By Christann Kennedy, Old Schoolhouse Art Gallery
The Old Schoolhouse Art Gallery is special. For more than 20 years it has served as a place for artists and art enthusiasts to gather, share new work, and build bonds of community around the desire to make, think, and talk about art. The 2026 Members Show, currently on exhibit at the Gallery, is a beautiful example of this art community in action.
Continue reading Last Weekend of the 2026 Members Show
Around 100 people packed into Mansons Hall on May 7, 2026, for a community meeting on the proposed expansion of the Island United Quarry on Cortes Island. While most appeared to be opposed to the project in its current form, some added that Cortes Island needed a smaller quarry more in line with the island’s needs
Neither Howard Nielsen, who owns Island United, nor his wife were present. Regional Director Mark Vonesch explained, “ It’s their 15th wedding anniversary and they’re on a trip.”
Mike Moore, who MC’d the event, added, “First of all this is a meeting that is for information. We’ll have a question and answer period at the end of a few little presentations. It’s not a protest by any means. No profanity (audience chuckled); no derogatory comments. We’re here to look at the Island United Quarry expansion in Whaletown.”
Continue reading Gleanings from the May 7 Community Meeting: Island United’s proposed Quarry Expansion
On June 6, host Manda Aufochs-Gillespie was joined by gardeners extraordinaire Lucretia, Melanie, Jane, and Erica to talk tips and tricks, spring garden techniques, herbalism, and the museum’s upcoming garden tours. Tune in to hear a dynamic discussion about getting your hands in the dirt!
Continue reading Spring Gardening Tips & Cortes Museum Hours
On February 28, 2025, host Manda Aufochs-Gillespie was joined by Carrie Saxifrage, Jane Newman, and Karen McDiarmid, to chat about cold swimming. Are you curious about what cold water swimming could do for you? In this episode, we dive into the icy depths to explore the stories, benefits, challenges, and the sheer exhilaration of taking the plunge.
Continue reading Cold Swimming comes to Folk U
Around 40 people turned out to the Cortes Island Museum on November 10 for the launch of a series of community speakers. The host, Brian Scott traced the idea for ‘Finding Home: The Cortes Island Experience’ to a conversation he had with Sherman Barker.
“Sherman and I have known each other for a few years, it’s long other story, but he was up on Easter Bluff one day when Jane and I went up for a hike. We’re chatting, and he started telling us his arrival story. It actually goes even further back to when he came as a kid. He said, there’s lots of stories on the island here and if we don’t somehow capture them, we’re going to lose them.”
“I thought it would be an interesting thing for the museum to do because the museum has artifacts that it’s saving and preserving and sharing with the public. Stories are artifacts as well. How do we capture those? Then it occurred to me, well, why don’t we do a speaker series? I approached Sherman and said, ‘Hey, what do you think? You want to be the first?’ And he’s like, ‘yep, It’s awesome.’”
Continue reading Brian Scott, Sherman Barker & Isabelle LaPlante: on the Cortes Experience
