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Rarely seen artworks from Seattle’s portable works collection at Seattle Municipal Tower Gallery

Visit the Seattle Municipal Tower Gallery and see the exhibition “Evocative: Artworks that Invite Conversation,” July 8 to Oct. 1.


Visit the Seattle Municipal Tower Gallery and see the exhibition “Evocative: Artworks that Invite Conversation,” July 8 to Oct. 1. “Evocative” features 28 rarely seen artworks from the city of Seattle’s portable works collection.

“This exhibition is intended to evoke conversation and features artwork that attracts the curious eye. The viewer will want to figure out the mechanisms and wonder at their implications,” explains city Curator Deborah Paine with the Seattle Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs.

The artworks are by 21 national artists working in a variety of media, including sculpture, painting, ceramics, photography and mixed media. Included in the exhibition is James Pridgeon’s “Technology Leads the People,” 1992, a reconfigured, non-functioning pinball machine that substitutes small trees and miniature plastic people in place of the game’s gates and bumpers. Melissa Goldstein’s “Still Life,” 1993, features three backlit artworks that reference the necessities of human existence—food, clothing and shelter—sitting atop a beautifully constructed table.

The city’s portable works collection is exhibited throughout city offices, engaging both employees and the public and creating an interesting and diverse work environment. The collection is managed by the Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs. Artwork purchases for the collection are made possible with city 1% for Art funds.

Image: Melissa Goldstein; “Still Life”; 1993; walnut table with 3 duratran boxes portraying clothes, apples, house; 44.5” x 64” x 12.5”.