New Podcast Saltwater Soundwalk highlights the people, land and water of Seattle

August 25, 2022 by Erika Lindsay Leave a Comment

Saltwater Soundwalk is a podcast that takes listeners on a journey from Gas Works Park along the Burke Gilman trail to the entrance of the Ship Canal at the Fremont Bridge and explores the people, land, and waterways that define Seattle. Artists Jenny Asarnow and Rachel Lam (Anigiduwagi enrolled Cherokee Nation) created Saltwater Soundwalk as a site-specific audio experience that explores our relationships and responsibilities towards the Salish Sea and connecting waters, centering on Indigenous Coast Salish voices and language.

The audio experience includes a 50-minute-long walk and 12 one-to-three-minute shorts, which can be listened to on-site or anywhere in the world. Individuals featured include Ken Workman (Duwamish), Warren King George (Muckleshoot), Michelle Myles (Tulalip), Archie Cantrell (Puyallup), LaDean Johnson (Skokomish), Owen Oliver (Quinault / Isleta Pueblo), Lydia Sigo (Suquamish), Randi Purser (Suquamish), RYAN! Feddersen (FLOW artist, Confederated Tribes of the Colville – Okanogan / Arrow Lakes), and Eric Autry (Seattle Public Utilities). The podcast is available on Soundcloud, and all podcast applications.

“Artists Jenny Asarnow and Rachel Lam curate centuries of melodic legacy to change and challenge our expectations of our environment and history through these multi-dimensional experiences. They capture our sharpened emotions and share them back to each of us for known and unknown purposes. Their authentic listening is unapologetic in its monumental appreciation and respect. The resulting polyphonic music of unforgiving life lyrics is everywhere for everyone.”
royal alley-barnes, Acting Director Seattle Office of Arts & Culture

The podcast is a rhythmic audio experience connecting streams of stories as they ebb and flow, intermixing English with Coast Salish languages. Listeners can learn where the traditional fishing ground “Hit the Water” is located in Seattle. The podcast also explores the traditional Tulalip names of local places, the colonial history of Seattle, and the construction of the Ship Canal. The audio narrative also highlights Indigenous rights, responsibilities, and cultural preservation that are essential to healing these waters, our relationship to them and to each other.

In addition, the podcast includes narratives from public artists and a Seattle Public Utilities manager about how we all impact our living waterways. It provides a unique opportunity to experience how we all connect to the Salish Sea area and is a step towards creating healthier human relationships with this changing ecosystem.

Saltwater Soundwalk is a component of FLOW: Art Along the Ship Canal, an art project that commissions artists to showcase their unique voice and provide connections between the people, neighborhoods, and infrastructure that supports the city and its residents and is funded through Seattle Public Utilities Ship Canal Water Quality Project. Seattle Public Utilities and King County Wastewater Treatment Division are building an underground storage tunnel to significantly reduce the amount of polluted stormwater (from rain) and sewage that flows into the Lake Washington Ship Canal, Salmon Bay, and Lake Union from our sewer system.

The Seattle Office of Art & Culture’s 1% for Public Art program is funded through 1% of eligible city capital improvement projects across Seattle. Its staff works to commission, purchase, and install public artworks in a variety of settings. By providing opportunities for individuals to encounter art in parks, libraries, community centers, on roadways, bridges, and other public venues, we simultaneously enrich citizens’ daily lives and give voice to artists. By providing opportunities for individuals to encounter art in parks, libraries, community centers, on roadways, bridges, and other public venues, we simultaneously enrich citizens’ daily lives and give voice to artists.

The Importance of Artistic Storytelling

August 24, 2022 by Erika Lindsay Leave a Comment

by Dr. James R. Gore

The missing narratives of African American history including the Great Migration in the canons of American History are being unveiled, especially, by African American scholars who have researched and published about the African American experience for over a Century.

However, Jacob Lawrence and August Wilson are two American artistic dignitaries who brilliantly captured the essence of the Great Migration in some of their most essential works. Lawrence and Wilson whose works are nationally acclaimed, both embraced the African American aesthetic/worldview. Jacob Lawrence’s 1940 – 41, Migration Series, and August Wilson’s Pittsburg Cycle’s “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone”, and “Piano Lesson” depict the African American perspective of the Great Migration.

JACOB LAWRENCE (American, 1917–2000)
During the World War there was a great migration North by Southern
Negroes During World War I there was a great migration north by
southern African Americans
1940-1941
Casein tempera on hardboard
Image: 12 × 18″ (30.5 × 45.7 cm)
The Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C.

