Olympia Arts & Heritage Alliance

Olympia Arts + Heritage Alliance is working to establish a museum for arts, cultures and heritage in the heart of downtown Olympia. Your contributions will help us create a museum for exploring and sharing the history of the region,  the many cultures that call South Sound home, and artwork by local artists. With your help, this new museum will be truly community centered: a gathering space for exhibits, programs, cultural events, lectures, festivals, meetings, performances, classes and workshops.

108 State Avenue NW - Olympia
Olympia Arts + Heritage Alliance (Oly AHA!) is a 501c3 not-for-profit corporation established in 2018. We seek to lease the historic 1912 City Hall/Fire Station, a city-owned building at 108 State Avenue NW in the heart of downtown Olympia. We may be the only capital city in the country without such a museum for learning, sharing, and exploring  our stories, artists, and cultures.

Without access to the building to date, AHA provides programming and resources across the c"Our Town" exhibit at Washington Center for the Performing Arts - 2023ommunity.

"Our Town" (2023) featured eight paintings of "Sylvester's Windows," depicting  downtown Olympia during specific years in its history. The exhibition includes large reproductions of each of the eight paintings, with eight additional panels of images and text to provide more information about the history and arts of the people who have lived in Olympia 1841 – 2001.

AHA's exhibits  on the exterior of the building at 108 State highlight local history and art for 24/7 viewing, with additional content on our website: 

-  “It’s the Water” (2020-2023) with historic photos, artwork, and other imagery to explore how water, in all its many forms, has played an central role in the life and history of Olympia. 

-  “It Happened Here” (current) includes images to tell the story of this historic building and the site.  

- “Harbor Days posters - 50th Anniversary,” (2023-2024) in partnership with the South Sound Maritime Heritage Association (SSMHA), features the 41 unique logos of Olympia Harbor Days, from 1983 to 2023, and four posters from the pre-logo era.

- "Faces of Olympia” (coming soon) is a curated exhibition to highlight the peoples of Olympia, both past and present and representing the diversity of our community and stories over time.

Other AHA exhibits, displays and programs share local stories and art: 

At Howard Point - AHA created and installed a marker at Howard Point, honoring early business leaders Alexander and Rebecca Howard. 

At the Harbor House on Percival Landing: AHA created and installed informational panels marking Charles Mitchell's Flight to Freedom and Indigenous Culture and Economy on the Salish SeAHA Volunteers at Harbor Days 2024 a. 

With your support, AHA will continue to provide community-based programming and expand our outreach and engagement throughout the South Puget Sound region.