Join Northwind Art in honoring Dr. Sylvia White, an artist, visionary, leader and patron of the arts in Port Townsend! We'll dedicate the Sylvia White plaque at Jeanette Best Gallery, 701 Water St. in Port Townsend, at 4 p.m.Friday, October 3rd.

 

DR. SYLVIA WHITE, one of the people who envisioned an arts center for Port Townsend some three decades ago, has contributed $100,000 to fund a new exhibit program at Northwind Art, one that will expand the organization’s offerings to Port Townsend and the Pacific Northwest.

The Sylvia White Sculpture and Craft Exhibit is the working title of this region-wide celebration of high-caliber three-dimensional artwork.

“I want to see Northwind as a major attraction for all visitors and residents on the Peninsula,” White said, adding that she hopes to inspire artists to explore other artistic realms, while supporting the education of young artists.

“This gift will enable us to engage an expert curator for the sculpture and craft shows,” said Martha Worthley, Northwind’s Executive Director. White’s contribution will help cover other costs at the nonprofit gallery, and make it possible to offer education programs at Northwind Art School in tandem with the exhibits.

“It’s an exciting opportunity, and one that will honor Sylvia’s legacy for years to come,” Worthley adds.

Northwind’s gallery at 701 Water St. is named after Jeanette Best, White’s friend and fellow artist and activist. During the late 1990s, the women co-founded the Jefferson Arts Alliance in a small office off Water Street.

“The office began to attract attention from both resident artists and tourists,” White recalled, adding that volunteers staffed the little storefront — people such as Karen Putterman, who is still a volunteer at the Jeanette Best Gallery of today.

When the spacious ground floor of the historic Waterman & Katz building became available in 2014, the arts alliance, by then called the Northwind Arts Center, began raising funds to move into it. White played a key role in this effort, as did a major donation from Best.

In January 2021, the Northwind Arts Center and the Port Townsend School of the Arts at Fort Worden merged to form Northwind Art. The nonprofit organization now presents eight shows annually in the streetside venue, a year-round exhibit in the adjacent Showcase Gallery, as well as artists’ talks and Art Walk evenings downtown. At the art school, Northwind offers more than 150 classes per year for adults and youngsters.

When asked why she is making this gift to Northwind now, White readily replied that she is 86, and wants to make a difference in the arts community while she can.

White and her husband Don moved to Port Townsend in 1994 from Los Angeles, where Don was a trial attorney in a busy law practice and she was a professor of urban and regional planning at California Polytechnic State University in Pomona.

White had also served in the Peace Corps in Ghana — where she learned about using recycled materials in her art.

“I have always been engaged in some kind of artistic pursuit. My real interest has been three dimensional design,” she said, adding she studied architecture, ceramics and model building. Then White discovered basketry, which combined her facility in weaving with making a three-dimensional piece of art, and she began studying with the premier basket makers around the country.

Sylvia and Don White were married 65 years when Don passed away in early 2025. About half of that time was in Port Townsend, where both were devoted supporters of the arts community, including Northwind, KPTZ-FM and Key City Public Theatre.

Along with her work as an artist, White served for many years on the Jefferson County Library Board of Trustees and the Jefferson County Planning Commission.

Lois James, a longtime friend who is a nationally recognized paper artist, likewise marvels at White’s artistry.

“She just does beautiful work,” from baskets to decorated gourds and wire sculptures, James said. The two would go on hunts for recycled materials for their art.

“Sylvia’s adventurous, creative legacy and vision have helped us arrive at where we are today,” said Worthley. “Northwind Art treasures her many contributions over the years and looks forward to celebrating her vision in future exhibitions and educational offerings.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Join us at 3 p.m. at Jeanette Best Gallery, 701 Water Street, Port Townsend. This talk is free to the public.