Excellence in the Arts Awards

The Washington Center'S Awards for Excellence in the Arts recognize the individuals and organizations whose work, support, and involvement help build a vibrant cultural community in the greater South Sound region. Awardees will be honored at the CENTER Stage Awards & Gala on Saturday, March 7, 2026. 

Janice Arnold: 2026 Achievement in the Arts Awardee

Janice Arnold is a textile and installation artist who blurs the boundaries among science, fine art, craft, cultural history, and public engagement. Her practice is rooted in and informed by her time studying and working with Indigenous Nomads of Central Asia and Mongolia. Equally an artist, inventor, and presenter, she uses innovative approaches and techniques to create a wide range of art and installations that honor the origins of Felt as our “First Fabric.”  

Her art practice embodies a philosophy that humans are not superior but equal parts of a web of life. Her colossal installations shift our perceptions of space and our sense of self, evoking awe and wonder, so that, as humans, we feel smaller and, hopefully, more respectful of our kinship with nature.

She has carved out a rare international niche as an artist in a league of her own. Her work challenges how we think about traditional textile art forms. Her textiles begin simply, with humble, wispy raw fibers laid down with intention, and, through collaboration and skill, transform into refined, dynamic textural works of art that range from small works to monumental installations. Her virtuosity in this unusual medium is measured by the diversity of her work - from diaphanous, light-responsive pieces to thick, rock-like slabs, from textiles that evoke the essence of ice, fire and water to textures that mimic the bark of trees. 

Recent honors include a Rare Craft Honoree from the American Craft Council; sponsorships from the Smithsonian and the US Embassy in Kazakhstan to present, exhibit, and collaborate with Kazakh artists; adoption as an Honorary Member of the Union of Artists of Kazakhstan; a 2023 feature article in Smithsonian Magazine, “Arnold builds on thousands of years of felt-making in creations that allude to community and nature, such as a flowing river…representing America’s renewed passion for textile art” - referring to the 260’ long River of Wool - Homage to Water - that flowed through the Washington State Department of Ecology in 2023; a 2-story, 3D installation at the University of Wisconsin - Madison School of Human Ecology; an accepted proposal for the US Embassy in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan; a lecture tour in Rome and Verona, Italy; Founder of The Felt Road, which received an Inspire Olympia grant and includes collaboration with the House of Welcome Longhouse - where she has a site-specific installation-Homage to the Forests through June 30, 2026.

Arnold was born in Vancouver, Washington, and graduated from The Evergreen State College. She has lived in Olympia for 40 years, and her studio is in the Historic Grand Mound School and Historic District in South Thurston County.

Achievement in the Arts recognizes outstanding performing or visual artistry by individuals or organizations based in the greater South Sound region (Pierce, Thurston, Mason and Lewis Counties).

Roger McIntosh was the Washington Center Production Manager for 40 years, from the Center’s inception in 1985 until January 2026. After graduating from The Evergreen State College with a degree in technical theater, McIntosh worked in photography, marketing, and lighting design for bands in both Seattle and his hometown, Walla Walla. He returned to Olympia and was hired at the Washington Center right before it opened to the public in September 1985.

Roger was an adjunct faculty member at The Evergreen State College, teaching lighting design and passing on his craft to up and coming professional technical theater crew. He has been a lighting designer for Ballet Northwest since 1985, including The Nutcracker and all their major productions. Roger plans to continue lighting design for Ballet Northwest. His career was dedicated to the performing arts in Thurston County.

Commitment to the Arts  recognizes outstanding commitment to the arts through volunteerism, financial support, leadership, or advocacy by individuals or organizations based in the greater South Sound region (Pierce, Thurston, Mason and Lewis Counties). 

Previous Recipients:

Achievement in the Arts

2025 - Nikki McClure, papercut artist, author, and illustrator
2024 - Sam Miller, comedian
2023 - Gabriel Rutledge, comedian
2019 – Jill Carter, technical set design expert and mentor
2018 – Jim This, lifelong theater performer and producer
2017 – Joe Baque, career musician
2016 – Bud and Mary Johansen, Co-founders of the Johansen School of Ballet

Commitment to the Arts

2025 - Cheryl Selby, former mayor of Olympia
2024 - Olympia Junior Programs
2023 - Greg and Krina Allison, Founders of  Student Orchestras of Greater Olympia
2019 – R.L. Ray Violin Shop
2018 – Olympia Family Theater
2017 – Stephanie Johnson, City of Olympia public art program
2016 – Andy Crow, advocate for pipe organs and music education

2020-2022 Awards not conferred due to COVID-19