So much to do in the neighborhood on this gorgeous weekend. Here are a few highlights; check our Events calendar any time for more.

The humongous annual PhinneyWood ArtWalk is from 6-9 p.m. Friday and again from 12-5 Saturday, at 84 art galleries and other businesses all throughout the neighborhood. Take a stroll down Phinney/Greenwood avenues and nearby, and you’ll see 150 artists’ work in all mediums, hear live music, and likely see some street performers and some kids’ activities as well. Many restaurants will have ArtWalk specials.

You can check out a map here. And a list of participating venues and artists here.

Please note: The streets will not be closed for this event, but the sidewalks will be very full of people. Please be extra careful if you’re driving through the area and let Artwalkers cross the street safely.

Also on tap this weekend:

Open Mic at 6:30 p.m. Friday at Woodland Park Presbyterian Church, 225 N. 70th St.

Friday Contra Dance at 7:30 p.m. Friday at the Phinney Neighborhood Center, 6532 Phinney Ave. N., in the Brick Building.

Martha Gallagher performs a Pacific NW Folklore Society Coffeehouse Concert at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Couth Buzzard Books – Espresso Buono Café, 8310 Greenwood Ave. N.; Fluer Jack, Jessica Lynne & Julia Massey in Concert at 7:30 p.m. Saturday.

Karaoke with Katybelle at 8 p.m. Friday at Tim’s Tavern, 602 N. 105th St.

Seattle School Board Member Sherry Carr will hold a District II Community Meeting from 8:30-10 a.m. Saturday at Bethany Community Church, 8023 Green Lake Dr.

Woodland Park Zoo celebrates Mother’s Day with “Mom & Me” on Saturday, featuring keeper talks about maternal care by various animals, live entertainment in the North Meadow, a rock climbing wall, bounce house, and dancing and puppet shows in Zoomazium.

Moms get in for half-price on Saturday. “Mom & Me” is included in zoo admission.

A 3-week-old male porcupette named Gavin will make his debut in time for “Mom & Me.” Gavin is the first porcupette born at the zoo.

Photo credit: Ryan Hawk, Woodland Park Zoo

Jonathan Byrd and Chris Kokesh perform a Seattle Folklore Society concert at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the PNA, 6532 Phinney Ave. N., in the Brick Building.

The Brazillionaires perform at 8 p.m. Saturday at Empty Sea Studios, 6300 Phinney Ave. N.

Happy Hour Bingo at 4 p.m. Sunday at Tim’s Tavern, 602 N. 105th St. At 8 p.m. it’s Live Jazz Sundays.

Northwest Clarinet Choir and All City Clarinets Concert at 4 p.m. Sunday at Woodland Park United Methodist Church, 302 N. 78th St.

And in honor of Mother’s Day, Couth Buzzard Books co-owner Theo Dzielak and Kate Smith celebrate the life of their daughter, Ruby Smith, who died of cancer last year, with “88 Cakes Mother’s Day Cake Celebration.”

Kate is going to do something she’s been wanting to do ever since 2008, when Bocadalupa, an arts organization in Bristol, UK, first mounted their community art project, 88 Cakes. Women from the community made cakes of all kinds as an artistic expression of mothering and put them on display: edible or not, naughty or nice, big or small, for sale or for mom’s tummy-it was an amazing exhibit! We invite you to be a part of this innovative community arts project by making that cake of “mom.” Kate’s will be 3-layered, honoring her own mother of 12 children, all the mothers who have lost a child, and the top for she and Ruby. If the cake doesn’t happen, don’t let that stop you from coming by to gaze, buy a cake for that special mom, or enjoy a piece when we cut a few at the end. Drop off begins at 11:30am on Mother’s Day. Cakes will be on display at the store from 12-5pm. Call Kate with questions: 206-713-1524.

The Phinney Center Gallery is calling for artists to submit their work for the Northwest Fine Arts Competition. Selected artists will have their work shown in the gallery, at 6532 Phinney Ave. N., on the second floor, from October through November 2013, and the winning artist will receive a $200 award and a solo show in the gallery in 2014.

Jurors include Jason Huff with the Seattle Office of Arts and Cultural Affairs and Jonathan Wood with Abmeyer & Wood Fine Art.

For more information or to download the application, see the Phinney Center Gallery website.

Photo courtesy of the Phinney Neighborhood Association.

St. John’s School students are displaying their art at the nearby Greenwood Library, 8016 Greenwood Ave. N. All of the pieces will be auctioned off at the school’s benefit auction on April 26 and 27.

And here’s their version of Vincent Van Gogh’s “Cafe Terrace at Night.”