The American Great Migration refers to the movement of six million African Americans leaving the Southern states to the Northern and Western states from the early 20^th Century to the mid-1970s. They moved to urban areas including Seattle because of industrial jobs which was a transformation from the agricultural South. However, our educational institutions have mostly chosen to leave this story of American history out of the history books. Therefore, artists such as Jacob Lawrence and August Wilson used their platforms to implement “Soft Power,” the influence art may have in society to tell the stories of the African American experience.

Education is the responsibility of each state, and the politically sensitive content of the curriculum can create social debate. Author Toni Morrison stated:

“The best art is political, and you ought to be able to make it unquestionably political and irrevocably beautiful at the same time.”
Toni Morrison

In addition, August Wilson said:

“All art is political in the sense that it serves someone’s politics.”
August Wilson

These quotes reflect the importance of African American artists and their artistic method of teaching American stories.

The lack of authentic and creditable cultural history in our educational institution is alarming. Research revealed: “There seems to be a relationship between how an individual perceives himself/herself and social or institutional perceptional influence,” (Gore, 2000, p.26). Many artists have provided an Autoethnography of their cultural experience, and their art has educated and provided insights into our own culture(s), as well as educating others about our culture(s).

Arts In Parks temporary art installations summer 2022

August 24, 2022 by Erika Lindsay Leave a Comment

Three local artists, Ken Roepe, Tory Franklin, and Jean Bradbury installed temporary artworks in Westcrest Park, Pritchard Island Beach Park, and Cal Anderson Park, respectively. Installations will be on display starting now through the early Fall and are part of Arts in Parks, a partnership between Seattle Parks and Recreation and the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture (ARTS) which includes a number of free events and temporary art projects that will activate community parks this summer. There is something for everyone this summer! Click here for more information and a calendar guide about the events.

Arts in Parks temporary art installations are part of a slate of art installations and events this summer. A diverse mix of local artists, genres, and themes will make the summer of 2022 one filled with arts experiences for everyone. This year’s slate of art and artists explore themes of nature, conservancy, history, connections, resilience, and responsibility through both permanent commissions and temporary public artworks that are ephemeral, experiential, and experimental allowing artists to explore current issues.

The People Make This Park by Jean Bradbury

Cal Anderson Park, 1635 11th Ave, Seattle, WA 98122
On view through September

Jean Bradbury’s The People Make This Park will consist of multiple, colorful, larger-than-life portraits of parkgoers. These full-body portraits will be spread throughout Cal Anderson Park and accompanied by excerpts from interviews about the subject’s relation to the park. The piece speaks to the theme of how important land is to people.

ChromaCyclium by Ken Roepe

On view through September
Westcrest Park, 9000 8th Ave SW, Seattle, WA 98106

Ken Roepe’s ChromaCyclium consists of colored acrylic discs mounted in a metal dome. Daylight shines through the dome apertures to project colored light in the dome’s shadow on the ground below. The sun not only changes where and how the colored light is projected on the ground, but the angle of the light influences the colors that shine through, as well.

Island / Marshland by Tory Franklin

This kinetic toy theater depicts the lowering of Lake Washington by 9 feet in 1916 when the ship canal was created and turned Pritchard Island into a marshland connected to Seattle. Photo courtesy of the artist.

On view through September
Pritchard Island Beach Park, 8400 55th Ave S, Seattle, WA 98118

Tory Franklin’s Island / Marshland installation is a human-powered, kinetic toy theater that shows the evolution of the park’s landscape throughout its history. The theater contains a scene with waves raising and lowering to transform the island into marshland. The theater also includes nods to the changing human landscape over time. The inner workings of this kinetic theater will be visible but not accessible, providing a safe way to show children the mechanics of the piece.

Anh Sy Seattle Youth Employment Program (SYEP) Intern Explores The Creative Advantage Summer Online Arts

August 19, 2022 by April Jingco Leave a Comment

By Anh Sy, SYEP Intern

About The Creative Advantage Online Arts (CAOA):

The Creative Advantage Online Arts videos were created as a swift pivot in response to COVID-19, with goals to support students and families during school closures, as well as to support teaching artists who had been contracted to lead school day residencies. CAOA includes videos of diverse teaching styles and artistic disciplines as teaching artists share tutorials on breakdancing, paper crafts, African dance and drumming, and more.

