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Miller Community Center artwork feedback wanted

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In late 2021, Capitol Hill’s Miller Community Center will become home to a new solar micro-grid and a new public artwork by artist Julia Harrison.     

The artwork concept embraces themes around solar energy including sustainability and emergency preparedness, the ideals of the community center, and input from the community.  A partnership between Seattle City Light, Seattle Parks and Recreation, and Office of Arts & Culture, this new public art project weaves together a wide range of themes and inspirations through the creativity artists’ lens.  

The overarching goal of the artwork is to reflect and celebrate the varied activities and individuals that use the Miller Community Center while referencing the inventive and invisible Solar collection on the roof of the building.  Your are invited to learn more about the proposed artwork available through this video as well as additional information on the artists’ website:   

www.juliaharrison.net/miller-community-center.html 

 
The design has not yet been finalized and your feedback is very welcome! Please feel free to contact the artist at MillerCenterArt@gmail.com with any comments, or to suggest additions or revisions.  

This project is commissioned through Seattle City Light % for Art Funds and Administered through the Office of Arts & Culture. 

Participate in Public Art for Miller Community Center

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The design process is underway for a new interior artwork at the Miller Community Center. Seattle City Light, Seattle Parks and Recreation, and the Office of Arts & Culture have commissioned the artwork as part of a larger project to install a power-generating solar microgrid at the Center.    

This art project aims to involve and reflect as many of Miller Community Center’s patrons as possible. Lead artist Julia Harrison invites the public to participate in the design process in these ways:

SURVEY

Visit the project webpage to respond to a short survey: http://www.juliaharrison.net/miller-community-center.html 

MEETINGS

Learn more about plans for the project at either of these online public meetings:

  • Tuesday, August 11, 4:30-5 pm
  • Monday, August 17, 12-12:30 pm

Please RSVP to MillerCenterArt@gmail.com for the Zoom meeting link. 

SHARE

Send your Miller Community Center stories and photos to MillerCenterArt@gmail.com. 

DESIGN

What does the Miller Community Center mean to you? What’s your favorite thing about visiting? Can you capture these feelings in a doodle? This video demonstrates a kid-friendly technique that can be used to create new doodles:


The project webpage (http://www.juliaharrison.net/miller-community-center.html) will continue to offer updates as the project progresses.

Julia Harrison selected for Miller Community Center/Solar Microgrid Art Project

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Reflecting ideas of solar energy, sustainability, and emergency preparedness while embracing and reflecting community is the new challenge facing artist Julia Harrison.  The Miller Community Center in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood will be outfitted later this year with solar panels and an innovative Microgrid System in a joint effort between Seattle City Light and Seattle Parks and Recreation.  The new public art project in tandem with this effort will feature an interior artwork that both reflects the communities in and around Miller Community Center. It also speaks deeply to the project goals of the Solar Microgrid Project and the overall mission of Seattle City Light. 

Spring, recycled steel, aluminum. 45″ x 25″ x .75″

A selection panel, including members of the community and professional and emerging artists spent two full days reviewing 27 applications and interviewing four finalists.  Harrison was ultimately selected based upon her vast repertoire of media that illustrates her concept driven practice that informs form and media.  Additionally, her past work and experience as an ethnographic anthropologist provides a unique opportunity for outreach and engagement through interviews with the Miller Community Center patrons during this unique time of isolation. 

Samara (installation), bronze. 4′ x 6′ x .5″

The Miller Community Center is currently serving members of the community as an emergency homeless shelter as part of Seattle’s COVID-19 emergency response.  The Solar Microgrid project provides emergency power supply to this neighborhood community center.  The artwork will provide a space for reflection on resiliency as Harrison develops her concept, which is scheduled to install in 2021.

Path, concrete, steel. 24″ x 16″ x 3″.

