Michael Guilfoil

Climbers work out at Wild Walls climbing gym, located in the old Spokane Armory building. Photo by Shawn Jacobson/The Spokesman-Review

1. African dance is a kick when taught by Spokane Art School's Sungurio Kyikyogoo "Peter" Urio. Photo by Shawn Jacobson/The Spokesman-Review 2. Urio serves up kachumbari (spicy coleslaw) and samosa (meat and vegetable turnovers) to eager youngsters from the Martin Luther King Jr. Center.

1. Timber framing gives Lake Chelan home a feeling of craftsmanship. Steve Kaminoff photo 2. Logs in Priest Lake home lend rustic mood. Roger Wade photo 3. And gable windows light up Hayden Lake home. Barry Jones photo

Before (right) and after: The Wickres' kitchen receives a new life. Photos courtesy Nancy and Curtis Wickre

1. The Fotheringham House is again a handsome fixture in Browne's Addition, thanks to the restoration spearheaded by Graham and Jackie Johnson. Photo by Sandra Bancroft-Billings/The Spokesman-Review 2. Pre-face life: "We weren't buying a house. We were buying a project." Photo courtesy Graham and Jackie Johnson

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1. Museum volunteer Ann Aines coaxes a rough-legged hawk into showing off its wingspan. Photo by Michael Guilfoil/The Spokesman-Review 2. Cactus, Dart and Spike look for a handout from volunteer Christie Bowe. Photo by Michael Guilfoil/The Spokesman-Review

After attending dozens of meetings and listening to hundreds of hours of public testimony, Spokane arts director Sue Ellen Heflin has reached two conclusions: First, meetings are not her favorite place to spend the summer.

1. Hirzel's Pullman residence, a product of his architectural background, stands tall with judges in the small-home competition. Photo by Craig Buck/The Spokesman-Review 2. (and 3) Light and angles play off each other (middle, bottom photos) to make a winning design.

1. Frames, frames and more frames are offered at the Cheney Cowles Museum Wall-to-Wall Used Art Sale. Photo by Dan Pelle/The Spokesman-Review 2. An elephant statue donation is one of the cast-off items awaiting a new home. 3. Paintings line the walls and an Elvis vest is waiting for the perfect collector.

1. It was love at first site when Terri Gravelle and her husband, Paul matthews, discovered Hanford Castle six years ago. Photo by Michael Guilfoil/The Spokesman-Review 2. At right, flowers and a friendly front porch welcome visitors to Richard and Michey Leinweber's home. Photo by Michael Guilfoil/The Spokesman-Review 3. Below, Jim and Pam Shelden describe their 75-year-old Aladdin kit home as "a hobby." Photo by Michael Guilfoil/The Spokesman-Review

Mel McCuddin hangs one of his paintings as architect Leslie Ronald watches. The McCuddin exhibition continues through Oct. 15 at Ronald's office at 518 S. Maple. Photo by Shawn Jacobson/The Spokesman-Review

Cancer Patient Care Art Auction will sell art by regional artists Sept. 8. Photo by Christopher Anderson/The Spokesman-Review

Barbara Racker helps unload a moving van as she prepares to begin her job as art curator at Cheney Cowles Museum. Photo by Sandra Bancroft-Billings/The Spokesman-Review

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.