October 6, 2017 | Cannon Beach Gazette | cannonbeachgazette.com • 5A
Local artists pay tribute to McLeod
SUBMITTED PHOTO
Work by Scott Johnson will be exhited at the Cannon Beach
History Center and Museum.
The Cannon Beach History
Center and Museum’s latest
art exhibit featuring the work
of local artists Scott Johnson,
Debra Carnes with a memorial
to Cannon Beach’s Steve Mc-
Leod. The fall exhibit will open
on Friday, Oct. 6, at 6 p.m. with
refreshments and live music.
Both Johnson and Carnes will
be on hand to discuss their
work and how McLeod has in-
spired them over the years.
Scott Johnson’s love of na-
ture and background in plein
air is evident in his beautiful
and intricate watercolors.
Johnson developed the soft
washes of the Japanese tradi-
tion, as well as the refined line
work of the Persian miniature.
Johnson’s love of nature,
refreshed by frequent trips
and hikes, is evident in his
work, but its mood, often por-
trayed by impending weather,
dominates the objects in the
landscape.
For more than 30 years
self-taught
basket
artist
Carnes has been handcrafting
woven works of art from ever
changing materials. Her pieces
have been displayed in juried
shows and galleries in Michi-
gan, Florida, and Oregon. Her
baskets and sculptures are cur-
rently inspired by her concern
Artists take Cannon Beach by storm
The Stormy Weather Arts
Festival will celebrate its 30th
anniversary in Cannon Beach
Nov. 3-5.
The event will focus on a
wide range of visual and per-
forming arts, offering the op-
portunity to meet artists and
discuss their work, listen to
local musicians, and take in
gallery events.
The event has grown to
include a spotlight concert
showcasing accomplished or
up-and-coming musicians in
the Cannon Beach’s Coaster
Theatre Playhouse; the Danc-
ing in the Rain fashion show,
featuring local and national
designers; and Brews, Blues
and Barbecues.
The festival kicks off with
Friday night’s Stormy Weath-
er Arts Benefit Cocktail and
SUBMITTED PHOTO
A demonstration of glassmaking at Stormy Weather arts
festival.
Dessert Party where guests
can interact with professional
jewelry artists and see some
of their work.
The evening also includes
a silent auction and raffle fea-
turing Northwest travel pack-
ages. The auction and raffle
will benefit children’s art pro-
grams including the Coaster
Theatre’s Coaster Kidz The-
atre Camp, the Cannon Beach
Arts Association Children’s
Summer Art Camp and the
Sea Ranch Children’s Sum-
mer Music Camp.
On Friday evening and
all day Saturday, visitors can
wander from gallery to gal-
lery enjoying a variety of re-
ceptions and artist demonstra-
tions and catch free live music
performances with regional
musicians at indoor and out-
door venues.
This year, the Americana
rock band Heels to the Hard-
wood will be featured at Sat-
urday evening’s spotlight
concert, an event sure to be
a memorable performance, in
the 200-seat Coaster Theatre.
For more information, call
the Cannon Beach Chamber
of Commerce at 503-436-
2623.
Volunteer advocates for children needed
By Sue Cody
For Cannon Beach Gazette
Children need a safe, nur-
turing environment to achieve
well-being and self-confi-
dence, educators agree. When
families can’t provide that,
children rely on local volun-
teers to be their voice in the
process of finding a safe, per-
manent home.
Parents who struggle with
drug abuse, domestic violence
or mental illness may find
themselves in court, where a
judge decides if their home
environment is safe. If not,
some children are put in foster
care, while the parents work
on becoming healthy.
Children are then assigned
a volunteer advocate to look
out for them. Most of the
children served locally are 5
years old or younger. About
90 children need an advocate,
but there are only 40 volun-
teers.
Court Appointed Special
Advocates become the voice
of the child and advocate
for the child’s best interest
throughout a child welfare
court case.
“Our middle-class, white-
picket-fence instinct is, ‘Well,
let’s just take that child and
put her into a happy home,
and everyone feels good,’”
says Julia Mabry, executive
director of Clatsop CASA
Program.
“But that’s not how it
works,” Mabry says. “That is
not in the child’s best interest.
The child’s best interest is to
help the parents be safe and
sober so they can continue
their attachment and continue
to be raised by their parent, if
that is at all possible.”