Julia Harrison is a Seattle-based artist, anthropologist, and educator. As an anthropologist, she specializes in conducting research and interviews on food; She gives regular presentations through Humanities Washington.  As an artist, she specializes in carving, working in a variety of materials and at a range of scales. Her work has appeared in magazines, books, and in exhibitions around the country, most recently the “Face First” exhibition at the Bainbridge Island.

Student murals honoring the history of Rainier Beach High School

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by Eboni Wyatt, excerpted by Tina LaPadula

A group of students outside on a sunny day, lean over a mural with paintbrushes.

The Creative Advantage student residencies are flourishing at many Seattle Public Schools this spring. This spotlight focuses on a cool project collaboration with Urban ArtWorks, who is also a Community Arts Partner Roster.

This March Urban ArtWorks piloted a new program at Rainier Beach High School, working with three of their Theory of Knowledge (TOK) classes. Teacher Steven Miller reached out to Urban Artworks, through the Community Arts Partners Roster, with this project idea, wanting to provide his TOK classes with the opportunity to create actual art and produce 3-6 murals at Rainier Beach High School.

Close up of a mural painted by a black student wearing rubber bands and bracelets on their wrist.

The purpose of these murals is to say good-bye to the campus and honor the history of this school community. Rainier Beach High School will be in a new building in 2 years. Miller saw this as a unique opportunity to liven up the current campus with student-led art. With a focus on storytelling, exposing students to BIPOC artists and muralists and honoring RBHS students’ unique voices, Teaching Artists Dovey Martinez and Carlos Martinez are working with these classes to research, design and install these murals. Each class will also create hallway exhibits, giving the students the opportunity to create individual pieces expressing their feelings about the mural theme.

Urban ArtWorks School-Based Programs provide opportunities for students in grades K-12 to work alongside teaching artists to install murals at their schools. They explore themes and issues that are important to their community, create a design, and bring that design to life. Each project is tailored to fit the needs of the individual school or classroom and can be integrated within the standard grade-level curricula.

Urban ArtWorks seeks to engage youth and communities in the creation of public art that inspires connections and honors their voices. They envision a world where all people have access to the transformative power of creating public art. Urban ArtWorks is excited to continue growing their In-School Programs and curriculum and hope to serve more schools in the 2022-23 school year. If you’d like to learn more about their program offerings, check out Urban Artworks’ The Creative Advantage Roster profile.

2022 CityArtist Awardees

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The CityArtist program supports Seattle-based individual artists/curators in the research, development, and presentation of their work. The 2022 cycle accepted proposals in Literary (including Screenwriting), Media/Film, and Visual Arts. Requested amounts available are $2,000, $5,000, or $8,000. All projects and public event(s) will be produced within two years of being awarded.

A total of 215 applications were received. The 2022 CityArtist panel selected 25 awards with total funding of $185,000.

Meet the 2022 CityArtist Artists

roldy aguero ablao 
Create four regalia/wearable garments for a 7-minute fashion film that express and celebrate the queer CHamoru experience featuring nine artists. This work will culminate in a live/virtual public screening. 
$8,000 

Ebo Barton 
Rehearse, present, and record an hour-long mix of original spoken word performances by three artists focused on Insubordinate, Ebo Barton’s first collection of work. 
$8,000 

Kamari Bright 
Research, film, edit, and complete a 5-minute narrative poem video with three artists that speculates on the effect of societal trauma on land connection/stewardship. This work will culminate in a live public preview with a discussion. 
$8,000 

Dakota Alcantara-Camacho 
Produce three short dance films with six Matao/CHamoru artists detailing their healing process centered on storytelling and their practices from a history of oppression. This is part of a larger project with many iterative components that will culminate in a public screening and talk. 
$8,000 

Brian Dang 
Complete and present a manuscript of 20 poems and letters – three of which will be in Cantonese — exploring how to bridge intergenerational distance via language. Two collaborating poets with common dual language barriers will create poems that culminate in a public group reading. 
$5,000 

Calvin Gimpelevich 
Research, write, and complete the first draft of queer historical fiction of 50,000 words about Queen Christina of Sweden that culminates in a public reading with two artists. 
$8,000 

