At a time when public sector budgets are strained and badly in need of re-booting, when every bit of public spending is under intense scrutiny, it is easy to weigh investment in health and human services, for example, against funding for arts and culture.  Over my long career in the arts, I’ve heard the mantra repeatedly, “How can we justify spending on the arts when people are homeless?”  Believe me, given the current levels of state, city and county spending on the arts, even if every culture dollar was reallocated for housing, we would not end homelessness.  One should not be pitted against the other.  A civil society is characterized by its ability to adopt policies and make investments that alleviate suffering, while at the same time encouraging activity that breeds increased creativity and economic growth.

The arts have long claimed to be an economic engine.  There is ample evidence that the arts, heritage and culture spur increased economic activity.  Economic impact studies conducted in our region over the past fifteen years quantify the jobs created and spending that results from attendance at festivals and theater, music and dance events, not to mention the inherent personal benefits to be gained by gathering with your friends and neighbors for a shared cultural experience.

Now we have further evidence of the unique role the arts play in community development. Storefronts Seattle, a collaboration between The Alliance for Pioneer Square, Chinatown-International District Business Improvement Area, the Seattle Office of Arts and Cultural Affairs and Department of Planning and Development, the Seattle Chinatown-International District Preservation and Development Authority, and Shunpike, will be launched on Thursday, September 2nd.  Note that this is a partnership of economic development, community development, businesses and the arts.   All public sector investments in the arts advance multiple community interests.  That’s why we should support the arts, no matter how serious our social problems.  (Disclaimer: I must confess, I also would advocate support for “the arts for arts sake”, but that’s another message.)

Storefronts Seattle is one of those simple, low-cost ideas that are good for artists, landlords and neighborhoods.  It is based on the obvious premise that occupied street level space is better than vacant space with brown paper covered windows, loudly announcing “no one wants this space in this neighborhood.”  It’s not unlike the rationale for the half price ticket booth in Times Square (TKTS): a seat filled by a patron paying 50% of the ticket price is better than an empty seat.

Initially, Storefronts Seattle is focused on the Chinatown-International District and Pioneer Square, two neighborhoods with their share of vacant retail space, emblematic of these difficult times.   It will modestly begin with ten storefronts, but it is easy to see the idea taking hold in additional spaces and in other neighborhoods such as Capitol Hill and Belltown and suburban cities.  The spaces are donated by property owners on a short-term basis, one to three months.  The artists know it’s not forever; if a space is leased to a paying tenant, the artists will have to vacate.  In the meantime, they have access to free space to display, sell and even create work.  The landlords showcase their properties and support creative businesses, which may evolve into long-term tenants. The look of the street is improved by activating vacant space.  The neighborhood experiences increased foot traffic and changes its identity from “distressed” to “cool.”

Why haven’t we done this before now?

With a little imagination and creativity, Storefronts Seattle attacks a vexing problem at very little cost to the city, artists or businesses.  It demonstrates once again the value of the arts in the civic environment.  September 2^nd is First Thursday in Pioneer Square and Jam Fest in the Chinatown-International District.  The artist storefront spaces will be open.  You can find a map to the various spaces at www.storefrontsseattle.com.   Just another great opportunity to get out, patronize local businesses and discover new places.

Artist John Fleming takes a first look at his new storefront space © 2010, Eliza S. Rankin

Per Susan Robb:

” My! You smell divine. What’s the scent you’re wearing?”
” Why thank you. It’s called Soos Creek”

I wanted to use smell to capture my experiences with the Regional Trails so  over the past six months I have been collecting materials (from plants and berries to horse manure and cocoa pods) found at various Regional Trails (or directly nearby) and distilling essential oils from them. I then mixed these oils into trail-specific fragrances. The process was alchemical and magical (similar to the trails themselves) – one whiff of pine scent can transport me back to the Preston Snoqualmie trail where I gather the needles.

Join me on the Burke Gilman trail on September 28 and from 12 – 2, come get spritzed and cloak yourself in the scent of the trails.