“This volunteer work is
really rewarding” Mabry says.
“It can really make a differ-
ence in the life of a child. But
it really does take a special
‘This volunteer work…really does take
a special person, who is willing to learn
about what has happened to that child
that led them to being in foster care.’
Julia Mabry,
executive director of Clatsop CASA Program
person, who is willing to learn
about what has happened to
that child that led them to be-
ing in foster care.”
Unsafe homes
Before CASAs are called
in, Child Protective Services,
through the Department of
Human Services, determines
if the child is safe at home. If
not, they help parents make a
plan that will keep the child at
home.
When parents cannot com-
ply with the plan, they end
up in court and CASA gets
involved. “Parents might be
passed out on the couch or
seeking drugs and are not fo-
cused on raising kids,” Mabry
says.
“Exposure to domestic vi-
olence is really damaging to
children. It is very traumatiz-
ing and has long-lasting ef-
fects on their ability to learn
and to develop properly. We
can’t leave a child in a home
where they are constantly ex-
posed to domestic violence.”
Parents are given time to
become safe and sober. It usu-
ally takes about a year, but
that can vary depending on
how well the parents are do-
ing.
“Parents have to get their
life together,” Mabry says.
“They have to not use drugs,
take care of their mental
health or whatever they need
to do. Some parents do really
well, and get their kids back,
and some don’t.
“It’s really important for
powered by
us to match the children with
volunteers who have shared
interests, so they can bond
easier.”
While the child is in fos-
ter care, the CASA visits the
child at least once a month
and learns what needs, hopes
and wishes he has. CASA’s
role is to make sure whatever
happens is in the child’s best
interest, Mabry says. For ex-
ample, she might advocate for
more visits with an uncle or
someone close to them.
“They might want horse-
back riding lessons or a bike,”
Mabry says. “Sometimes it’s
just little things that make a
big difference. What CASAs
really advocate for and work
on is the child’s best perma-
nent plan.”
CASA volunteer training
Because childhood trau-
ma can affect health for life,
Columbia Pacific Coordinate
Care Organization (CCO)
awarded a grant of $15,000
per year for two years for
CASA Volunteer Training
and Supervision in Clatsop
County. The grant will help
CASA provide training twice
a year to expand the volun-
teer base and offer supervi-
sion to CASAs after they are
assigned cases.
During training, CASAs
learn about the effects of
trauma on kids. They learn
about the importance of the
child’s attachment to parents
as part of their emotional de-
velopment.
They also learn about
community resources, and
“the dire need for our com-
munity to do better by our
children,” Mabry says.
People interested in be-
coming a CASA volunteer
can attend a six-week training
program starting Oct. 18 at
Clatsop Community College.
Sessions are three hours
every Wednesday for six eve-
nings. CASAs learn about
child welfare laws, why kids
are removed from home,
what the treatments and op-
tions are for the parents and
a little bit about child devel-
opment.
After training, child wel-
fare and criminal background
checks are performed on vol-
unteers. If passed, the CASA
is then they are sworn in and
they become part of the court
proceedings.
The time commitment
after training is about four
to six hours a month, Mab-
ry says. The CASA meets
with the child and follows
the progress of the parents,
through collaboration with
the DHS caseworker.
The program asks for a
two-year commitment, be-
cause most cases last that
long, Mabry says. But others
resolve earlier.
“CASAs
should
be
open-minded and curious,”
Mabry says. “They have to be
willing to learn what is hap-
pening in this child’s life and
want what’s best for kids.”
or, and more. McLeod had a
vision that wasn’t lost on the
community he left behind.
McLeod was a huge part
of Cannon Beach’s art move-
ment during the 1960s. He,
along with Evelyn Georges,
had an idea to open a gallery
that showcased the work of
local artists, crafters, and pro-
fessional artists in the same
space. The White Bird Gal-
lery was one of the first of its
kind. This idea has formed
the artistic identity of Cannon
Beach, and some might argue,
the community as a whole.
For more information, visit
www.cbhistory.org.
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music fi rst
to create express sustainabili-
ty in art making. Carnes won
the Steve McLeod Earth Day
Award two years in a row for
creating pieces from recycled
marine debris.
The work that Carnes and
Johnson will be displaying in
this exhibit is in part inspired
by work of McLeod.
Cannon Beach artist and
devoted beachcomber died
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