” she says. “I like to see what I can do with different materials. Often, I’m just responding to the environment.” This usually means she works with materials gathered sustainably, from leaves and pine needles gathered from the forest floor to painstakingly harvested strips of cedar bark.

But sometimes, Ms. Crispin creates a piece that seems to be in direct conversation with the world around her. As complex, intricate, and varied as all her work is, it is these landscape-inspired pieces that are arguably the best examples of Ms. Crispin’s artistry. While artist-in-residence at Playa Home in Summer Lake, Oregon, Ms. Crispin created Willow Pod, seen above, a living willow and red osier dogwood basket. The juxtaposition of basket and landscape reminds her, she says, of the Japanese concept of wabi, “a lonely sense of impermanence.” It is perhaps appropriate that all she need say in explanation of the piece is a single word, all others failing. Isn’t that, after all, why we create visual art in the first place: because explanations, summaries, generalizations–words–simply aren’t enough.” ~Luke Fannin


COST:  $50 plus $25 material fee (Please pay material fee directly to the instructor.)

BRING: scissors, checkbook box (for a mold), awl, water bottle, old towel, and please bring a sack lunch and/or snack. Hot tea and coffee provided.


All workshops are open to the public.

All Skill Levels Welcome. Open to students age 16 and up.

RSVP via souwesterfrontdesk@gmail.com or 360-642-2542

 
Cynthia O’Brien with Chris Frimoth
Sep 3 @ 8:00 pm

Cynthia O’Brien is an artist of many facets — spiritual, musical and intellectual. She is soulful, passionate and easy to connect with, and the songs she shares range from whimsical originals to re-interpretations of ancient folk songs, 70s pop and smoky jazz standards. Her performances include songs about real life, love, regret, inspiration, midlife crises, parenting and contentment.

Cynthia started performing as a child in church, building skills on piano, guitar, ukulele and harp. Following her passion for music, she graduated from USC with degrees in choral conducting and journalism, leading her to be a music critic for Copley Newspapers, covering Los Angeles’ most prestigious operas, orchestras and choral performances. She directed a Spanish-speaking choir, Voces de Amor, in uplifting concerts for nonprofits serving Latino communities. Cynthia and her husband, Michael, relocated to the Northwest in 1996 to lead a spiritual community. She has since become an influential member of Portland’s music scene, helping build the new nonprofit Youth Music Project in West Linn, where she taught vocal performance, guitar and piano. From being a Copa Girl at Tony Starlight’s Supperclub and Lounge, to singing at weddings and open mics, Cynthia’s mission is to surprise and delight her listeners, mentor young musicians, and build friendships through music.

Chris Frimoth is a multi-instrumentalist and original singer/songwriter who grew up in the Portland area as the son of a minister/clown/radio host, and a writer/clown/wife. Chris is equally at home on keyboard, guitar, ukulele and melodica. Known to many as Chris Taylor, he has been a radio personality in the Portland broadcasting scene, and a DJ and professional emcee for countless weddings and events. Chris is the keyboardist/acoustic guitarist/vocalist for the Portland band HomeBrew; he also played for 13 years in a church worship band and has performed as a soloist throughout the Northwest. Under his Chris Taylor name, he released a solo album in 2012, “In Those Days.” He and his wife, Barb, are busy voiceover artists whose work is regularly heard on radio and television stations and many other multimedia presentations. And to keep things real, Chris is involved in his community as a part-time cashier for New Seasons Market.

As musical collaborators, Cynthia and Chris are collectors and re-imaginers of songs familiar and strange.  Their songs aim to cheer you up and calm you down. Having played in a variety of settings from wine bars to street fairs, they most enjoy the intimacy of small venues for the connection they can share with their listeners, creating space to reminisce, imagine, and enjoy a night of calm under the stars.

 

This event is free and open to the public

Sep
6
Wed
Ayurvedic Nutrition and Self Care for Autumnal Equinox with Elyssia Schaeffer
Sep 6 @ 10:00 am – 12:30 pm

Workshop Series at The Sou’wester

Ayurvedic Nutrition and Self Care for Autumnal Equinox with Elyssia Schaeffer

Learn how to use the ancient healing practices of Ayurveda and Yoga to keep your body and mind balanced as we transition from Summer To Fall. Seasonal beverages and snacks will be provided!

