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Office of Arts & Culture news and events

ARTS Welcomes Rick Reyes as Racial Equity Coordinator

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Rick is a Seattle-based, Tacoma-born, researcher, organizer, creative, and the new Racial Equity Coordinator with the Office of Arts & Culture. Trained in writing, critical race theory, and public policy at Seattle University, Rick’s previous research, art, and work explore epistemologies to better understand assumptions on race, class, and gender that produce real-life impacts on people of color and those at the center of structural oppression. As a researcher, his work includes discussions on disaster politics and the privatization of education, the power of narrative, and the intersections between science and social construction.

Rick’s work experience includes community outreach, communications, and program development at and in partnership with organizations such as the Museum of Pop Culture, Seattle University, the Office of Arts & Culture, Napster, and Seattle Theatre Group.

An avid musician and writer, Rick finds community in performing with, recording alongside of, and going to performances with fellow musicians, writers, and creatives.

Square Feet 2019: Staying Power

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On April 28-29, ARTS hosted the fourth installment of the Square Feet event. This roughly annual mini-conference explores different issues related to cultural space. This year the keynote speaker was Gus Newport, who spoke (at the Wing Luke Museum) about his work as a community organizer, a developer of affordable housing, and a cultural space creater in neighborhoods and cities across the country. His talk was streamed live and is archived here.

Karen Toering, Uche Okezie, and Gus Newport (L-R). Photo by Sunita Martini

The conference (at King Street Station) also included breakout sessions, a panel discussion, and the graduation of the 2018 Build Art Space Equitably (B.A.S.E.) Cohort. The sessions ended with the return of the Large Foam Check Challenge, an inclusive budgeting exercise that offered participants the opportunity to direct over $10,000 of ARTS spending towards a project of their devising. Last year, the funding was aimed towards the creation of a Tiny Cultural Space. That project is underway in partnership with Sawhorse Revolution and Estelita’s Library. This year the idea the group generated was about honoring and recording the oral histories of Indigenous people who are living in Seattle unhoused. The project, in partnership with urban Indian organizations, would directly pay participants for their stories.

Large Foam Check Challenge winners 2019. Photo by Sunita Martini

Structure for Stability (The PDA Report)

Following nearly two years of work and a significant Racial Equity Toolkit process, ARTS also presented its newest publication. Structure for Stability: Recommendations for Developing Affordable Community-Based Cultural Space provides an in-depth analysis of the challenges facing cultural spaces and artists’ spaces in Seattle and offers recommendations for the creation of a new, independent, mission-driven entity, to be capitalized through the Office of Arts & Culture’s bonding capacity, that will lease, develop, and hold real estate in partnership with community for use by artists and cultural organizations. The report is available here.

Comix for All Exhibition at City Hall

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May 8 – July 11, 2019; Anne Focke Gallery, City Hall
Reception on Thursday, June 6, 4-6pm

Detail from nice neighborhoods have nice signs, by Myra Lara

Presenting fourteen local artists whose multiple styles and subjects demonstrate the flexibility of the comix medium. Meet the artists on First Thursday in June, 4-6pm at City Hall.

Featured artists

  • Handa
  • Eroyn Franklin
  • ET Russian
  • Megan Kelso
  • Darin Shuler
  • Mita Mahato
  • Simon Hanselmann
  • Max Clotfelter
  • Jason T. Miles
  • Marie Bouassi
  • Lauren Armstrong
  • Ryan Sadler
  • Myra Lara
  • Kelly Froh

Presented by Short Run. Short Run celebrates and strengthens Seattle’s lauded comix and arts community

Save the date!

9th Annual Short Run Comix & Arts Festival at Fisher Pavilion, Seattle Center, Saturday, November 9, 11am-6pm.

