June Sekiguchi: Within/Without

ArtXchange Gallery through February 25th

 Artist Talk Thursday, February 2 at 3:00        Reception to follow 5:00-8:00

June Sekiguchi was a 2011 recipient of an Individual Artist Project. We’ve invited her to share the artist residency that the award funded as well as the artwork that resulted from her residency experience.

My sculptural installation, Within/Without,  represents a set of opposite experiences: the most wonderful opportunity I’ve had in my life for my art, and the worst time in the pain of loss. From the outside, this work was created in response to an artist residency I had in Laos at the invitation of Prince Nithakhong Somsanith. Funded in part by a grant from 4Culture, the residency goal was to observe Lao art practices in order to inform new studio work. From the inside, it’s a temple to honor my mother. My time in Laos coincided with what turned out to be the process of my mother dying from injuries from a car accident.

Luang Prabang is Laos’ cultural capital and was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994 because of the many temples that exist in the small town. Exiled to France, Prince Somsanith has returned to Luang Prabang in recent years to help revive the traditional arts that were dying out since the communist government takeover in 1975. The sensory experience in the meditative atmosphere of monks chanting compelled me to make something for my mother in reverence.

I approached the residency free from preconceived direction. I was ready to abandon the tool I was predominantly using, to find new methodologies and new directions. Prince Somsanith fast-tracked me to artisan workshops in silversmithing, weaving, ceramics, woodcarving, papermaking and stencil making.  As I absorbed various techniques and mediums, I came to value why I had been drawn to pattern and surface in the first place. It was the appreciation of the hand in a knowing-ness and an aesthetic fed by history, linking these arts to a living, breathing tradition.  I realized that rather than abandoning my previous practices, I needed to push my medium to its ultimate conclusion.

I found many opposite notions throughout the Lao culture. Theravada Buddhism can exist and thrive under a communist government and co-exist with spiritual animism. Rich, sumptuous temples have existed over centuries, housing the Buddhist precepts of impermanence and non-materiality while the rest of the country lives in the raw beauty of bamboo.    In my responsive work I use contrasting materials and construction as a metaphor to convey the opposites I was feeling internally and what I was observing externally as an outsider looking in. Fragility and stability; life force and collapse; complexity and simplicity exist within and without.

The next deadline for Individual Artist Project applications is March 14. June Sekiguchi’s artwork will be on exhibit through February 25th, ArtXchange Gallery, 512 1^st Ave. S., Seattle, WA 98103

Smokestack Arias promo © 2011 courtesy of Robin Holcomb

4Culture is excited to announce the premier of Smokestack Arias – a song cycle inspired by the labor uprising that culminated in the events of November 5, 1916 known as the Everett Massacre. Composed by Wayne Horvitz with text by Robin Holcomb, the work will be performed by Maria Mannisto (soprano voice) and Cristina Valdes (piano). Each song assumes the perspective of a different woman affected by the tumultuous occurrences, creating an intimate and personal account of this seminal event in the history of the labor movement in the Pacific Northwest. Dayna Hanson, experimental stage artist and choreographer, will direct. Eight performances are scheduled for February 2 – 12 at ACT Theatre in Seattle. This is a Central Heating Lab Event, funded in part by 4Culture’s Individual Artist Projects program.

For more information visit acttheatre.org or call (206) 292-7676.

Thione Diop, Mix of Africa, (CD Cover), Courtesy of the Artist

Anomie Belle: EP Release Show
December 14, 2011 – 8pm
The Tractor Tavern
5213 Ballard Ave NW, Seattle
Free (21+)

Anomie Belle with Cataldo and Michel Navedo celebrate the release of Anomie Belle’s new EP Machine (featuring collaborations with members of the Sneaker Pimps, Mr Lif, and Big Spider’s Back). She will be performing new music she composed specifically for her live band and string quartet. Anomie Belle finds herself in a unique position in more ways than one. Less than 5% of music producers (and audio engineers) are female. Don’t think she doesn’t know it! Anomie has become active in empowering the next generation of female musicians to develop skills as producers and engineers through several local nonprofit organizations.

Thione Diop: CD Release
December 15, 2011 – 9pm
The Triple Door
216 Union St, Seattle
Free (21+)

Come celebrate the release of Thione Diop’s new CD, Mix of Africa, at the Triple Door Musicquarium Lounge. On this CD, Thione mixes a heady stew of traditional West African music with American, Cuban, and Brazilian jazz, creating his own unique flavor of world music. Featured on this CD are a wide array of West African musicians with deep cultural roots, playing both traditional and western instruments.