Cancer Lifeline, at 6522 Fremont Ave. N. in Phinney Ridge, is hosting a reception from 6-8 tonight for its new collage art show, featuring more than 70 pieces, each inspired by a poem written by a woman with cancer. The show is co-sponsored by the Northwest Collage Society, and runs through June 24.

Some two dozen women currently participate in Cancer Lifeline’s writing groups, which are offered along with dozens of other free classes and programs for people living with cancer and those who love them.

“Writing has been proven to have a healing effect on people who are experiencing trauma. And when you share your writing with others who are experiencing the same emotions, you build a sense of community and peace,” says Basha Brownstein, Community Program Manager at Cancer Lifeline.

This Magic of Hers
She is a woman who walks the hills
She is a woman who dances all the night away in these hills
She is a woman with ice in her fur and a tattoo on her butt
She is a woman who sings with the moon and howls
with the first rays of the rising sun
She is a woman with claws
She is a gentle woman
She is a woman of lullabies and longs to hear one sung to her
She is a woman who sings in caves emerging only
when an echo returns her song
She is a woman who drinks from the stream
Wild animals come to drink beside her
She tells them tales and she remembers theirs
What is this magic of hers?
It’s in her blood, it’s in the stars.
~ Rita Bresnahan and Valerie Rose

The newest sculpture in the Heart of Phinney Park on the corner of North 67th Street and Phinney Avenue North (in front of Francine Seders Gallery) is called “Marking Place.” It is the third in a series of collaborative works by Susan Gans and David Traylor “to explore ideas that refer to landscape and place.” Guest artists Clint Ceder and Yun Hong Chang were part of the project team.

“Marking Place” will be up through May.

Art on the Ridge, which opened at 8005 Greenwood Ave. N. two-and-a-half years ago, will move to Woodinville, where Owner Nicole Stremlow Monahan, lives.

From her letter to gallery customers and friends:

I have had such a great experience getting to know the art lovers of the neighborhood and all the wonderful artists. I cannot thank all of you enough for enriching my life with this experience. I will miss you so much.

My personal Art & Design services, classes, and Illustration services will continue from Woodinville in a tranquil studio nestled in the woods with surrounding trails and creek to explore for creative inspiration. I hope to see you come to classes and new special weekend workshops. For those of you who want to stay closer to home, series of my most popular classes will be available on-line soon!

Update:  Nicole says her last day with a full gallery of art for sale is Jan. 4, the last day of classes is Jan. 7, and she’ll be fully moved out by Jan. 15.

And Avanti Art and Design, 7317 Greenwood Ave. N., is moving just a few blocks north to 7601 Greenwood Ave. N. (the former Pelayo Antiques building, where Stillwell Hanson architects was until recently).

Avanti Art and Design is moving out of 7317 Greenwood Ave. N. The owners of the picture framing studio and cooperative art gallery tell me their lease is not being renewed. They’ll be open for business through Christmas Eve, and plan to move between Christmas and New Year’s, if they can find a new space in the area.

We are offering a Holiday “Moving fund special” to all our neighborhood supporters that bring framing projects in the studio before our big 5th Anniversary & Closing Party at this location for Art Walk Dec 14th. Share our post for the upcoming meeting with anyone you know that may be interested in participating in the next evolution of our Co-operative Gallery & Pass the word to All you may know that have awesome art they have been saving to frame, we are offering 10% off All custom framing projects placed before the big party Dec 14th & 20% off for card carrying PNA members!!! Thanks for all your support!

What a beautiful evening for strolling the neighborhood and enjoying art and music. Forty-two art galleries and other businesses will open their doors from 6-9 p.m. tonight for the monthly Art Up Artwalk.

Here are just a few highlights. Check out the Artwalk blog for a complete list of all participating venues and artists, plus a map.

Bherd Studios Gallery has moved out of the Greenwood Collective and is now on the corner of 85th and Greenwood, at 312 N. 85th St., Suite 101 (above Chase Bank).

There is a fine line between art and retail in the gallery business and By The Yard pushes it right over the edge. Eleven artists were challenged to create a piece of work that is 1 yard long by 1 foot high which will be sold by the inch. Visitors will be encouraged to use tape measures and rulers to divvy up their favorite parts of the artwork, daring both artist and art buyer to discover how they truly feel about the production of art for sale.

Art On The Ridge is featuring “Observation Works,” block prints by Joya Marie Marsh (below).

Tasty is opening its “Erratic Expressions” exhibit of mixed-media art (below). They’ll be serving pink champagne and artists will be hand to chat about their work from 6-10 p.m.

