Do you have stacks of audio cassette tapes and no idea what to do with them? Do you want to know the best way to store your 16mm film collections and are unsure where to start? Do you have a limited preservation budget and want to spend it in the best way possible to preserve your audiovisual media items? The University of Illinois Library has developed the Audiovisual Self-Assessment Program (AvSAP) to address these and other media-related needs.

AvSAP is free and accessible to the public, providing a series of questions designed to collect data about collections and assess the conditions of audiovisual items. Users may download AvSAP and host it on their own SQL server, or access it on the web. The goal of this assessment tool is to help collections managers develop a prioritized preservation plan for their audiovisual materials, including, but not limited to audio recordings, films, and videotapes, and to educate individuals on extending the lives of their collections with the resources at hand.

For more information on the Audio-Visual Self Assessment Program visit the AvSAP website.

AvSAP is supported by a National Leadership Grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Sciences (IMLS).

Photo courtesy of University of Washington Libraries

Alka Badshah – Bellevue – King County District 6
Alka trained as an architect and went on to pursue a career in IT, building and managing User Interface Design.  She worked with various high tech companies for over 20 years, most recently as a Group Manager of a User Experience team at Microsoft.  She has a deep interest in using the knowledge of human behavior in improving our spaces – whether they be virtual spaces on a computer screen or physical environments in our cities and neighborhoods.

Since Microsoft, Alka has been involved in various endeavors, including angel and other investing, being active in philanthropy serving on the board of directors of Tateuchi Center, A.K. Guy Award Committee and Advisory Board of the South Asia Center at UW.  As a Director of Tateuchi Center, Alka initiated a campaign to raise a million dollars from the South Asian Indian community in support of the Center.  Alka has also been involved with furthering education in the field of math, science and business by coaching and judging for organizations like DECA & FPS (Future Problem Solving.)  She is a graduate of MIT’s media lab and has an undergraduate degree in Architecture.

Alka and her husband Akhtar live in Bellevue.  They have 3 amazing sons, youngest of them being in high school.  She enjoys interacting with artists and talking to them about their thinking process.

Alan Cornell – Kent – King County District 7
Alan is Senior Vice President at Nitze-Stagen, providing guidance, oversight and decision making for the firm’s investment, property management and development activities.  He is a Real Estate Developer and his background includes corporate strategic planning, market research, business development and consulting. He has over 30 years of commercial and industrial real estate experience, has developed several suburban business parks as well as urban centers such as the Union Station Campus.  Alan has a Masters Degree from the University of Nebraska in Economics and holds a Washington State Real Estate License.

He has been active in Pioneer Square and International District Communities for over two decades and is interested in community revitalization and urban spaces.  Currently a member of the Seattle Goodwill Board of Directors, he serves on several of their committees including the Executive, Nominating, Compensation and Site Development Committee.  He is also Chairman of the Seattle Chinatown International District Public Development Authority (SCIDpda) Real Estate Committee and, in past years, has served on several other area Boards and Committees.

Kirstin Haugen – Bothell – King County District 1
Kirstin Haugen is a resident of Bothell where she chairs the Cascadia Community College Board of Trustees.  She is a past member of the Northshore Performing Arts Center Foundation Board and the King County Charter Review Commission.

Kirstin was formerly the account executive at the public affairs firm The Mercury Group, and Chief of Staff to King County Councilmember Bob Ferguson.

ArtWalk
Friday, September 3rd, 2010, 5:00pm – 9:00 pm
Front Street and Gilman Village, Issaquah
Issaquah’s last ArtWalk of the season. Bring the family down to historic Issaquah for what is sure to be one of the best shows of the year. For more information visit www.downtownissaquah.com.

Memory Quilts Lecture
Saturday, September 11th,2010, 1:00pm – 3 pm
White River Valley Museum, 918 H Street SE, Auburn
Join guest curator Anita Sheneberger for a slide show and lecture on the tradition of memory quilts, one of the oldest mourning arts traditions. Sheneberger will show examples from throughout history, including modern day memory quilt movements. Free with regular Museum admission. Visit www.wrvmuseum.org for additional information.