Nominations are Open for the 2019 Mayor’s Arts Awards

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Photo by Sunny Martini

The Seattle Office of Arts & Culture’s Mayor’s Arts Awards celebrates the people and organizations that broaden our horizons and humanize our city and our world

NOMINATE

Nominate a person or an organization who you think should be recognized and celebrated! Nominations are open until June 3, 2019 and will be evaluated by a panel of Seattle Arts Commissioners and previous award recipients. Four awardees will be recognized from the pool of nominations, based on the following aspirations:

  • Furthering racial equity and social justice
  • Exemplifies artistic excellence
  • A leader in the field
  • Emerging artistic voice
  • Cultural Icon
  • Innovation incubator
  • Fights for justice in arts education

Nominees may be a person of any age and background, or an organization or community group.

2019 marks the 17th year ARTS has asked the community to nominate the people and organizations that represent our city (past and present), our environment and our aspirations. You tell us who should be recognized for their work in community, in education, in the arts landscape and in living out our hopes for a more just and racially equitable society.

Recipients for the 2019 Mayor’s Arts Awards will be announced in July and celebrated on Thursday, August 29 at the Mayor’s Arts Awards Ceremony at Seattle Center.

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New public artwork rises at the new City Light Denny Substation

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Denny Substation is now home to two incredible new public artworks, the towering Transforest by Lead Pencil Studio and a kinetic piece, Switchwall, by Ned Kahn. The Office of Arts & Culture (ARTS) worked with Seattle City Light to incorporate artworks and cultural planning that supports the utility’s mission and goals at the Denny Substation.

ARTS worked with City Light and architects to develop a temporary art program prior to construction of the substation, and permanent art installations at the new facility that are responsive to the surrounding community and reinforce the public nature and essential function of the station.

Please note: the site is still closed to the public. There will be a dedication sometime in the summer of 2019. Check our calendar or sign up for our email newsletter to get updates.

Denny Substation Permanent Artworks

Transforest by Lead Pencil Studio

  • A view of Transforest from The Mirabella next door, photo by Jason Huff
  • Street-level view of Transforest, photo by Jason Huff

Transforest is a site-specific sculpture developed to address important qualities inherent to the Denny Substation site and its broader context. The large-scale sculpture combines forms drawn from Seattle City Light’s industrial history and those of our Northwest landscape, creating a narrative of Seattle’s system of electrical generation that has been placed into the wilderness of Washington. The artwork is designed as an integrated landscape element that serves the place-making needs of the future public space.

Watch Seattle’s tallest public art combines old and new from KING 5 News.

Switchwall by Ned Kahn

Switchwall by day

Switchwall is a kinetic artwork that covers three faces of the substation façade with an array of thousands of light “switches” that are flipped by the wind. During the day the polished aluminum surface of the swaying panels reflect light and color from the sky and surrounding buildings. As the wind flips the panels from side to side they will reflect light from very different parts of the sky and surrounding environment. These light contrasts will animate the façade. As night approaches, or on dark cloudy days, the blue and orange LEDs will become visible and the artwork will reveal a different luminosity but will still create the impression of movement.

  • The Denny Substation is shaped like an elongated, metal pyramid.
    The Denny Substation with Switchwall at the top
  • Photo shows the Denny Substation next to a tall apartment building next door.
    The Denny Substation next to The Mirabella

Watch this video of Switchwall both during the day and night to see how it moves.

Artist Christopher Paul Jordan selected for the centerpiece artwork for the AIDS Memorial Pathway

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Tacoma artist Christopher Paul Jordan has been selected to create a centerpiece artwork for The AIDS Memorial Pathway project on Capitol Hill. The artwork will be sited in a central plaza above the Sound Transit Capitol Hill link light rail station, surrounded by new multi-story residential buildings currently under construction.

Jordan was selected for his particular focus and outstanding leadership in community engagement practices in the field of public art, and his demonstrated commitment to the values and identity of The AIDS Memorial Pathway Project. Jordan’s artwork will be a key feature in the plaza, symbolizing the lives and achievements of lost individuals that need to be acknowledged and celebrated publicly as a way to illuminate and fill the gap of their absence.

