WVC student Joanna Lavaun to hold first solo art exhibition in Wenatchee

WENATCHEE — Wenatchee Valley College student Joanna Lavaun will present her first solo art exhibition, “Ebb & Flow: Intertidal Configurations,” at 383 Threads in downtown Wenatchee from May 2 through May 31.

Lavaun’s exhibition, which opens during the First Friday art walk on May 2 from 4 to 7 p.m., features ornate mixed-media sculptures inspired by natural forms and manmade objects. The gallery, located at 120 South Columbia Street, is open Wednesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Constructed from inexpensive and thrifted materials such as shells and yarn, Lavaun’s work blends elements of surrealism and actualism with a “campy Rococo vibe.” She described the exhibit as an exploration of how materials are used to represent other ideas and forms. “I hope people think about the way materials have been used to represent something else and appreciate how manmade items can reflect what naturally exists,” she said.

A native of East Wenatchee, Lavaun began her academic journey as a Running Start student at WVC. She initially transferred to Washington State University to pursue a degree in economics and pre-law but found herself drawn back to art.

“I couldn’t imagine myself working a corporate job for the next 40 years,” she said. Upon returning to WVC, she enrolled in the digital design certificate program and has since taken courses ranging from drawing and sculpture to ceramics and creative writing.

“Life and art are interdisciplinary subjects to me,” Lavaun said. “The way I’m the best at expressing myself is through painting.”

Scott Bailey, WVC arts faculty member, praised Lavaun’s initiative in organizing the exhibition. “It has been a pleasure having Joanna take nearly every art class the department offers during her time at WVC,” Bailey said. “We are all very proud of her initiative in mounting this exhibition. Creating a series of strong, cohesive works—along with handling all the other aspects of documenting and installing the show—is an impressive step forward in her journey toward becoming a practicing professional artist.”

Lavaun has also studied Japanese for two years at WVC and will participate in a study abroad program in Miyazaki, Japan this fall. “It’s honestly perfect timing that I get to segue straight from learning Japanese to being immersed in the culture,” she said. The program includes courses in Art Appreciation, Digital Photography, and Japanese language.

Lavaun’s long-term goal is to complete her digital design certificate and transfer to a university. “My favorite thing about art is actually getting to be an art student, learning about artists and looking at work made by my peers,” she said. “Since being an art student isn’t a career option, I intend to become a professor and work a job that intersects art and academia.”