Music on the Streets
Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights through September 17th, 2010
Pedestrian Park on the corner of Front Street and Sunset Way, Issaquah
Listen to Blues, Jazz, Rock, Pop, Ambient, Interlocking Guitar and more! Local favorite Kris Orlowski will close the show on the 17th. For complete schedule and band web site links visit www.downtownissaquah.com.

Oliver Scott Van Olinda Exhibit
Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays through September 19, 2010, 1:00pm – 4:00pm
Vashon Maury Island Heritage Museum, 10105 Bank Road, Vashon
Born Dec 25, 1865 Oliver arrived on Vashon-Maury Islands in his mid twenties. His keen observation in photography has become a window to the history unfolded on the islands. With assistance from The University of Washington, the Museum is pleased to exhibit Island Home: The Photographs of Oliver S. Van Olinda through September 19. Visit www.vashonhistory.org.

13th Annual Bungalow Fair
Saturday and Sunday, September 25th-26th, 2010, 10:00am – 4:00pm
Town Hall, 1119 Eighth Avenue at Seneca Street, Seattle.
The largest Arts & Crafts Event in the Pacific Northwest will feature new lectures on Artistic Leather, Color Prints of Frances Gearhart and Building Portland’s Classic Arts & Crafts Neighborhoods. New exhibitors, alongside longstanding favorites, will offer their best examples of antique and contemporary designed furniture and decorative arts. Don’t miss this annual favorite. For more information visit www.historicseattle.org.

Opening days at Mary Olson Farm, Lake Union Park and Dockton Interpretive Trail. Check out our September Preservation feature story celebrating three grand openings in september for more information.

Harvest Celebration Farm Tour
Saturday and Sunday, September 25th and 26th, 2010, 10:00am – 4:30pm
Celebrate the vitality of local agriculture, learn about the importance of supporting farmers and realize the value and joy of eating locally-grown produce. The 2010 Harvest Celebration Farm Tour in King County will take place in the Snoqualmie Valley on Saturday and Vashon Island on Sunday. All participating farms are free and open to the general public, but donations are appreciated. Visit king.wsu.edu/foodandfarms/HarvestCelebration.html for more information.

Hands-on days
Fourth Saturday of each month, 2010, 11:00am – 3:00pm
Drop in for fun, free projects for children ages 4 to 12. September is Duck on a Rock! Learn how to play the game – and learn how to make the bean bag used to play the game! Children always get to take home what they make. Visit www.shorelinehistoricalmuseum.org for more information.

Saturday, September 25th will be a busy day around the county as three different grand openings will offer unique opportunities to celebrate local culture.

7:00 am – 7:00 pm: Grand Opening of Lake Union Park, with viewings of no less than four National Historic Landmark vessels. The free festivities will kick off with a Family Fun Run and Sunrise Yoga on the Fitness Field, and continue all day with family activities on land and water, including: musical performances on two stages, model boat races, Native American canoe displays, paddle songs and traditional salmon barbeque, environmental learning and history trail tours. Visit www.seattleparksfoundation.org or www.seattle.gov/parks.htm for more information.

2:00pm: Official opening ceremony of the first Dockton Historic Trail, commemorating the unique history of this quaint ship-building community on Maury Island. Drive along the Dockton Road Heritage Corridor down to Dockton Park, where the first of ten interpretive signs lead visitors on a half mile trail. Be sure to stop by Dockton’s First School on Windmill Street following the opening ceremony for refreshments. For additional information call 206-463-1462.

1:00pm – 6:00pm: Hops & Crops Harvest Festival at Mary Olson Farm, not an official grand opening, but a great public opportunity to get a sneak peak at the cool things are happening at this historic farmstead. The farm is a unique 60-acre farmstead dating from 1879 nestled on a sloped and wooded site along the Green River. It includes an assembly of recently restored rural buildings, indigenous salmon runs and natural wildlife. The festival will offer craft beer, music, food, marketplace and kids’ activities. Visit www.wrvmuseum.org for more information.