The artwork will be grounded in the themes developed by Horatio Law, Lead Artist for The AMP: AIDS Memorial Pathway. As lead artist, Law collaborated with a design team of developers, architects, landscape architects, community members, technology artists/consultants and others to develop, plan, and scope artworks and art concepts for a community-driven memorial project honoring the impact of the AIDS epidemic on Seattle and King County. You can find The AMP master art plan here.

Artist’s Bio:
(b. 1990) Christopher Paul Jordan integrates virtual and physical public space to form infrastructures for dialogue and self-determination among dislocated people. Jordan’s paintings and sculptures are time-capsules from his work in community. His 7,000 sq ft panoramic mural from #COLORED2017 is now buried into the walls of the Carpenter’s Union Building in Tacoma where it can only be rediscovered through demolition.

Jordan’s installations and public projects have been implemented internationally including Trinidad and Tobago, Taiwan, and Mexico. His work has been recognized by the Neddy Artist Award in painting, the James W Ray Venture Project Award, the Jon Imber Fellowship, the GTCF Foundation of Art Award, and the Artist Trust Fellowship.

About The AMP: AIDS Memorial Pathway:
Slated to open in mid-2020, The AMP: AIDS Memorial Pathway will be located on the north edge of Cal Anderson Park and on the public plaza of the Capitol Hill Light Rail Station. The AMP will include multiple permanent pieces of public art, as well as a digital component to tell the story of HIV/AIDS in the region. The development around The AMP will include residential buildings with 178 affordable apartments, as well as a community room available to the public.

Healing in Remembering

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The AMP: The AIDS Memorial Pathway Master Art Plan by Horatio Hung-Yan Law

Amidst all the cranes and dizzying development taking place on Seattle’s Capitol Hill, there is an exciting new project called The AMP: AIDS Memorial Pathway. The AMP is community-driven and community-funded, and its goals are to use public art to create a physical place for remembrance and reflection, to utilize technology to share stories about the epidemic and the diverse community responses to the crisis, and to provide a call to action to end HIV/AIDS, stigma, and discrimination. To bring shape and purpose to these goals, in the spring of 2018 The AMP partnered with the City’s Office of Arts & Culture to commission artist Horatio Hung-Yan Law to write a master art plan that would define what The AMP could be.

An artist known for his depth of work in community, Horatio Law has developed an art plan that represents months of outreach and conversation with communities affected by HIV/AIDS, and conversations in public open houses and community engagements. Law’s art plan centered individuals and groups currently dealing with HIV/AIDS, especially people of color, transgender individuals, and other historically under-represented communities. Law’s AIDS Memorial Pathway Art Plan also represents deep and sustained dialog with stakeholder-agencies and organizations, including: Sound Transit, Seattle Parks Department, Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT), Seattle Public Utilities (SPU), Office of Arts & Culture, Berger Partnership, Schemata Workshop, and Gerding Edlen, the developer of the Transit Oriented Development (TOD). These consultations and conversations shaped the visions and guiding principles for The AMP Master Art Plan.

Horatio Law has written a comprehensive art plan for The AMP that frames and embodies the communal experience of the AIDS epidemic, creates a road map for a series of multi-sensory and experiential public art projects to tell the community stories and responses to the AIDS crisis, and builds understanding between the general public and communities affected by HIV/AIDS. The plan divides The AMP into three major segments that focus on different emotional and symbolic aspects of the pathway, including (1) Remembrance and Reflection, (2) Celebrating Creativity and Life, and (3) Honoring Community Courage and Resilience. The AMP Art Plan also introduces opportunities not only for permanent public artworks, but temporary projects, arts residency programs, and a digital story-telling component. Finally, The AIDS Memorial Pathway Art Plan concludes with a group of essays that convey background histories, personal experiences and a sense of place regarding The AMP and HIV/AIDS in Seattle and King County.

