Newsflash

2024 Stone Carving Calendar of Events

Links for these events will become live as registration & information becomes available

April 14-21, 22^nd Annual CALIFORNIA SCULPTORS SYMPOSIUM at Camp Ocean Pines, Cambria, California (CSS) is an annual, week-long program of workshops and demonstrations given by sculptors for sculptors. Intimate hands-on sessions with expert instructors will improve your technique, inspire your designs and build your expertise. Participants return to CSS year after year to share their passion for working with stone, wood, metal and clay. It’s a place to learn, exchange ideas and recharge your creative batteries for both the novice and the seasoned artist. Registration is open NOW! California Sculptors Symposium

Seattle Mineral Market Show May 18 & 19, 2024
NWSSA will have a display booth of stone sculptures at the 16th Annual Seattle Mineral Market Family friendly, free admission and free parking! Free rocks for kids and door prizes! at The Hangar 30 building at Magnuson Park @ 7400 Sand Point Way NE Seattle, WA 98115

Women’s Hand Carving Retreat & Art Show June 7-9, 2024 REGISTRATION FULL!
Our quiet, peaceful, 3-day hand carving event is a wonderful gathering of women artists on the grounds of the Old Alcohol Inn overlooking the bay. We can easily talk among ourselves. If you aren’t a hand carver, bring a partially finished piece you can rasp, chisel, or sand. Space will be limited to 17 experienced carvers & 4 new sculptors. To join the Waitlist, please contact:: Beth Krehbiel This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 360-821-2560 Ellie Hochman This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 206-419-3499

Summer Symposia:
Our symposia are open to all levels from beginners who have never carved stone before, to the hobbyist, to the professional sculptor. These events are one of the most supportive and inclusive environments you will ever encounter. Meet new people, renew old friendships, get inspired, pose your question, answer someone’s question, and fire up the creative spirit in a rich, sharing environment.
Extensive carving sessions are interspersed with informative classes and stimulating sculpting lessons during each of our events. Field mentors and instructors are available to help guide you through your challenges. Bring your gear (if you are a beginner, we have tools you can use), connect to our power, water and air sources and peruse the tools and variety of stones being carved and available for purchase from our on-site vendors.

JULY 6-14 2024: Washington State International Stone Carving Symposium, Port Orchard, WA
Join us for an eight-day symposium on the lovely grounds of Pilgrim Firs Camp in Port Orchard. Guest Artists to be announced, We will have an expanded Beginner's tent, with hand carving and intermediate power tool instruction, the NWSSA general assembly meeting, campfires, inspiring conversations and, hopefully, you!.
JULY 13, 2024 11 am - 4 pm Outdoor Sculpture Show, Port Orchard, WA
Visit with artists, and view 100 sculptures on display and for sale as our 37th Annual Sculpture Symposium culminates. This outdoor event is open to to public.

AUGUST 25- SEPTEMBER 1st 2024: Oregon State International Stone Carving Symposium, Sisters, OR Registration is Now OPEN!
Suttle Lake Camp is our home for the week of our annual Stone Carving Symposium in Oregon!! Suttle Lake Camp is nestled on the eastern slopes of the Cascade Mountains 14 miles west of Sisters. Guest artists to be announced. https://carvestone.org/2024-oregon-symposium/. Questions? Contact Symposium Director Kentaro Kojima at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
AUGUST 31st, 2024 11am - 4 pm Outdoor Sculpture Show near Sisters, OR
Visit with artists, and view 50+ sculptures on display and for sale as our Annual Sculpture Symposium culminates. This outdoor event is open to to public.

AUGUST 17 & 18, 2024 Evergreen Arboretum Sculpture Walk Call For Art
In collaboration with the Everett Arboretum & Gardens, Schack Art Center and the Fresh Paint event we will be co-sponsoring a two-day Sculpture Walk at the Evergreen Arboretum in Everett, WA. The Fresh Paint event has attracted tens of thousands of people. Keep your eyes open for the “call for artists”. All members are invited to display your outdoor and indoor pieces at this event. We will be hosting a Soapstone Carving workshop for youth and are looking for volunteers for this event. https://carvestone.org/2024-evergreen-arboretum-sculpture-show/

SEPTEMBER 9-15th, 2024 Vancouver Island Stone Sculpture Symposium, Lake Cowichan, BC Canada
A New sculpture symposium for 2024, hosted by Event by Daniel Cline and West Coast Sculpture Association More Information to come: Vancouver Island Stone Sculpture Symposium

September 13-15, 2024 Salem Art Festival, OR
Please reach out to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you have interest in helping to organize or participate in this!