© 2006 Center for Wooden Boats

Note: This post was updated 9/2/10.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Seattle 100: Portrait of a City is the culmination of a two-year personal project by renowned photographer, filmmaker, and activist Chase Jarvis. Seattle 100 shares more than 300 black and white portraits and biographies of each subject. It is a curated collection of artists, musicians, writers, scientists, restaurateurs, DJs, developers, activists, entrepreneurs, filmmakers, all of whom are defining and driving culture in region.

Jarvis has created a snapshot of a city’s culture through its people. It’s a 100, not the 100, and it invites each of us to survey our own surroundings, our lives, our friends — and those not yet our friends — that make up the place we live. The place we call home.

Chase Jarvis, in collaboration with Small Lot Co-Op, Terra Blanca Winery, and Theo Chocolate will release a Seattle 100 book, collection of Seattle 100 wines and a Seattle 100 Theo Chocolate bar. All proceeds will benefit 4Culture! Wha? That’s right. All sales will support 4Culture’s programs.  We feel loved.

Heritage Cultural Facilities is an annual program that funds the purchase, design, construction, and remodeling of heritage facilities, and the acquisiton of equipment intended to be used for at least 10 years.

In 2009, the program awarded $328,835 to 11 organizations in amounts ranging from $3,000 to $50,000. Due to the current recession, and the resulting downturn in Lodging Tax revenue, 2010 Heritage Cultural Facilities awards will be capped at $20,000.

Visit our website for more information about workshops, eligibility and how to apply for Heritage Cultural Facilities funding.

© Courtesy Issaquah Historical Society

Thinking of downsizing your physical possessions in favor of storing your memories on a hard drive? Remember, ink on paper and photographic prints have stood the test of time and have managed to survive fairly well, even when stuffed in a shoebox. However, digital records require periodic migration to newer media formats to be preserved and accessed.

To help you organize and care for your digital memories, the Library of Congress has produced a short video that offers simple and practical strategies for personal digital preservation. Once you’ve viewed the video, check out digitalpreservation.gov for more helpful information.

Northwest Seaport is requesting proposals for rehabilitation of the Lightship No. 83, an exciting effort to re-open the vessel to the public for events and programs. Built in 1904, the Lightship No. 83 was one of hundreds of floating lighthouses that guided ships and boats safely along American Coasts. During World War II, the vessel was painted grey, deck guns were added, as well as fold-out bunks for up to 50 crewmen, and was used to patrol the San Francisco Bay on the lookout for enemy submarines.

After the war, the Lightship No. 83 was transferred to the Coast Guard District 13 in the Pacific Northwest as a “relief” vessel. Servicing the Columbia River, Umatilla Reef, and Swiftwure Banks stations, No. 83 relieved the regular vessels at these posts for their yearly maintenance and resupply. The vessel was decommissioned from the Coast Guard in 1961 and purchased by Northwest Seaport seven years later. Northwest Seaport is in the beginning phases of a two-year restoration project designed to open the vessel to visitors for tours, programs, and more.

The first phase of the rehabilitation will stabilize and service the Lightship, removing asbestos-bearing material, stabilize the overhead rigging, and service the ship’s electrical and plumbing systems. This will prepare the vessel for the complete deck replacement planned for the second phase. All work will take place at the selected shipyard. Those interested should contact Northwest Seaport at (206) 898-7012 for more information. The full bid is also available at www.nwseaport.org. Proposals are due August 12, 2010.

Image: © 2010, 4Culture Staff

Interested applicants must be Seattle residents, and board members serve without compensation. The City of Seattle is committed to promoting diversity in the city’s boards and commissions. Women, persons with disabilities, sexual and gender minorities, young persons, senior citizens, persons of color, and immigrants are encouraged to apply. Those interested in being considered should send a letter of interest and resume by August 25, 2010 to RosariT@Seattle.gov (please reference Landmarks Board in the subject line).