Celebrate International Sculpture Day with our newest artwork “Aurora Bright Dawn”

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Saturday, April 27, noon
Oak Tree Village Pedestrian Bridge
N 102nd Street and Aurora Avenue N

Guest post by artist Vicki Scuri

Tomorrow, Saturday April 27th, is International Sculpture (IS) Day, a worldwide event celebrating the many ways sculpture and public art impact and improve people’s lives. Artist Vicki Scuri, the Office of Arts & Culture, and the Department of Transportation are participating in IS Day by dedicating “Aurora Bright Dawn.” This Public Artwork combines space, color and form on an aging pedestrian bridge, promoting community connectivity and safe crossing.

Two challenges we face in the 21st century are humanizing aging infrastructure and connecting communities. This project, funded through an SDOT community grant, written by the Aurora Licton Urban Village Community, is a good example of a transformational project on Aurora Avenue in Seattle.

Inspired by the sunrise, this project adds color and pattern to an aging pedestrian bridge, transforming it into a community landmark gateway. Hundreds of translucent colorful fins transition through the hues of the sunrise across the span of the bridge. The fins elevate the bridge into a unique art experience for both the cars traveling under and the pedestrians above. The colors on the translucent fins will shift and blend as the viewer moves through the site, creating a dynamic experience. The bridge’s columns and stairs hold colorful painted graphics, connecting the artwork directly to the site.

Public Art transforms neighborhoods by promoting community values, fostering pride of ownership, social interaction, and a sense of belonging. All communities deserve safe and supportive environments. International Sculpture Day is about reflecting on all that Art and Sculpture bring into our lives, enriching our experiences and our optimism for the future.

Launching the Creative Careers Cohort

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Convening Creative Youth Development programs to share their secret sauce

Written by Erin Naomi Burrows, Seattle University MFA in Arts Leadership practicum student

Bottles with labels spelling out Secret Sauce

Around the U-shaped conference table in the brand new ARTS at King Street Station are some of Seattle’s finest: the culture workers and teaching artists behind the scenes coaching, mentoring and supporting the next generation of Seattle’s artists. The Creative Careers Cohort, a time-bound, peer-learning experience, brings together six youth-focused arts organizations in Seattle to share lessons learned, best practices honed and innovative strategies to reach, teach and learn from creative youth. These out-of-school time arts programs prepare Seattle youth aged 14-19 for creative careers and reinforce 21st Century skills.

Pak stands at the front of the room in front of a slide showing a youth playing guitar
Daniel Pak from Totem Star

Organizations on The Creative Advantage Community Arts Partner Roster, a vetted list of local artists and organizations who offer creative programming in schools as part of The Creative Advantage, were invited to apply for the Creative Careers Cohort. The call prioritized organizations offering teen programs with explicit and existing career development objectives.

The inaugural Creative Careers Cohort members are:

Posing for a group picture
The inaugural Creative Careers Cohort

Arts Corps Spokes Youth Leadership Board

Spokes youth leaders gain tangible artistic and professional skills by leading open mics, writing circles, poetry slams and producing a multi-arts album. They meet weekly for training in event planning, public speaking, facilitation and social justice analysis through artistry and cultural work.

Massive Monkees, Extraordinary Futures Massive Skills

Sessions led by Massive Monkees instructors include creative career exploration in breaking, hip-hop and the arts. Participants learn class/group management, business and financial planning as well as “Adulting”. Offerings include positive youth events, free performances, free dance classes led by the youth, middle and high school breakdance league championships, and the Massive Break Challenge.

KUOW RadioActive

RadioActive youth participants discover public radio journalism and gain access to the skills, community, and institutional resources that spur their growth as media makers. Through their stories, listeners of all ages gain a deeper understanding of diverse young people whose voices are rarely heard by the greater public.

MoPOP The Residency

MoPOP offers a summer intensive hip-hop artist residency focusing on creative songwriting, performance techniques, and beat production. All participants, youth ages 16-19, record an EP of their original music at a professional studio and put on a final performance in MoPOP’s Sky Church.

