Seattle City Light, the nation’s greenest utility, has been a supporter of the city’s public art program, and its portable artwork collection since the city adopted a 1% for Art ordinance in 1973. The city’s Portable Works Collection is a rotating collection of artworks in all media including sculpture, site-specific commissions, painting, mixed media, prints, photography and textiles that are exhibited throughout city facilities. This fall the city is offering Spotlight Art Tours featuring artwork from City Light’s portable collection. Tours are led by Deborah Paine, Curator and Collections Manager at the Office of Arts & Culture, and will focus on artwork displayed at Seattle Municipal Tower.

If you are interested in attending a tour, please RSVP here, each tour is limited to 12 guests. Gather at the information/guard station inside the Seattle Municipal Tower lobby at 700 5^th Avenue. All tours are ADA accessible, if you have specific accommodation requests please email arts.culture@seattle.gov or call (206) 684-7372.

SPOTLIGHT ART TOURS:

Thursday, November 12^th, 10 a.m.
Friday, November 20^th, 2 p.m.

Thursday, December 10^th, 10 a.m.
Friday, December 18^th, 2 p.m.

Thursday, January 14^th, 10 a.m.
Friday, January 29^th, 2 p.m.

Tour Highlights:

• Eight City Light office lobbies featuring commissioned site-specific artwork.
• On view in the Seattle Municipal Tower Gallery is Seattle Simplified, featuring Seattle City Light’s recent artwork purchases portraying Seattle and its surrounding landscape a two part installation encompassing 56 contemporary artworks ranging from painting, multi-media, photography and prints by 36 different artists.

After the tour you can also visit these other exhibitions in the Seattle Municipal Tower and City Hall

• On view in the Ethnic Heritage Art Gallery is Origins: An Art Show by an Iñupiat Scandinavian, featuring artist Susan Ringstad Emery’s unique perspective on contemporary Native artwork with her cave art-inspired mixed media works on panel. Ethnic Heritage Art Gallery exhibitions rotate quarterly, artists are chosen from a vetted roster of artists of color.
• On view in the Seattle Presents Gallery is artist Joseph (Wahalatsu?) Seymour, Jr. Joe studied the Coast Salish form line art, the style of art of the people of Puget Sound. He also participated in indigenous artist gatherings in Hawaii and New Zealand. In addition to using materials such as wood, wool, glass and printmaking, Joe also makes and paints drums. During his residency at The Evergreen State College, Joe is focusing on making and designing drums and yellow cedar paddles. Seattle Presents Gallery is a pop up-like gallery. Every two months the gallery features a static exhibition of artwork in the collection, an artist-in-residence who spends up to six hours a week creating artwork in the space or a guest curator who collects and exhibits artwork based on a specific theme.
• On view at City Hall beginning November 3, 2015 is Sound Impressions. Home to Jimi Hendrix, Nirvana, Sub Pop Records, Death Cab for Cutie and Macklemore, Seattle is known for its music, inspiring a thriving scene of poster designers, illustrators and screen-printers. Curated by recognized poster designer Andrew Saeger of Factory 43 Sound Impressions features the artwork of Seattle’s poster scene veterans and newcomers.