For more information, please call Sarah Sodt, Landmarks Preservation Board Coordinator, at (206) 615-1786.

Puget Sound history is MARITIME history. Waterborne transportation was the primary mode of travel in Western Washington well into the 20th century. Forests of fir and cedar yielded the planks and timbers needed for canoes and ships of every size and purpose. Along the shores and waterways of King County, old lighthouses and wharves, bridges and locks, and a fleet of nationally significant heritage ships tell the story of a maritime past. Today, dedicated organizations continue to preserve the wooden boat legacy of Puget Sound.

4CTV is excited to debut the first program in a 3-part series of documentaries focusing on the Destination Heritage travel guides - Maritime, Agriculture and Industry. The first program showcases the maritime groups at South Lake Union, including the Center for Wooden Boats (CWB), NW Seaport and the Virginia V. In interviews, Executive Director, Betsy Davis and Dick Wagner, Founding Director, of the CWB relate the history of maritime in our region and the how organizations are working hard to keep that history alive and relevant. Click on the video below to view a short clip.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to watch the entire episode.

FUN opportunity: August 13 South Lake Union is having a block party! There will be activities for kids and grown ups (including wine tasting, beer garden, grilling competition and farmer’s markets). Head down to South Lake Union to explore the neighborhood and exciting waterfront activities at the park.

Her new responsibilities include oversight of preservation, history, and cultural programs in 392 national parks, and of community partnership programs among federal, Tribal, state and local governments and nonprofits. Familiar programs that reach far beyond the national parks, like the National Register of Historic Places and the Historic American Buildings Survey, will also fall under her purview.

Preservationists in this state know Stephanie in her former position as chief of cultural resources for the NPS Pacific West Region. She has been in the forefront of many big projects that we know and care about locally – the commemoration of the incarceration of Japanese-Americans on Bainbridge Island, the rehab of the Cadillac Hotel for the Klondike Gold Rush NHP in Pioneer Square, the preservation of beloved historic buildings and landscapes at Mt. Rainier National Park, and a host of other successful preservation efforts large and small.

Stephanie served as a board member of 4Culture from its creation in 2003 through 2008. She was very active on the Historic Preservation Advisory Committee, and helped shape 4Culture’s new preservation program. She was a driving force behind the creation of the Seattle/King County Task Force on Maritime Heritage in 2005, an effort that triggered a grass-roots push to create a National Maritime Heritage Area for communities on Puget Sound and Washington’s Pacific coast. And she has been a passionate supporter of the effort to secure Lodging Tax revenue for heritage and the arts in King County.

Here at 4Culture we were privileged to work first-hand with Stephanie, and certainly appreciated the thoughtful, articulate and action-oriented thinking she brings to every issue she touches. Our nation’s cultural heritage has gained a passionate new champion. Congratulations, Stephanie, for this well-deserved promotion!

Thanks to all those who helped make this event such a memorable one! Over 200 people gathered in front of the Alki Homestead/Fir Lodge in West Seattle on July 4th to support the “This Place Matters” campaign. Co-sponsors included the Southwest Seattle Historical Society, Historic Seattle, Washington Trust for Historic Preservation and 4Culture. Although the photo shoot is over, the effort to preserve the Homestead just beginning! For updates and announcements, or to get involved, visit the Southwest Seattle Historical Society’s blog.

Image: © 2010, Courtesy of Jean Sherrard

Click here to view the embedded video.

Charlie Rathbun, Arts 4Culture Lead, connected Karen with Annie Lareau at Book-It, who brought in Rachel Atkins of Living Voices to craft the script. Using research provided by the genealogical society, Rachel created a set of vignettes highlighting the lives of selected individuals and families now residing in the cemetery.

