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A Look Back at Created Commons @ Westcrest

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From August 26 through September 5, Created Commons partnered with Lelavision to host Created Commons @ Westcrest, a dynamic activation of West Seattle’s Westcrest Park. Throughout the seven-day festival, Westcrest Park was animated with free BIPOC-centered performances, eco-art installations, kinetic musical sculptures, workshops, and science panels to foster resiliency in our community.

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ABOUT THE CURATOR:

Lelavision co-founders, Ela Lamblin and Leah Mann, began their collaborative efforts in 1992 in Atlanta, GA, using original kinetic sculpture, live music, and dance simultaneously in performance. In 1996 in Seattle, WA, they founded Lelavision, a professional touring company that has coined and perfected its own genre of performance, Physical Music. They present original performance works that cross all boundaries of appeal: race, education, language, religion, economic background, gender, and age.

Take a look at some of the highlights from the festivities:

Interspecies Communication, the centerpiece sculpture for the event, was designed and fabricated by Lelavision co-founder and co-director, Ela Lamblin. Festival attendees were offered to animate the sculpture by “flapping the bird.”

Video courtesy of West Seattle Blog

DAY 1

Created Commons @ Westcrest Park kicked off with an Indigenous-centered opening. Orca Annie & Odin Lonning — UW Tacoma Students from the Pacific Islander Student Association — share stories, music, and tales of their activism on behalf of the resident Orcas in the Salish Sea.

We were honored to have Duwamish Tribe representatives Ken Workman, Nancy Sackman, and Billie Jane Lakey were present for the welcoming. Attendees were also able to make donations to Real Rent Duwamish throughout the event to honor the Duwamish Tribe and acknowledge the unceded land the event took place upon. 

DAY 2

Saturday’s celebration featured Delridge Neighborhoods Development Association’s (DNDA) Arts in Nature Festival Showcase, a condensed version of the well-loved annual Arts in Nature Festival that has offered an eclectic experience of art and performance in a local park for 22 years.

The park was full of art on the paths, fun in the field, sound bath, roving dancers, and more.

Featured performers included:

  • Danza Symbiosis
  • Seattle Capoeira
  • Noelle Price with cellist Gretchen Yanover
  • Troy Osaki
  • Jennifer Moore
  • Holy Pistola

DAY 3

Day 3 featured performances curated by artist and activist dani tirrell alongside a science panel on healthcare access. 

Science panelists included: 

  • Candace Jackson, African American Health Board of Seattle 
  • Dr. Sinead Younge, Director of the Social Justice Inquiry and Praxis Institute in the Andrew Young Center for Global Leadership at Morehouse College 
  • dani tirrell with Shaina Proctor and Melba Ayco of Northwest Tap Connection
  • Malicious Vixens

Featured performers included: 

  • Dandy (David Rue & Randy Ford) 
  • Northwest Tap Connection 
  • Majinn (Michael O’Neal) 
  • J Mase III 
  • Kutt’N’Up 
  • Malicious Vixens 

DAY 4

The festival honored International Overdose Awareness Day in collaboration with artist and counselor, Alexia Jones, the Executive Director of R2ise, and Dr. Seema Clifasefi of UW’s Harm Reduction Research and Treatment (HaRRT) Center.

Video courtesy of West Seattle Blog

You can learn more about the day’s program on West Seattle Blog.

DAY 5

Friday’s program featured drumming, percussion, and chanting as we celebrated the rhythms of the African Diaspora with artist Sumayya E. Diop.

DAY 6 & 7

The weekend of Created Commons @ Westcrest featured curated performances by both Jack Straw Cultural Center and Lelavision.