Per Paul Rucker:

After walking along a Regional Trail, I will present an hour-long musical suite inspired by the journey to lunchtime trail-goers.  I look forward to engaging with folks who happen upon me on Tuesday, September 21, noon time.  An interactive component will be featured.

Per Stokley Towles:

On September 27, Susan and I will be out on the Regional Trails.  I will interview people to ask them about their experience on the trails, and am especially curious to see how their relationship to that space has changed with the changing weather.

For more information on the Trails Project, please visit www.trailsproject.com.

Images:

Burke Gilman Trail by Stokley Towles

Paul Rucker and cello at “Water Pieces”, a concert at Rattlesnake Lake, the southernmost point of Snoqualmie Valley Trail by Heather Dwyer.

Susan and Stokley’s feet at the first rest stop on the Long Walk from Seattle to Snoqualmie Falls by Stokley Towles.

PLOP!: Call for Writers
Deadline: September 6, 2010

PLOP! Literary Series is a monthly series hosting writers and musicians from across the Northwest in an intimate house setting.  Providing artists with an opportunity to challenge, shape and engage their work and the audience by thinking in new ways about space.  With support from local  small business sponsors, we provide you with only the best in performance, fresh seasonal pies, and drinks on the house.

Center for Documentary Studies/Honickman First Book Prize in Photography
Deadline: September 8, 2010

The Center for Documentary Studies (CDS) at Duke University and The Honickman Foundation (THF), co-sponsor this prestigious biennial prize for American photographers. The only prize of its kind, the CDS / Honickman First Book Prize competition is open to American photographers of any age who have never published a book-length work and who use their cameras for creative exploration, whether it be of places, people, or communities; of the natural or social world; of beauty at large or the lack of it; of objective or subjective realities.

Residency: Virginia Center for the Creative Arts
Deadline: September 15, 2010

Situated among 400 acres of rolling Blue Ridge farmland, the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts in Amherst, VA, offers two-week to two-month residencies for writers, composers, and visual artists from around the world. Residents receive meals and private studios and bedrooms. The Center asks residents to contribute to the cost of their residency if able, but financial ability does not figure into the selection process.

Arteles Residency Program, Haukijärvi, Finland
Deadline: September 17, 2010

For Winter 2010 and Spring 2011 Arteles is calling open-minded creative participants from all disciplines such as music/sound, fine art, photography, contemporary research, film/video, multidisciplinary arts, installation, painting, new media etc. Also other fields of creativity are now open such as graphic design and fashion. The selection of artists is done by the Arteles administration along with selected network members or invited creative professionals.

Writers Residency: Whidbey Island
Deadline: September 23, 2010

The Hedgebrook Writers in Residence Program on Whidbey Island, WA, is accepting applications for its 2011 residency season (February – November). Residencies range from two to six weeks and are open to women writers from around the world. Residents live in handcrafted cottages on the property’s 48 acres of forest and meadow with access to nearby Double Bluff beach, and enjoy a nightly communal dinner prepared with locally and organically grown food.

Second Use’s Salvage Art Contests
Deadline: September 25, 2010

Calling all Artists, Do-it-Yourselfers, and Crafty Creative Types for our annual Salvage Art Contests, a celebration of all that is great about salvage – the search, the inspiration, and the unexpected result.So, pull out your paintbrush or hammer and get cracking on the next great salvage masterpiece. Prizes awarded.

University of Iowa Press: The Iowa Short Fiction Award
Deadline: September 30, 2010

Any writer who has not previously published a volume of prose fiction is eligible to enter the competition. Previously entered manuscripts that have been revised may be resubmitted. Writers are still eligible if they have published a volume of poetry or any work in a language other than English or if they have self-published a work in a small print run. Writers are still eligible if they are living abroad or are non-US citizens writing in English. Current University of Iowa students are not eligible.

