Volunteer Spotlight is a series where we shine a light on one of our awesome volunteers each month. Spotlights highlight the personalities of our volunteers and share more about their connections to the Frye.
This month, we are spotlighting Annick Garcia, one of our wonderful Events & Programs volunteers. We interviewed Annick to learn more about her and her time at the Frye.
Hi Annick! Can you share how long you have been at the Frye and why you decided to volunteer?
I've been a volunteer since Fall 2021. I love the Frye and all of its programs, especially Creative Aging. I've been a Member for years, have brought countless friends to exhibitions and events, and have taken classes in the studio. Being a volunteer means that I get to be a part of making these programs function and I feel grateful to join this team of passionate and committed volunteers!
What does your volunteer work at the Frye consist of?
I'm relatively new to volunteering. So far, I've helped with events—guiding art-making activities in the studio as part of Community Day and pouring champagne at Members’ Night. I look forward to helping in any way I'm able!
What pieces, artists, programs, or exhibitions do you remember most fondly from your experiences at the Frye?
I really loved the Frye Salon and spent a lot of time meditating on the pieces from the Founding Collection, but my favorite show was Pan Gonkai: Withered Lotus Cast in Iron. Not only was the show beautiful, its precision really resonated with the printmaker in me. I am always very drawn to pieces that are ink on paper and I must have visited that show at least half a dozen times, sometimes with my son who was then 6 years old, and afterwards we would go home and try to paint a piece inspired by the show.
What is something others may be surprised to know about you?
I love to sing but I get terrible stage fright.
Who are your favorite artists and why?
Tara Donovan is amazing. I love how she conceptualizes pieces by investigating materials. Through her installations, she manages to reframe what those materials are. Two of my favorite pieces of hers are Tar Paper and Colony. I've been lucky enough to see her worked installed multiple times and it's always captivating. She is probably the reason I am so drawn to Ruth Asawa's work as well. John Singer Sargent has always been a favorite of mine. His paintings just carry me away, especially works like El Jaleo. My list of favorite artists is long and very diverse, but it would be incomplete without mentioning Jacob Lawrence.
Besides volunteering at the Frye, what do you like to do?
I'm a retired chef, so I really enjoy cooking—the more complicated, the better! Reading and travel are other passions of mine, although amidst the pandemic all of my "travel" has been through books. I'm lucky enough to be able to keep an art studio where I can explore printmaking and watercolor painting.
How have you been spending your time in the wake of COVID-19?
During Covid, I started a postcard project where I created small, abstract watercolor paintings and then mailed them to friends and family all over the world. I managed to send over 80 postcards and rekindle old friendships as well as continuing to feel close to friends who were very far away. I also learned that the Deutsche Poste doesn't like postcards to have deckled edges!
What are some of your favorite things to do in Seattle?
I'm an open-water swimmer in the Puget Sound and Lake Washington and am equally happy to go out on a boat or kayak on the water. We are so lucky to have such a great live music scene in Seattle and I love to go see a jazz show with my husband and teenage son. Also, I'm always on the hunt for the best (name a food): with the help of my family and numerous friends I've hunted for our region's best chocolatiers, best pho, pastries, mushrooms, best delis, ice cream, dumplings, best bagels, fishmongers...you name it.
Anatol San Jose Steck
Development Coordinator