‘Food for Thought’ asks islanders to bring canned goods for a storefront show.

For some time, Bainbridge Arts and Crafts had been toying with the idea of a gallery show devoted to the theme of tables, tablecloths…a nebulous idea that never really took hold, until the most obvious association clicked.

“Finally, somebody had a moment of clarity and said, ‘food,’” said Victoria Josslin, education director for BAC. “Food is a powerful metaphor.”

BAC’s December exhibition, “Food for Thought,” brings together a cornucopia of local and regional artists in various media – from two-dimensional representations of the daily repast to fully functional serving pieces.

Twenty-three artists are show work in wood, glass, ceramics and painting. Participants include Ted Bartholomew, Deborah Collins, Megan Drew, John Ellefson, Max Grover, Denise Harris, Kuy Hepburn, Julie Hews-Everett, Sandra Hurd, Suzi Jennings, Bernice Jones, Aaron Levine, Claudia McKinstry, James Minson, Merrilee Moore, Joe and Elida O’Brien, Ann Pearl, Deborah Peek, Sally Robison, Morgan Seeley, Rick Stafford, Dan Walters and Dale Zimmerman.

The most noticeable feature of the display may be in the Winslow Way gallery’s front window. There, canned goods are piling up as islanders drop them off – the month-long exhibit doubles as a community food drive. Contributions will go to the Helpline House holiday food bank.

“It seemed like if you’re going to have ‘food for thought,’ you need to have real food for real people,” Josslin said.

Joan the Phone rings up again

If islanders associate Joan the Phone with any color, it wouldn’t be brown, but more likely red.

Joan Brown, as she was known during her more than two decades on the island, was a fixture around town behind the wheel of her red AMC Pacer X.

As a businesswoman in the days before cell phones and instant messaging, she was a community switchboard of sorts at the helm of Bainbridge Answering Service.

A polio survivor, she walked on crutches but was a nonetheless active participant in the island’s cultural and social spheres.

“She always had a cheerful countenance, and was quite focused on what she wanted to accomplish, and knew how a lot of good ways to go about it,” said Norm Wooldridge, who knew Brown from her work in the public arena. “She stood out because of her obvious disability, but that coupled with her high energy made her a rather unique person.”

Brown – who later changed her surname to True – left the island for Everett after retiring in the mid-1990s. She succumbed to illness a year ago, but not before realizing her dream of becoming a visual artist.

Among her last wishes was to “send my art work out into the world” and “to return to Bainbridge Island as an artist,” her daughter Melissa Gunn said.

To fulfill her wishes, Brown’s works are making a six-month tour of walls in local public spaces. Her works hang at the Bainbridge Library through February; they will move to the Harbour Public House in March, and then to Pegasus Coffee House in June.

While on the island, Joan the Phone was a member of the arts council and served with the Chamber of Commerce and its Grand Old Fourth Committee. She made a bid for mayor in 1993.

Later, as an artist, she was a member of the Colored Pencil Society of America and her work was accepted in a number of juried shows. “Crimson Lake/Red Boat” appeared in the 9th Annual Colored Pencil Society of America display in San Francisco, Calif. in 2001, while “What a Pair” was featured in “No Boundaries” tour of Northwest states through VSA Arts of Washington.

Reproductions are for sale in an online gallery at www.joantrue.com.