We asked our SYEP intern, Anh, to engage in some of the CAOA videos, make art, and share what she learned in the process. Take a peek at her reflections below!

Overall, I realized that when I watched these videos, I usually focused and really listened to what the instructors or teaching artists were talking about and trying to show. Sometimes, I watched the videos and also followed the instructions along with them at the same time. Watching these videos, following instructions, and doing the same thing as the artists in the videos gave me a feeling that I was learning virtually or even was in the same learning space/room as the artists.

Poetry – “Remember…” with Shelby Handler

This video helped me define myself — let me know who I am, who I want to become, and what type of person I want to be. When I grow up, will I be tall or short? Will I be wise enough to accept every immediate incident that’s unexpected? Will I be able to resolve every problem wisely? Where did I get my strange shape of nose and mind? Will I be a doctor — help people and my community to improve their health and my family’s health? Or will I be an engineer — spend the whole day with a computer? Or will I be working in an office? What type of person will I become? Who will I become? I am a person that is always confused and curious about the world. I will be myself so that even whatever would happen to my life that I can’t know, and even don’t expect, I will still be calm to face it.

Paper Lanterns with Amaranta Sandys

This was fun and entertaining! I enjoyed doing this art project by following Amaranta Sandys’ instructions. I made a lantern as a form of joy and decoration that will bring more light and color to my house.

Observational Imagination Drawing with Maria Valdovinos

I enjoyed learning new ways of drawing by using my observation and imagination to create a new type of artwork.

Paper Butterflies with Maria Valdovinos

It reminded me of one of the origami lessons I learned in my home country as a subject — making paper butterflies — and also one of the motivations that inspired me to create art and work in the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture.

African Dance + Drum – Che Che Koolay with Sumayya E. Diop

I enjoyed learning a new music style from Western Africa with Sumayya — this is a kind of song that sings about a person, about someone in your family, or a friend, etc., with very simple lyrics, melody, and dance.

Drawing an Isometric Grid with Amina Quraishi

I enjoyed learning a new art style with Amina — a different type of drawing with patterns. By using triangles and an Isometric grid, I can create many different shapes and artworks on a piece of paper. It could be a 2D artwork of a pattern or a 3D simple project on a piece of paper.

Paper Pinwheels with Amaranta Sandys

I enjoyed making art! I had a toy and it reminded me of another of my childhood memories, pinwheels!

Anh’s Pinwheel Made from Paper and a Pencil

Papel Picado with Maria Valdovinos

I had a fun and satisfying time making paper blossoms and creating art with Maria! Through this video lesson and creative process, I also learned about the structure of flowers, and wanted to create artworks in different ways. Although I didn’t have enough materials to do all the blossoms that Maria instructed in the video, I still enjoyed the process of it.

Portraiture Using Color with Janet Fagan

I enjoyed creating my own portrait project. Although I was not very satisfied with the result, it was worth it to spend some time learning and exploring new things and using pieces of colors to portray myself on paper.

Anh’s Portrait Created From Colorful Pieces of Paper

Tools and Tricks for Drawing Portraits with Janet Fagan

I finally learned how to draw and sketch a portrait of myself, which I thought is the hardest part of drawing art. So amazing!

Percussion with Aaron Walker-Loud (Challenge 2)

Drum or Percussion is another style of art and music, and I got to know about different rudiment patterns, rhythms, and the “feel” (straight and swing). It broadened my perspective and knowledge about drumming and music!

Watch More CAOA Videos

Tsutakawa Memorial Gates Public Celebration: September 14

August 17, 2022 by April Jingco 1 Comment

Come Salute the Return of the Arboretum’s Iconic, Sculptural Entry Gates, Stolen and Destroyed at the Start of the Pandemic

Seattle, WA—You are invited to attend a free public celebration at Washington Park Arboretum for the installation of the refabricated Tsutakawa Memorial Gates. Please join us at the Graham Visitors Center (2300 Arboretum Drive East, Seattle, WA 98112) from 3:30 to 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, September 14, for an afternoon of fun and festivities. Enjoy live music, taiko drumming, food trucks, and more.

“This will be a special occasion for everyone who loves the Arboretum,” said Arboretum Foundation Executive Director Jane Stonecipher. “Stolen and destroyed at the start of the pandemic, the original Memorial Gates were a symbol of endurance and of humanity’s connection to nature. They marked the entrance to the Arboretum for more than 40 years, and their loss was a cultural and artistic tragedy. The story of their re-fabrication and return is an inspiring one of generosity, resilience, and community—truly a story for our times.”