Reel Grrls Learning Immersive Technology (LIT) Program

Youth co-create the future of mixed media content and curate with adult counterparts. Teenage participants mentor middle schoolers during a spring break camp with over 60 hours of paid opportunities to evangelize mixed reality through supporting a VR demos and showcases.

Totem Star: The Studio, The Stage, The Story

Totem Star‘s programs fosters skills and confidence in teens that may not find arts-rich opportunities anywhere else. Students create original compositions with a focus on collaboration and cultural diversity. All Access Fridays are led by women, femmes, non-binary, trans & LGBTQ teaching-artists.

The purpose of the Cohort is to foster learning amongst peers in the field and to inventory Creative Youth Development best practices for career connected learning and 21st Century skills acquisition. During the Cohort meetings, participating organizations provide a 20-minute presentation on their respective programs using these guiding questions:

  • How do you (or your org) define career connected learning?
  • What does leadership development mean to you in the context of your program?
  • What skills do you think are most vital for the young people in your program to practice and acquire? (21st Century, artistic, technical, etc.)
  • What are your programmatic best practices? (What’s your secret sauce?)

The first meeting, held March 4, 2019, brought a dozen staff from Cohort organizations together with City employees to explore definitions of career connected learning, vital skills for young people to practice and acquire, and programmatic best practices (i.e. the secret sauce).

The Creative Careers Cohort sit around the conference table.

Fostering community within each arts organization was identified as key to transformative experiences for youth. Arts Corps’ Youth Speaks program, for example, implements call and response culture broadly. If anyone says “Youth Speaks” in any space – from a rehearsal to public rallies to public speaking at City Hall – anyone in the know will shout back “Youth Speaks!” This ownership by participants shapes pathways of continued engagement of former participants and alumni. While some of cohort organizations identified participants aging out of programs and alumni engagement as a growth area, Arts Corps staff framed it as a primary goal of the work to hire former youth as young adult teaching-artists and colleagues.

Staff from Arts Corps stands in front of a slide with a header: How do you (or your org) define career connected learning?

Each organization emphasized building a culture of responsibility for young people to produce their own events as a team, taking on roles of design and production. For RadioActive youth at KUOW, this means collaborating with mentors and full-time editors of radio content. For Arts Corps Spokes Youth Board, it looks like intensive social justice trainings and embedding anti-oppression practices in the production of events. Totem Star’s Daniel Pak shared that for their The Stage program, youth interns book the space, think through load-in and closing, if they can bring their own food, noise ordinances, event promotion, as well as host and DJ the event. Pak notes that in their studio offerings, Totem Star is proud to serve as a creative sanctuary for young people open six days a week. He explains, “Once you enter that studio threshold, I’m sorry, you’re part of the Totem Star family. We’re gonna hold you accountable and treat you like professionals.”

Stay tuned for more on the progress of the Creative Careers Cohort and in the meantime, check out these highlights of youth art:

ARTS at King Street Station is open

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Open hours: Tuesday – Saturday 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.;
 First Thursdays 10 a.m. – 8 p.m.
ARTS at King Street Station
303 S. Jackson Street, Top Floor
Seattle, WA 98104

On Saturday, March 23 ARTS at King Street Station officially opened its doors to the public. Mayor Durkan cut the Ribbon, Ken Workman the great, great, great, great-grandson of Chief Seattle welcomed everyone, and the Lummi Black Hawk Dancers opened the gallery. More than 2,700 visitors came to the opening and enjoyed the new space and more importantly had a chance to see yәhaw̓, a year-long Indigenous community-based project.

yәhaw̓ features the work of 200+ Indigenous creatives at over 20 sites across Seattle and beyond. The exhibition is accompanied by a mentorship training cohort, satellite shows, residencies, vendor opportunities and partner programs. 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.

If you didn’t get a chance to join us at the opening, please stop in anytime during our open hours.

For more information about the exhibition visit yehawshow.com,

For information about how to propose your event or exhibition to happen at ARTS at King Street Station, the application portal is open!APPLY buttonFor more information about King Street Station visit here.