Before the holidays swept in at the end of last year, Tualatin City Council met in November, and part of their agenda was to make a commendation of the Community Enhancement Award.
This award was created by the Tualatin Arts Advisory Committee (TAAC) in 2009 as a way to better promote and recognize significant art contributions within the Tualatin Community. After a recommendation from TAAC, Tualatin City Council could formally recognize the award recipients.
Saying the recognition was “long overdue,” Mayor Bubenik, on behalf of the City of Tualatin, presented Angela Wrahtz with the formal Community Enhancement Award for 2023.
This award is truly a special recognition because it is not necessarily given out every year, and the list of recipients over the last twenty years is quite an impressive group. Past recipients include Althea Pratt-Brome for her work with Willowbrook Arts Camp, CenterCal Nyberg Rivers Shopping Center, for the “I Wonder” bronze mastodon sculpture, and more recently, The Community at Marquis for their artistic reuse of the old Tualatin Elementary School’s materials, and S&A Irish Entertainment for dance lessons and performances at Winona Grange.
You are probably already familiar with Angela if you read the art columns in this paper which promote and celebrate the local artists she finds and recruits to display in the Living Room Gallery of Tualatin Public Library, that comfy space where the fireplace crackles. In 2009, she approached the City to discuss a creative way to help the talented artists in our community to have more visibility for their work and agreed to coordinate a new program she would curate initially as a volunteer. Since that time, Angela has been responsible for installing over 50 different exhibitions showcasing emerging and award-winning artists.
In 2009, Angela founded the art group Women of Watercolor—Guild of Artists. Now called Wild Over Watercolor, or WOW!, the group meets regularly at the Tualatin Heritage Center and on Zoom to paint together and promote art education to adults who have been yearning to let out their inner artist. Angela has been President of WOW! and/or on the Board for the fourteen years the art association has been here. You can learn more about WOW! at www.wowiswatercolor.org.
As you may guess, Angela is an accomplished artist in her own right. She is a lifelong artist who has recently won several prestigious awards from professional societies and national judges. In 2023, she won Best of Show in the highly competitive Spring art show hosted by the Watercolor Society of Oregon. At the Oregon Society of Artists, she was honored to receive the coveted People’s Choice Award at the Annual Water Media Show. In addition to participating in competitive juried shows, Angela has been invited by organizations to serve as a judge. Notably, in 2023, she served as a judge for the Fine Art Exhibition at the Oregon State Fair.
In addition to working as a professional artist, Angela teaches and consults with other artists to help them improve and/or re-imagine their work. She holds open studios, and you can learn more about those at www.angelasarthouse.com.
Do you know of an individual or organization that has contributed to Tualatin’s arts experience and deserves formal recognition? Proposals from Tualatin community members are warmly welcomed. Nominations for the Community Enhancement Award can be made on the City of Tualatin’s website and are reviewed by the Tualatin Arts Advisory Committee:
www.tualatinoregon.gov/recreation/arts-and-culture.
Looking for more ways to get involved? There are many exciting volunteer opportunities available, from helping out at the Library or Heritage Center, to tree plantings and community events. Tualatin’s volunteers help raise the quality of life for everyone. And who knows? One day, someone may nominate you to be recognized officially by the City in commendation for your contributions to the greater good.
