Moses Lake Library cultivates the arts

MOSES LAKE — When Moses Lake was recognized as a creative district in 2022, it was the result of work by multiple agencies and organizations: The Moses Lake Museum & Art Center, Columbia Basin Allied Arts and others. One of those was the Moses Lake Public Library. Librarian Connie Baulne serves as a co-chair of the Creative District Committee. 

“The library is one of the founding cultural institutions (of the Creative District),” Supervising Librarian Austin Foglesong told the Columbia Basin Herald in a previous interview. 

The library is a large part of several events that have happened through the Creative District, Baulne said, including the UMANI Festival, the celebration of Hispanic cultures that’s the last Saturday in September. 

“I spoke up at one of the meetings,” Baulne said. “I was like hey, we had this idea about three years ago of having a celebration for Hispanic and Latino culture because it’s a large demographic in our area … but we’re the library, and we can’t do it on our own.” 

Because the library is a vital part of the Creative District, it’s a part of many community events, including the Frosty Finds Flea Market held at the museum in February and the Juneteenth celebration, in conjunction with the Martin Luther King Jr. Committee. The creative district was also instrumental in bringing back the free summer concerts at McCosh Park, the first of which is coming June 20. 

The library isn’t just a player in the local art scene, however. There’s a lot more in the library itself than just books.  

“(Art includes) literature, poetry, the written word,” Baulne said. “But we also dabble in music. (In our branch), there are music CDs, there's audiobooks.” 

Visual arts are also a part of the library’s mission, she said. 

“We also have a couple of art hanging systems for those who would like to display their art,” she said. “One of them was donated by one of the local artist groups, the Desert Artists, and they would display a lot of their art in there. We've been trying to figure out how to get into the high school and probably Vanguard as well, and asking those kiddos, ‘Hey, do you want to come display stuff?’ And then it'll be there for so long and then you'll come and pick it up again.” 

Baulne said she and the staff at the museum have been discussing ways, if the funding could be found, to make Civic Center Park into something that will attract families. One possibility is a stage for outdoor programs, she said. Another is a storybook-themed path with interactive toys or art children could climb on.  

“We want to re-image that park and give it a brand-new identity,” she said. 

    The UMANI festival in September is one of the Moses Lake Creative District programs partially put on by the Moses Lake Public Library.
  

    The Moses Lake Public Library has been a significant partner of the Moses Lake Creative District. Vents such as the UMANI Festival, put on by the MLCD, not only bring lots of customers to downtown businesses, but also presents performances like the one shown above for residents to enjoy.