A Million Bucks to Art on the Waterfront
“Thanks to Seattle’s public art law, part of the construction budget to rebuild the massive Elliott Bay Seawall will pay for a million-dollar art commission. This is the biggest-budget public art commission ever in Seattle, by several hundred thousand dollars, according to city spokeswoman Calandra Childers.” – Jen Graves, The Stranger | October 29, 2013
Busing Blues: When Seattle Sent Black Kids to White North End
“On a recent Thursday evening, Amalia Martino rushed from work to catch the last few minutes of her daughter Sophia’s soccer game. She pointed out her daughter on the field, laughing a little: “My daughter is the brown one.” Martino, who lives in Edmonds, Wash., can count the number of black kids Sophia has played with on one hand.
‘Last year there was another girl on the team who was from Eritrea or Ethiopia,’ she said. But Martino doesn’t mind. She would rather 11-year-old Sophia have a sense of community than what she herself experienced as a child living on Seattle’s Capitol Hill, straddling the lines of race and class.” – Tonya Mosely, KUOW | October 29, 2013
Seattle artist Celeste Cooning works X-Acto-knife magic
“Seattle-based Celeste Cooning is anything but a cookie-cutter artist. From templates she designs, Cooning creates cut-paper installations that have become popular guests at weddings, storefronts and public parks.” – Hannah Leone, Seattle Times | October 27th, 2013
Photo by Kelly Pajek from Cooning’s recent installation in Jackson Park
Seattle’s secretive graffiti world steps out of the shadows
“Local graffiti “vandals” have a new artistic outlet – creating for-hire murals around the city. I shared a space for a while in the 619 Western building (RIP), back when it still housed huge numbers of artist studios. I produced more paintings during that time than any other. One night, a crew of graffiti artists invaded the building and filled the entire third floor hallway with murals.” – Lily Cutler, Crosscut | October 28, 2013
Graffiti vs. typography: What’s the difference?
“People write graffiti on walls. That’s the essence of what graffiti is, and it’s been so since at least the days of ancient Rome, when someone anonymously scratched rude words and political slogans on the walls of Pompeii.” – John D. Berry, Crosscut | October 28, 2013
Northwest African American Museum director Rosanna Sharpe ready to dig in
“After eight months as interim director, Rosanna Sharpe is now director of the 5-year-old Northwest African American Museum.’We pride ourselves on making this a welcoming place,’ she says.
Ask Rosanna Sharpe what has prepared her for her new job as executive director of Seattle’s Northwest African American Museum (NAAM), and she gives a straightforward answer: ‘Life has prepared me.'” – Robert Ayers, The Seattle Times | October 29, 2013
Photo by John Lok, Seattle Times
5 must-visit museums in Seattle
“Seattle Times art writer Michael Upchurch offers a peek of upcoming exhibits at five of his favorite museums. Seattle Art Museum: This is the biggie, smack in the heart of downtown, with a lively if eclectic permanent collection. Touring exhibits this fall include “Going for Gold,” a selection of textiles, jewelry and decorative objects from SAM’s permanent collection (through Dec. 8).” – Michael Upchurch, Seattle Times | October 26, 2013
Walk and gawk at Seattle’s art
“Seattle is known for its eclectic artistic communities, which are displayed at monthly art walks in its diverse neighborhoods. Seattle is rich in art and artists, and special once-a-month art walks — when neighborhoods’ galleries, artists’ studios and museums are open to visitors — are a great way to see cutting-edge and established artists’ work.
Here’s a sampling of some of the bigger art walks by geographic areas. Most art walks are held in the evenings, most of these run year-round, but always check websites for updates.” – Hannah Leone & Kristin Jackson, Seattle Times | October 26, 2013
Loose Lips: Arts Gossip, from Labial Grinding to Waterfront Sounds
“This week, the City of Seattle announced the hiring of one of the world’s leading sound artists, former punk guitarist Stephen Vitiello, to create something along the redeveloped Seattle waterfront. He’s worked at every fancy museum everywhere, on New York’s High Line, and in the World Trade Center towers back in 1999. Now he starts developing his proposal for our part of the world.” – Ornamental Gourds, The Stranger | October 30, 2013
A Bell For Every Minute, High Line, New York City. Image courtesy of Stephen Vitiello
Come See this Great Art Inspired by the Tension that Builds Through Repetitive Actions
“For three years, the women behind Interstitial Theatre have been working hard to present video art anywhere they can. They started out in a closet. Now, thanks to Storefronts Seattle, they have more than 15,000 square feet of dedicated space for three months in the former Egbert’s furniture store in Belltown. Rinse | Reuse | Repeat is the first exhibition and will deal with “the tension that builds through the repetitive actions we take in an effort to achieve happiness.” – Jen Graves, The Stranger | October 27, 2013
Events around Seattle this week
(Photo by Affordable Art Fair)
November 1 | Exhibition Opening Reception: Franz Von Stuck | Frye Art Gallery
November 1 | Dia de los Muertos | Centro de la Raza
November 5 | Arts & Social Change Visioning Summit | Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center
November 7 | First Thursdays | Pioneer Square
November 1-9 | SPT’s Youth Program presents Thorton Wilder’s Our Town | Bathhouse Theater on Green Lake
November 6-10 | Affordable Art Fair | Seattle Center
Through November 17 | Bo-nita | Seattle Rep
