FAQ

  • Alchemy Art Center is a community art center on San Juan Island in Friday Harbor, Washington, founded in 2018. We offer art classes, workshops, studio space, and artist residencies across many disciplines — ceramics, printmaking, textiles, glass, and more — for all ages and abilities.

  • Alchemy Art Center has two locations:

    The Forest Campus is located at 1255 Wold Rd, and includes the ceramics studio, the darkroom, and the Dome.

    The Field Campus is located at 45 Hawthorne Ln, on the site of the former Pelindaba Lavender Farm, and includes the Art Barn, printmaking studio, textile studio, private studios, gallery & immersive art space, and the Alchemy Store.

    Both campuses are a short drive from downtown Friday Harbor

  • Pelindaba Lavender Farm closed, and a local philanthropist bought the property for Alchemy’s use. Alchemy Art Center now cares for the property and is in the process of raising funds to purchase the property and bring it into our ownership. The lavender fields are still growing, and Alchemy continues to make and sell lavender products alongside local art. The name Pelindaba means "place of great gatherings" in Zulu, a spirit Alchemy carries forward as a space for art and community.

  • Yes. The fields are open to visitors year-round, free of admission. The store is open 11am-6pm daily through the summer. Come walk the fields, visit the store, and see local art. 

  • You can take a class or workshop, see working artists' studios, walk the lavender fields, enjoy ice cream and refreshments, and shop the store for local lavender products and art you won't find anywhere else. Programs run for all ages, from young children to elders, and the Art Barn includes an accessible arts space.

  • Yes. Alchemy welcomes all ages and offers children's programs, family workshops, and open space to wander. It's an easy, low-pressure stop for families visiting San Juan Island.

  • Yes. The store carries lavender products grown and made on-site, plus original work by San Juan Island artists. Every purchase helps fund arts access for the island community.

  • Alchemy’s Field Campus is located off of Wold Rd, about ten minutes from downtown Friday Harbor. We are accessible by car, moped, and e-bike with ample parking and ADA accessible entrances. We are also accessible via the Jolly Trolley.

  • You can just stop in to walk the fields and visit the store. Classes and workshops need advance registration: find our full calendar here.

  • The San Juan Island Lavender Festival is held the third weekend in July, at the peak of our lavender bloom. The festival celebrates lavender, art, music, local food, and community against the backdrop of the blooming lavender fields at Alchemy’s Field Campus.

  • Classes span ceramics and wheel throwing, printmaking, screenprinting, textiles, leathercraft, figure drawing, glass, and more, plus youth and after-school programs. Offerings change seasonally. View our full calendar here.

  • Yes, Alchemy Art Center is a 501-c-3 registered nonprofit. Purchases, donations, and class fees fund arts access on San Juan Island.