Made from patinated bronze and featuring an intricate design reminiscent of the plant foliage, flowers, and fruits found in the Arboretum, the original Memorial Gates were created in 1976 by internationally renowned Pacific Northwest artist George Tsutakawa (1910–1997). Commissioned by the Arboretum Foundation and the University of Washington, the gates were placed at the north entrance to the park in honor of all those who have loved and supported the Arboretum. That same year, the gates were officially gifted to the city of Seattle and came under the management of the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture.

*George Tsutakawa next to the original Memorial Gates in 1976.*
*(Josef Scaylea / The Seattle Times)*

In mid-March, 2020, just two days after the pandemic-related closure of the Arboretum’s Visitors Center, the beloved Memorial Gates were stolen and cut up for scrap. Though quickly recovered by Seattle Police Department detective Mark Jamieson, they were found to be damaged beyond repair.

The news was greeted with frustration and sadness by many who appreciated the gates’ unique artistry and representation of place. Shortly after the theft, a number of donors contacted the Arboretum Foundation offering to help to recreate the gates. The Tsutakawa family still had the design blueprints for the gates, and fortunately George’s son, sculptor Gerard Tsutakawa—who fabricated the original gates for his father—agreed to rebuild them for the Arboretum.

*Gerard Tsutakawa refabricating the Memorial Gates in spring 2022.*
*(Tess Forte/Arboretum Foundation)*

“The Tsutakawa Memorial Gates at the Washington Park Arboretum represent the legacy of community building and welcoming spaces we strive to build in One Seattle,” said Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell. “Gerard Tsutakawa’s faithful interpretation of his father’s design speaks to the importance of generational artistic wealth and encouragement, represented once again at one of our city’s favorite gathering places. Thank you, Gerard, for preserving the integrity of this artistic treasure.”

“We are so grateful to Gerard and the entire Tsutakawa family for their involvement in and support of this public-art restoration project,” said Stonecipher. “Thanks also to our generous donors, King County’s 4Culture for their additional funding, and our partners at UW Botanic Gardens and Seattle Parks and Recreation for their support in returning the gates to the Arboretum. And special thanks to the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture for partnering with us by contributing public art conservation funds to this collaborative effort.”

“The new gates will be installed at a more secure and visible location beside the Graham Visitors Center,” continued Stonecipher, “and they will continue to welcome visitors to the Arboretum for generations to come. They will also become part of our city’s official public art collection.”

Event parking and transportation: Event parking will be limited. To help reduce traffic, please consider coming by bike or on foot, or using public transportation.

Event questions: Contact our Events and Corporate Sponsorship Manager Tess Forte at tforte@arboretumfoundation.org or 206-325-4510.

About the Washington Park Arboretum: Founded in 1935, the Washington Park Arboretum is cooperatively managed by the University of Washington Botanic Gardens and Seattle Parks and Recreation, with major support from the Arboretum Foundation.

Background on George Tsutakawa: George Tsutakawa’s legacy runs deep in the fabric of the Pacific Northwest. His work is recognized as a unique merging of Japanese and Puget Sound aesthetic traditions into a unified expression. He is remembered not only for his permanent bronze sculptures, fountains, and dramatic paintings, but also his positive humanistic outlook. For more information, visit https://georgetsutakawa.com.

A Recap of The AMP’s Ribbon of Light Dedication

August 16, 2022 by April Jingco Leave a Comment

On June 30, The AMP (Aids Memorial Pathway) celebrated the installation of the final piece of the project — Horatio Hung-Yan Law’s Ribbon of Light at Cal Anderson Park. This piece marks the final artwork installation of The AMP, which started in 2015.

The dedication event featured remarks and participation from Horatio Hung-Yan Law, Gay City, The AMP Steering Committee, Seattle Parks and Recreation, and the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture (ARTS).

Take a peek at some photo highlights from the event below, courtesy of Jo Cosme.

You can experience the entirety of The AMP and all of the artwork — Christopher Paul Jordan’s andimgonnamisseverybody, Civilization’s We’re Already Here, Storme Webber’s In This Way We
Loved One Another, Novaby’s The Names Tree, and Horatio Hung-Yan Law’s Ribbon of Light — at The AMP in Capitol Hill on the north edge of Cal Anderson Park.

