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The American War exhibition opening at ARTS at King Street Station

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February 6 – March 21, 2020 at
ARTS at King Street Station

Opening reception
Thursday, February 6, 2020, 5 – 7 p.m.

The American War will be on view at ARTS at King Street Station February 6 through March 21, 2020. Artists Pao Houa Her and Sadie Wechsler designed the exhibition taking inspiration from  layout of an archives’ research room. It features photographic and video works, both created and found by the artists, that expose the legacy and residue that remains in Southeast Asia and the United States in the aftermath of what is known stateside as the Vietnam War.

man in field
Pao Houa Her, Guy cousin in Thailand, 2017; Inkjet print. 8”x10”

The American War, which is the common name used for the Vietnam War (1955 – 1975) in Southeast Asia, caused more than 3 million casualties and a legacy of lasting trauma for the people and the lands of Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and the United States. The war also contained conflicts in countries outside of Vietnam, including The Secret War in Laos.

The Secret War, run by the CIA and executed by the US Air Force, ravaged over 30 percent of the countryside, contributed to nearly half-million Lao refugees. To this day, unexploded ordnance in Laos is still detonating, taking life and land from the folks in the countryside. Her and Wechsler look at the scar of these wars and how they continue to shape lives and land across the world.

prosthetic legs on chair with photo
Sadie Wechsler, Legs for Display, 2018; Inkjet print; 22.75” x 30”.

“We invite visitors to enter our place of research, to examine the complicated connections, and the rippling effects of war on the people and the countries that have been impacted,” says Pao Houa Her and Sadie Wechsler. “We also are addressing how openness, curiosity and dialogue are catalysts for new and deeper relationships and learning.”

The exhibition will consist of over 40 objects including contemporary photography by Her and Wechsler, historical images, poetry and video for visitors to explore. Her and Wechsler created and collected materials, including works from the National Archive in Washington, D.C., that reflect the life altering effects the war continues to have on the people who lived in the region – especially the Hmong people from Laos. Accompanying the exhibition, the artists have produced a double-sided poster featuring artwork by both artists, alongside a commissioned poem by Hmong American poet May Lee Yang. This publication is free for all who attend the show.

Pao Houa Her works across multiple genres and technologies of photography to address Hmong identity and related notions of desire and belonging within the Hmong American community. Her was born in the northern jungles of Laos in 1982. With her family she fled the conflict resulting from the American War in Vietnam – like many others, by crossing the Mekong River on her mother’s back. After living in refugee camps within Thailand’s borders, Pao and her family were sent to the United States in 1986.

In conversation with Her’s images are Wechsler’s photographs. They are evidence of Wechsler’s attempts to understand and ultimately take responsibility for the continued bloodshed of the United Sates. She visits museums, sites of death, and locations of memorial in Laos and Southeast Asia to have a glimpse into how the United State’s wars are felt after they are “finished.” Wechsler also engages in military archives in the US to visualize state sanctioned impacts of these wars. Friends and collaborators, Her and Wechsler met through the MFA photography program at Yale. Together Her and Wechsler visited Laos, where they initiated a conversation that both dissected and complicated their different relationships to the global impact of the war. This show is the first physical manifestation of their ongoing dialogue.

Pao Houa Her was born in 1982 in Laos, and was raised in Saint Paul, MN. She currently lives in the Twin Cities region. She received a MFA in Photography from the Yale University School of Art, New Haven, CT in 2012 and a BFA in Photography from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design in 2009. Her received a Jerome Fellowship for Emerging Artists in 2013 and was awarded Initiative Grants from the Minnesota State Arts Board in 2009 and 2012. She also received an Alice Kimball Fellowship in 2012.

Sadie Wechsler (born in Seattle) received a BA from Bard College in 2007 and an MFA from Yale School of Art in 2013. Her work has been show nationally and internationally and was included in Format Festival England and Beijing. She has been included in group shows at Aperture Gallery, Belfast School of Art, Photoville, and Newspace Center for Photography, and has had solo shows at DeSoto Gallery and Gallery 4Culture. Wechsler has received the Delivan grant from Bard College and the smArt Ventures Grant from the City of Seattle. She has been an artist in residence at Anderson Ranch Art Center and the Arctic Circle Expedition. In 2016, she self-published her first monograph Part I: Redo and her work can be found in the collections of the Yale University Library, the Hammer Art Museum, the Getty Research Institute and the King County Portable Collection.

ARTS at King Street Station is a new kind of cultural space where communities of color have increased opportunities to present their work and be seen and heard. Grounded in community leadership, the public programming and cultural space on the third floor of King Street Station are incubators for artists and communities, experimenting with the best ways to respond to the cultural needs of an ever-changing city. A cohort of King Street Station Advisors select and respond to community exhibition and programming ideas. ARTS’ goal for King Street Station is to be a resource for the city and the embodiment of the Office’s commitment to racial equity. Admission is free, Tuesday through Saturday, 10 am – 6 pm, First Thursdays, 10 am – 8 pm.