September 28th 2024 - Kubota Garden Foundation Art in the Garden Sculpture Show, WA Call for Art & Volunteers
In collaboration with the Kubota Garden Foundation and the City of Seattle Parks & Recreation Department, we are excited to be welcomed back for a Sculpture Walk at this lovely 20 acre Japanese inspired Garden in South Seattle, WA. Contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for any questions. https://carvestone.org/2024-art-in-the-garden-kubota-garden/

October 4-6 2024 - Portland Regional Gem & Mineral Show, OR
Please reach out to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you have interest in helping to organize or participate in this!

Save the Dates 2022

Links for these events will become live as registration & information becomes available

Save the dates and plan your summer for one or both symposia planned for 2022!
In each, extensive carving sessions are interspersed with informative classes and stimulating sculpting lessons. Field mentors and instructors are available to help guide you through your challenges. Bring your gear (if you are a beginner, we have tools you can use), connect to our power, water and air sources and peruse the tools and variety of stones being carved and available for purchase from our on-site vendors.
The symposia are open to all levels from beginners who have never carved stone before to the professional sculptor. These events are one of the most supportive and inclusive environments you will ever encounter. Make new friends, renew old friendships, get inspired, pose your question, answer someone’s question, and fire up the creative spirit in a rich, sharing environment.

Currently In Session: JULY 9th-17th, 2022: Washington Summer Symposium At Camp Pilgrim Firs, Port Orchard, WA
Watch for registration to open soon for this eight-day symposium on the lovely grounds of Pilgrim Firs Camp in Port Orchard. This year we welcome guest artists Candyce Garrett, Stephanie Robison, and Deborah Wilson. We will have an expanded Beginner's tent, pinning and sleeving station, the NWSSA general assembly meeting, campfires, inspiring conversations and, hopefully, you!
Work Study Applications are Open! Please email the Director at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for an application. Registration is Closed

AUGUST 7-14^th 2022: Suttle Lake Symposium in SIsters, Oregon
After two years of silence, the Northwest Stone Sculptors Association is excited to hold our annual Oregon State Stone Carving Symposium at Suttle Lake Camp!! Suttle Lake Camp is nestled on the eastern slopes of the Cascade Mountains 14 miles west of Sisters. It is a special place where the vivid green of Western Oregon mingles with the sunny beauty of the eastern part of the state. This is the 6th year we are returning to this venue that has become our ‘home’. Guest Artists will include: Sabah Al-Dhaher, Matt Auvinen, Mark Herrington and Lawrence Stoller.
Registration will be open soon. Questions? Contact Symposium Director Kentaro Kojima at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Registration s Now OPEN

AUGUST 20-21, 2022 Evergreen Arboretum Sculpture Walk
In collaboration with the Everett Arboretum & Gardens, Schack Art Center and the Fresh Paint event we will be co-sponsoring a two-day Sculpture Walk at the Evergreen Arboretum in Everett, WA. The Fresh Paint event has attracted tens of thousands of people (pre-covid) and we anticipate that many of those attending this year’s Fresh Paint will wander up to visit this year’s Sculpture Walk. Keep your eyes open for the “call for artists”. All members are invited to display your outdoor and indoor pieces at this event. We also will be looking for volunteers for this event. We will send out a request for volunteer sign up closer to the date.

Kubota Gardens 2021

Soapstone Carving Workshop for Youth

Kubota Garden is hosting a unique, community arts experience on Thursday, August 19th brought to us by the Northwest Stone Sculptors Association who will lead local youth, ages 8-17 in discovering the art of crafting a sculpture through soapstone carving.
Instructors will guide participants through the process of shaping this beautiful, natural material into a figurine to take home. Participation is free and the soapstone and all necessary tools will be provided courtesy of Studiostone Creative and participants will keep their finished pieces.

FREE Event - Registration is required: Register Here
This workshop will teach youth (ages 8-17) how to carve animal shapes from soapstone. Members of the Northwest Stone Sculptors Association will show each participant how to file stone and create a unique sculpture.

There are two, 90-minute, workshops (one beginning at 10:00am, the other at 1:00pm), with a limit of 50 youth in each workshop. Participants will be working with soapstone and water and soapstone dust will get on participants clothing, so dress appropriately.

Participants will be appropriately distanced and required to wear masks covering nose and mouth at all times. Instructors and volunteers will also wear masks at all times.

This event will be a wonderful opportunity to combine handiwork, mental focus and three-dimensional thinking, all while enjoying the stunning surroundings of Seattle’s historic American Japanese garden. The event is open to the public for viewing.

