Michael Guilfoil

Hoping to encourage stronger bonds between artists and the public, Spokane's Arts Commission is sponsoring a series of potluck gatherings. The first is set for Monday evening from 5 to 7 in the Peaceful Valley Community Center, 214 N. Cedar. "A lot of artists feel like they're not part of any larger community - nobody knows anybody," explains Arts Commission director Sue Ellen Heflin. "And arts organizations say they don't have enough opportunities for informal networking." The potluck idea was suggested during one of the commission's recent planning forums, and Peaceful Valley residents offered to host the first dinner. Everyone is welcome.

Have you ever noticed a distant house nestled into the surrounding landscape, and felt the scene couldn't possibly be improved? Or maybe you've walked into an unfamiliar room, and immediately sensed an unspoken message of welcome? That's good design working its magic. Frequently we encounter good residential design without recognizing it ... we just feel better about a home because of the proportions of its windows, the size of its rooms, the texture of its walls or the depth of its eaves. Recognizing excellence in design is what The Spokesman-Review's Inland Northwest Home Awards are all about.

1. Chris Venne and Mike Neuss of Shelter Dynamics stand in front of a home built with panels. The technique was developed in Sweden. Photo by Shawn Jacobson/The Spokesman-Review 2. Workers position the panels with a crane and begin to assemble them at a South Hill job site last winter. Photo by Anne C. Williams/The Spokesman-Review 3. Shelter Dynamics builds custom house parts in a factory environment and then trucks them to the building site for assembly. Photo by Anne C. Williams/The Spokesman-Review

1. Martin Gerard Moran uses his unique technique with the idea of creating art you can use in your daily life. Robert Barros Photo, Inc. 2. Spokane artist Martin Gerard Moran approaches his craft with no preconceptions of the finished look. Photo by Dan McComb/The Spokesman-Review

1. This Dean Housley model home is the first of 365 planned for the Valley's Riverwalk development. Photo by Kristy MacDonald/The Spokesman-Review 2. Decorator Pat Voking's profusion of silk flowers adds a romantic touch to builder John Carl's "Morning Side" home. Photo by Colin Mulvany/The Spokesman-Review 3. A room with a view, this showcase home at 5031 S. Hillcrest Lane features a family room with a surround sound entertainment center and a stunning view of the Spokane Valley. Photo by Colin Mulvany/The Spokesman-Review

1. Mike Anderson, left, and Jim Henson of Anderson's Sheet Metal put finishing touches on the master bath in builder Lori Gray's home-show entry at 111 E. Meadow Lane. Photo by Colin Mulvany/The Spokesman-Review 2. Developers Brian and Dinah Layton hope to introduce home show visitors to manufactures housing. Photo by Colin Mulvany/The Spokesman-Review

1. Architect Glen Cloninger, left, and builder Dave Mark hope to recreate the mood of Spokane's distinguished old neighborhoods. Photo by Colin Mulvany/The Spokesman-Review 2. Garages in Grapetree are tucked out of sight on the sides of houses. 3. Playful chimneys epitomize Cloninger's attention to detail.

1. GreenFire workshop participants lay the first course of straw bales for a one-room shelter overlooking the Methow Valley. Photo by Michael Guilfoil The Spokesman-Review 2. Instructor Ted Butchart leads an open-air tutorial in the characteristics of straw. 3. A straw bale spec home in Santa Fe. Photo by Bill Steen 4. Stucco and soft lines distinguish straw-bale homes such as this one in Santa Fe. Photo by Bill Steen

Four men and five women gathered at Hamblen Elementary last Tuesday night to chart the future of Spokane's cultural life. These weren't your stereotypical purveyors of taste - museum curators, media critics and philanthropists. Rather, they were ordinary residents - a schoolteacher, a sculptor and a selfdescribed "house husband."

Tom Heavey, workshop spokesman Whenever Tom Heavey sees a newspaper account or television report about what's wrong with America, he remembers something he heard a South American author say. "He described the United States as the first nation in history that's trying to build a truly multicultural society," says Heavey. No wonder the news media are full of conflict.

1. A dramatic view of downtown Spokane is afforded by this Tudoresque home at 404 W. Sumner, built in 1909 for department store owner Charles Kemp. Photo by Sandra Bancroft-Billings/The Spokesman-Review 2. This English-style mansion at 538 W. Sumner is among six homes open for tour Sunday. 3. An original oak and wrought-iron banister graces the foyer at 538 W. Sumner. The home was built in 1928 for department store owner Henry Herbert for $35,000.

Earth Day turns 25 today, and like most 25-year-olds, it's showing signs of maturity. For starters, Earth Day is less flashy - fewer rock concerts, fewer pranks (like the time ecoterrorists dumped oil in the reflecting pool outside Standard Oil's San Francisco headquarters). Instead, it's become more family oriented. Riverfront Park will host an assortment of activities for all ages today, including fiddlers, story-tellers and solar-powered model car races. Elsewhere, cleanups and picnics are planned.

Beautiful voices alone don't make a choir great. Also needed are lyrics, notes and a shared vision. Likewise, cities require more than talented individuals to achieve cultural harmony. They also need a plan, says Michael Sullivan, Tacoma's manager of cultural resources - one that considers a community's strengths, its weaknesses and its hopes for the future. Tacoma completed its cultural plan two years ago, and Sullivan calls the results astonishing. Arts-related jobs and revenue have doubled, and community pride is on the upswing. Says Sullivan, "This city has changed forever."

1. Architect Jerry Anderson designed this 5,260-quare-foot Fernan Lake residence for Robert and Muriel Schini. Photos from American Institute of Architects' North Idaho Section 2. Kootenai County Library's Hayden Branch, designed by G.D. Longwell Architects. 3. This contemporary residence on Hayden Lake was designed by Kristina Clark for Stan and Marge Jones. 4. This four-story home on Fernan Lake is the private residence of architect Monte Miller and his wife, Anneliese.

1. Travis Holycross (left) and Mike Singer operate their small T-shirt and outdoor clothing business, Rock Wear, in remote Coolin, Idaho. Photo by Jesse Tinsley/The Spokesman-Review 2. Rock Wear products reflect the outdoor ideals of the Priest Lake area where they are created.

Architect James Cutler has been called one of the nation's best "regionalists" - designers who draw inspiration from their immediate surroundings to create structures that somehow belong on a particular site. But that hasn't kept Cutler from seeking commissions far afield of his Bainbridge Island headquarters. The town of Salem, Mass., chose Cutler's vision for the Witch Trials Tercentenary Memorial from among 242 international entrants. Another client had him design a home on an Ohio dairy farm, where Cutler took cues from nearby outbuildings.

Kanago

The first workshop will include a discussion on proper window treatments.

Toulme

Moors

Stumped for ideas about what to give your sweet babboo on this, the most romantic of holidays (not including the anniversary of your first date, which you forgot again last month)? According to a poll of America's 7,000-plus romance writers, the most romantic gifts you can give are time, a music box, and flowers (particularly roses). Their suggestions for romantic dates include a moonlight sail, an evening of ballet, or a weekend together.

Remember the old warning to be careful what you wish for? Local author Susan Christina has created a contemporary heroine who seeks relief from an unhappy marriage - and winds up in early 19th century England, where she struggles to overcome her disorientation with what historians call the Regency period, ruled by George, Prince of Wales.

Overfield

(Pile of romance novels) Photo by Molly O'Hara/The Spokesman-Review