John Grade
Channel
Davidson Galleries
313 Occidental Ave S, Seattle
Tuesday-Saturday 10am-5:30pm
Free

Channel is an exhibition by environmental sculptor John Grade, at Davidson Galleries in Seattle’s Pioneer Square. The latest work was inspired by drainage architecture and timbers salvaged from the historic Northwest schooner Wawona, a lumber carrier and fishing vessel based in the Puget Sound from 1897 to 1947. This new body of work relates directly to Grade’s upcoming monumental sculpture installation for the Museum of History & Industry’s new museum at the Armory Building in Lake Union Park, Seattle, opening late fall of 2012.

Kevin Heutink: Out on a Limb
December 4, 2011 – 4:15 pm
Northwest Film Forum
1515 12th Avenue, Seattle
Free

On December 4th, a free presentation of a new documentary, entitled Out on a Limb by Kevin Heutink will be presented at Northwest Film Forum. This documentary about David ‘Squirrelman’ Csaky, who received international attention and became the face of homelessness when Seattle officials evicted him from his elaborate treehouse on Eastlake.  Shot over the course of two years, Out On A Limb chronicles the construction and destruction of David’s make-shift home in the trees and follows his subsequent journey to officially and permanently rise out of homelessness once back on the ground. Along the way we’re introduced to renowned treehouse builder and author, Peter Nelson, and Real Change newspaper vendor, James French. Together, the trios’ precarious paths weave a big picture perspective of these troubling economic times.

Etsuko Ichikawa: NACHI
December 8, 2011 – 7:00 pm
artEAST Art Center
95 Front St. N, Issaquah
Free

artEAST Art Center is pleased to present an artist talk by Etsuko Ichikawa about her most recent project NACHI – between the eternal and the ephemeral – and her process of making the work. NACHI is a large scale multi-media installation that involved glass pyrographs (fire drawing with molten glass), video projection, and sound, and was exhibited at University of Wyoming Art Museum earlier this year.

Hugo Solis: AXIAL
December 8, 9 & 10, 2011 – 4:18 pm to 11:00 pm
Artist Talk: Friday, December 9th at 7:00 pm
UW Center for Urban Horticulture
3501 NE 41st St, Seattle

Axial is a sound installation where a cargo container is employed as a resonant object. Resonant in its acoustic sense because the container is used as sound generator but also resonant in its metaphorical connotation because the container and the generated sounds translate and represent the geological properties of Axial, an active submarine volcano on the Juan de Fuca Ridge located about 250 miles off the coast of Oregon. The container is also the space/instrument for interpreting the scientific data obtained during the oceanographic expedition Enlighten’10 where the artist recorded the sounds of the hydrothermal vents located in the area at depth of over 4500 feet.

Chris McMullen: Crank-E-Joes, A Mechanical Engagement
December 10, 2011
The Firm
5813 Airport Way S, Seattle
Free

Crank-E-Joes: A Mechanical Engagement stuns you with not-so-simple machines by Chris McMullen, a member of a collective of artists and craftspeople called The Firm.

Sibyl James: The Last Woro Woro to Treichville: A West African Memoir
December 15, 2011 – 7 pm
The Elliott Bay Book Company
1521 Tenth Avenue, Seattle
Free

Seattle poet and prose writer and itinerant traveler Sibyl James will read from her ninth book, The Last Woro Woro to Treichville: A West African Memoir (Stringtown Press), this an account of her experiences as a Fulbright professor at the University of Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, West Africa. “Sibyl James has given us the next best thing to a ticket to West Africa’s Cote d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast). Through her eyes as a ‘resident foreigner,’ the country comes vividly alive in all its joys and foibles, from funky communal taxis and gyrating dances to student uprisings and politics that have led to the recent civil wars.” – Brenda Peterson.

Isaac Layman: Paradise
Through January 22, 2012
Frye Art Museum
704 Terry Avenue, Seattle
Free

In Paradise, Isaac Layman expands his practice of constructing large-scale, psychologically charged, photographic-based visions of the spaces and objects found in his Seattle home. His new artworks explore the desire to fabricate escapes, destinations, and monuments and the role discontent plays in driving the need to create imagined perfection.