Seattle Celebrates 50 years of African-American Culture at Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute

August 12, 2022 by April Jingco 2 Comments

Legacy through community. With special guests: MC Isiah Anderson Jr., MC StevYaddy, Teen Summer Musical and more.

Saturday, September 10, 2022; 1 – 5 p.m.
104 17th Ave S, Seattle, WA 98144

Celebrations and performances include 2022 Teen Summer Musical, Black Stax, Arami Walker, Marco Farroni, and Anzanga/Zambuko Marimba Ensembles

The Seattle Office of Arts & Culture (ARTS) announces the 50^th Anniversary Celebration for the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute (LHPAI) will be held on September 10 from 1-5 p.m. Please join us as we celebrate the community members and artists that have sustained LHPAI over the past 50 years. Mayor Bruce Harrell will welcome the community.

“Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute must always serve as an accessible hub for artistic excellence, cultural engagement, and civic life here in Seattle. From my youth through to today, I’ve seen many engaging and thought-provoking performances, shows, and events, elevating messages and themes that remain with me now. Its location within Seattle’s historic African-American community — the Central District — reinforces the salience of the artistic contributions of the city’s African-American communities past, present, and future.”
Mayor Harrell

Organized in collaboration with LANGSTON and the Central District Forum for Arts and Ideas, the program will feature, highlight and honor key members of the LHPAI community who have contributed to its longevity and who are instrumental in shaping its future.

“Each year Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute recommits and rejuvenates its civic and cultural connections through the robustness of programs community engagement. For 50 to come LHPAI will be a steward of African-American arts in Seattle, and a beacon for arts engagement citywide.”
royal alley-barnes, Seattle Office of Arts & Culture Acting Director.

The celebration will be hosted by Isiah Anderson, Jr., Teen Summer Musical Director, and Steve Sneed, Former Director of Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center. Remarks will be provided by Mayor Bruce Harrell, Seattle Parks Deputy Superintendent Christopher Williams, and ARTS Acting Director and former Executive Director of Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute, royal alley-barnes.

Vivian Phillips, ARTE NOIR Founder, will introduce community Artists Honorees Tee Dennard and Kibibi Monie. The program will also feature performances by the 2022 Teen Summer Musical, managed by Acts On Stage in partnership with Seattle Parks and Recreation, Black Stax, Arami Walker, Marco Farroni, Anzanga/Zambuko Marimba Ensembles, and the Northwest African American Museum’s African American Cultural Ensemble, DJ TOPSPIN aka BLENDIANA JONES, Josephine Howell, LiaPlusSum, and DJ Yaddy.

Built in 1915 and named after the renowned African-American cultural luminary, Langston Hughes, the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute (LHPAI) is a historic landmark in the historic Central Area of Seattle. Designed by B. Marcus Priteca, and formerly the orthodox Jewish Synagogue of Chevra Bikur Cholim, the building became a community center and part of the City of Seattle’s facilities in 1972. It underwent extensive renovations in 2011 to preserve its architectural character and update the facilities.

For 50 years, and throughout multiple iterations and re-imaginings, LHPAI has played a central role in the artistic, cultural, and social life of Seattle’s Central District. LHPAI has always been an engaged neighbor and cultural partner welcoming Central District community members and organizations as well as those operating throughout the city of Seattle.

Special thanks to our promotional partners Black Heritage Society of Washington State and the Central Area Neighborhood Council.

Download the press kit for LHPAI50.

Seattle Civic Art Collection Selects: by Anh Sy Seattle Youth Employment Program Intern

August 8, 2022 by April Jingco Leave a Comment

By Anh Sy, SYEP Intern

Art is an amazing creative invention. All of the artworks below – all curated from the Seattle Civic Art Collection – are pieces I chose because they represent myself, my dream, and my aspirations for my future and world.

Changing of the Bay, Alyson McCrink

Why I chose it: I love the mysterious color of water, of the ocean. So beautiful!

A State of Mind, Maya Milton

Why I chose it: Women are such precious stones. Beautiful. Easily Broken. And strong, too.

Wildflower Wolves, Michelle Zeidman

Why I chose it: Bright & colorful pathway. Lights up the way I go home.

Mother Earth and the Northwest, Blanca Santander

Why I chose it: Mother Earth gives us life and places to live. We have to be grateful and treasure it. Gratitude!