The American Academy in Berlin: Residency Fellowship
Deadline: October 1, 2010

The Academy welcomes emerging as well as established scholars, writers, and professionals who wish to engage in independent study in Berlin. Around two dozen Berlin Prizes are conferred annually. Past Berlin Prize recipients have included historians, economists, poets, art historians, journalists, legal scholars, anthropologists, musicologists, public policy experts, and writers, among others. The Academy does not accept project proposals in mathematics and the hard sciences.

Vermont Studio Center Residency
Deadline: October 1, 2010

The Studio Center provides 4-12 week studio residencies on an historic 30-building campus along the Gihon River in Johnson, Vermont, a village in the heart of the northern Green Mountains.VSC awards a number of Fellowships for 4-week residencies throughout the year. Open to all artists and writers. In addition to VSC Fellowships, a variety of special fellowships are also available for full or partial funding.

T-shirt Design Contest: World’s Fair Anniversary
Deadline: October 20, 2010

Seattle Center Foundation invites sketchers, designers, artists and all with a creative mind to make a delightful, inspiring and future-focused t-shirt design for the Arts, Culture & Design theme for The Next Fifty, the 50th Anniversary of the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair.

Call to Artists & Curators: The Center for Wooden Boats
Deadline: October 31, 2010

The Boathouse Gallery is pleased to announce a call to Artists + Curators for solo shows and curated exhibits for semi-annual shows at The Center for Wooden Boats [CWB] in Seattle. Artists + Curators with interest in water or waterways, craft or craftsmanship, in the real or the abstract are encouraged to apply.  For each exhibit, the artist or curator will participate in CWB’s 3rd Friday Speaker Series as part of the opening festivities, sharing their inspiration, process and insights into the show with the public. Contact: gallery@cwb.org

International Film Event, Mono No Aware, Brooklyn
Deadline: November 5, 2010

MONO NO AWARE is an international film event open to any person or group of persons making work that incorporates Super8mm or 16mm film format as part of that presentation. (Expanded Cinema) In previous years 16 film was blended with dance performance, Super8 with live spoken word/audience involvement, & multi-projections with live jazz/musical devices. Dancers, Sculptors, Musicians, Theorists, Scientists, Athletes, Visual artists, everyone, AND Film-makers are encouraged to submit.

Gallery 110: Call for Submissions
Deadline: November 1, 2010

Gallery 110 is a non-profit collective gallery of professional artists located in Seattle, Washington.The Call for Submissions is for an international juried show titled “Couplings”. Gallery 110 is calling for artwork that explores personal relationships that celebrate parings and the power of the bonds they create. Juror is Rock Hushka, Curator of Contemporary and Northwest Art for the Tacoma Art Museum in Tacoma, WA.

Northwest Film Forum: Pocket Film Challenge
Deadline: November 8, 2010

Northwest Film Forum announces their latest obstruction for the frisky filmmaker: The Pocket Film Challenge-a small screen, big picture experience.Filmmakers are asked to use mobile phones to shoot and edit three-minute, one-take films. One-take-films are shot without interruption, from the moment of turning the camera on to the moment of turning the camera off. Any text or music must be added using only what is technologically capable with the mobile device. We’ll put all submitted small screen images in our big screen cinema.

If you’re interested in opportunities in public art, please be sure to check out our extensive list of possibilities for public artists, including local, national and international calls.

Photo: © 2010, Arteles Swimming Spot, Arteles Residency Program,  Finland

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.

e4c, 4Culture’s storefront gallery for electronic art is proud to present two media works by Longhouse Media.

Unreserved, is an intimate profile of Pacific Northwest artist and activist, Louie Gong (Nooksack, Squamish, Chinese, French and Scottish). In this documentary, Gong speaks about his artwork, a blend of Coast Salish with Vans, a popular skateboard shoe.  Raised in a rural farmhouse in Canada before moving to live on a small reservation in Washington, Gong grew interested in identity and “walking in multiple worlds.” Longhouse Media captures his fascinating story about how he developed this hip, contemporary artwork, which honors his Native roots.