Molly Landreth: Emobodiment, A Portrait of Queer Life in America
Through January 27, 2012
Group f/5.6 Gallery
East Shore Unitarian Church
12700 SE 32nd St, Bellevue
Free

Photographer, Molly Landreth exhibits images from her extensive project entitled, Embodiment, A Portrait of Queer Life in America. This project has been featured in the New York Times Online, OUT Traveler, SheWired, and American Photo among many other publications. Group f/5.6, based in Bellevue, is proud to present this project in the Northwest.

Gene Gentry McMahon: Waterwatching: Puget Sound and the Duwamish River
Through January 31, 2012
Seattle Aquarium
1483 Alaskan Way, Seattle
Aquarium Entry Fee Required

Painter, Gene Gentry McMahon exhibits her latest work, Waterwatching: Puget Sound and the Duwamish River, which serves as a visual journey through the history of the Puget Sound region from the late 18th century to current times, with a particular emphasis on Elliott Bay and the Duwamish River. “Having lived in the Puget Sound region all my life, I have a passion for its history and a deep concern for its well-being,” McMahon said. “In my work, I am always interested in the question of how we balance civic growth and community needs with the intelligent management of our waterways. As a community, we have not always achieved that goal. But by outlining the remarkable history of the Puget Sound in ‘Waterwatching: Puget Sound and the Duwamish River,’ I hope to inspire interest in its history, pride in its beauty and diversity, and an awareness of the challenges we face in safeguarding its future.”

© 2009 Molly Landreth, Cooper, Oakland, CA, Photograph
© 2011, Hugo Solis, AXIAL 

© 2007 Molly Landreth, Jo and Joann

Peter Mountfort: The Dismal Science
November 17, 2011 – 10 am
Seattle Public Library, Greenwood Branch
8016 Greenwood Avenue N, Seattle
Free

Writer Peter Mountfort has recently completed his second novel, The Dismal Science. This new work investigates the fragility of identity through the story of a vice president at the World Bank who deliberately, and mysteriously, destroys his career over an ostensibly minor argument with a colleague.

Karen Finneyfrock: Starbird Murphy and the World Outside
November 22, 2011 – 7 pm
Youngstown Cultural Arts Center
4408 Delridge Way SW, Seattle
Free

Karen Finneyfrock spent nine weeks this fall writing the first four chapters of her second book of young adult fiction, Starbird Murphy and the World Outside. Be the first to hear the start of this new work, due on Viking Children’s Books in 2013. The novel is set in Seattle and rural Washington State and tells the story of Starbird Murphy, a girl who grows up on a commune until age sixteen when she receives a potentially divine calling to attend public school. Inspired by Seattle’s Love Isreal Family, one of the largest 1960′s communes in the United States, The Commune in Starbird Murphy and the World Outside reflects a largely undocumented story of families living communally in King County.

Molly Landreth: Emobodiment, A Portrait of Queer Life in America
November 28, 2011 – January 27, 2012
Artist Talk & Opening Reception: November 30, 2011 – 7 pm
Group f/5.6 Gallery
East Shore Unitarian Church
12700 SE 32nd St, Bellevue
Free

Opening, November 28th, Photographer, Molly Landreth will be exhibiting images from her extensive project entitled, Embodiment, A Portrait of Queer Life in America. This project has been featured in the New York Times Online, OUT Traveler, SheWired, and American Photo among many other publications. Group f/5.6, based in Bellevue, is proud to present this project in the Northwest.

Kevin Heutink: Out on a Limb
December 4, 2011 – 4:15 pm
Northwest Film Forum
1515 12th Avenue, Seattle
Free

On December 4th, a free presentation of a new documentary, entitled Out on a Limb by Kevin Heutink will be presented at Northwest Film Forum. This documentary about David ‘Squirrelman’ Csaky, who received international attention and became the face of homelessness when Seattle officials evicted him from his elaborate treehouse on Eastlake.  Shot over the course of two years, Out On A Limb chronicles the construction and destruction of David’s make-shift home in the trees and follows his subsequent journey to officially and permanently rise out of homelessness once back on the ground. Along the way we’re introduced to renowned treehouse builder and author, Peter Nelson, and Real Change newspaper vendor, James French. Together, the trios’ precarious paths weave a big picture perspective of these troubling economic times.

