For Mother's Day and Father's Day — a local arts gift guide 

Rachel Benton

Shopping for your parents is no easy task, but I think I can help. 

For the last few years, I have given my parents the gift of special time together. This has looked like attending shows, cooking classes, or even just dedicating a day for spontaneous fun.  

Taking time together is very intentional and meaningful, and really gets to the heart of what Mother's Day and Father's Day are all about — reminding your parents they are loved, seen and appreciated.  

The best part of this gift is that you can make it happen with any budget, and I am here to help. In addition to the ideas you will see below, you gain inspiration from my previous holiday gift guide columns here and here. 

With all these ideas, I invite you to be brave and think outside of the box. You never know what new experience can become your parents new favorite thing. I took my dad (who I thought would hate ballet) to a ballet once, and he loved it! You just never know.

Note: The bottom of this column will have a list of theaters, artistic organizations, and galleries to coincide with this list.  

Small to no budget 

Here are some ideas on how you can give a meaningful artistic gift without breaking the bank:  

• Want to attend a show? Keep an eye on the JOLT News Event Calendar — free events and shows are published there all the time!   

• The majority, if not all our theaters and arts companies have either a “pay what you can night,” low income tickets, age dependent discounts, or rush tickets at insanely low prices.   

• You can still do dinner and a show. I recommend choosing a restaurant with either a lunch or dinner special, or with lower prices altogether.   

• The weather is getting nicer, take your parents to the Farmer’s Market one day for lunch or a snack and watch a local musician on their stage.  

• During the spring and summer, there will be a lot more festivals or outdoor performances. Just keep an eye on the events calendar for more info.  

• Plan a picnic, window shopping day, or nature walk. Does not have to be fancy in order to be meaningful and fun.   

Moderate to large budget 

When you aim for a larger budget toward gift giving in the local arts scene, you can triple the positive impact you are making. Here are some ideas to show what I mean:  

• Attend a show together, there are so many. Keep an eye on my column in the future for more ideas. Buying regular price tickets to shows help theaters sustain.

• Purchase a subscription for your parent, or for you two together, to attend shows together on a regular basis. Most local theaters will announce their seasons around June, but you can still write a nice card and make a plan to attend a season preview and pick out shows together.  

• Purchase a piece of art from a gallery or favorite artist. It might be advisable to go to a gallery together with a budget in mind.   

• Make a donation in your parent’s honor. This is great for parents who love and are familiar with the local arts scene.  

• Buy tickets to a show and take them out to a fancy dinner beforehand. You can choose your dress code accordingly, and even offer to buy them a new outfit for a night on the town.  

Theaters, arts organizations and galleries

Theaters: Shows will often range in price with some theaters being more expensive than others.   

• The Washington Center for the Performing Arts 

• Harlequin Productions 

• Olympia Family Theater 

• Olympia Little Theatre 

• Oly Theater 

• Olympia Film Society 

• Traditions hosts a lot of artists and events.  

• SPSCC Theater Collective 

• High School Theaters, which you can learn about here.  

Arts organizations: There are many groups who perform at a variety of locations throughout town, some offering their own subscriptions.  

• Olympia Symphony Orchestra 

• Olympia Chamber Orchestra 

• Ballet Northwest 

• Studio West Dance Theater  

• Masterworks Choral Ensemble 

• Capital City Chorus 

• Student Orchestras of Greater Olympia 

• Tenino Young at Heart Theater 

• StoryOly 

• Olympia Youth Chorus 

• String & Shadow Puppet Theater 

• Animal Fire Theatre  

Galleries: Even if it is just for window shopping, lots of inspiration can be found in these.  

• The Carpenter’s House 

• Childhood’s End Gallery 

• Kluh Art Gallery 

• Splash Gallery of Olympia 

• The Artists’ Gallery 

Other ideas and names to note:  

• Local comedian Sam Miller does many cool shows. 

• Check out the Bayview School of Cooking.  

• Watercolor Classes are fun, especially those with RayTen Creative Design.  

• Pizzeria La Gitana, Basilico, and the Leaning Maple all do jazz or other varieties of entertainment on select nights.  
• Browsers Bookshop does a lot of fun events.  

Rachel is a writer, arts advocate, performing arts enthusiast, and passionate about our beloved Thurston County. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree with a double major in History and Political Science and minor in Music. You can enjoy more of Rachel's writings by visiting her website. All inquiries for Rachel can be submitted here.