Also featured, Two Worlds – Inside Out, is an intergenerational production made by mentors from Longhouse Media and youth from SuperFly 2010. Two Worlds – Inside Out shows young people slowing disclosing their identities  -  both contemporary and traditional. Young people use poetry, dance, music and sport to share their challenge of living in two worlds.

The vision of Longhouse Media, is to serve as an indigenous media arts organization that nurtures the expression and development of Native artists, drawing from traditional and modern forms of storytelling, cultural identity, teaching and inquiry, based in the technologies of today.

Photo © 2010 Longhouse Media, Unreserved (Louie Gong), Video (still).
Courtesy of Longhouse Media

aLIVe artist Dominic Muren will be sewing and bartering at two Madrona spots this afternoon and Saturday. This afternoon he will be at the Madrona Market (Union and Martin Luther King way)  from 4:00-7:00. Hustle your bustle on over  and barter for a shopping bag made from recycled materials. A wine tasting at Bottlehouse wine bar is tomorrow’s visit – sip and sew. Are we having fun yet? Enjoy the weekend!

If you haven’t made it down to Occidental Park this summer, this is your last week for a number of great projects, but never fear there will be more projects happening until October!  Below is a preview of Michelle Arab’s Wind Map of Occidental Park.  Imagine this in every tree in the park!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Here’s what’s happening this month:

Michelle Arab’s Wind Map of Occidental Park – Up now through September
Mila’s Prismatic Lightscape – Last Day is Wednesday, September 1
Celeste Cooning’s Celebration and Fanfare – Last Day is Wednesday, Sept. 1
Sol Hashemi’s Driving a Sculpture – Final Drive is Thursday, Sept. 2 5-8pm
Britta Johnson’s Heat Transfer – Thursday through Sunday 6-11pm from Sept. 2 to Sept. 26
Stimulate Dance Open Air Performance Series – Sept. 8-10 at Noon & Sept. 11 at 1pm
Joan Laage’s Red – September 20 11:30am-1:30pm

Exciting Things Happening in Issaquah!
Pickering Barn, Issaquah
1730 10th Ave. N.W.

Toy Boats Music for Waiting at the Pickering Barn in Issaquah during the Issaquah Farmer’s Market on Saturday, September 4 11:30am-1:30pm.

Mandy Greer’s Mater Matrix Mother and Medium has finished installation near the Pickering Barn in Issaquah.  The river will be up through September.

Want to hear more about what’s happening with Site-Specific?  Click here to join our email list!

Ben Waterman: The Grand Rooms

Opening: Thursday, September 2, 6-8 p.m.
Exhibition running: September 2 – 30, 2010

In September, 4Culture is delighted to present an exhibition of brand new work by Seattle-based artist Ben Waterman. The Grand Rooms consists primarily of sculpture composed of divergent materials: clay (both raw and fired), paint, drywall, and wood. Waterman, still early in his career, has exhibited extensively with projects noteworthy in scale and scope. He recently created Risking to Care for a Place in Occidental Park as part of ArtSparks through 4Culture’s Site Specific Program.  Having spent many years studying wood fire ceramics in Japan and the US, Waterman’s material conscious installations maintain a profound connection to his roots in ceramics.

Check out his website here

Please join us for Ben’s opening on Thursday, September 2nd at 6pm. Make a night of it by checking out dozens of our local neighborhood galleries during Pioneer Square’s First Thursday Art Walk.

Photo: Clay, Blood Orange Peel /Umbria, 2010, Courtesy of the artist

Ah summer – for many of us, it’s time to squeeze in that much needed vacation… warm breezes, beaches, blue oceans, delicious food. Hawaii anyone?? If you’re like me, and aren’t able to hit up the Hawaiian Islands in person, you can still embrace the spirit of “Aloha” at the Live! Aloha Hawaiian Festival at Seattle Center each year. This summer, our award-winning 4CTV team  made a special trip to record the sights and sounds and shed light on how you, too can enjoy the magic of Hawaii right here in the Emerald City.

Watch the episode

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.