© 2007 Molly Landreth, Jo and Joann

Fall City-based artist, Don Fels received a 4Culture Individual Artist Project award for a project that has resulted in a partnership and play with playwright, Mark Jenkins. Red Earth, Gold Gate, Shadow Sky is about returnees — Cambodian youth who grew up in the United States but were deported back to Cambodia after serving time in American prisons. Jenkins is proud of the fact that he, Don Fels and the play’s director, Victor Pappas developed a strong relationship with members from the the Cambodian community in King County. The public is welcome to attend performances at the University of Washington’s Hutchinson Hall, and High Point, a Neighborhood House facility, where many Cambodians reside. A $5 donation is suggested.

UW Hutchinson Hall
Wed., Nov. 9 preview; Fri. & Sat. Nov.11-12; 7:30 p.m.
Sun., Nov. 13 matinee; 2:30 p.m.

High Point Center/Neighborhood House
Fri. & Sat. Nov. 18-19; 7:00 p.m.

© 2011, Stuart Isett, Jose Abaoag is the lead character, Cam, and Sreymom Serey plays his mother Sovanara.

Langdon Cook

Finding Edible Weeds in Your Garden and Lawn

Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2011, 6 – 7:30 p.m.

Seattle Public Library, Beacon Hill Branch

Free

Individual Artist Projects recipient, Langdon Cook, an author and expert forager talks about how to use your backyard as an exotic produce aisle. Cook is author of the book and blog Fat of the Land: Adventures of a 21st Century Forager. He is also a columnist for Seattle Magazine and a frequent speaker and lecturer on wild foods and the outdoors. Molly Wizenberg, author of “A Homemade Life: Stories and Recipes From My Kitchen Table,” calls Langdon Cook “smart, funny, and hugely knowledgeable…a walking field guide and a gifted storyteller. Fat of the Land is a welcome kick in the pants to get outside and start foraging for our suppers.” Delicious found food at home. Time to set the table.

Click here to view the embedded video.

“I am humbled and honored to receive this Fellowship. I share these accolades with Juniper, Lane, Raja, Amanda, the dancers and collaborators who have all believed in what I am making enough to give generously of themselves. It is a gift and a call to action for an artist to be supported in a way that allows them to make the work they wish to make – onward and upward!”  – Zoe Scofield

The Princess Grace Foundation-USA, a public charity, was formed after the death of Princess Grace (Kelly) in 1982. They present scholarships, apprenticeships, and fellowships to assist artists at the start of their careers.  The Foundation has cultivated a diverse group of nearly 600 artists to date who continue to advance the spectrum of performing  arts with innovative, cutting-edge, and vibrant theater, dance, choreography, film, playwriting and design.  Since the Foundation’s inception, more than 700 Awards have been given to recipients, totaling more than $8.5 million.

Check out a couple great upcoming events by 4Culture Individual Artist Projects recipients including choreographer, KT Niehoff and writer, Alma Garcia. They’re ready to share their new work with you. Enjoy!

Parts Don’t Work
Thursday, July 21 from 5-6pm
Northwest Film Forum
1515 12th Avenue, Seattle
$5 at the door for the screening only/$20 for screening and reception
RSVP required

Part Don’t Work is a short dance film shot on location at the Fun Forest Amusement Park (now defunct) directly under the Space Needle. Starring Alexis Alicia Bianca Cabrera, Alison Cockrill, Lara Paxton, Lisa Marlene Thompson, with guest appearances from Ricki Mason and KT Niehoff. Parts Don’t Work is Directed, Choreographed, Produced and Co-Edited by KT Niehoff. Benjamin Kasukle is the Director of Photography, Christian Hansen is the 2nd DP and Co-Editor, Mychal Cohen of Goodweather Studios is the Sound Designer and Eric Beach created the Original Score. Support in part by 4culture and Northwest Film Forum.

Other: Three Mixed Heritage Writers – One Evening of Uncategorizable Poetry and Fiction
Friday, July 29, 2011 6:30 PM
Couth Buzzard Books
8310 Greenwood Avenue N, Seattle
Free

Readings presented by local artists, Alma Garcia, Kim-An Lieberman and Storme Webber, with Israeli/Balkan folk-pop by Tribute to Matti Caspi. If the sound of that line-up doesn’t grab you, then you need a vacation.

Alma Garcia, © 2011, Courtesy of the Artist

Check out a couple great upcoming events by 4Culture Individual Artist Projects recipients including choreographer, KT Niehoff and writer, Alma Garcia. They’re ready to share their new work with you. Enjoy!

