A Festive Fall
Whether you’re an artist, audience member, patron or performer, Mercer Island has a broad and festive fall and holiday arts season planned for your enjoyment and inspiration.
Fall has a way of drawing us together—to settle into a theater seat, linger over an exhibition, listen to live music or try our own hand at something creative. As the days grow shorter and the holidays approach, the arts offer something particularly welcome: an opportunity to gather, experience something beautiful, laugh together and see our community—and perhaps ourselves—a little differently.
This season, Mercer Island offers an engaging mix of performances, exhibitions and creative experiences, with plenty of reasons to stay close to home.
YOUR SEAT IS RESERVED
The curtain rises at Mercer Island High School, where MIHS Drama puts a playful spin on a familiar fairy tale with Tales from a Mattress, a musical comedy inspired by “The Princess and the Pea.” Expect an irreverent take on royalty, romance and happily-ever-after, brought to life by talented Island students both onstage and behind the scenes.
The holidays bring two interpretations of another classic. Youth Theatre Northwest presents The Nutcracker and the Mouse King, a devised theater project in which young actors help shape the production itself. The collaborative process gives performers a voice in creating the story before culminating in December performances for the community.
Island Youth Ballet presents Excerpts from The Nutcracker for its 22nd year, December 11–13, at the MIHS Performing Arts Center. With its familiar music, costumes and timeless sense of wonder, the production has become a cherished Island tradition—introducing generations of young dancers and audiences to the magic of live performance.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT
Art takes center stage in Town Center on November 6 and December 4, when the Mercer Island First Friday Art Walk transforms familiar storefronts and gathering places into a walkable gallery evening.
Wander through Clarke & Clarke Art + Artifacts, MIVAL Gallery and participating businesses and exhibition spaces. Meet Pacific Northwest artists, discover new work and enjoy refreshments or a glass of wine along the way. Make dinner reservations, invite friends and turn an ordinary Friday into an evening out—all without leaving the Island.
The MIVAL Holiday Art Show offers an especially artful approach to holiday giving, with paintings, jewelry, three-dimensional works and locally created pieces for sale. A December 3 reception and pop-up at MICEC offers another opportunity to meet artists and perhaps find something wonderfully original for someone on your list—or yourself.
Just across the bridge, Yuan Ru Art Center presents A Midsummer Dream — Joint Exhibition of Local Artists through November 30.
COMMUNITY & HUMOR—GOOD FOR THE SOUL
Not every arts experience requires hushed appreciation. Sometimes what we need most is to laugh, dance and enjoy being together.
The Stroum Jewish Community Center’s Arts + Ideas season brings culture with a sense of play. Moms Unhinged Standup Comedy Show + Cocktails explores motherhood and midlife on November 7, while Joe Buchanan + The Family Band brings Jewish country music and boot-stomping ballads November 21, joined by Seattle’s Boot Boogie Babes for line dancing.
As college students return for winter break, Mosaic MI’s Open Mic and Listening: Holiday Season Edition invites them—and the wider community—to perform or simply settle in and listen. Bring visiting family and friends, share a holiday tune and enjoy fresh-baked treats and wine. It’s intimate, convivial and distinctly local.
THE ARTIST IN EVERYONE
The season isn’t only about watching. There are plenty of opportunities to pick up a brush, move to the music, sing along or simply try something new.
At MIVAL Studio, Open Studio Mondays and Fiber Fridays offer regular opportunities to create in the company of other artists. At MICEC, Mercer Island resident Irene Rajagopal leads free monthly Open Art Studio gatherings, exploring “Fall Colors” in November and “Holiday Cards” in December.
Mercer Island Library presents Discover Diwali: A Celebration of Light & Community November 1, a family celebration of the Festival of Lights featuring a community rangoli project. Adults can join the monthly Let’s Dance! class, while the literary arts get their moment with the Library Book Group’s November discussion of A Gentleman in Moscow.
For the youngest Islanders, an introduction to the arts begins with a song. At Sing With Our Kids, beloved children’s musician Nancy Stewart hosts free Friday sing-alongs at MICEC and Saturday mornings at Island Books.
Whether you come to applaud, browse, dance, sing, create—or simply enjoy being among neighbors—there is a place for you in Mercer Island’s arts community this season.
This fall, the arts are alive on Mercer Island. Consider this your invitation.
There is a place for you in Mercer Island’s arts community this season.
Whether you’re an artist, audience member, patron or performer, Mercer Island has a broad and festive fall and holiday arts season planned for your enjoyment and inspiration.
As the days grow shorter and the holidays approach, the arts offer something particularly welcome: an opportunity to gather, experience something beautiful, and laugh together.