Emily Holt 
Complete a final draft collection of 10 essays from five artists about loss/grieving for all ages with five artists that culminates in a group reading and public workshop. 
$5,000 

June Ivers 
Research, shoot, and produce one 5-minute multimedia video with four artists using abstract visuals that trace an ancestor who was a revolutionist during Japanese occupation in 1950s. This work will culminate in a public screening and talk. 
$8,000 

Michelle Kumata 
Create, install, and present 15 small to large-scale new acrylic/mixed media pieces that commemorate the 80th anniversary and legacy of Executive Order 9066. This order resulted in the forced removal and incarceration of 120,000 Japanese Americans form the west coast of the U.S. This work will culminate in a solo public exhibition and college class tour. 
$8,000 

Fulgencio Lazo 
Produce six large-scale wooden/metal sculptures to display in celebration of the Day of the Dead public festival with a bilingual artist talk. 
$8,000 

Morgan Madison 
Design and create three medium-sized sculptural pieces using materials ubiquitous to built environments like concrete, glass, wool, steel, and bricks. These sculptures will create an accessible and engaging visual architectural language that diverges into the fantastical realm. This work will culminate in a public exhibition. 
$5,000  

Natasha Marin 
Curate, publish, and present “BLACK POWERFUL”, a book with over 200 pages about Black liberation featuring 20 local artists/voices and global intersectional, intergenerational Black folks/artists from the diaspora. This work will culminate in a multi-disciplinary event featuring local artists. 
$8,000 

Ricki Mason 
Develop, rehearse, and present a 25-minute virtual and 45-minute live country/western music performance with five artists. It will mirror The Judds and explore themes of homophobia (externalized/internalized), racism, American nostalgia, patriotism, “tolerance,” and what it means to be “good” through country parody songs. This work will culminate in live and virtual events. 
$8,000 

Kate Miller 
Research, develop, and present a new medium-scale, mixed media work exploring mining extraction processes and their socioecological impacts. The work aims to raise awareness about raw materials used in our daily lives and related uses for rapid growth and technology via a public exhibit. 
$8,000 

Haruko (Crow) Nishimura 
Film, edit, and act in a 20-minute film with four artists focused on cultural sensibilities, Shinto, and the natural world. The work will culminate in a public screening. 
$8,000 

David Quantic 
Complete an hour-long podcast and a 5-minute documentary focused on queer coming-of-age/ways queer people discover their sexual preferences. The work will culminate in a hybrid, public and virtual screening. 
$8,000 

Tivon Rice 
Complete and present a  multimedia installation related to digital communication in collaboration with five artists using sound, text-based art, video, and performance for a public event and workshop. Recognizing many A.I. and machine-learning tools are based on English datasets, the installation is designed to prevent exclusion of non-English speakers from Spanish-speaking countries. 
$8,000 

Sudeshna Sen 
Complete the post-production phase of a 90-minute film including 50 artists with themes of loss and grief focused on multiple generations, strength of community, and sweetness of childhood friendships. The work will culminate in a community presentation and public screening. 
$5,000 

Lynne Siefert 
Develop and film an hour-long experimental documentary with three artists in Arizona that envisions and explores a near-future world where night becomes a place of natural refuge while adapting to extreme heat. The work will culminate in a live public/virtual screening of film with a closing Q&A session plus a second and longer installation screening at a gallery. 
$8,000 

Ellen Sollod 
Complete and produce an edition of 50 small-scale, approximately 80-page-length, hardbound artist books titled “The Book of Small Regrets” with drawings, photographs, and text. It was conceived in response to the forced isolation of COVID when small slights seem catastrophic. The work will culminate in a community presentation and a public event. 
$5,000 

Francine Strickwerda 
Film and edit the closing 10-minute segment of an hour-long feature documentary with three artists about Seattle school counselor Jamshid Khajavi who coaches immigrant/refugee children in the world’s largest Ultimate Frisbee tournament. The work will culminate in a work-in-progress public screening including a Q&A session. 
$8,000 

