Phil Grabsky Records “Painting of the Week” at SJIMA

In October 2025, the San Juan Islands Museum of Art welcomed internationally recognized filmmaker and art historian Phil Grabsky while he was in Friday Harbor for the 13th Annual Friday Harbor Film Festival. Grabsky was attending the festival for the North American premiere of his film Caravaggio — and during his visit, he recorded a special on-site episode of his acclaimed podcast, Painting of the Week.

This episode, recorded at the San Juan Islands Museum of Art, features a conversation with SJIMA Assistant Director Wendy Smith about a major work on view during the museum’s 2025 Fall Exhibition: River of Their Passing by artist Emily McIlroy.

About the Podcast

Phil Grabsky and Wendy Smith in the Nichols Gallery at SJIMA.

The Painting of the Week Podcast by Phil Grabsky is a weekly art discussion series launched in 2021 by Grabsky and art enthusiast Laura Bentham. Now in its seventh season, the series spans more than 90 episodes and explores works ranging from Renaissance masters to contemporary artists. Episodes blend historical insight, artistic technique, and accessible reflection, often recorded on location in museums around the world.

The SJIMA episode places the museum within this international dialogue on art — a meaningful moment for our island community.

The Artwork: River of Their Passing

During the interview, Grabsky and Smith discuss McIlroy’s large-scale collage installation, composed of torn watercolor paper layered with colored and sumi ink. The work depicts migrating caribou interwoven with salmon forms — a meditation on movement, continuity, and interconnected life systems.

Emily McIlroy's "River of Their Passing" in the Nichols Gallery at SJIMA.

As Grabsky introduces the episode, he shares:

“At Friday Harbor there is a really very special museum, the San Juan Islands Museum of Art.”

Throughout the conversation, Wendy Smith provides insight into McIlroy’s process and inspiration. The title of the piece was drawn from an essay describing the overwhelming experience of standing amid a caribou migration. McIlroy expanded that imagery to include salmon — inspired by Indigenous understandings of life cycles and spiritual return — creating a powerful visual expression of migration, loss, renewal, and the continuous flow of life.

Grabsky reflects on the work’s impact, describing it as::

“It is a very energetic piece.”

At once dynamic and contemplative, the artwork invites sustained looking. The torn edges, layered ink washes, and horizontal movement across the wall create both physical presence and spiritual resonance.

Watch or Listen

You can experience this special episode of Painting of the Week:

• Watch the full podcast on YouTube.

• Listen wherever you get your podcasts — including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, and more.

We also invite you to deepen your connection to the work by watching SJIMA’s filmed Artist Talk with Emily McIlroy, recorded during her exhibition at the museum.

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Looking Ahead at SJIMA & FHFF

SJIMA’s Spring 2026 exhibitions open March 6, 2026, bringing three new exhibitions to the Nichols, North, and Sterner Atrium Galleries. We look forward to welcoming you for another season of art, dialogue, and discovery.

Meanwhile, the Friday Harbor Film Festival continues year-round with its free monthly Best of the Fest documentary screenings from January through September on San Juan and Lopez Islands — and will celebrate its 14th Annual Festival October 22–25, 2026 in Friday Harbor.

Art and film continue to intersect in powerful ways here on the islands — and we are honored that SJIMA is part of a worldwide conversation through Painting of the Week.

We hope you’ll listen, watch, and join us soon at the museum.