By Marieke Dannaiu

Journal contributor

Under ethereal lights and whimsical marine decor, Alchemy Art Center hosted its 7th annual fall fundraising gala on Nov. 14. Held at the Friday Harbor Labs’ dining hall, Alchemy’s theme this year was, fittingly, bioluminescence. Amongst the crowd, people mingled dressed as jellyfish, coastal birds, and other marine creatures.

Many sported different kinds of personal lighting fixtures and sparkles. The gala featured guest speakers, live music, a cake auction, a silent auction, a paddle raise, dinner and drinks, and free Alchemy-made ceramic mugs.

Alchemy Art Center is a non-profit organization that provides a creative space for community members to engage in and make art in a variety of ways. The fall fundraiser is a critical yearly event that funds a large portion of the center’s programming and financial aid, not covered by other sources like program costs, grants, or other donations. Because Alchemy aims to make its programs and resources available to as many people as it can through a sliding scale pay-what-you-can structure, its program and membership costs do not cover the organization’s financial demands. This year, Alchemy raised over $80,000 through the gala, which will go towards making up that difference.

Alchemy offers financial aid for all of its programs as well as for studio memberships. The gala’s cake auction specifically funded Alchemy’s tuition assistance, raising around $8,000. A wide selection of cakes, ranging in flavors and fanciful decorations, was baked and donated by twenty individual bakers. The silent auction offered various items like a handwoven rug, a knit baby sweater, handcrafted jewelry, and many other artisanal donated items. And, during the paddle raise alone, attendees donated a total of $45,000.

Dinner was catered by chef Gretchen Allison, former owner of Duck Soup, and drinks were provided by Kari Koski and Doug McCutchen. The beautiful decorations made for the auction were created during two volunteer parties in September at Alchemy’s recently acquired art barn. Following the success of Alchemy’s Halloween-themed fall fundraising gala in 2024, they went all in on the marine theme this year. The backdrop for live music played by Trinity Althoff and various speakers was a ceramic kelp mural created in February through Alchemy community collaboration. The ceramic tiles that make up the body of the kelp were crafted by individuals and then assembled onto a painted backboard by Alchemy.

Upcoming classes and programs include broom making, woodblock printmaking, and beginner quilting, along with recurring classes like beginning wheel throwing. Seats at classes can be bought through Alchemy’s website, where donations can also be made, and additional information can be accessed.

Following the gala, Alchemy’s thank you email states, “As we come closer to 2026, we can plan to support our community in so many ways because of this financial support. Our dreams are big. With your trust, we look forward to another year of giving to San Juan Island through arts access.”