4Culture, Artist Trust and the Estate of Su Job have just announced local artist, Kelly Lyles as the recipient of the 2010 Conductive Garboil Grant, a yearly, non-restricted award of $3,000.

The Conductive Garboil Grant was developed by artist Su Job just before her passing in December 2008 and acknowledges Seattle artists with a connection to Pioneer Square who have “demonstrated a profound ability to challenge the limits of conductive creative discourse and its effects on our society, pushing the creative act beyond the accepted limits, definitions, or purposes of art while engaging audiences outside the aesthetic industrial complex.”

Even if you don’t know Kelly personally, you probably recognize her photo. She had her first Seattle exhibition in Pioneer Square in 1982, at The Prints and The Pauper and has since planted deep-roots in the community. Her representational (and often humorous) paintings are regularly on view – ranging from punny views of animals crossed with ‘all-American’ products like Mice-A-Roni, Benson & Hedgehogs, and Star-Ducks Coffee, to watercolors of historical and mythological figures.

Kelly’s flamboyant persona and attention-getting ArtCars are staples at First Thursday and art events around the city. She considers her embellished vehicles “rolling canvases, the ultimate public art”. Perhaps you have seen the Excessories Odd-yssey, a Honda van covered with women’s fashion accessories (jewelry, purses, shoes, belts, sunglasses and more) on the road or at the Seattle ArtCar Blowout, which she founded and has produced for the past 11 years.

And yes, there is more…Lyles also extends her considerable talents and adventurous spirit to organizations such as the Fremont Arts Council, SIFF, multiple local theaters, and as an art instructor at Bellevue College. But perhaps she is best known for her massive email list, to which she forwards visual arts information and opportunities – keeping us all in the loop.

Come and celebrate with Kelly as she is honored on Wednesday, October 13, 2010, 6 – 8pm, at 4Culture, 101 Prefontaine Place South, Seattle, WA 98104.

Photo Credit: Paul McRae

Click here to view the embedded video.

In early August, a peer-selection panel chose 16 artists/artist teams from a highly competitive pool of applicants. From stop-motion animation to a narrative exploration of the Puget Sound by canoe, selected works represent a diverse sampling of electronic media. Projects will be presented as soon they have been adapted to meet technical requirements of the site, as early as October 7, 2010.

To date, 23 artist/artist teams have presented or are presenting from 1-5 media artworks on e4c. In addition, e4c has been included in Digital Fringe, an international animation festival based out of Melbourne, Australia. e4c was the only US venue in 2009.

SELECTED ARTISTS:

Julie Alpert & Andy Arkley — Seattle, WA
e4c will present a collaborative animation piece entitled, Round and Round, by this artist team. Their goal was to create a short collection of animations using things found around the house. Additionally, e4c will feature two animations by Andy Arkley entitled; Fifty Four Fifty and What It’s All About, music-based animations that supplement live performances of his band, The Brand Flakes.

Evertt Beidler — Portland, OR
e4c will feature several works by Beidler that focus on ideas around labor and repetitive behavioral patterns. Beidler writes, “What attracts me most to this location is that a significant portion of the potential viewers will be commuting to and from work, caring out routine activities during the course of their day.”

Tony Buchen & Jazzmean Goodwin — Santa Fe, NM
This long standing collaborative team will present a select group of experimental works using three-dimensional models to explore virtual realms on e4c. The videos represent ways of experiencing sculpture that are not pragmatically possible in the physical worlds.

Brit Bunkley — Jamestown, RI/Wanganui, New Zealand
For e4c, Bunkley has proposed two videos that are composite 3D animations with actual footage. By manipulating virtual and actual images, videos and objects are convincing and yet unsettling.

Drew Christie — Seattle, WA
e4c will present Fire, Fire, I heard the Cry, a short animated history of the Great Seattle Fire of 1889. The animation was created by making hand printed pictures from linoleum engravings. These engravings were inspired by historic photographs of the fire’s aftermath.