After extensive script development and rehearsals, and the support of Site Specific and Heritage Special Projects funding, a talented troupe of actors assumed multiple roles in what was billed as a living history performance. But the presentation went beyond what one typically thinks of as living history. Although actors spoke dialog to portray cemetery residents, additional biographical information emerged through descriptive narration delivered in character by the players.

With basic historical costuming, and few props, the cast, under the skillful direction of Makaela Pollock, depicted births, marriages, and deaths with white cloth strategically bunched, unfurled, or draped. At one point, two actors folded and unfolded fabric to effectively represent the once periodic flooding of the Kent Valley. As the characters’ lives transpired, often ending tragically and prematurely from disease or complications of childbirth, the actors wrapped their grave markers with simple shrouds.

To enhance a reflective mood, the cast segued from one graveside enactment to another, and gathered their audience around them, by singing an appropriate period hymn or folksong. More impressionistic than literal, the production engaged viewers’ imaginations in understanding lives that previously had been represented only by dashes between dates on tombstones.

Calling all local historians, both amateur and professional! Preservation 4Culture is embarking on a new project in partnership with the White Center Community Development Association to document the history of the Southgate Roller Rink and we are asking YOU to share your memories…

The Southgate Roller Rink served as a community gathering place – weekend hangout, family activity center, and sports arena – for over 70 years. It is a neighborhood fixture that helped put White Center on the map. Popular sports figures like boxers Al Hostak and Harry “The Kid” Matthews, wrestler Robin Reed, and most recently, the Rat City Roller Girls drew large crowds to White Center. The rink is probably best remembered by locals, however, for the hours they spent showing off their skating skills circling around the hardwood floor with their family members and/or sweethearts. We want to hear about those experiences!

Contact Flo Lentz at flo.lentz@4Culture.org or (206) 296-8682.

Image: © 1948, Courtesy of Washington State Archives, Puget Sound Regional Branch.

Community members came out in force last night to say their goodbyes to the beloved and iconic South Park Bridge. By foot, bike, car, and bus they traveled the span one last time while Duwamish tribal drummers, bagpipers, and a funeral band played songs of mourning.  El Son De Los Diablos dancers processed.  Muralists painted the concrete walls of the approaches. Classic cars lined the streets.  Voices spilled out of the businesses along 14th Avenue South.  After hours of revelry, the seismically vulnerable span was eventually raised to its final resting place as the emotional crowd chanted “we want a bridge!”

If and when funds are secured to build the replacement for this critical link, 4Culture will be there.  Artist Barbara Grygutis has been working with the County’s design team since 2008.  She plans to fabricate a pedestrian railing that incorporates the historic iron rail panels and gears and site the massive rockers (the mechanisms that were once used to open and close the bridge) like sentinels on either side of the Duwamish…a nod to the integrity and strength of this special place.

A reminder to all that 4Culture’s offices and Gallery4Culture will be closed this Friday, July 2 for a staff furlough day, and Monday, July 5 in honor of Independence Day.

A full list of  4Culture furlough days can be viewed here.

2009 Individual Artist Projects Recipient, Chris Engman, Object, Shadow, 2009, Inkjet print

Help wanted: A ‘Sierra Club’ for historic preservation to fight development
Crosscut
June 21, 2010

Excerpt:

“I want to turn to Seattle’s namesake, Chief Seattle, who is buried here on the Suqamish Reservation. I want to quote some words of wisdom, as recorded in his famous oration, a speech that is controversial in its origins, but powerful in its sentiments. Chief Seattle was critical of the way we white people treated our dead, and saw it was a defining difference between two cultures. He said:

“The ashes of our ancestors are sacred and their final resting place is hallowed ground, while you wander away from the tombs of your fathers seemingly without regret.” – Chief Seattle

These words are more than a commentary on how we treat graves. It is an accurate critique of how we still relate to the past, to our roots, to our ancestors. Our modern culture runs away from its past in fear that it will hold us back somehow. But I see just the opposite. I see that we won’t truly be present, grounded, rooted and happy, until we get ourselves right with the past. We can’t continue to think we can “wander away from the tombs” of our fathers and mothers without consequence.”

