Olympia is known for its alternative, indie, do-it-yourself arts scene.

"To me, that's one of the beautiful things about Olympia," says Devon Damonte, an experimental filmmaker and artist. "It's a very welcoming arts community, and that fosters people pursuing their dreams, regardless of how well their dreams might not pay."

Yet often the Olympia Arts Commission's programs seem targeted more toward the business side of making art, says arts commissioner Kelsey Smith.

Smith is offering a look at a different segment of the arts community at Monday's Community Arts Roundtable, which she organized.

"There's a really rich culture in Olympia of people who just make art because that is what they do," Smith says. "They are not necessarily hoping to make a living out of it. That's the part of the arts scene that I'm the most interested in, and that's why I wanted to join the arts commission. I wanted to support some of the more independent and alternative artists."

To read Molly Gilmore's full story, click here.

Community Arts Roundtable: Arts Beat Olympia

Monday, April 11, at 6 p.m., free,
Olympia Timberland Library meeting room, 313 Eighth Ave. SE, Olympia
360.709.2678