Lisa Marie Evans — Tucson, AZ
Evans will present an excerpt of an extensive text animation piece that displays varying thoughts as a test in how our perceptions of a physical space alter as we perceive someone’s thoughts.

Joseph Farbrook — Boston, MA
e4c will present two works by Farbrook: Cell in The New Body and Texture. These works explore alternative uses of text, displaying sentences as flashing single words, so that they cannot be read in the traditional sense.  As the viewer looks upon the words flashing, sentences form in the viewer’s mind as a kind of mental after-image.

Neal Fryett — Seattle, WA
On e4c, Fryett will present videos based upon simple gestures that are intensely focused on object-based events contained within the contemporary living space. These works use common, unconsidered objects as platforms for the projection of ideas experiences and questions.

Ben Houge — St. Paul, MN
Houge will adapt Shanghai Traces, a real-time generated video that is a meditation on Shanghai’s rapid change of pace in preparation for this year’s World Expo, incorporating items sold by street vendors who have been expelled from the city center during the event.

Miguel Jara — New York, NY/Bogota, Columbia
e4c will feature recently developed works entitled, In the Woods and Chex Eux. Both works are created from drawings on paper, which are then scanned and compiled as cell animation.

Britta Johnson — Seattle, WA
Excerpts from two recent works will be presented on e4c. Johnson utilizes stop-motion animation, sound and narrative elements to examine the benefits of a natural drainage system in Waterway and the tale of shipwreck victims going mad in Crashing Waves.

Dmitry Kmelnitsky — Venice, CA
Kmelnitsky will present his work, The City Unfolds. He writes, “With this piece, I ask the questions ‘Can we read a city like a book? Can its streets unfold before us like pages, inviting us on a journey of the imagination?”

Jonathan Monaghan — College Park, MD
Monaghan will create a new animation and adapt three others to create a 4-channel series that depict simple forms and elements, many that refer to symbols of institutional power, such as the bald eagle. However, everything is distorted as candy-like and surreal.

Anna Norton — Philadelphia, PA
Norton will present a selection of works from her series of time-lapse photography pieces that explore historical architecture as a container for time as it is defined and revealed by light. She writes, “The ephemeral quality of the light plays upon the structure and suggests a tension between historical time and geological time; the animate and inanimate; permanence and transience.”

Piper O’Neill — Seattle, WA
e4c will feature several of O’Neill’s stop-motion, animation works. Animations, made using found objects, drawings, cutouts, music and film clips from the past, O’Neill examines her own interested in themes of nostalgia and inherited histories.

Scott Schuldt — Seattle, WA
Schuldt’s View from the Canoe Project is a non-traditional documentary work that incorporates the artists reflections on nature and the attitudes people have about water. The work also demonstrates how the artist has been able to find a very real sense of wilderness in an urban setting.

4Culture is pleased to announce the newest earthwork in the King County Public Art collection, Pillow Field by Cao|Perrot Studio (Andy Cao and Xavier Perrot).  227 earthen mounds, representing the cultural diversity of White Center, are covered by creeping thyme which will blanket the 16,000 square foot site with pink blossoms from late spring to late summer.  A generous central staircase and ADA accessible ramp frame the sculpted quadrants of earthwork and replace the former rough terrain and steep slope. Pillow Field celebrates the newly completed pedestrian connector between the Greenbridge mixed-income housing development and the White Center Central Business District.  This improved pedestrian corridor along SW 98th Street already sees heavy use from the community, from high school athletic training to elders enjoying their daily stroll.  Pillow Field is part of King County’s successful community collaboration, begun in 2005, to create a safe and welcoming pedestrian passageway along SW 98th Street.

Vandalism

Though many residents are enjoying the benefits of the new pedestrian corridor, vandalism has caused King County to close portions of the site for safety reasons. Vandals stole the stainless steel hand-railing and cut the electrical service to the pathway lights. The corridor’s central stairway is unsafe without these amenities and so is currently blocked off awaiting repairs, though the ADA ramp remains open. Portions of the artwork have also been repeatedly vandalized with graffiti. 4Culture has been working with the artist to address this issue.

