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Art Beat

Office of Arts & Culture news and events

Gallery features emerging artists, reception Jan. 12

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The final installment in a three-part exhibition of recently purchased portable artworks opened today at the Seattle Municipal Tower Gallery. The show features 19 artworks by 14 emerging Northwest artists and includes paintings, photographs, works on paper, sculpture and mixed media. The pieces are part of a larger recent purchase by Seattle City Light totaling 86 artworks by 56 artists. View an online gallery of all 86 artworks here.

The exhibition, titled Northwest Emerging Artists: Seattle City Light Portable Works Part III, will be on display through April 2.  Meet the artists at a reception, 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 12.

Featured works include Disconnected #3 by Vancouver, B.C., artist Sonny Assu from his series of iDrums – painted cowhides that combine pop aesthetic with traditional Northwest Coast formline imagery. Spokane artist Gabriel Brown’s Great Tasting Goodness! examines the relationship between consumerism and suburban sprawl. The sculpture is comprised of 130 miniature houses made from meticulously folded cardboard packaging. Seattle artist and carpenter Matt Sellars’ Shoulder My Burden sculpture references the disparity between third-world and luxury economies. The piece features a wood boat and toppled shipping containers made of painted wood blocks. For a complete list of featured artists click here.

Image: Matt Sellars, Shoulder My Burden (detail), 2008, poplar and acrylic, 21” x 15” x 8”. Photo: Mark Woods.

City invests in neighborhood arts and cultural events

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We’re pleased to announce funding awards to 40 neighborhood events through our Neighborhood & Community Arts program.

The Neighborhood & Community Arts program will provide $48,000 ($1,200 per organization) to public festivals and events taking place throughout the city this year. Fifteen of the 40 funded projects are first-time recipients, representing 37 percent of the awards.
The varied slate of events includes BeatWalk, Columbia City’s monthly music festival; a national film festival for youth; Honk! Fest West, roving street bands performing across the city; The Edible Book Festival; Sounds Outside, a creative music festival at Cal Anderson Park on Capitol Hill; and dozens of neighborhood festivals celebrating various cultures, including Hawaiian, Asian, African American and Latin art forms.

The program supports neighborhood groups that produce recurring festivals or events that promote arts and cultural participation, build community and enhance the visibility of neighborhoods through arts and culture.

Image: Mairi Rankin of Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, dazzles the audience with Scottish and Cape Breton fiddle tunes at the Mastery of Scottish Arts Concert. Photo by Dr. Gary Brown.

City seeks artist for First Hill Streetcar artwork

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Seattle is seeking an artist to develop site-integrated artwork for the First Hill Streetcar line, which will connect the Chinatown/International District transit station to the future Capitol Hill light rail station via First Hill. The new line is part of the Seattle Streetcar Network.

The call is open to professional artists residing in the United States. The selected artist will work with the Seattle Department of Transportation and consultants from the early stages of design through construction. Artwork and design enhancements will be incorporated during construction of the streetcar line.  Construction of the two-mile line is scheduled to begin in 2011 and end in 2013.

Application deadline is 11 p.m., Monday, Feb. 22. Learn more here.

Sunday in the park with art

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Our curator Deborah Paine encountered  this couple enjoying a picnic atop Michael Heizer’s sculpture  Adjacent, Against, Upon at Myrtle Edwards Park.  Amanda Levings and Jay Lindsey had all the trimmings to transform an already gorgeous sunny Sunday afternoon into a special holiday outing – a bit of a snack, the brilliant sun on the Olympics and of course the artwork.

We’re hiring an accountant

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Have a knack for numbers? We’re hiring an accountant to track project budgets, analyze city financial reports, prep revenue and expenditure reports, assist in developing the department’s operating budget and more. The position is half-time, but additional hours above 20 hours per week may be required. Interested? Click here to read the job description and apply online. Deadline to apply is Tuesday, Jan. 5.

Seattle Center seeks programming for Fun Forest site

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image_ffSeattle Center is seeking proposals for “fun, imaginative and family-friendly” activities to enliven space once occupied by amusement rides.

