June 16 – Sept. 19

As our society becomes more and more technology-based and further from the production process, there is a renewed interest in the rediscovery of skills and professions that rely on working hands. From setting metal type to turning wood and hauling nets, these hands know the weight of a letter, the direction of wood grain, the bounty of the sea. The healing power of hands has long been known as well, and the fact that our personalities can be read in a palm or by the very calluses we work to conceal.

Hands at Work is an extraordinary exhibit of photographs and quotes from the makers whose hands and work are featured. Twenty-four (16″ x 20″) framed images with accompanying quotes make up the 1,000-1,500 square-foot exhibit along with a mirror that encourages visitors to frame their own hands, asking the questions, “What work do your hands do? To what work do they aspire?”

The exhibit is a heartfelt collaboration between photographer Summer Moon Scriver and author Iris Graville. Drawn from a wide array of interviews and photo shoots conducted by Graville and Scriver, Hands at Work features a number of people who live and work in Puget Sound; many are from Lopez Island, Washington, home to Graville and Scriver. In addition to creating the exhibit, the pair’s 144-page hardcover book has received numerous awards including a National Best Books Award in Photography, an Outstanding Book award by Independent Publishers (IPPY), and a gold Nautilus Book Award.

Join us for a Members’ Reception on July 25th at 5:00 p.m. prior to Iris Graville’s Humanities in the Harbor presentation – “The Way of the Artist.”