Olympia Arts Commission selects 2026 Arts Walk cover artists

The Olympia Arts Commission has approved three artists — two finalists and one alternate — for the 2026 Arts Walk poster commissions, concluding a competitive jury review of 32 applications.

At its recent meeting, the commissioners endorsed the jury panel’s recommendations: Fern Tallos for the spring Arts Walk cover, Devin River for the fall cover, and Fran Potasnik as the alternate artist.

The motion to approve the artist selections, including the alternate, passed unanimously.

Fern Tallos is the spring 2026 cover artist. She primarily works with acrylic and gouache, producing vibrant pieces inspired by plants, flowers, celestial themes, and the Pacific Northwest landscapes. Her Scandinavian heritage and background in energetic herbalism influence her works.

In addition to her ancestral heritage, Tallos said cultures of activism, DIY, and punk had an immense impact on her work.

Devin River is the fall 2026 cover artist. He is a fiber artist specializing in quilting, using reclaimed and secondhand textiles to create intricate, textured works. He blends structured, mathematical patterning with improvised cutting and sewing.

Fran Potasnik is the alternate artist. She constructs detailed compositions from upcycled aluminum cans, cutting, shaping and assembling the metal with tiny nails on wood panels. All colors in her work come directly from salvaged cans.

Olympia Arts Walk celebrates the work of local artists in the design of event poster art for the spring and fall events. A jury panel selects two artists and an alternate to be commissioned by the City of Olympia to each create a new, original work of art for the cover of the Arts Walk maps and event posters.

These artworks will be a primary focus of event promotion, and the final artwork will be viewed in a variety of ways, up close and from a distance, and reproduced in several different media, including digital and print publications.

This year, the jury was composed of Olympia Downtown Association Executive Director Desiree Freeland, fall Arts Walk 2025 cover artist Mikael Shafer and Olympia Arts Commission member Sergio Garcia.

The selected artists will each have 30 days to submit a concept sketch, and an additional 30 days to complete their final commissioned artwork once the city begins the contracting process.