As stewards of the County’s public art collection, 4Culture works hard to commission artwork that enriches the built environment throughout the county. The partnership that helped to build Pillow Field came together to ensure that this underserved area would benefit from King County initiatives that promote Equity and Social Justice, walkable neighborhoods, increased health and enhanced community.

Art in the Environment

From our work at Harborview Medical Center we know what an important role environment can play in health, and how including artwork in the environment can positively impact the psychological and physical well-being of residents. That important collection site has also helped us learn about maintaining artwork that is exposed to heavy use and occasional abuse. With an increased focus on equity and social justice in our public art practice, we have begun to think about viewing all of our sites through the Harborview lens: Is this a healing environment? Does this site promote the well-being of the community in which is located? How can we create meaning, bring beauty and add value and health to this particular place and the people who use it every day?

What do we do?

Pillow Field demonstrates that success can happen in steps. The 98th Street intervention was desired and achieved by input and support from the community as well as a powerful coalition of government and community resources. The artwork clearly transformed the site, adding ease, beauty, connection and an enhanced sense of place to the neighborhood. Within days high school athletes were running the switchback ramp as part of their training and many citizens were expressing their appreciation through both feedback and everyday use.

The vandalism is occurring because we live in difficult times and because, for the very reasons the project was built, the neighborhood has been hit hard by the times. So we take a few steps back, paint out the graffiti, replace the handrails more securely, reconnect the lights. We work with law enforcement and enlist the power of the community through neighborhood watch programming to decrease opportunity for damage. Over the coming months and years Andy Cao’s earthwork landscape will fill out; the thyme will blossom, and a method will emerge that will allow the site to be respected and celebrated. Hopefully, Pillow Field’s abundance will be reflected in the community that surrounds it.

King County Executive Dow Constantine first supported funding for the 98th Street Corridor as a member of the County Council. Under his leadership as Executive the County is embracing the Equity and Social Justice Initiative and the  promotion of healthy living. 4Culture would like to acknowledge the role that County and coalition support has played in improving the quality of life in White Center. White Center hosts a community blog that has coverage of the artwork site.

© Andy Cao, Pillow Field, 2010 Photos by Stephen Jerrome
© Akio Takamori, LOVE, Ceramic, 2008, Public Art Collection at Harborview Medical Center, Photo by Peter de Lory

Check out these amazing events supported through 4Culture’s Individual Artist Projects program.

Arun Sharma
(de)composition: Human
Bellevue Arts Museum Biennial
August 28, 2010 – January 16, 2011
Free Opening Reception: August 27th – 5-9pm

BAM Biennial 2010: Clay Throwdown! is the inaugural edition of BAM’s new, juried exhibition competition. With over 30 participating artists, it provides a panoramic survey of ceramic art created in the Pacific Northwest and a glimpse into the many directions in which this dynamic medium is moving. Clay Throwdown! features a select blend of both emerging and established artists with an emphasis on new and site-specific works.

Stokley Towles
Trash Talk: the Social Life of Garbage
The Shoebox Theatre
PERFORMANCE DATES: Thurs, Fri & Sat, September 9-11; Thurs & Fri, September 16-17; Fri, Sat & Sun, September 24-26. 7 pm (Sunday, Sept 26 performance is at noon)
Cost: $12 General, $5 Student/Senior

Trash Talk: the Social Life of Garbage, digs into the human side of garbage: garbage men on vacation who can’t keep themselves from photographing trash cans; transfer station attendants who gather throw-away flags so they can be disposed of “properly”; suburbanites who leave plates of cookies or flowers for their garbage collectors.

John Grade
Circuit
Davidson Galleries
September 2 – October 2, 2010
Free Opening Reception: September 2, 2010
Free Lectures: September 10th – 6pm @ Downtown Seattle Library | September 18, 2010 – noon @ Davidson Galleries

Grade’s work overtly engages with its surrounding environments, both architectural and natural. When indoors, his work references built space. Circuit will literally engage with the gallery’s walls. When presented outdoors, the work evolves materially. Weather patterns affect the work, and the exposed surfaces, evolve, disintegrate and morph into something new.