Parts Don’t Work

Thursday, July 21 from 5-6pm

Northwest Film Forum

1515 12th Avenue, Seattle

$5 at the door for the screening only/$20 for screening and reception

RSVP required

Part Don’t Work is a short dance film shot on location at the Fun Forest Amusement Park (now defunct) directly under the Space Needle. Starring Alexis Alicia Bianca Cabrera, Alison Cockrill, Lara Paxton, Lisa Marlene Thompson, with guest appearances from Ricki Mason and KT Niehoff. Parts Don’t Work is Directed, Choreographed, Produced and Co-Edited by KT Niehoff. Benjamin Kasukle is the Director of Photography, Christian Hansen is the 2nd DP and Co-Editor, Mychal Cohen of Goodweather Studios is the Sound Designer and Eric Beach created the Original Score. Support in part by 4culture and Northwest Film Forum.

Other: Three Mixed Heritage Writers – One Evening of Uncategorizable Poetry and Fiction

Friday, July 29, 2011 6:30 PM

Couth Buzzard Books

8310 Greenwood Avenue N, Seattle

Free

Readings presented by local artists, Alma Garcia, Kim-An Lieberman and Storme Webber, with Israeli/Balkan folk-pop by Tribute to Matti Caspi. If the sound of that line-up doesn’t grab you, then you need a vacation.

Alma Garcia, © 2011, Courtesy of the Artist

4Culture is pleased to finally announce the 2011 Individual Artist Project award recipients! In late June, our Board of Directors approved recommendations from the 4Culture Arts Advisory Committee to support 72 artist-generated projects to benefit of citizens of and visitors to our region.

The Individual Artist Projects peer review panel reviewed 314 applications. Project budgets totaled $4,676,895 with requests to 4Culture totaling $1,725,457. This year’s peer-panel recommended that 72 artists receive a total of $345,070 in award funds this year.  The criteria for this program includes: excellence as demonstrated in the work sample and project application, project feasibility, and the public benefit to the citizens and visitors of King County.

Eligible projects may be at any stage of development including initial planning, development and final production. The presentation of funded projects provides public access to creative experiences to residents and visitors across our County. 4Culture is the largest annual funder of projects by individual artists in Washington State.

A few projects recommended for funding include:

• Abdoulaye Sylla, a master dancer and drummer from Guinea, West Africa, will create an instructional video for students and audiences.
• Toby Campbell will compose, perform and release new music for string quartet in conjunction with film-scoring workshops for youth.
• Leah Warshawski will continue production on her documentary film about Rwandan filmmakers struggling to create and present film in their country.
• Sondra Simone Segundo will complete a Native American art and design book for educators.

This year’s selection panelists: Yadesa Bojia, Visual Artist, Shoreline; Jayme Yahr, Art Historian & Exhibitions Director, Kirkland Arts Center, Kirkland/Seattle; Vincent Orduña, Actor, Director & Theater Manager, CARCO, Renton; Laura Ciotti, Musician & Project Manager, Sweet Bird Classics, Seattle; Christine Juarez, Director of Dance, Vashon Allied Arts & Faculty, Cornish College of the Arts, Vashon/Seattle; Mary Longhurst, Documentary Filmmaker, Federal Way; Tish Lopez, Writer/Screenwriter & English Faculty, Bellevue Community College, Bellevue/Seattle. Please contact us if you’re interested in becoming involved with 4Culture as a panelist, advisory or board member.

We strive to reach out to artists working around the County. From January 20^th through March 1^st application workshops were conducted in communities throughout King County, including Auburn, Issaquah, Des Moines, Richmond Beach/Shoreline, Redmond and Seattle. Following the March 9, 2011 deadline, peer panels were held on May 16^th, 17^th and 18^th for applicants applying in the disciplines of visual arts, literature, music, media, dance and theater.

4Culture also encourages artists from across King County, working in all disciplines, to learn about our opportunities. Artists can access information about 4Culture’s funding programs by signing up to receive our on-line newsletter, which is emailed out monthly. It provides information about upcoming 4Culture opportunities for artists, such as: Gallery4Culture, e4c, Site Specific and our Touring Arts Roster, as well as, opportunities from other organizations and helpful tips from the field.