Shann Thomas 
Photograph and produce eight large portraits of homeless LGBTQ+ youth using artificial/strobe lighting. Images will be informed by and will reflect rapport-building sessions with youth and agency staff that convey their individuality. The work will culminate in a public exhibition. 
$8,000 

Timea Tihanyi                   
Research and develop a new multidisciplinary installation with a performance/digital artist comprised of medium-to-large ceramic pieces, digital art, 3D printing, textile practices, and movement. The installation focuses on an embodied, human-centered approach to coexisting with technology. The work will culminate in a public gallery exhibition with Spanish subtitles. 
$8,000 

Adrienne von Wolffersdorff 
Film and edit five videos consisting of 5-minute conversational interviews with a graphics/digital artist and women experiencing miscarriages. The work will culminate in a podcast, website, and one public screening. 
$8,000 

Christopher Woon-Chen 
Design and complete two 7-minute animation components as an opener for a feature documentary film with three artists. The film focuses on a 5-year-old son’s survivor’s grief and remembrance of the 1995 murders of his Filipina mother and two friends, who were shot by her estranged husband during divorce court proceedings. The work will also be combined with immigrant women’s stories. The work will culminate in a public screening of the animation and film clips with an artists talk. 
$8,000 

New Public Artwork: Connected Community by Julia Harrison 

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Bringing together themes of community and the power of solar energy, artist Julia Harrison, installed a new public artwork Connected Community at the Miller Community Center located on 19th Ave. E on Capitol Hill in mid-March 2022.  

Connected Community, courtesy of artist Julia Harrison

Seattle City Light and Seattle Parks and Recreation recently installed a rooftop solar array and a solar microgrid at Miller Community Center. The microgrid will provide backup power to this important community center during electrical outages.    

Organized by the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture (ARTS), Julia Harrison’s work Connected Community is a joyful wall sculpture created out of bent, riveted, and painted steel that includes symbols and designs connecting two main inspirations – the patrons and activities of the Miller Community Center and the solar microgrid. The artwork combines and celebrates these two powerful, complementary, and renewable resources: solar energy and community.  

“Artist Julia Harrison understands connecting community to art. Her approach to integrating the Miller Community Center neighborhood into her artwork and design signals the depth of her engagement. Art exposes us to new experiences that we carry out into the world – art impacts our world view and Connected Community directly forges relationships between communities, businesses, and organizations in Capitol Hill.”     

royal alley-barnes, Seattle Office of Arts & Culture Interim Director

A close-up view of the work reveals familiar shapes, including a set of hands, a volleyball, a book – while other symbols and shapes relate to community-identified references, such as a marigold flower for the center’s important Day of the Dead celebration, a rainbow referencing the LGBQTA+ community, and a ribbon representing the annual holiday gift exchange that occurs onsite. In developing this artwork, the artist’s intent was to create a piece that Miller staff and visitors could find something to identify with and discover new elements each time they engage with the sculpture. 

Connected Community, courtesy of artist Julia Harrison

“This project celebrates the Miller Community Center’s array of community services, and perhaps in some way also strengthens that community by encouraging patrons to linger thoughtfully in the heart of the building. I hope that I’ve made a piece that Miller staff and patrons will enjoy visiting again and again, and that each and every visitor will find something to identify within the design.” 

Julia Harrison, Artist

Inspired and funded by the Seattle City Light % for Art Fund, Julia’s work also references the role of the solar microgrid. Throughout the day, sunlight from the windows above casts shadows that are continually in motion changing the artwork. The rainbow colors of the artwork are the prism spectrum of color, showcasing again the incredible power of light.   

A closeup of Connected Community, courtesy of artist Julia Harrison

You are invited to see the work in person at the Miller Community Center, located at 330 19th Ave. E., with the open hours listed on the center’s website. 