Next month, Fun Forest Amusements (FFA), Inc. – which has operated at Seattle Center for 47 years – will consolidate its amusement rides in an area south of the Monorail station, freeing up 68,000 square feet of outdoor space.

Selected proposals will be for temporary attractions and events between May 2010 and December 2011. In January 2012, Seattle Center will start preparing its facilities and grounds for a six-month celebration of the 50th anniversary of the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair.

The deadline to submit proposals is Monday, Jan. 18, 2010.  Download the Request for Proposals.

Image: Ferris wheel at night during Winterfest 2002. Photo by Erik Stuhaug.

Seeking artists for Ethnic Arts Connection

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We are seeking performing and visual artists working in a variety of ethnic and cultural artistic genres to participate in the Ethnic Arts Connection, a FREE one-day gathering, Wednesday, March 10 at Seattle Center’s Fisher Pavilion. The event is designed to bring artists and presenters to together to network and diversify the cultural experiences available for audiences.

The deadline to apply for a juried 15-minute performance showcase or display space for visual art is Wednesday, Feb. 3. Click here for details and to download an application.

This is the third such gathering of artists and presenters. In March 2008, the gathering brought together 225 artists with 75 performing arts presenters and featured 27 showcase performances.

The Ethnic Arts Connection is a collaborative project of Seattle’s Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs, Seattle Center, 4Culture, Washington State Arts Commission, Ethnic Heritage Council, Festál and Arts Northwest.

Image: Showcase performers at the 2008 Ethnic Arts Connection. Photo by Robert Wade.

Accepting applications for Youth Arts funding

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We are accepting applications for our Youth Arts funding program which supports arts training for Seattle’s middle and high school youth beyond the regular school day.

Individual artists, artist teams, arts and cultural organizations, and/or youth and community service agencies with nonprofit status or fiscal sponsorship are eligible to apply. Priority is placed on serving youth or communities with limited access to arts and culture. Funding awards range from $1,500 to $10,000 for projects in all artistic disciplines that take place between September 2010 and September 2011. The application deadline is Feb. 23, 2010.

“Arts training nurtures the imagination, boosts confidence and opens pathways to success for young people,” said Michael Killoren, director of the Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs. “The arts inspire discipline, hard work and the joy of creative expression, all elements of a well-rounded education.”

For more information and to access the online application click here.

Image: Students rehearse for the Pat Graney Company’s House of Mind performance. Photo by Tim Summers.

Klezmer and medieval-choir music close 2009 concerts

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Holiday spirit need a boost? Here’s our prescription. A measure of medieval-choir music and a dash of klezmer tunes. Tuesday, Dec. 15, the Medieval Women’s Choir sings Spanish and Italian holiday selections from noon to 1 p.m., at Seattle Municipal Tower, 700 Fifth Ave. The Klez Kats offer “joyous klezmer, lilting waltzes, mysterious gypsy and Middle Eastern music influenced by Jewish tradition and culture,” Thursday, Dec. 17, noon to 1 p.m., at City Hall, 600 Fourth Ave.

The concerts are part of the Seattle Presents concert series presented year round by our office. We’ll be back in January with Hawaiian ukulele music and Scottish bagpipes to chase away the winter blues. Details here.

Public art centerpiece of top U.S. park

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Forbes.com recently named Seattle’s Cal Anderson Park among the top 12 of America’s Best City Parks. The focal point of this urban oasis in one of the city’s densest neighborhoods is Waterworks, a water feature and public artwork designed by artist Douglas Hollis with The Berger Partnership.

Located over the lidded Lincoln Reservoir, Waterworks is a striking asymmetrical cone. Water flows down the cone into a series of runnels and pools, depicting the various properties of water in motion and stillness. Seattle Public Utilities 1% for Art funds supported the project.

Image: Douglas Hollis, Water Works, 2005, Cal Anderson Park, Seattle Public Utilities 1% for Art.