4Culture Site-Specific, in partnership with Seattle Parks & Recreation and the Seattle Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs, seeks artist proposals for projects in Occidental Park from June through September of 2010
Deadline March 12, 2010
ARTSPARKS seeks to infuse new creative energy in Pioneer Square this summer, creatively engaging the community, “sparking” public interest, and enlivening this historic district. The vision is to bring art in all its forms to Occidental Park (on the corner of 1st and Yesler in downtown Seattle), to create a public space where art and life entwine and art works as a vehicle for positive social change.
Pioneer Square is already a lively arts district, home to a high concentration of galleries and artist studios, including the offices of 4Culture. We’re looking to tap into what is already an abundant resource in the neighborhood. All creative proposals are sought including and not limited to: street theater, dance, temporary sculpture, environmental installations, music, visual art or “happenings.”
Learn more and download the call.
Gina Coffman, Seth Damm and Kristin Ougendal, ARTSPARKS 2009
I think this a wonderful idea, BUT I can’t help but remember how the Square was once already a place “to create a public space where art and life entwine and art works as a vehicle for positive social change.”
Each First Thursday, Occidental Park was teaming with performance art, local visual artists selling their smalls works for amazingly reasonable prices (and not a load of soap makers and jewelry peddlers like any local craft fair), open air theatre, poetry readings and many, many other media that can’t be consolidated into an art category.
Then miraculously one day, a certain contemporary art dealer in the area (not even in the actual Park) headed up a committee that deemed these people a nuisance and potential threats to their actual art buying patrons. Really? A performance artists is hurting your sale of that one last Butterfield piece that is priced at $80k??? REALLY?
So the crusade started in Occidental Park to squelch anyone without a business license and a permit for the evening… including anyone performing, publicly reading… ANYONE that looked like they were adding to the local art movement illegally. And what has it gotten the art community? An empty Occidental Park on First Thursdays with no interaction between the arts and the general public.
Thankfully, there is such force as 4Culture that sees the need and is doing something about it; and yes, I do understand that 4Culture is a King County organization.
So I say to those of you who were all for this Occidental Park Illegal Art Clean Up a few years ago… LEAVE THIS ONE ALONE. Your business sucked before the artists were driven off and most likely still does, like everyone else’s business in our area. Maybe you should be embracing this community that has grown to become a vibrant movement of art in the Pioneer Square area and start looking for new and emerging artists that might make you some money one day. Becoming a positive force in the Seattle art community; that is what will make your business prosper.
I remember those wonderful First Thursday art “celebrations.” Paul is correct in that Pioneer Square became inhospitable to all but the “sanctioned” dealers. That’s why the artists moved to Georgetown. Like most cities, the local art community gives a neighborhood its vibrancy. Then the capitalists move in and sanitize in the name of “safety”. (More like profit.)
While I applaud this effort to revitalize the art scene in Pioneer Square, I hope those in charge of judging will keep their minds open.
[...] Call for artists for ARTSPARKS 2010 Published February 23, 2010 Opportunities Leave a Comment Call for artists for ARTSPARKS 2010. [...]
Thank you saying that Paul. I think there’s a way for this to be a win for the businesses, the artists and the public. It’s all artists to submit their ideas and for the panel to select some memorable ones.
I know that Scott Lawrimore is hoping so…
“I’m hoping that if we get the right combination of applications and open minded jurors, we can make this thing bigger and better with real long-term, historical ramifications.”
I think he’s right and I hope you (reader) apply.
Posted in December! Ah me, why hadn’t I seen this before?
Thanks for the reminder and the nostalgic reflections… …
It would be nice to see some of the creativity that was featured in the Parade of Pigs (& Nutcrackers) that were presented mainly to the North a few years ago. Along with the celebration events involved.
[...] find anything about it online, but the link is to a pic someone took while they were down there.Call for Artists for ARTSPARKS 2010 (Blog4culture) Submissions due this Friday — I hear they’ve gotten some good ones, so [...]