Road to Spring Pasture, Emily Wood

Why I chose it: This is my dream home where I want to build my own house and live for my whole life. Peaceful, simple, and homely.

Pretty Paper, Cathy Fields

Why I chose it: Pretty paper should be used to make pretty things, to make life and the world prettier.

Falling Leaves, Adrienne La Faye

Why I chose it: This seems like another side of the world — “heaven.” It looks like a famous scene in a movie I watched called “Tam sinh tam the thap ly dao hoa” — a ten miles of peach blossoms garden.

Additional Selections

*Pier 32*, Stephanie Ashby, Mixed media (ink(acrylic), watercolor, gouache, acrylic gesso and paint, 2008

View Anh’s Full Favorites Gallery

Make Your Own Favorites Gallery Here

About Anh

NgocAnh “Anh” is currently a junior at Evergreen High School and is a Seattle Youth Employment Program (SYEP) intern working at the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture. Prior joining the communication team, Anh was also an SYEP intern at the Central Area Senior Center, working as an Activity Assistant. Anh is grateful and honored to be a part of the communication team where she explores how the arts and technology work to support her future career goals.

Anh is a Vietnamese immigrant and moved to the U.S. in 2018 with her family. She loves to create art such as drawing, painting, cooking, playing instruments, photography, etc.

The Creative Advantage Summer Institute Returns Live & In-Person

August 1, 2022 by April Jingco Leave a Comment

By Tina LaPadula, Arts Education Project Manager

The Creative Advantage Summer Institute returns in-person to the Seattle Art Museum on Thursday, August 18, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. This day of professional learning is the creative kick-off to the 2022-23 school year, and a time for teachers, teaching artists, community arts partners, arts administrators, and education leaders to reconvene, get inspired, and explore new collaborations.

The event features members of The Creative Advantage Community Arts Partner Roster and includes panels, workshops, networking, student performances, lunch, and clock hours. The event is FREE, but registration is required.

The Creative Advantage is a leader in working with partners to imbed artists in Seattle Public Schools programs. Artists working with arts educators create diverse arts opportunities to keep meaningful art experiences available to our young people. Together we build One Seattle through the arts!
royal alley-barnes, Seattle Office of Arts & Culture Acting Director

Register Now

Program Highlights

Seattle Youth Poet Laureate Sah Pham from Writers in the Schools / Seattle Arts & Lectures

The “Arts Are The Way” panel — facilitated by Ashraf Hasham, Partnerships, Education + Grants Manager for Seattle Office of Arts & Culture — will feature:
- Russell Brooks, Executive Director of Red Eagle Soaring Native Youth Theatre
- Joe Seamons, Co-Founder of The Rhapsody Project
- Stephanie Guiland, School Director for The School of Spectrum Dance Theatre
- Yaoyao Liu, Manager of School & Educator Program for Seattle Art Museum

Workshops from all featured organizations highlighting four different artistic disciplines:
- Theatre for Personal + Collective Empowerment with Red Eagle Soaring (RES) is a workshop that will focus on the personal and collective empowerment of our Red Eagle Soaring performing arts-related activities, the importance of bringing storytelling to the forefront of our holistic and educational growth mindset, and keeping that part of us vibrant throughout our lives. This workshop will be led by RES Program Manager Nicole Suyama (Inupiaq) and RES youth Olivia Vann & Sophia Vann (Cherokee) + Isaac Benally-Brooks (So. Cheyenne/Dine’/Nakota).
- The Rhapsody Project’s interactive Layers of Heritage workshop will provide participants with activities and tools that help people of all backgrounds explore the layers of their identity and root themselves more fully in their status as a culture bearer. By sharing and discussing different elements that compose a person’s heritage — whether it be one’s ethnicity, the land or community that we are raised in, or the traditions we are drawn to absorb — participants will celebrate or express themselves in musical and written formats.
- Dance For All is a workshop that provides a vibrant exchange with Spectrum Dance Theater artists and instructors. Open to movers of all ages and skill levels, Dance For All participants will explore dance as a medium for self-expression and social connection. Centering on the work of Spectrum Dance Theater and Donald Byrd, students will engage in a physical exploration of dance as an art form and as a social civic tool.
- Teaching for Artistic Behavior (TAB) with Seattle Art Museum is an art teaching philosophy in which students learn to think like artists. The TAB philosophy states that the child is the artist and the classroom is the artist’s studio. During this session, educators will discuss how to inspire and guide youth in connecting with artworks in the galleries and developing their craft. This workshop will be co-facilitated by Yaoyao Liu and teaching artist, Alicia Betty.

