MOSES LAKE — The focus will be on female artists at the new exhibit coming to the Moses Lake Museum & Art Center next week.

“A Matter of Perspective” will feature 12 members of the Eastern Washington division of Women Painters of Washington, according to museum director Dollie Boyd. The paintings weren’t out yet on Friday, as the museum just wrapped up a traveling exhibit of American relief posters of World War II.

“I haven't seen all the work yet,” said Boyd. “I'm excited. It's always like Christmas morning when you unpack a show because it's like ‘Oh I like this, I don't like that.’”

The exhibit will include local watercolor artist Judy Kalin, whose work is also available on consignment at the museum. The exhibit will kick off with a reception this Friday at 4 p.m. Several of the artists will be there to meet the public, Boyd said, and there will be refreshments and live music from a musician still to be determined.

“We always enjoy our openings,” she said. “We like to show off for the community and invite them in and show them a good time.”

There will also be an adult craft activity, called “Adult Swim” where participants can create tissue paper decoupage.

“It’s kind of an adult space,” said Boyd. “A lot of things we do are for kids around here, and sometimes it's nice for the grownups to do something creative without hearing ‘Mommy, Mommy!’”

Women Painters of Washington was formed in 1930 by six female artists to overcome the limitations they faced as female artists and to stimulate artistic growth through fellowship, according to the organization’s website.

Today, the group has 200 active members who attend lectures and show their work both locally and around the world, including Japan and Israel, Boyd said.

“I love the mission of the women painters of Washington,” Boyd said. “As you probably know, women suffer from discrimination in the field; their work is dismissed sometimes and taken less seriously. It's interesting to me that they saw the need for this organization so long ago, and there's still a need for it.”

“A Matter of Perspective” will be on display at the Moses Lake Museum & Art Center, 401 S. Balsam St., through June 9.

“It's a really good group of artists,” said museum artistic coordinator Angela Hunt. “It's a good way to display local talent, especially from women artists. We're happy to have them displayed in our museum.”

Joel Martin may be reached via email at [email protected].

‘A Matter of Perspective’ artists:

Judy Kalin, Moses Lake

Christie Tirado, Yakima

T. Kurtz, Sandpoint, Idaho

Gayle Scholl, Yakima

Janice La Verne Baker

Darcie Roberts, Yakima

Terri J. Rice, Richland

Carolyn Nelson

Nancy Rothwell, Colfax

Elizabeth Montes de Oca, Yakima

Sara Cate, Yakima

Dena Elzie, Yakima