The event is sponsored by Studiostone Creative, Kubota Garden Foundation, the Northwest Stone Sculptors Association and 4Culture.

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COVID-19

Hello stoners,

What a crazy time. It is scary, maybe even terrifying, depending upon the latest news source I have seen. Corona virus and COVID-19 are a serious threat to us here in the northwest and around the country. We do not have any events in the immediate future, but we do have the Women's Hand Carving event coming up in June, Pilgrim Firs in July and Suttle Lake in August. In my hopeful moments I dream of the virus being contained in May and we can continue weaving the magic that is a NWSSA symposium throughout the summer.

The Board of Directors and the symposium managers are keeping a close watch on the recommendations and directions given by the CDC, state governors and other public health officials for public gatherings. We have been in contact with the symposium venues and they are granting us great flexibility. It is still early days and we will continue to monitor developments and discuss the best course of action. Our number one priority is the health of our members. However, I tear up to think of a summer without symposiums.

At this point we have not opened up registration for Pilgrim Firs or Suttle Lake, and we will wait longer than normal to begin registration for these events. We have been taking registrations for the Women's Hand Carving event. We are trying to structure these events such that if we need to cancel our members can get a full refund of the symposium fee.

Researchers are working on the question of whether a head to toe covering of stone dust (excluding a face mask and goggle shadow) conveys any protection from viruses. Stay tuned for more information.

Ken - Prez

Covid-19 Common Questions & Resources Below is a select list of links to some great resources we found regarding Covid-19 information and resources (some especially for artists).

2019 NWSSA Events

January 13th Rich Hestekind Tool & Stone Auction at Marenakos Rock Center, Preston, WA
January 14-February 9th"Cross + Over" Group Show at Portland Community College Sylvania Campus
February 2nd Winter Holiday Party at Marenakos Rock Center, Preston, WA
February 20-24th  Northwest Flower & Garden Show Call for Art - Education Booth #2502
May 31st- June 2nd  Women's Weekend Hand Carving Event Old Alcohol Plant Inn, Port Hadlock, WA
June 2nd Artists In Action Women's Stone Sculpture Show, Old Alcohol Plant Inn, Port Hadlock, WA
June 9th Outdoor Sculpture Show, Volunteer Park, Seattle, WA
July 6th-14th Camp Pilgrim Firs International Stone Carving Symposium, Port Orchard, WA
July 13th  Outdoor Sculpture Show Port Orchard, WA
August 11th-18th  Suttle Lake International Stone Carving Symposium, Sisters, OR
August 17th Outdoor Sculpture Show Suttle Lake, OR
October 12th-15th International Sculpture Conference, Portland Art Museum, Portland, OR

Find NW Stone Sculptors Association Members' Work at Rotating Sculpture Shows:

Marenakos Rock Center, Preston, WA

The Old Alcohol Plant Inn, Port Hadlock, WA

Kubota Gardens

Soapstone Carving Workshop for Youth

Kubota Garden is hosting a unique, community arts experience on Saturday, June 2nd brought to us by the Northwest Stone Sculptors Association who will lead local youth, ages 8-17 in discovering the art of crafting a sculpture through soapstone carving. Instructors will guide participants through the process of shaping this beautiful, natural material into a figurine to take home. Participation is free and the soapstone and all necessary tools will be provided courtesy of the Northwest Stone Sculptors Association and 4Culture.

Registration is required: Register Here
There are two, 90-minute, workshops (one beginning at 10:00am, the other at 1:00pm), with a limit of 50 youth in each workshop. Participants will be working with soapstone and water and soapstone dust will get on participants clothing, so dress appropriately.

Morning Registration sign-in 9:30 am; workshop 10-11:30 am
Afternoon Registration sign-in 12:30; workshop 1-2:30 pm

* Please arrive early to sign-in. Registration opens 30 minutes before workshop.
* Parent or adult must accompany child to registration in order to sign permission slip and waiver for photography.
* Adults bringing children ages 12 and under are encouraged to stay with them during the workshop.
* Bring your own drinking water and snack if needed.
* The Terrace Overlook is outdoors, so dress for the weather.

This event will be a wonderful opportunity to combine handiwork, mental focus and three-dimensional thinking, all while enjoying the stunning surroundings of Seattle’s historic American Japanese garden. The event is open to the public for viewing.

The event is sponsored by Kubota Garden Foundation, the Northwest Stone Sculptors Association and 4Culture.

4culture Logo grey

Newsflash

2024 Stone Carving Calendar of Events

Save the Dates 2022

Kubota Gardens 2021

COVID-19

2019 NWSSA Events

Kubota Gardens

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