 


 

Elyssia Schaeffer is a Certified Wellness Coach and Registered Yoga Teacher from Portland, OR blending her knowledge of Ayurveda, Yoga and holistic nutrition to share person-centered seasonal eating and self care practices.


COST: $15

BRING: Yoga mat and a blanket. Please wear comfortable clothes.

All workshops are open to the public.

All Skill Levels Welcome.

RSVP via souwesterfrontdesk@gmail.com or 360-642-2542

 

Community Clay & Sauna @ Sou'wester Lodge
Sep 6 @ 11:00 am – 1:00 pm

Come experience the therapeutic workings of a Finnish sauna in combination with a full body mask of wild foraged mineral clay. These natural therapies joined together, act as powerful means of detoxification, stress relief, muscle relaxant, skin cleanser, and more. Bring your bathing suit and a friend, be prepared to sweat it out with like minded folks, brave a cold plunge, and paint each other with some Skagit river valley clay.

$20 for Sou’wester guests $25 for general public.

 
Dress to accommodate the maximum amount of clay. Towels, clay, information hand-outs, tea and filtered water provided. There will also be an opportunity to purchase wild harvested mineral clay for future personal use.

Space is limited to 8 folks

 
Please RSVP. Any questions? Email mamookwellness@icloud.com

Sep
9
Sat
Sound Bath with Mamook Wellness
Sep 9 @ 10:00 am – 10:30 am

WEEKLY EVENT

A unique ambient sound experience, blending tiny ambient concert and harmonic healing in which participants are enveloped in the vibrational drones of various traditional healing instruments.

COST: Suggested donation $5-10.  No one will be turned away for lack of funds.

RSVP: souwesterwellness@gmail.com

WHERE: Wellness Trailer

Space limited to 8 people

Topography of Self: Writing Workshop with Sara Blackthorne
Sep 9 @ 10:00 am – 2:00 pm

Workshop Series at The Sou’wester

Topography of Self: Writing Workshop with Sara Blackthorne

 

Topography of Self: (n) the way places infuse, inspire, and invade our writing life

Topography of Self is an investigation into the way place appears in our writing. It is a road map to the places we have lived, breathed, dreamed, and suffered. Designed to infuse your work with sensation by pushing you deep into your own sense memory, this course will inspire, enlighten, and enliven your work.

The places we go, the landscapes we discover, change and alter us. Our journey to new territories inspires us, and these locations leave traces of their being in our hearts. Exploring the impact these places have on our souls and psyches gives us new insight into our experiences and fodder for our writing. It changes the way we talk about place. Our place.

Rooting into the landscape of the Pacific Northwest, we will use writing prompts, images, smells, and sounds to dig deep into our image vocabularies and discover our internal geography. Through this discovery, we begin to write the stories that mirror the topographies of our journey to this moment.


A writer, editor, creative coach, and intuitive ritualist, Sara Blackthorne brings her love of mystery and the journey to her writing and art. She can often be found wandering along the beach, in the forest, or a city street. Her first chapbook, Wander, explores the topography of self.


COST: $40

BRING: Notebook, writing instruments, photograph or object representing their favorite place (suggested but not required.) Please bring a sack lunch and/or snack. Hot tea and coffee provided.

All workshops are open to the public.

All Skill Levels Welcome.

RSVP via souwesterfrontdesk@gmail.com or 360-642-2542

 

The Winterlings
Sep 9 @ 8:00 pm

With songs as vivid as feature films, Seattle indie-folk duo, The Winterlings take listeners on
unexpected journeys soaring with astronauts above a warming planet, hitchhiking from Alaska with a
fisherman, fighting beside a female Civil War soldier, and walking deeper into the forest of human
existence. PASTE called their January 2016 release, You Are Acres, “a gorgeous follow-up to their
stunning debut,” and No Depression called their November 2016 album, Poems That Live As People,
“absolutely spellbinding.” Featuring male and female lead vocal and harmonies, guitar, violin, banjitar
and drums, The Winterlings build bonfires of sound to dance and dream beside.