A young girl in a gray sweatshirt with a white collar stands next to a woman in a blue shirt. The girl has red hair. The woman has brown hair. They are standing behind a plastic table and in front of a white door. The woman is smiling at the girl.

Othello’s Old Hotel provides art, community for rural residents

By Courtney Flatt
A young girl in a gray sweatshirt with a white collar stands next to a woman in a blue shirt. The girl has red hair. The woman has brown hair. They are standing behind a plastic table and in front of a white door. The woman is smiling at the girl.
Old Hotel Art Gallery Director Samantha Copas shares a laugh with her daughter, Ava Copas, 10, while leading a summer arts class. The gallery hosts arts and crafts classes for all ages each summer. (Credit: Annie Warren / NWPB)

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In a small art room in Othello, Washington, sun catcher butterflies — made out of scraps of tissue paper, fake flowers and sequins — came to life.

“Anything to inspire that creativity in kids and give them an outlet for their creativity,” said Samantha Copas, who directs Othello’s Old Hotel Art Gallery. 

Two child hands and on adult hand are holding down a black paper dragonfly on top of a tan table. The dragonfly's wings are colored in with a bright, rainboow pf colored pieces of tissue paper and sequins.

Old Hotel Art Gallery Director Samantha Copas assists her nephew, Roman Castro, 8, in crafting a dragonfly themed paper suncatcher during a summer art class in August. Summer arts and crafts classes for all ages have been a beloved resource in the community for generations. (Credit: Annie Warren / NWPB)

She’s taught several of the summertime art classes for young kids and adults at the gallery.

However, this school year, elementary art classes in Othello’s school district had to be canceled because of tight budgets and shrinking enrollment, said Pete Perez, Othello School District’s superintendent. 

“It’s just putting a strain on our system and we’re actually probably a year or two behind some moves that other districts are making,” Perez said. “We were able to sustain programs like art for a little bit longer than most, but last year it became really clear that there were some (attrition) staffing opportunities that we had to take advantage of.”

He said that the district had worked for years to set up elementary art classes and that they were around for less than a decade. However, Perez said, the plan is to incorporate more art in general classroom settings. He said the school district leaders hope they can bring elementary art back at some point.

“This certainly wasn’t an easy decision for anyone,” Perez said. “We look for an opportunity to partner with our community, people like the Old Hotel, and others who advocate in our community, because every kid deserves a diverse experience.”

The cuts to all four elementary schools affect more than 2,000 students, said Gretchen Durepo, an art teacher at Hiawatha Elementary School. She spoke at the April 22 school board meeting.

“Kids won’t have any access to organized art classes until middle school and high school, and by then they might not have any interest in it,” Copas said.

Now, Copas said, the gallery is filling up a lot of that space.

At times, kids came from up to an hour away to join in art classes, driving to town from Royal City or Moses Lake. They’ve made clay stepping stones, snow globes and painted rocks. 

Eight-year-old Roman Castro said he’s learned a lot about arts and crafts.

A girl in a pink sweatshirt is holding a pink ribbon. She is standing behind a table that's covered in construction paper. A boy in a black shirt is sitting at the table. They are standing in front of several white doors.

Arya Hillman, 10, and Roman Castro, 8, put the finishing touches on their butterfly and dragonfly suncatchers during a summer arts class Aug. 12 at The Old Hotel Art Gallery. (Credit: Annie Warren / NWPB)

“All the cool things you can do. All the crafts you can do,” Roman said.

Copas said she hoped adults will take advantage of what the gallery has to offer as well.

“We want to be a space for people of all ages to come here and have that creative outlet, and to find that support for their creativity and their artistry because it’s really hard to find in Othello,” she said.

Copas said for 49 years, the gallery has helped uplift art from all around the Columbia Basin.

She remembered taking art classes here as a kid.

“I’ve always loved art and anything creative. Taking those classes as a kid encouraged that creativity,” she said. “Now, I bring my daughter here for art classes. That’s kind of a common thing here.”

The art classes are a tradition among families, and the building is a big part of Othello’s history, she said.

The front porch of the Old Hotel is white with tan beams along the edge. There are flowers in the garden in front of the porch.

The Old Hotel Art Gallery is located at 33 E. Larch Street in Othello, Washington. First built to house railroad workers in 1912, it has served as a community arts center since 1975. The gallery hosts its annual benefit auction Oct. 19 at 5:30 p.m. (Credit: Annie Warren / NWPB)

Just off the rail line that runs along town, the Old Hotel was built in 1912 for railroad workers to find a place to board.

“They really put Othello on the map,” Copas said.

The hotel’s former owner had been convicted of murder in 1974 — the basement is even rumored to be haunted. Several local women decided the place needed a rebrand. They opened the gallery on Halloween night in 1975.

“They’ve really turned it into what it is today,” Copas said.

A woman with short gray hair and glasses. She's wearing a black sweater and white shirt. She's standing in a hallway that's lined with art. The art is blurry in the background.

Nancy Briggs, a longtime Othello resident, served as director for almost 10 years and is one of the many women who has contributed to The Old Hotel’s success as a community arts hub over the years. She helped expand the summer arts class program. Working with the children was “especially rewarding,” she said. (Credit: Annie Warren / NWPB)

Nancy Briggs worked as the gallery’s director in the 1990s for almost 10 years. She knew some of the original founders.

“I suppose I began to realize the role the hotel did play in the community. Not only as being a historical landmark, which it is, but also bringing people together,” Briggs said. “It was just a warm feeling of being part of this community.”

The Old Hotel is a landmark for Othello and an important piece of history for the town to preserve, she added.

“When I come into town and see that sign that directs people to the Old Hotel, it just gives me a warm feeling,” Briggs said.

Vintage dishes sit on top of a white table. The dishes have red, orange and yellow flowers and green leaves on them.

A vintage crockery set is among the many items for sale, along with works by local and regional artists, at Othello’s Old Hotel Art Gallery. (Credit: Annie Warren / NWPB)

Now, the gallery sells work from all around the Columbia Basin. Each former hotel room, and all of the hallways, are lined with paintings, prints and pottery. However, Copas said they’re short on help.

“I hear stories from some of the people who have been here for a very long time, and they used to have a whole list of people that they could go down row by row, call someone, ‘Hey can you come help us with this or that.’ I only have a handful of volunteers now,” Copas said.

Most families in Othello need a salary from both parents, she said. That means less time to volunteer.

Still, Copas said she hoped the community support will grow, especially for young kids to experience more art.

“I don’t want them to feel like they have to leave to find opportunities and success and happiness. I want that to be available to them here in Othello,” she said.

Art provides a deeper understanding of life, she said.

“Art is really important to our society. That’s how civilizations are remembered, through their art. Art, the language of art is universal, so you don’t have to be able to speak the same language as the artist to understand,” Copas said.

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