Performances by the Rhapsody Project Songsters and Seattle JazzED

Spectrum Dance collaboration with Aaron Walker-Loud from Big World Breaks

A special thank you to Masao Yamada and the incredible young artists from Ground Zero (GZ) Radio, who will be on-site collaborating with The Creative Advantage on media coverage for the entire event.

Meet the Facilitators

Russell Brooks (So. Cheyenne) is the Executive Director of Red Eagle Soaring in Seattle. Russell grew up in Montana and is a former radio disc jockey, and is also a filmmaker and co-founder/board member of the Olympia Film Collective. Russell also works with band promotion and booking, and arts & cultural space preservation. Russell is passionate about continuing to create opportunities for Native artists and actors in the performing arts, as well as for Native storytellers to unleash their creativity across mediums, blending opportunities to tell their stories and finding the necessary support to bring their vision to the greater public, as well as collaborating with artists in the greater community.

Nicole Suyama (Inupiaq) is the RES Program Manager and an Alum of RES, having been with the organization since age 11. Nicole is a musician, actor, director, teaching artist, and also the reigning World Karaoke Tour North American Champion.

Joe Seamons is a musician and teacher who co-founded The Rhapsody Project with Ben Hunter in 2013. Through exploring his local heritage of Pacific Northwest folk music and lore, and the troubled history of prejudice therein, Joe’s work as a songster and teacher fused with his commitment to agitate for social justice. A descendant of the Aurora Colony in Oregon, Joe continues to explore the ways in which his personal heritage connects him to the legacy of that region. In shedding light on the songs and stories that have been preserved, as well as those that have been forgotten or suppressed, Joe works with his partners in the Rhapsody Project to harness the power of roots music to create empathy and equity. When he’s not performing with Ben Hunter, Joe plays with his Portland-based band Timberbound.

Stephanie Guiland, originally from NYC, danced for Donald Byrd/The Group, Complexions on Broadway in Oprah Winfrey’s The Color Purple as the Dance Captain and Swing, and for Disney’s The Lion King. Her performance background also includes music videos and commercial dance work touring the U.S. and Europe. She served as Mr. Byrd’s Rehearsal Director for his company, his assistant on numerous projects for The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, and assisted with equity workshops for The Color Purple on Broadway and White Noise. Working with youth, she’s instructed for Dance Theater of Harlem’s Dancing Through Barriers program, Disney’s Lion King Cub School, WRArts, and in Arts in Education. Prior to relocating to Washington in 2020, she was a summer faculty member for the Joffrey Jazz and Contemporary program for five years and worked for the Bounce Summer Intensive in NYC. She was an Adjunct Dance Professor at Long Island University in Brooklyn, NY for nine years and is an ACE Certified Personal Trainer with numerous certifications. Her passion project aside from her main one — raising a beautiful child — is her fitness company, Kick My Assets. She joined The School of Spectrum Dance Theater as its School Director in 2021.

Yaoyao Liu is the Manager of School & Educator Programs at the Seattle Art Museum (SAM). She joined SAM in 2018 as the Museum Educator for the Seattle Asian Art Museum, creating resources and programs for students, educators, and families. Yaoyao earned her BA in English with a minor in Asian Languages and Cultures from the University of Michigan and her MA in International Studies from the University of Washington. Outside of SAM, she serves as Volunteer Manager for the Seattle Asian American Film Festival, fostering youth involvement with filmmaking and community building.

Alicia Betty is a local artist who has been affiliated with the Seattle Art Museum since 2008, teaching both students pre-K-12 and educators in the classroom, in workshops, and at special events. Born and raised in Seattle, they hold a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts in drawing and painting from the University of Washington. Their current Xerox collage-based prints reflect their involvement in the punk and queer community over the past 20 years. In addition to being an artist and craftsman, they are a 35mm film projectionist and are committed to preserving physical media as they work at Scarecrow Video Archives.

