Volunteer Spotlight is a series where we shine a light on one of our awesome volunteers each month. Each spotlight will highlight the personalities of our volunteers and share more about their connections to the Frye.
This month, we are spotlighting a longtime Gallery Guide and Creative Aging volunteer, Donna Dziak. We interviewed Donna to hear more about her background and time volunteering at the Frye.
Hi, Donna! How long have you been at the Frye and what made you want to volunteer?
I have been at the Frye for five years. I used to work downtown in the mid-80s, managing a small breakfast and lunch restaurant. I had to be at work at 4:30am and, at the time, no buses ran that early from my apartment in the U-District, so I drove into town. You could park for free near the Cathedral, and that's where I'd park and walk into downtown from there. I would go into the Frye every once in while and always thought, "This feels like such a great place—it would be great to work here." Well, 30 years later, I finally got here as a volunteer!
What does your role as both a Gallery Guide and Creative Aging volunteer consist of?
As a Gallery Guide, I provide public and private tours, as well as school tours during the school year.
For Creative Aging, I present the Alzheimer’s Café gallery talk once a month. I lead a group of caregivers and their loved ones/clients who have dementia through a discussion of a selected works of art. We have lively discussions about what we notice about the art, what we like and don’t like about it, and what it may remind us of. Afterwards, we gather in the café for refreshments and sing-a-longs hosted by a musician volunteer.
I also am involved with the Bridges program, where we go to a memory care facility and pair up with a resident to create art once a week over an eight-week period. Each week is a new project and, as a volunteer, I help my partner create art. At the end of the series, we hold an art show for all the participants and their families. It’s a joy to be part of their journey.
What pieces, artists, programs, or exhibitions do you remember most fondly from your experiences at the Frye?
There are two actually that stick out, due in part to the conversations I had with kids from schools. In both cases I think I was working with 5th graders, and the deep, heartfelt observations of the art from the kids was stunning—Cris Bruch: Others Who Were Here and Tavares Strachan: Always, Sometimes, Never. Personally, I also loved Young Blood: Noah Davis, Kahlil Joseph, The Underground Museum—so you got three from me!
Who are your favorite artists and why?
My first love was Edward Hopper. I know he isn't a very original choice, but you always remember your first love, right? I felt something deeply moving in his work the first time I saw it. I like artists that employ a little abstraction with their realism. William Scott is an artist in this genre and an artist I have come to appreciate. I like this style because it mimics the truth about life, I think. I'm also following the work of local artist Anthony White and Gillian Theobald. Different styles for sure. I like Anthony's use of pop culture items—for me it feels like a revelation of our consumption culture. Gillian is a diverse artist—I like how she uses blocks of color. Her oils are abstract-ish, too. Like a macro lens photo of trees, cliffsides, water—her recent work is a kind of structural collage—it's interesting, as they look a bit like her landscape oils.
Besides volunteering at the Frye, what do you like to do?
I had worked in social services for 20 years and left in 2014 to care for my parents. I am still caring for my dad, and with COVID-19, it's been a challenge. I love to garden and spend a lot of time in my big yard coddling ornamental and edible plants. My husband and I do a lot of hiking and have had the privilege to hike into some of the most beautiful places. My favorite is the Annapurna Sanctuary in the Himalayas. I also practice yoga.
What is something others may be surprised to know about you?
Before I decided to go to grad school and finally start a career (after years of working odd jobs, quitting to go travel, then come back and start all over again), I bartended for five years in a pretty rowdy Irish bar. I learned how to swear Irish style ;-).
How have you been spending your time in the wake of COVID-19?
Well, mostly I've done the above! Care for my Dad, work in the garden (I built a new raised bed in the late spring), and hike. I’ve also been training my crazy German Shepherd rescue dog. She's a challenge. I have a tendency to adopt dogs with issues.
What are some of your favorite things to do in Seattle?
I like walking through the big parks: Discovery, Carkeek, Magnuson, the Arboretum. Also, going out to eat. I miss that. A lot.
Anatol San Jose Steck
Development Coordinator