Julia Harrison recently relocated from Seattle to North Carolina, where she is a Resident Artist at the Penland School of Craft. Her focus as an artist and educator has long been on jewelry and sculpture, with an emphasis on low-tech carving processes. Julia is fascinated by the challenges and opportunities public projects represent; her new work in metal strapping explores influences, including Mexican filigree jewelry and antique cookie cutters on a magnified scale. Julia’s previous public sculpture can be seen at the Sacajawea Playfield in Seattle’s Maple Leaf neighborhood. 

Temporary Outdoor Art Exhibition FLOW 2020: temporary and site-specific artworks

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The Office of Arts & Culture (ARTS) in partnership with Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) has commissioned local emerging artists to develop new temporary art installations for four locations in north Seattle. The project features four site locations in Wallingford, Fremont and Ballard that make use of temporary construction walls and fences as part of the Ship Canal Water Quality Project.

Beginning this summer, artwork by a variety of artists will begin to appear.  Grab your bike or walking shoes and visit all four locations to see some artwork that inspires. The artworks can be viewed from sidewalks and streets near the Ship Canal, and especially from the Burke-Gilman trail.

 Chaac by Angie Hinojos Yusuf and Carlos Jimenez

Ballard – 24th Ave NW & Shilshole Ave NW Angie Hinojos Yusuf and Carlos Jimenez (on view)
Hinojos & Jimenez Art
Angie Hinojos Yusuf & Carlos Jimenez
Chaac

Chaac is the Maya god of rain. This piece emulates the great carved stone masks that can be found on the pyramids in the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico. The masks were made of stone carved into intricate shapes which were assembled together to form the powerful visage of the god. Chaac had both human and animal characteristics, showing the interdependence of all living things and their relationship to life-giving water. It illustrates the natural cycle of the flow of water, as it originates in the clouds, where Chaac strikes his jade axe and causes thunder and rain, to where it falls on the land, is crucial. Water infrastructure will safeguard our environment for future generations.

Five white panels on a wooden wall show traditional Killer Whales. In the center, the artists pose with a panel that reads "Protect the Sacred, justice for Missing Murdered Indigenous Women".
A composite of the MMIW mural, photos by Crystal Christopherson

Wallingford – N 35th St & Interlake Ave N (July 2020)
Kalee Nelson and Crystal Christopherson
MMIW

Elevating awareness of Missing Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) is the key goal of this temporary installation that includes a large scale mural featuring traditional formline design of Killer Whales.  Kalee Nelson is an Alaskan Native from the Tsimshian Tribe and Crystal Christopherson is Alaskan native from the Tlingit tribe. 

East Ballard – NW 45th St. & 11th Ave NW Katie Miller (August 2020)
Katie Miller
Crossing

Crossing is inspired by Seattle’s maritime industry, the nearby ship canal, and our relationship to water. Crossing alludes to a journey moving through or along water and serves as a metaphor for our individual experiences, personal connections to, and reflections on water.

Fremont – NW 36th St. & Leary Way NW Minh Carrico (August 2020)
Minh Carrico
TATTARRATTAT

Honoring the waterway connecting Lake Union and the Puget Sound, the phrase “TATTARRATTAT” is spelled out using the International Code of Signals for water vessels moving in either direction of the canal. The repetition of the palindrome serves as a visual interpretation of the “knock, knock” emanating from a construction site for months to come. 

These temporary works will be on view for six-months and then be changed to feature new artwork by artists including Barry Johnson, Hugo Moro, Shawn Parks , Whitney Lynn and Janelle Abbott

FLOW: Art Along the Ship Canal is an annual program that will use the construction fences along the project as a backdrop to allow artists to showcase their unique voice and provide a changing gallery of experiences for those who walk, bike, drive along the Burke-Gilman Trail and throughout the area.

Artists were selected by a panel of artists, community members, and city staff. The project is commissioned with SPU 1% for Art funds.

