Diane Martindale – Champion for the Arts

Diane Martindale – Contributed photo

Diane has volunteered in the arts for more than a decade. She is the board president of the San Juan Islands Museum of Art (SJIMA). She has served as co-president and worked on fundraising and writing grants for the organization.

Diane serves on the exhibition committee where she works on the team which creates the exhibitions. She curated EMERGENCE – First Nation Legendary & Emerging Artists and DEEP DIVE about icons of the Salish Sea.

She heads the marketing team for all the SJIMA activities.

Diane was instrumental in helping to form the Friday Harbor Arts Commission and has served on it for four years. Additionally, for more than 10 years, she has headed the Art Committee that brings community art to the Public Library.

At the Washington State Arts Commission (ArtsWA) she has served as a co-chair of the Advocacy Committee and a vice-chair of the commission. She is currently the commission chair and in her third three-year term. This is the group that advocates for funding the arts state-wide whether, arts organizations, arts education or public art. She loves seeing the varied arts projects nurtured all over Washington and how the arts serve goals of equity, access and social justice in education.

Also serving on the ArtsWA executive committee are first and second vice chairs, Justin Raffa (Richland) and Rosanna Sharpe (Coulee City), respectively, along with Jolyn GC (Seattle), Mariella Luz (Olympia) and Monica Miller (Ellensburg).

Diane graduated from the University of Illinois with a BA in Biology and a MS/Microbiology from Rutgers University. She is not an artist, but a quilter. A copy of her prize winning quilt, Island Icons depicts historic barns of San Juan Island and hangs at the San Juan Island Grange. Working to advocate for the arts is the culmination of years of her appreciation of arts and culture.

She and her husband Steve live on San Juan Island with the mission of catering to their two cats.

Previous community service work here includes serving as secretary and president of the Island Arts League and being a board member and president of the League of Women Voters of the San Juans.

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