Submitted by the SJIMA Board

The all-volunteer teams at San Juan Islands Museum of Art are developing new exhibitions, workshops and educational programs. Also, the SJIMA board, with the guidance of non-profit financial development professionals, is redefining roles, responsibilities and goals.

Many visitors inquire about purchases. While museum staff does not sell exhibited work, they provide contact information.

Upcoming exhibitions:

• May 13 and 14, “San Juan Island: Forest to Sea”: This is a plein air watercolor workshop with Suze Woolf, who is devoted to creating watercolor paintings of the landscape. She calls them her “love letters to the planet.”

• Through May 15, “Dialogues from the Forest Part 1”: Three important Washington artists are showcased. It’s not just for artists and art lovers; the exhibitions now excites woodworkers, environmentalists, conservationist and a host of other nature lovers.

“A Reflection of Vessel”: Aaron Haba, an installation artist from Camano Island created this site-specific installation, both massive and uplifting, and invites the viewer to look toward the heavens to see the beauty inside human vessels.

“Charred Totems”: Suze Woolf, a painter and sculptor from Seattle walks a caring line between reality and masterfully executed brush strokes. Climate change concerns are covered in this series on burned-over forests, portray stunning beauty.

“Celebrations”: Morse Clary, an artist and professor from the TriCities sees each of his elegant “books” as a study of sculptural metaphor and the visual and tactile qualities of wood. This seminal exhibition of his life’s work presents a fascinating array of natural materials, which inform and inspire.

• May 26 through Sept. 4, “Dialogues from the Forest Part 2 Emergence — First Nation Legendary & Emerging Artists”: In this collection, voices of ancestors speak through a new generation of First Nation artists and their honored mentors.

• July 21-23, “Introduction to plein air landscape painting in pastels”: Steve Hill, a signature member of The Northwest Pastel Society, leads the class and states, “my passion is to find special places, and explore these with every element of my psyche.“

• 1-2 p.m., Sunday, July 23, “Breath of Life”: This SJIMA Art As A Voice event will be presented by Rande Cook, artist and Kwakwaka’ wak chief at Brickworks. He honors his Kwakwaka’ wak traditions and culture and pushes the limits of contemporary First Nation art.

For information, call 370-5050 or visit www.sjima.org.