BRAVA Awards
Bainbridge Island Museum of Art recently announced the 2025 BRAVA Award recipients: Sarah Bryant, Dan Friday, Yolanda Galery, and Nikki McClure. BRAVA stands for “BIMA Recognizes Achievement in the Visual Arts” and celebrates contemporary artists, craftspeople, and makers whose work demonstrates artistic merit, technical mastery, and contribution to the field, per a news release.
From hundreds of applicants in the four categories of Artist’s Book Artist, Indigenous and First Nations Artist, Emerging Artist, and Children’s Book Illustration Artist, jurors selected these four winners. Each of these individuals will receive an unrestricted award of $15,000 in recognition of their artistic excellence and contribution to their field, as well as a video that captures their perspectives as contemporary artists and makers.
“In this time, when opportunities and foundational support for the arts are feeling fragile and imperiled, we are excited beyond measure to make this kind of direct and meaningful contribution to four game-changing artists,” said Sheila Hughes, BIMA Executive Director. “It’s BIMA’s honor and privilege to find a new way for a museum to support and spotlight not just these winners’ work, but the artistic contributions of all working artists. We hope the BRAVA Award serves as a signpost of appreciation and encouragement — a heartfelt valentine that conveys how essential artists are to the creation and vibrance of a healthy, beautiful community.”
For more information on the BIMA’s BRAVA Awards, including artist videos, go to biartmuseum.org/brava-award-winners-2025/
Quilt Festival
The 13th annual Bainbridge Island Quilt Festival will be held Sept. 23 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Winslow Green.
The free event is hosted by the Bainbridge Island Modern Quilt Guild. Enjoy a vibrant outdoor display of modern and traditional quilts, and a community vote for your favorite quilt, a news release says.
Visit bainbridgeislandmodernquiltguild.com for full event details, registration, and volunteer opportunities.
Program applications
Applications for the 2026 Creative Residency and Community Creative programs at Bloedel Reserve are now open.
The program brings 10 artists and innovators from a wide variety of disciplines to the Reserve each year to explore their work, per a news release. This year is the program’s 10-year anniversary, and you can visit pieces created by residents over that time now at both Bloedel Reserve and the Bainbridge Island Museum of Art.
Applications will be accepted through Sept. 1. Apply at bloedelreserve.org/creativity_inspiration/
Injury collision
A 46-year-old Port Orchard man was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle after he struck a guardrail with his vehicle and left the roadway on Highway 160 before rolling and coming to a stop, per the Washington State Patrol.
No-contact order
A cyanobacteria warning has been issued for Kitsap Lake, per the Kitsap Public Health District.
No illnesses have been reported to KPHD at this time.
Avoid all contact with the water in the ake due to potentially toxic cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae. There are many different types of cyanobacteria and not all blooms are toxic. The cyanobacteria in Kitsap Lake are known to produce toxins.
Because cyanobacteria can make people sick and can kill animals, make sure to:
Avoid all contact with the lake water until further notice. This means no swimming, wading, or types of water play where water could be swallowed or get into your mouth, nose or eyes.
Avoid drinking lake water. If you use lake water for drinking water, use bottled water until further notice.
Keep pets and livestock out of the lake.
Avoid eating fish caught during the cyanobacteria bloom.
Rinse boats and trailers thoroughly before going to another lake.
Warning signs will be posted at public access areas around the lake. KPHD will continue to monitor for cyanobacteria and post updates as conditions change.
Shellfish harvesting closed
Shellfish harvesting is closed for Colvos Passage, from Point Southworth south to the Pierce County line, due to high levels of paralytic shellfish poison, the Kitsap Public Health District announced Aug. 8.
Samples for this closure showed concentrations of 112 micrograms of toxin per 100 grams of shellfish tissue. Shellfish harvesting is closed when PSP toxin levels meet or exceed 80 micrograms per 100 grams of tissue.
The closure includes all recreational shellfish harvesting for all species of clams, oysters, and mussels. Shrimp and crab are not included in this closure, but crabs should be cleaned prior to cooking, and the “crab butter” should be discarded, per KPHD.
Warning signs have been posted at public beaches alerting people not to collect shellfish from the closure areas. Existing shellfish closures remain in effect.
Utility work
Travelers who use Highway 104 approaching Kingston will want to plan additional travel time.
From 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. each weekday from Aug. 11 through Sept. 25, utility crews will cut back vegetation and address trees of concern along the road.
Expect occasional one-way alternating travel between Hansville Road and Parcells Road and traffic stops of up to 15 minutes during work hours, a news release says.
The one-way alternating traffic will allow private utility crews to conduct vegetation management. The utility work will start at milepost 23 near Parcells Road and move west to milepost 22 near Hansville Road.