After working for seven years to secure funding for this and numerous other funding programs, 4Culture, with bipartisan support of the state legislature, was able to secure funds for this program through a portion of the King County Lodging Tax. We look forward to receiving many new applications next year!

© 2009, Toby Campbell, Anomie Belle, Image: Anthon Smith

ESSB 5834, a bill that provides a future for 4Culture and the arts and heritage communities of King County was signed into law by Governor Gregoire on June 15, 2011.

It’s time to celebrate!

Tuesday, June 28, 2011, 7:00 – 9:30 P.M.
Paramount Theatre, 911 Pine Street, Seattle WA 98101

4Culture, Seattle Theatre Group, and Advocate4Culture welcome you to a free celebration to thank the elected officials and citizens who worked to secure future funding for our region’s cultural programs. Enjoy light refreshments and the company of the many people who make our region strong and vibrant.

Featuring performances by: The Cabiri Performance Troupe; Correo Aereo; Paul Kikuchi; Quinton I. Morris; Lucia Neare’s Theatrical Wonders; Slwan Logman  & Hamda Yusuf of Chief Sealth International Poetry Club; Seattle SeaChordsmen; Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestra Contrasts Ensemble; Somewhere in Time, Unlimited; and Abdoulaye Sylla & Fotoba

RSVP: Please reserve your free ticket(s) by emailing us by June 22.

Image: © 2009 Molly Landreth, Cooper, Oakland, CA, Photograph. This image is  from Landreth’s multi-media exhibition, Embodiment: A Portrait of Queer Life in America, which received a 2010 Individual Artist Project award. 

Click here to view the embedded video.

Cover design Fernandez de Leon with printers Jennifer Borges Foster, Stephanie Laursen, David Nixon & Kevin. Music and video by David Nixon.

The Filter Volume 3 release party is coming up on Friday, June 17 at 8pm at the Fremont Abbey. More info and tickets here.

The event will feature readings from Zachary Schomburg, John Osebold, Stacey Levine, Maged Zaher, Karen Finneyfrock, Ed Skoog, Elizabeth Colen, Elissa Washuta and Sarah Bartlett . Freshly letterpressed copies of the book will be available for purchase.

The cover of the new Filter has a paint-by-numbers theme, and the box structure is letterpress printed by Kate Fernandez of Fernandez and Sons. The book is filled with artist’s work in individually bound chapbooks of prose and poetry, with art postcards and posters that you can remove and display. The contributors in Filter III are:
Yusef Komunyakaa, Zachary Schomburg, Stacey Levine, Amanda Manitach, Maged Zaher, Sharon Arnold, Martha Silano, John Osebold, Rebecca Brown, Counsel Langely, Ed Skoog, Karen Finneyfrock, Sean Ennis, Sarah Mangold, Gala Bent, Rachel Contreni Flynn, Elizabeth Colen, Sandra & Ben Doller, Brandon Shimoda, Ben Beres, Brandon Downing, Sarah Kate Moore, Dan Rosenberg, Susan Rich, Susan Denning, Sid Miller, Sarah Bartlett, Shawn Vestal, Marie-Caroline Moir, Lucy Corin, Kathryn Kuitenbrouwer, Jill McDonough, Jessica Goodfellow, Jessica Bonin, Friedrich Kerksieck , Erika Wilder, Elissa Washuta, David Bartone, Chris Dusterhoff, Britt Ashley, Becca Yenser, Anne Gorrick.

Opening: First Thursday, May 5, 6-8:30pm

Three new video works will debut on e4c screens First Thursday. Ben Houge’s Shanghai Traces is the artist’s response to the massive beautification campaign that Shanghai underwent in preparation for hosting the World Expo in 2010. Houge’s six year residence in Shanghai allowed him to witness the city’s breakneck development first hand. Houge’s artistic work includes photography, music composition, audio, video and game design.

The Drydocks is one of several videos created by Seattle-based artist Scott Schuldt as part of his ongoing project entitled, The View from the Canoe. Schuldt began this project in 2008 as an artistic documentation of waterways, focusing on but not limited to the Seattle area. The artwork Schuldt has developed from this multi-media project includes works on paper, writing, spoken word, video photography, sculpture and a blog.

