Submitted by the Town of Friday Harbor

There is a new outdoor public art history installation in the Sunshine Alley breezeway in Friday Harbor. The exhibit honors late artist and San Juan Island resident Marjorie Walker (1906-92) and will be displayed through 2019.

Walker was born in 1906 in Brooklyn, New York, to an affluent family that afforded Walker and her sister, Jean, the best schools and a childhood rich in culture and experience. Walker studied art at the famous Art Students League of New York, whose students and faculty included the likes of Calder, O’Keefe, Rockwell and Pollock.

In 1923, the sisters first saw the San Juan Islands while on a six-week, cross-country tour through Canada, Alaska and the western United States. They vowed to return someday, and almost 30 years later they made good on that promise.

On the high-bank shore of False Bay, Walker built a rose-draped building she called the “Little Different Studio.” She had many island art students over the years and supported herself almost entirely with her own art. For more information about Walker, see the comprehensive essay at fridayharbor.org/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=21.

The town staff extends a special thanks to Alicia and Jeff Carnevali for the use of their building and to the many islanders who shared their stories and images of Walker’s artwork from their personal collections. Project committee members included Emily Reed, Julie Capron, Robin Jacobson, Megan Kilpatrick-Boe, Julie Greene, Sandy Strehlou and graphic artist Chris Minney.