Artists selected to create new temporary artworks in Ballard, Fremont, and Wallingford for SPU Ship Canal Water Quality Project

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FLOW 2020: temporary and site-specific artworks

The Office of Arts & Culture (ARTS) in partnership with Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) has commissioned nine emerging artists to develop new temporary art installation for four locations in north Seattle. FLOW 2020, is a project designed to enliven temporary walls and fences surrounding construction sites that are part of the Ship Canal Water Quality Project. FLOW 2020 will feature temporary and site-specific artwork in four different locations (Ballard, East Ballard, Fremont, and Wallingford) and change every six months. New artists will be commissioned over the next few years.

artists touring exhibition site

FLOW 2020 artists include:

Ballard site: Angie Hinojos Yusuf and Carlos Jimenez; and Barry Johnson
East Ballard site: Katie Miller, Hugo Moro, Shawn Parks
Fremont site: Minh Carrico , Whitney Lynn
Wallingford site: Crystal Christopherson and Kalee Nelson; and Janelle Abbott

In early September city staff and the selected artists kicked off the project with a site visit to each site location. Artists had the opportunity to ask questions and share their approach at their respective sites. The selected artists represent a broad diversity of style, use of material, and ideas that will invigorate the construction walls and fences beginning in early 2020. 

Artists were selected by a panel of artists, community members, and city staff. The project is commissioned with SPU 1% for Art funds.

Indigenous Art Installation Debuts on King Street Station Plaza

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Free celebration includes blessing, and storytelling.
Friday, June 21, 2019, Noon – 3 pm
King Street Station Plaza, 303 S. Jackson Street at the corner of 4th Avenue S., Seattle

Brings the Medicine Sundial, a temporary public sculpture intended to bring healing, recognition, and awareness of this land’s First People by activating the King Street Station Plaza, debuts on Friday, June 21. The installation, which features six, 28’ tall fir tree poles that form a semicircle and public gathering place, is created by artist and architectural designer Kimberly Corinne Deriana (Mandan/Hidatsa) in collaboration with Coast Salish carvers. Brings the Medicine Sundial is Deriana’s first major public art commission.

On the day of the installation’s debut, the summer solstice, the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture, in collaboration with yəhaw̓, will host an afternoon of celebration and arts engagement, aligning with its goal of creating an outdoor gathering area honoring the Earth. Planned activities – all free and open to the public – include a land acknowledgement and blessing by Denise Emerson (Skokomish/ Navajo) and storytelling by Jill and Sasha LaPointe (Upper Skagit/Nooksack).

The sculpture Brings the Medicine Sundial features free-standing tripod structures forming a sundial/dais and gathering circle that honor the Earth. Six fir lodgepoles will stand on what is now King Street Station Plaza for the first time since 1855, when the Treaty of Point Elliott outlawed the construction of Indigenous structures within Seattle city limits. The logs, sustainably harvested by Skokomish foresters, illustrate a shared cultural reference central to the theme of “lifting the sky” from the inaugural exhibition at ARTS at King Street Station, yəhaw̓ (on view through Aug. 4). yəhaw̓ is inspired by the Coast Salish story of Indigenous people from many tribes coming together and using poles to hoist the sky above the Earth. The word yəhaw̓ is used across languages to communicate and to form unity in this process.

yәhaw̓ is a year-long Indigenous community-based project culminating in the inaugural exhibition at Seattle Office Of Arts & Culture’s ARTS at King Street Station from March 23 – August 4, 2019. The exhibition is accompanied by a mentorship training cohort, satellite shows, residencies, vendor opportunities and partner programs. yәhaw̓ features the work of 200+ Indigenous creatives at over 20 sites across Seattle and beyond. Curated by Tracy Rector (Choctaw/Seminole), Asia Tail (Cherokee), and Satpreet Kahlon, yәhaw̓ celebrates the depth and diversity of Indigenous art made in the Pacific Northwest. Learn more at yehawshow.com.