Emerging Artist Sarah Thompson Moore selected for the Alki Pump Station Public Art Project

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The Office of Arts & Culture (ARTS), in partnership with Seattle Public Utilities (SPU), selected emerging artist Sarah Thompson Moore to develop site-specific, site-integrated permanent artwork that will be incorporated into the restored ground plane of the Alki Pump Station.  The Alki Pump Station is located on the 1411 Alki Ave SW adjacent to the beach and serves an important function to address and limit combined-sewer overflows.  The artist noted that the popular waterfront location allows her to “design an experience that will heighten the viewer’s sense of the surrounding environment and the history of the site while also drawing connections to the human/water relationship and SPU’s role in maintaining that relationship.” Thompson Moore will work with the project team, and community members to develop, fabricate, and install artwork that is expected to be installed in early 2021. 

The Alki Pump Station Project is intended to improve the existing pump station to meet the needs of the growing area, improvements include upgrades to mechanical, electrical, structural, and civil elements below ground and restore sidewalk, pavement, and landscaping areas above ground. The project will address the health and safety needs of the neighborhood as well as provide an opportunity for public art in the community.

Sarah Thompson Moore was born in Eastern Oregon and now makes her home in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.  Her studies have taken her to Florence, Italy and later, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania where she obtained her BFA in Sculpture from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.  A trained bronze foundry artisan and master mold-maker, Thompson Moore’s early work involved comprehensive study of the figure for which she has received awards and private commissions.  This technical background established the foundation from which she has expanded her creative practice to include more experimental materials and concepts, giving preference to the process of creating as well as to the experience of viewing.

Seattle Center Poetry Garden: Beaded Necklace

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Asia Tail (Cherokee), Beaded Necklace

October 1, 2019 – January 6, 2020

Photo credit: Asia Tail

In contemporary and historical gathering practices, Indigenous peoples from many tribes, including my own, often leave small gifts behind when harvesting. A buried bead or shell serves as a token of thanks to the land for what has been taken and records the gatherer’s presence on the site. This gifting is often accompanied by song or other sounds of acknowledgement. Jewelry is also gifted in the same way between Indigenous individuals.

My piece at the Poetry Garden embodies the Indigenous spirit of gifting and reciprocal relationship building. The string of beadwork acts as a necklace draped across the landscape, singing a song for the space and surrounding plantings.

By translating common practices from my tribe and local tribes into a temporary art installation on a colonized site, I hope to create an accessible entry point to educate the public about the continued relevance of Indigenous ecological knowledge, while paying homage to the history of the land the center sits on.

Photo credit: Asia Tail

By artist Asia Tail

POETRY GARDEN ART SERIES

The Poetry Garden Art Series is a collaboration between Seattle Center and the Office of Arts & Culture. Each year we invite artists to create works specifically designed for our Poetry Garden, asking them to create work that is responsive to the natural environment surrounding the space. Each installation is up for about 3 months. Visit the Poetry Garden often to see the latest work!

Apply for the Artists Up Mentorly Scholarship 2020

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Opens Wednesday, February 12, 2020
Closes Wednesday, February 26, 2020

Artists Up has partnered with Mentorly to launch a mentorship program for Washington artists and they have opened applications for the Artists Up Mentorly Scholarship. This scholarship is for artists living in Washington State who are looking to elevate their practice through mentorship.

If you do receive a scholarship, you will receive four one-hour-long mentor sessions. This scholarship will cover the online mentoring fee for Artists Up participants ONLY. There are several Artists Up recommended mentors available or you’re welcome to choose a mentor from Mentorly.

Artists Up is a collaborative effort between 4Culture, ArtsWA, and the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture. The goal of this program is to serve historically marginalized or underrepresented artists in Washington State, including artists of color, LGBTQ+ artists, artists with disabilities, artists who are new to the U.S. and Washington, mature artists, and low-income artists.

Mentorly is an online arts mentorship platform that provides opportunities to connect with emerging and professional artists from around the world. These mentors are experienced artists, representing all creative disciplines, vetted by Mentorly or Artists Up. Mentors can offer invaluable information gained from their own experiences that can help advance an artist’s career. If you would like to elevate your practice through mentorship, learn new skills, or explore a new field by receiving one-to-one coaching from another artist, then sign up now. Anyone is welcome to create a Mentorly profile and sign up for these mentorship sessions. But this scholarship application is only for those in need of financial assistance to afford this opportunity.