Photographer Eduardo Calderón developed Portraits of Visual Artists in King County as a video after decades of photographing artists whose work has contributed to the cultural history of the region through a continuously evolving production of works of art. Through interviews, Calderon captures the individual artists, their work and the vital culture of the region. This project was supported by 4Culture’s Heritage Special Projects and Individual Artist Projects funding programs. Eduardo Calderon is currently photographer in residence for Brightwater Wastewater Treatment Plant, where 4Culture will dedicate significant public artworks this fall.

For more information about Gallery 4Culture, e4c and the artists on exhibit please visit the 4Culture Galleries site.

Image: Still image from Shanghai Traces, by Ben Houge

The Big Joy Project, supported in part by 4Culture’s Individual Artist Projects program,  is a feature-length documentary and interactive website about the life, work and impact of prominent artist James Broughton. The film explores Broughton’s joyous verve and myriad of works, while adhering to his personal motto that life should be “adventure, not predicament.” Broughton was an influential poet, playwright and filmmaker who influenced and inspired those around him living through the Depression, the McCarthy Era, the Beat and Hippie movements as well as the Gay liberation struggle in San Francisco.

Big Joy is the project of Stephen Silha a freelance writer, self-proclaimed “facilitator and futurist” based out of Vashon Island. He met James Broughton in 1989, and remained a close friend until his death a decade later. Inspired by Broughton’s philosophy “follow your own weird” and the movements he espoused and the impact left behind, Silha began a biography project which morphed into a website and film.

Visit Seattle Kickstarter to learn more about this and other local Kickstarter projects.

Image: © 2011 James Broughton

Applications for the Individual Artist Grant are due on Wednesday, March 9th.

Past awards have supported all kinds of visual artists’ projects, films, performances, installations, the writing of poetry and novels, workshops or other study opportunities and travel.

Felt artist Jean Hicks requested funds in 2009 for a trip to Finland. With a relatively small grant she was able to attend a residency, travel to meet other artists and study their methods as well as present her experiences at a local museum. Congratulations to Jean on a successful project, and may it inspire you to apply.

We want to support your work – it’s what we do.

For grant information check out our application page.

For tips on applying, a list of who can apply and a link to a video workshop read this excellent blog post.

Jean Hicks on her trip to Finland:

My name is Jean Hicks and I am a Seattle milliner and feltmaker. In 2009 I was awarded a $2500 4culture individual artist project grant to fund an artist residency in Finland. I had just 3 weeks leave from my family and I was on the hunt for a 400 year old sheep breed whose wool is the staple of Finnish felt making.

After landing in Helsinki I traveled north to the Jyvaskyla Institute for studio time and to teach a 2 day hat workshop . I visited local farmers who raise a flock of 450 sheep and mill the wool on the farm. The mill and farm are entirely run on steam power generated by wood.

I also traveled to eastern Finland to visit a woolen mill/felt studio 300 meters from the Russian border. Here, the felt makers are working with local breeders and farmers to bring back a 400 year old line of sheep that produce a superior felting fleece. The last days of the visit were spent in Tallinn, Estonia visiting two felt makers who teach at the local university.

I presented my findings along with a fashion show and felt making demo at the Nordic Heritage museum on February 10th, 2011.

Photos courtesy of Jean Hicks

Deadlines for 4Culture’s Individual Artist Projects (IAP) and Group Arts Projects (GAP) are coming up in early March. We have some great workshops coming up to help you navagate the process. At these workshops you’ll also have an opportunity to ask questions about your specific project ideas.

No need to RSVP, just take a look at our application guidelines and show up with your project ideas and questions. We hope to see you soon!

APPLICATION INFORMATION:

GROUP ARTS PROJECTS – March 2, 2011
Provides support for innovative arts projects by organizations and ensembles, and/or programs or events that stimulate cultural development.

INDIVIDUAL ARTIST PROJECTS – March 9, 2011
Provides support for projects by artists working in all disciplines.

UPCOMING FREE PUBLIC WORKSHOPS:

RICHMOND BEACH/SHORELINE
Individual Artist Projects & Group Arts Projects
Wednesday, February 9, 2011 • 12:30 to 1:30 p.m.
Richmond Beach Library, 19601 21st Ave NW, Shoreline

REDMOND
Individual Artist Projects & Group Arts Projects
Wednesday, February 16, 2011 • 12:30 to 1:30 p.m.
Redmond Regional Library, 15990 NE 85th St. Redmond

SEATTLE
Group Arts Projects— Deadline:  March 2, 2011
Thursdays, February 3rd, 17th & 24th   
1:00 – 2:00 p.m.
4Culture, 101 Prefontaine PL S, Seattle

Individual Artist Projects — Deadline: March 9, 2011
Tuesdays, February 1st 8th, 22nd & March 1st
Noon – 1:00 p.m.
4Culture, 101 Prefontaine PL S, Seattle

© 2010 Fred Lisaius, Amber Mosquito, Individual Artist Project award recipient

Click here to view the embedded video.