Kate Lebo, Martha Silano, Kary Wayson, Jason Dodson & Tomo Nakayama
72 Days of Summer
Fremont Abbey
September 22, 2010 – 7:30pm
Pay-what-you-can

72 Days of Summer, a reading by Kate Lebo of poems written the summer of 2010. Also featuring performances of new poems from Kary Wayson and Martha Silano, plus new songs from Jason Dodson and Tomo Nakayama. Kate Lebo spent the summer of 2010 composing the poems that will round out her first collection of poetry, Supper So Clean. On the last day of summer, she’ll celebrate this bounty of time and creativity by reading from the manuscript. She’ll share the stage with award-winning poets Kary Wayson and Martha Silano, both of whom also received grants from 4Culture this year. Jason Dodson of the Maldives and Tomo Nakayama of Grand Hallway will round out the evening with solo sets of music.

Photo: © 2010 John Grade, Circuit, Glazed ceramic bonded with gypsum polymer to corn-based resin embedded with marine netting, 9×24x24′, Courtesy of the Artist

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: Long-awaited grand opening of Mary Olson Farm with a Hops & Crops Harvest Festival. 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

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.

The Wallace Foundation and Washington State Arts Commission announce an Arts Participation Leadership Initiative learning opportunity August 26-27. Designed for arts managers, board members, artists and volunteers, the event features a Forum + Workshops that cover emerging practices in audience engagement.

Called Engaging Audiences, researcher and consultant Alan Brown of WolfBrown and participants will explore how audiences engage with different art forms, plus how arts organizations can respond to the changing expectations and demands of audiences. The forum will be introduced by Daniel Windham of The Wallace Foundation with a discussion led by Sandra Jackson-Dumont of the Seattle Art Museum.

Engaging Audiences happens at the Seattle Center’s McCaw Hall. The event is free, but seating is limited.

Register below for detailed information:

Engaging Audiences Forum
Thursday, August 26, 3:30-6:30 p.m.
https://www.regonline.com/arts_participation_forum

Engaging Audiences Afternoon Workshop
Friday August 27, 1:30-4:30 p.m.
https://www.regonline.com/arts_participation_pm_workshops

Centrum Foundation works with Fort Worden State Park in Port Townsend to present music festivals, an annual Writers Conference and youth programming in the arts and sciences throughout the year. Now that the last of the summer workshops are over, Centrum housing is once again open for the Artist Residency Program. Individuals and collaborative groups may rent housing and studio space for a discounted fee. From now through the fall you may apply through their simple application process to spend creative time in one of the great cultural jewels of the Pacific Northwest. Read about a recent residency by visual artist Karen Hackeberg, then start clearing your calendar.

Questions? Contact Lisa Werner: 360-385-3102 x128.

Photo: Karen Hackenberg with artwork, courtesy of Centrum Foundation

Seattle hip hop artist Jawaan LaRue has just launched his CD, Saturn Returns. A 2010 4Culture Individual Artist Projects award recipient, LaRue’s is known as an adept wordsmith, with positive lyrics, influenced by his experiences serving overseas.

LaRue enlisted in the army upon graduation from high school, and spent eight years in the service. During a tour of duty in Iraq in 2004 and 2005 he recorded an album, but it was never released. He’s been working hard ever since to write and perform amazing hip-hop music. He celebrated the launch of Saturn Returns last weekend at Chop Suey. If you missed that, be sure to visit his website to see videos, hear samples and learn more about upcoming shows.

Students, researchers, educators, artists, and the general public will find the online archives a valuable resource for current and historic source material, and will glean knowledge of the APA community from the newspaper’s personality profiles, coverage of news stories, and even the advertising sections. Access the International Examiner online archives at www.iexaminer.org.

Image: Copyright International Examiner