The AMP: AIDS Memorial Pathway invites you to commemorate World AIDS Day

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Sunday, December 1, 4 pm
Hugo House
1634 11th Ave, Seattle 98122
Please join The AMP: AIDS Memorial Pathway to meet the artists
commissioned for The AMP and see artwork concepts that will be
unveiled to the public for the first time.

The short program starts at 4 pm, and will include videos and community members sharing more about the AIDS Memorial Pathway. It will
conclude at 5 pm after a musical performance and procession to the
future site of The AMP for a communal moment of silent reflection and
remembrance.
Please RSVP to the Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/1011221389221825/
Or you can email your RSVP to: info@theamp.org
This event will be ASL Interpreted.

City Light Unveils New Public Artwork at its North Service Center

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On Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2019, Seattle City Light, in collaboration with City of Seattle Arts & Culture, dedicated two new pieces to the artistic landscape surrounding the utility’s North Service Center. The two pieces “Undulating Currents” and “Licton Flow” were created by renowned artist W. Scott Trimble and commissioned with the City Light 1% for Art funds administered by the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture.

Members of both city departments along with members of the Licton Springs community and the artist himself provided remarks at the unveiling event, lauding the collaborative spirit of the entire process.

Project Manager Jason Huff , Seattle Office of Arts & Culture

“When Scott developed this project, it was to celebrate the work that City Light and its employees do for the city providing energy,” said Jason Huff, Project Manager, Seattle Office of Arts & Culture. “But a lot of that work (outside of power lines) is relatively invisible to people. The source of our electricity is hydropower. Scott wanted to reveal that and make the invisible visible to people. And, with that concept, we had great support from City Light.”

“Undulating Currents” is a striking representation of the fluidity of water, a vital source for generating power for Seattle. The ribbon-like waves converge at the corner of 98th Street and Stone Way, forming a loop near the intersection. “Licton Flow,” a smaller piece in size but not in impact, is staged as if it is emerging out of the ground. Not unlike its namesake, Licton Springs, located a few blocks away. Trimble hopes that visitors will create their own interpretations of what the pieces symbolize and mean for themselves. 

“Undulating Currents” by W. Scott Trimble

“I want people to create their personal narrative of what the pieces mean to them,” Scott explained. “Whether it’s the fluidity of the work or even the color. There are many ways to interpret it so I hope that will create a dialogue.” 

The flowing and converging themes of both pieces are symbolic of their own process. Unlike most pieces installed through the 1% Art Fund, City Light was heavily involved in the manufacturing of the pieces. Scott worked with City Light’s Shop crews to build the pieces, using materials like conduits that the utility uses every day to protect and route electrical wiring. Crews bent and painted the conduits and installed the pieces outside of the North Service Center to meet Scott’s expectations. 

Crews people putting together a large piece of art involving tubes
City Light crews installing “Undulating Currents”

While the project was unique to the utility, its crews treated it as if it was their project, giving them the time and attention needed to meet their own expectations. 

“There are nearly 200 years of experience between our teams,” City Light’s Dan McKinnon explained. “Scott had a rendering and a vision, so it was our job to make it a reality. It’s what we do.” 

“J.D. Ross, the father of City Light, had the vision to build hydroelectric dams on the Skagit…Those were built largely through City Light shops,”
said former City Light Utility Support Services Director Bernie O’Donnell and current vice president at Vanir Construction Management during the unveiling event. “That vision is now hydroelectric power, being delivered via conduits. It really comes full circle.”

“Undulating Currents” and “Licton Flow” are located around the North Service Center and are open to the public. These newest additions continue the tradition of City Light’s inclusion of art throughout its facilities.   

Artwork on the Ship Canal

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In 2024, Seattle Public Utilities’ (SPU) Ship Canal Water Quality Project (SCQWP) will open a new tunnel that will serve as an underground water storage tank.  Above ground, however art will enliven the area and tell the story of why the city needs the underground tank.

The Office of Arts & Culture (ARTS) in partnership with SPU has commissioned a suite of artworks, both temporary and permanent that will be on view during construction and years into the future on sites throughout Wallingford, Fremont, Queen Anne, and Ballard. Aligned with the goals outlined in the SCQWP Drainage and Wastewater Master Plan by Vaughn Bell, the artworks seek to make the invisible visible and connect visitors to an understanding of the flow of water on site and the surrounding neighborhoods.

RYAN! Feddersen has installed a series of rain activated medallions based on community input and ideas exploring the idea of how we use water. The series is currently on view through the next several months while she develops a concept for her permanent artwork. The temporary artworks are installed on the sidewalks at intersections along the future Ship Canal Water Quality Project Tunnel’s path that correspond to where streets direct surface water toward the Ship Canal.  

In this long-range project, many of the permanent works will be installed in 2024, but the artists for those commissions have been selected and many have initial concept ideas.