• Megan Griffiths
• The Off Hours
• The Off Hours is the first film to be granted the Sustainable Style Foundation Tag in recognition of their sustainable practices. The film will also be premiering at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival.

• Greg Ruby
• Look Both Ways
• Greg Ruby Quartet CD, Look Both Ways,  just hit #22 in the CMJ Jazz charts and #1 in the Roots Music Journal Jazz charts.

• Molly Landreth
• Embodiment: A Portrait of Queer Life in America
• Information about Embodiment: A Portrait of Queer Life in America has recently been featured in two places in the New York Times on line.

• Perry Bard
• Man With A Movie Camera:The Global Remake
• The 3 minute trailer for Man With A Movie Camera:The Global Remake has been selected as one of the Guggenheim’s top 25 for the Creative Play Biennial.

Congratulations!

Megan Griffiths
The Off Hours – 4Culture Green Event
December 15, 2010, 4-6pm
Northwest Film Forum
Free

The Off Hours and the Sustainable Style Foundation (SSF) will be co-hosting a Strategy Salon. We will use The Off Hours as a case study and discuss ways in which future productions can run their sets in a more environmentally and socially conscious manner.The Off Hours is the first film to be granted the SSFTag in recognition of their sustainable practices. The film will be premiering at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival.

Allan Packer
The Ozone Room
December 17 & 18, 2010, 7:30pm
Annex Theatre
Suggested Donation

The Ozone Room brings together – for the first time – the two halves of Seattle-based artist Allan Packer’s multi-year conceptual quest, blending painting and sculpture, movement, lighting and sound, science, technology and film in an ozone-rich atmosphere created by the Tesla coil. Fantasy and time travel, science and mathematics, nature and the environment, the survival of life in seemingly impossible situations – the installation speaks on multiple levels.  Viewer perceptions of time, space and perspective blur as film becomes painting becomes real time action.

Kyle Loven
Crandal’s Bag
December 16-20, 2010, 7:30pm
Washington Ensemble Theatre
Tickets

Crandal collects the undesirable. Making it disappear is his craft. But when a surprising find shakes his routine, Crandal must prepare to conjure the impossible. Objects, puppets, shadows, and music curiously combine in this one-man show.

© 2010 Megan Griffiths, The Off Hours (Still)

Check out these free events featuring work supported in part by 4Culture’s Individual Artist Projects program.

Erin Lau
The Graciela Project: Fading Tales of the Chinese Diaspora
The Chapel Performance Space, Seattle
December 2, 2010 – 8pm
Free

Inspired by her grandmother’s journey from China to Guatemala in the 1930′s, Erin Lau will give a full performance of her original songs and illustrations as part of the Graciela Project: Fading Tales of the Chinese Diaspora. Erin has a diverse artistic background, bringing influences from her study of Flamenco and Hindustani vocals, harmonium, and Chinese folk songs. She will be projecting her illustrations that lend visual narration to her grandmother’s story, and will be joined by several talented guest musicians on flamenco guitar, cajon and vocals. She invites you to visit her blog for more information and song clips.

Tess Martin & Stefan Gruber
Plain Face and Psychic Portraiture
Northwest Film Forum, Seattle
December 11, 2010 – 2PM
Free

Local animators Tess Martin and Stefan Gruber will showcase new work this December. Tess will screen her 10 minuted animated short Plain Face, and Stefan will perform live animation for some Psychic Portraiture. Both animators will be asking for feedback from the audience. Plain Face is a 10 minute stop-frame animated film. In a fantastical land, a stranger arrives and is the subject of prejudice, violence and love. We follow her journey through memory as she decides whether to give up her heart. Stefan Gruber performs a show in which he paints portraits of audience members with animated light on a stage arranged with a large-sized canvas. Symbols from the life of the model also materialize to decorate the portrait. In a banter with the model and audience, psychic details are intuited.

© 2010 Erin Lau, The Graciela Project: Fading Tales of the Chinese Diaspora