About the artist: Kimberly Corinne Deriana is a Mandan and Hidatsa architectural designer and artist who specializes in sustainable, environmental, Indigenous architecture, housing, and planning. Her design methodologies focus on incorporating Indigenous lifestyle practices in relationship to past and present: design for seven generations. Deriana strives to achieve exceptional design by weaving together respect for individuality, honor for cultural identity, and appreciation for contemporary quality, manifested in the shape and structure of sustainable buildings and communities.

Facebook: @kimberlyderiana, @seattlearts, @yehawshow
Instagram: @kimberlycorinne, @seaofficeofarts, @yehawshow

Project Credits: Kimberly Corinne Deriana (Mandan/Hidatsa) – Artist & Designer; Rob Purser (Suquamish), Delbert Miller (Skokomish), Tina Kuckkahn-Miller (Ojibwe), Sayalts Miller (Skokomish) – Carvers; Absalom Shantz – Lead Fabricator; Christopher C. Shaw – Professional Engineer; Tracy Rector (Choctaw/Seminole), Asia Tail (Cherokee), Satpreet Kahlon – Curators; S Surface – King Street Station Program Lead, Seattle Office of Arts & Culture.


Free celebration includes blessing, and storytelling.

Friday, June 21, 2019, Noon – 3 pm

YӘHAW̓: INDIGENOUS ART EXHIBIT AND ARTISTS IN RESIDENCE AT THE SEATTLE PUBLIC LIBRARY

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This fall, The Seattle Public Library is partnering with yəhaw̓, an Indigenous-led arts project, to celebrate Indigenous creativity and environmental equity. From October through December, we’ll have events, an exhibit, and artists in residence who honor indigenous knowledge and address the theme of environmental equity.

ABOUT YӘHAW̓

From Thursday, Oct. 4 to Sunday, Dec. 9, the Central Library is excited to celebrate the kick off of yәhaw̓, a year-long, Indigenous-led arts project that will culminate in a major exhibition at Seattle Office of Arts & Culture’s ARTS at King Street Station in January 2019. As Seattle gears up for the exhibition, the public is invited to take part in community exhibits, artist residencies, and public events across the region. Over 200 Indigenous creatives will take part in yәhaw̓ and the project is designed to Indigenize the city. For more information, visit https://yehawshow.com/

EVENTS

            What Is At Stake For Washington’s Native Nations Today – 7 p.m. to 8:45 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 2 at the Central Library, 1000 Fourth Ave., Level 1, Microsoft Auditorium, 206-386-4636. University of Washington professors Jean Dennison (Osage) and Josh Reid (Snohomish) will lead a discussion with local Native leaders Lisa Wilson (Lummi) and Melvinjohn Ashue (Hoh) on Indigenous sovereignty, treaty rights, and urban planning.

Film Screening: “500 Years: Life in Resistance” – 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 5 at Centilia Cultural Center at El Centro de La Raza, 1660 S. Roberto Maestas Festival St. From a historic genocide trial to the overthrow of a president, “500 Years” tells a sweeping story of recent mounting resistance played out in Guatemala, through the actions and perspectives of the majority indigenous Mayan population, who now stand poised to reimagine their society.          Join us for this film screening, followed by a Q&A with protagonist Irma Alicia Velásquez Nimatuj, Director Pamela Yates and Producer Paco de Onís. The film will be shown in Spanish with English subtitles.

            Resistance Saga Workshop – Noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 6 at the Central Library, 1000 Fourth Ave., Level 1, Microsoft Auditorium, 206-386-4636. Interested in Indigenous sovereignty and human rights? Don’t miss a dynamic interactive media workshop with global human rights leader and journalist Dr. Irma Alicia Velásquez Nimatuj (Maya K’iche) and Paco de Onís and Pamela Yates of Skylight. The workshop will be conducted in Spanish with limited translation. Registration is required.