What do you think? Post ideas/responses in the comments field below.

During Fourth of July festivities on Alki Beach, at 1:30 p.m. sharp, a crowd of diehard fans and friends of the old Alki Homestead Restaurant will mysteriously gather on 63rd Avenue SW in front of this venerable 1904 log landmark. What’s it all about? It’s a rally and group photo/video event to raise awareness of the current threat to the Homestead, and to make it clear to the world that This Place Matters!

People from all over Seattle share a collective memory of down-home fried chicken and mashed potato dinners at the Homestead’s elegant white-clothed tables. Yes, the ambience was always straight out of the 1950s, when the restaurant first opened. Before that it was “Fir Lodge,” home of the William and Gladys Bernard family, and after that it served as the Seattle Driving and Auto Club. But today, the restaurant is dark, and there’s a threat to the survival of the building. The current owner has announced plans to demolish it and redevelop the site, citing damage caused by a small interior fire.

The Southwest Seattle Historical Society, together with Historic Seattle, the Washington Trust for Historic Preservation and 4Culture say there just may be another way. Everyone is working with the owner to find alternatives to demolition. In the meantime, to raise awareness of the threat, these groups will sponsor a mass Independence Day photo shoot – complete with signs, buttons, cameras, and a little speechifying.

Appearing in this history-making photo will be State Senator Joe McDermott, our very own King County Executive Dow Constantine, City Council member Tom Rasmussen, and former Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels, along with Alki neighbors and Homestead fans from far and wide. Everyone is welcome because the bigger the crowd, the better. You just may see yourself flashed around the world on YouTube and Facebook.

The Alki neighborhood will be packed with beach-goers, especially if the sun shines. If you come, allow plenty of time to find parking.  Better yet, take the King County Water Taxi from downtown, and walk, bike, or take the METRO Dart shuttle bus Route 775 up over the hill and down to Alki Beach. For more information on the rally, contact the Southwest Seattle Historical Society at (206) 938-5293, Thursday-Sunday, noon to 4:00 p.m.

Image: © 2007, Homestead Restaurant, Courtesy of the Southwest Seattle Historical Society

The top King County award winners are:
Schooner Adventuress, Seattle and Port Townsend: $125,000 to repair natural deterioration of the Adventuress’ iconic overhanging counter stern.
Town Hall, Seattle: $125,000 to restore, clean, and seal the white terra cotta façade and restore the prominent south-facing stained-glass window.
Washington Hall, Seattle: $90,000 to install new electrical service to allow the safe operation of the theater.
Japanese Cultural & Community Center, Seattle: $75,000 to rehabilitate the Center’s primary façades, including siding, windows, and entry porticos.
Mill Creek Canyon Earthworks, Kent: $70,000 to restore the Earthworks’ sculptural landscape elements to their original design.
University Heights Community Center, Seattle: $60,000 to repair the Community Center’s deteriorated historic wood windows.
Chapel Car 5 “Messenger of Peace”, Snoqualmie: $50,000 to rehabilitate Chapel Car 5’s deteriorated structural components, replace missing windows and seating, and restore damaged interior appointments.

Additional nine sites in King County that received $5,000 each:
•    The 5th Avenue Theatre, Seattle
•    King Street Station, Seattle
•    Kirkland Arts Center, Kirkland
•    Horiuchi’s Seattle Mural, Seattle
•    Naval Reserve Armory-MOHAI, Seattle
•    Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle Building, Seattle
•    Tugboat Arthur Foss, Seattle
•    Keewaydin Clubhouse, Mercer Island
•    Theodor Jacobsen Observatory, Seattle

To learn more about all of the grant recipients visit www.preservationnation.org. Congratulations to all the sites nominated for the campaign, and thanks to everyone who voted – way to rally for preservation Puget Sound!