Aaron Walker-Loud is an artist, band director, composer, producer, and educator. He is the founder and director of Big World Breaks (B.W.B.), a production company built for performance, studio and education, that has shared stages with Janelle Monae, Kool DJ Red Alert, Digable Planets, DJ Qbert, Macklemore, Reggie Watts, Saul Williams, and many more. B.W.B. has also produced live show backing for various artists such as Grammy-nominated vocalists Wayna and Rocky Dawuni, Sy Smith, Zo!, Dynamq, Choklate, Kimberly Nichole, Massive Monkees, and Xperience. Aaron is a proud alumni of the CD Music Factory: Washington Middle School Jazz Ensemble, under the direction of Mr. Robert Knatt, and Garfield High School Jazz Ensemble / Drumline, under the direction of Mr. Clarence Acox. Walker-Loud began working with youth and families in 1999, eventually becoming the Education Director for Seattle JazzED (2010-2016), a teaching artist for Arts Corps (2008-present), as well as the drumline director for Washington Middle School (2008-2016) and O’Dea High School (2012-2018). Most recently, Walker-Loud became a member of The Creative Advantage roster, co-founded 50 Next: Seattle Hip-Hop Worldwide in 2012, founded the award-winning intergenerational BWB Drumline in 2015, and co-curated The Legacy of Seattle Hip-Hop exhibit at MOHAI (with over 31,000 attendees and 20 co-produced events), which won the 2016 American Association of State and Local History Leadership in History Award, “the most prestigious recognition for achievement in the preservation and interpretation of state and local history.”

“Pantheon Anew” by artist Saira Barbaric on View at ARTS at King Street Station this Summer

July 27, 2022 by April Jingco Leave a Comment

July 28 – September 23, 2022

This summer, ARTS at King Street Station hosts Pantheon Anew, the premier gallery exhibition from multidisciplinary artist Saira Barbaric. The exhibition traverses Barbaric’s exploration of pop culture and spiritual ideology, highlighting the stories we tell to comprehend reality and seek joy.

*Skull Guard 2: Goat*, Acrylic, foil, watercolor, paper, 2021

About the Exhibition

Pantheon Anew is a collection of more than 30 collages plus video art and installation inspired by the past and present of Black diasporic spirituality. African people who were bought and sold in the 16^th to 19^th century Americas were regularly separated from their families and anyone from their region. Over the centuries, this artist’s ancestors took what they were allowed to build new systems of belief that helped to create protection, community and new understanding.

Honoring these legacies of gathering and crafting for worship and necessity, Barbaric’s collages incorporate magazines, comics, and books from 1963 to the present — some long-loved and some new to the artist — alongside watercolor and acrylic painting. The artist showcases fantasy beings they created and heroes of modern media, sharing the internal pantheon that holds them up. Each piece juxtaposes youth and adult imagery to evoke how we each collect and build a sense of self through time and practice. Barbaric also invites a group of contemporary Black artists to contribute to a video gallery speculating on how that accumulation of self can affect the ebb and flow of spiritual connection.

“Saira’s artwork allows the viewer to experience their journey and path to the creative soul that lives within us all. Saira’s creative and engaging mix of mediums, source material and personal spiritual influences creates an exhibition that engages us all.”
royal alley-barnes, Acting Director for Seattle Office of Arts & Culture

Exhibition Opening

Join us for the opening on Thursday, July 28. Saira will be present from 1 – 5 p.m.

Thursday, July 28 – September 23, 2022, 1 to 5 p.m.
ARTS at King Street Station (303 S. Jackson St., Top Floor, Seattle, WA)
FREE

About Saira Barbaric

Saira Barbaric (they, he, she, ze) is a nonbinary Black disabled hedonist fascinated by birth, death and rebirth. They are a maker of erotica, performance art, collages and events. Barbaric grounds their work in mediums and venues considered both high and low art with the aim at weakening the barrier between the two. After an undergraduate degree in costuming for theater, Barbaric came west to work in film and nightlife while continually dreaming of crafts. Be it fiber, paper, the body or fauna, Barbaric is driven by how materials interact. Barbaric is the co-founder of Scumtrust Productions, a nonbinary porn project that crafts films and spaces exalting sensual magic. Scumtrust films have been selected to screen in dozens of cities across North America and Europe including HUMP, 2017, the Porn Film Festival Berlin, 2021 and The Seattle Erotic Art Festival, 2022.

ARTS at King Street Station is FREE and open Wednesday – Saturday, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m, and until 8 p.m. on First Thursdays.

These exhibitions are organized and presented by the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture in partnership with program lead Jenny Ku and the ARTS at King Street Station Advisors. Support for the installation is provided by Benjamin Gale-Schreck and Blake Haygood.

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