            Opening Reception For ‘This Is Our Home, Where We Belong’ – 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 6 at the Central Library, 1000 Fourth Ave., Level 1, Microsoft Auditorium, 206-386-4636. The reception starts with light refreshments in the Auditorium on Level 1, and then moves to the Level 8 Gallery to enjoy the artwork.

Listening to the Wisdom of Our Elders – 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 8 at the Central Library, 1000 Fourth Ave., Level 1, Microsoft Auditorium, 206-386-4636. Listen to the wisdom of our elders who will share their experiences, knowledge, and stories. We are honored to recognize those have worked to keep Indigenous legacies alive.

Indigenous Art Making – 11:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 1 the Central Library, 1000 Fourth Ave., Level 4, Washington Mutual Foundation Meeting Room 1, 206-386-4636.

  • Family Art – 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Meet local Indigenous artists and makers. Create treasures to bring home.
  • Artist in Residence Panel – 2:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. Join our Artists in Residence—Native Kut, Roldy Aguero Ablao and Fox Spears—for a panel discussion moderated by curator Denise Emerson.
  • Film Screening: “Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked the World” – 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. The contributions of Native Americans in modern American music get a much-deserved showcase in this celebratory expose of the Indigenous influence on the soundtrack of popular culture.

EXHIBIT

            This Is Our Home, Where We Belong – Coast Salish Female Artists on Identity, Spirituality, and Environment. The exhibit features the original artwork of five Coast Salish women exploring environmental justice, identity, and place. Featured artists include:

  • Caroline Edwards (Swinomish)
  • Denise Emerson (Diné/Twana)
  • Karen Engel (Shoalwater Bay)
  • Kimberly Miller (Skokomish)
  • Abbey Pierson (Cowlitz)

The project’s curator Denise Emerson is also Coast Salish, of the Twana people, and this her first curatorial project. The exhibit is free, no tickets required. Check out the art from Thursday, Oct. 4 to Sunday, Dec. 9 in the Level 8 Gallery at the Central Library.

ARTISTS IN RESIDENCE

Celebrate Indigenous artists at the Library! From October to December, visit the Central Library for unique experiences with amazing artists.

            Native Kut: Pah-tu Pitt and Sean Gallagher – Does water move you? Native Kut, a dynamic duo made up of artists Pah-tu and Sean, will be exploring water in conservation. Throughout October, they will be in the 8th floor gallery doing printmaking and wood carving demos inspired by Indigenous water rights from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesdays, Oct. 2, 9 and 16.

            Roldy Aguero Ablao – Did you know “eco” means home? Join mixed-media artist and storyteller Roldy Ablao as they create artworks inspired by stories of home and connections to Indigeneity and environmental justice. Drop by the studio to help Roldy and their guest collaborators make space to build deeper connections through creativity from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays, Oct. 20, 27 and Nov. 3.

            Fox Spears – Ready to follow the river? Spend time with printmaker Fox Spears whose arts will center around the theme of water – relationships that plants, animals, and humans have formed with rivers over time. Fox’s inspiration comes from the Klamath River, where his Karuk ancestors lived since time immemorial, as well as the river systems in Washington and the Pacific Northwest. Learn more about pattern making with Fox from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays, Nov. 10, 17 and 24.

PARTNERS & SPONSORS

We are grateful for the expertise from executive project producers Tracy Rector (Choctaw/Seminole), Asia Tail (Cherokee), and Satpreet Kahlon, along with the guidance from our Native Advisory Council. This exhibit is made possible with support from The Seattle Public Library Foundation.

The Library’s dynamic approach to building community that enriches lives includes programming that brings people, information and ideas together to respect and embrace the well-being of the people we serve. We celebrate Seattle’s many cultures by forming strong partnerships with community organizations.

For more information, go to www.spl.org/yehaw, call 206-386-4636 or Ask Us. For ADA accommodations, please contact: leap@spl.org.

 

– SPL –

 

(Media: Contact Andra Addison, Communications Director, 206-386-4103 or andra.addison@spl.org.)