The artists at Two Birds Tattoo at 7408 Greenwood Ave. N. will show how they design tattoos to customers. They’ll show tattoo stencils and photos of finished tattoos to show the process.

A-1 Piano at 7020 Greenwood Ave. N. features the work of 11-year-old Max Ayotte Basom (below).

Francine Seders Gallery, 6701 Phinney Ave. N., is featuring paintings by Jill Bullitt and Merle Martinson (below), and drawings by Robert McNown.

And two new art studios are opening their doors for tonight’s Artwalk. Warlock Labs and The Studio of AWESOME are located at 101 N. 85th St., above Mori Japanese Restaurant, in suites 201 and 203.

The studios feature fine artists, graphic artists, illustrators, and crafters, including reusable grocery totes, housewares (below), jewelry, and handmade costumes for kids.

Phinney Ridge resident Emily Gussin tells us she painted a graffiti-looking mural on a fence at Aurora Avenue North and North 47t Street. Gussin says the fence was constantly covered in graffiti, and she thought that a graffiti-looking mural could work to prevent more graffiti.

Here’s a portion of the mural.

I did the mural…after having talked with the business owners for a few weeks. They were sick of having to re-paint the fence every week or so to cover up tags, so they allowed me to put up ‘graffiti as graffiti prevention’. I am trying to work with other businesses who have walls or fences that get hit with tags often, because murals are one of the best ways to prevent that vandalism. I…am talking with a few other business owners at the moment, I just completed another one in the UDistrict. I am hoping to get a few more walls done before summer is up.

If anyone is interested in such a mural, please contact Emily Gussin at emily.gussin@gmail.com.

The Greenwood Community Council meets from 7-8:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Greenwood Library, 8016 Greenwood Ave. N.

On the agenda is how to improve Greenwood’s downtown business core, temporary art installations through the Art Interruptions project, and an anti-graffiti initiative that needs volunteers to help clean up our neighborhood.

This month’s GCC meeting focuses on how to fill empty storefronts in downtown Greenwood and end graffiti and neglect. While some businesses are thriving, others have been struggling to survive a dismal economy, and many public and private improvements have passed the business core by. It’s great to see other parts of the neighborhood being improved and rebuilt, but now downtown Greenwood businesses will also need a leg up, and some help from its community and the city. The meeting will focus on the future of the Greenwood business core, and actions to reduce graffiti and improve the environment for business. What’s working, and what needs to be fixed? As always we welcome thoughts from all community members, and for this meeting we’ve also invited Greenwood business owners and property owners to share their ideas and concerns. Please join us for a lively discussion, leading to an action plan for the community council over the coming year.

Six miniature houses are now hanging in trees along Greenwood Avenue, as part of an art installation called “Art Interruptions.” Seattle artist Carolina Silva created the reproductions of real homes on Greenwood between North 67th and 80th streets, and hung the mini houses in city-owned trees near the full-size homes.

The balsa wood houses are painted and varnished to be waterproof, with Plexiglas for the windows. Each house is about 10 x 10 x 12 inches.

Francine Seders Gallery, 6701 Greenwood Ave. N., is holding a free special performance at 6:30 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 5, as part of its current exhibition of paintings by Alan Lau. “the swirl of sound, the shadows of movement” features Lau’s works from 1980-2012. The exhibit will be up through Aug. 12.

Three friends of the artist from various artistic disciplines will pick a favorite painting to communicate with via their preferred mode of expression. Those participating are musician and composer Stuart Dempster, sound artist Susie Kozawa, and Peter Joon Park, who specializes in Korean traditional music. A reading/collaboration by alan lau and friends will follow.

In addition to being a painter and poet and holding down a day job in the produce department at Uwajimaya, Alan Lau reads widely, listens to music, watches films, writes about the arts, travels, and participates in Seattle’s community life. Over time, Lau has found a way to incorporate all of these interests and activities into his work. He has developed an elastic and idiosyncratic calligraphy that expands and contracts in response to the nature of his connection to the work’s subject or theme—whether he’s recalling a piece of music, remembering an old friend, or reflecting on the color and texture of a piece of overripe fruit. Lau uses sumi ink to provide the underlying structure in the work. He may then choose to flesh it out with more liquid ink, watercolor, and pastel to add color and texture. The pieces included in the upcoming show range from spare, linear drawings to tangled and multi-layered paintings. They offer both a chronological look at more than thirty years of work and insight into how Lau’s process reflects his diverse thematic interests.

Lau also will lead an informal walk-through of the show at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, July 25.

Alan Lau, Inner fire, 2009, sumi, mixed media, 23 ¾ x 18 ½ in. Photo by Spike Mafford.