Jeffrey Veregge (Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe in Kingston, Washington) and RYAN! Feddersen (Confederated Tribes of the Colville) are currently developing concepts for Ballard and Wallingford respectively, focusing on ideas of both water as well as the traditional uses of the land.

Artist team Preston Singletary (Tlingit) and David Franklin have been commissioned for Fremont/Queen Anne locations. Their artwork will tell the traditional native story of Petrel Guards the Water and Raven Steals the Water Paddle through two large-scale canoe paddle sculptures constructed of glass and steel that flank the ship canal waterway.

Additionally, an artwork by Christian French, Sing, Calypso, features images and a poem embedded into the new 24th Ave Pier. The artwork tells the simple tale of a Fisherman who was saved from drowning by a magical Fish he had spared out of compassion. The artwork is currently closed to the public due to construction.

Artist, Vaughn Bell will be creating a connective thread artwork that will tie the SCQWP themes together that will run the length of the new tunnel.

Throughout the process of construction, opportunities arose for additional artworks to showcase the role of water and provide opportunities for emerging artists.

FLOW 2020 will be 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 Gillman Trail and throughout the area.

The Ship Canal Water Quality Project, is intended to greatly reduce the amounts of overflows into the Ship Canal that harm fish, wildlife and the environment, but success of the project is that it will serve its function invisibly – the artwork on view will tell the story for years to come and while creating meaningful, inspiring and thought-provoking art experiences in the public realm.

The Future Ancient: Public Art celebration the reopening of the Seattle Asian Art Museum

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By artist Che Sehyun

The Seattle Asian Art Museum is set to re-open February 2020 after closing for a $55 million renovation and remodel.  The reimagined and reinvisioned Asian Art Museum now offers a thematic, rather than geographic or chronological, exploration of art from the world’s largest continent.  An innovative partnership between the City of Seattle’s Office of Arts & Culture and the museum has brought an unprecedented focus on local and contemporary Asian Pacific Islander (API) artists in a series of free workshops, pop-up events, temporary installations, and community gatherings curated by local Corean artist Che Sehyun.  Through a competitive process, Che’s public art proposal titled The Future Ancient was selected to expand SAAM’s opening events on the weekend of February 8 and 9, 2020, and continue throughout the summer to showcase the incredible talent of local API artists and community who value their cultural heritage in a future-forward and socially transformative way. 

Photo by Che Sehyun

The Future Ancient is an empowering model of public art, strategic community investment, and a curatorial process, which will present six months of free public programming that centers the life and perspective of local API artists.  In linking the mission of the Seattle Art Museum – to connect art to life and foster creativity and community – and intersecting with Seattle’s Office of Arts & Culture’s values of equity, inclusion and access – The Future Ancient invests in and empowers local API artists doing the work through dollars, institutional support, and professional development alongside six months of community-lead public art engagements.  The Future Ancient is a framework that seeks to expand our consciousness and appreciate our diverse cultural heritage and past legacies in future forward thinking and transformative way.    

“The overarching goal is to create lasting impacts, investments, and relationships” notes Special Project Curator, Che Sehyun, “everyone is invited to join the programming that will occur in the museum and in Volunteer Park, but a lot of the work is also happening behind the scenes though mentoring and building capacity of local API artists who have such a rich cultural legacy and responsibility in our increasingly globalized world.” 

Updates, information and open calls for participation will be posted on The Future Ancient website (www.thefutureancient.org).  This project is commissioned with Seattle Parks and Recreation 1% for Art funds and Administered by the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture.

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.

Artist Trust Annual Artist Survey

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During the summer of 2019, 1,283 artists from across Washington State participated in the Artist Trust Annual Survey. The results of this annual survey allow us to better understand the artists we serve and share information from responding artists with other artist-serving organizations.

Artists who took the 2019 Annual Artist Survey indicated the major challenges in their careers are marketing, building new audiences for their work and finding financial stability. With two thirds of responding artists working out of their homes or home studios, they shared perspectives on accessing space and space affordability in Washington State.

This year, a number of new topics also emerged, including concerns about the climate, LGBTQ and gender equality, and access to continuing education. The 2019 Annual Artist Survey provides information that will continue to inform our programming and artist support services at Artist Trust. They make their findings and this report available publicly with the hope that other artist-serving organizations, artists, and arts advocates can learn from and utilize the results. Through this research, they continually work to gain a deeper understanding Washington State’s artists and better meet their needs.

Artist Trust is a nonprofit organization whose sole mission is to support and encourage individual artists working in all disciplines in order to enrich community life throughout Washington State. Since its founding in 1986, Artist Trust has invested over $10 million in individual artists through grant programs and provides a comprehensive suite of professional development training and resources to help artists achieve their career goals.