Saturday: 

  • Hula Halau O’keala’Akua Naniloa Mana’oakamai 
  • Jack Straw Writers, hosted by Anastacia-Renee 
  • Music by JR Rhodes 

Sunday: 

  • Community Bon Odori  
  • Music by Nic Masangkay 
  • Trio Guandalevin 
  • Seattle Kokon Taiko
  • Uuhai Band
  • Jack Straw Writers, hosted by E.J. Koh

“It was one of the most well organized, loving, unique and meaningful performances we’ve had. So happy to meet you and your staff, the UUHai Band, and the odori dancing community! The flying metal bird sculpture was so unique and fun. There was so much kindness and thoughtfulness in the air.“

Seattle Kokon Taiko/Marinda

“I am so grateful to have worked with such a kind, brilliant, creative cast of collaborators. That is the intrinsic nature of Created Commons @ Westcrest.

Lelavision is so very grateful to Levi Fuller (Jack Straw), Erika Bell (DNDA), dani tirrell, Christian Olson, Tariq Sahali, Lucius Williams, The Duwamish Tribe, Jenny Ku (ARTS), and every single person that joined on that common ground.  It was such a meaningful group effort in service to the community.”

– Leah Mann of Lelavision

“Created commons was a big ol’ dose of love and good vibes brought home like a hug from inspiration and talent.”

– Ela Lamblin of Lelavision

Share Your Feedback

Calling all artists, performers, booth vendors, and community members who participated in this event:

Please take this brief survey about the impact of Created Commons! Your feedback will allow us to assess our programs and improve future programming with the community’s needs and suggestions in mind. Thank you! 

Take the Created Commons Survey

Created Commons @ Westcrest is a part of Created Commons: Neighborhood Edition, a new ARTS initiative that transforms outdoor spaces across Seattle into venues for spectacular temporary arts and cultural extravaganzas. This program is created by the Seattle Office of Arts &  Culture (ARTS) in partnership with the Seattle Public Utilities, and Seattle Parks and Recreation, and community curators. 

All photos courtesy of Ela Lamblin and Lucius Williams IV

Creative Advantage ALL ACCESS Arts Stream is Back By Popular Demand!

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Registration is now open for the fall session which, kicks off in mid-October!   

Creative Advantage ALL ACCESS Arts Stream (CAAAAS) offers online synchronous arts classes for young people. Created in collaboration between Parks and Recreation, Office of Arts & Culture, Seattle Public Schools, and Creative Advantage Arts Partners, this program started as a pandemic pilot in December 2020 and grew into classes last spring. We had such a positive response from parents and students that it’s back by popular demand this fall featuring 3 virtual 6-week classes for elementary-aged youth! 

These free classes are led in real-time by master-level teaching artists and take place after school and on Saturdays. Students must enroll through the Seattle Parks & Recreation online ActiveNet registration system to receive the secure class Webex links to participate from their homes, community centers, and housing sites.   

CAAAAS Fall Classes 

Virtual Poetry – Magic Words & Magic Powers with Jay Thompson 

  • October 13 – November 17, 2021; Wednesdays, 5-6 p.m. 
  • Great for students in grades 2-4 

Poetry can be a great tool for grounding youth in the power of imagination and language and inviting them to find new magic in everyday life. Teaching artist Jay Thompson of Seattle Arts & Lectures’ WITS program will invite students to use their five senses, explore their homes, play with words, and delight themselves with their poems.  

Meet the Teaching Artist

Jay (he/they) is a Seattle poet, parent, and teaching artist working with youth and adults at Writers in the Schools, Hugo House, and King County Jail. 

Enroll Now

Virtual Dancing our Natural World with Ciara McCormack

  • October 14 – November 18, 2021; Thursdays, 5-6 p.m.  
  • Great for students in grades 2-4 

Movement can share and express what you know, think, and feel. Join Pacific Northwest Ballet teaching artist Ciara McCormack to explore using nature and our physical world as inspiration for movement.

Meet the Teaching Artist

Ciara (she/her) has worked with students of all ages in dance studios, theaters, and schools in the US and Chile. Along with teaching for PNB’s Community Education program, she directs Moving Minds Dance, performs with Intrepidus Dance, and serves as the President of the Dance Educators Association of Washington.  

Enroll Now

Virtual Pop-up Books and Paper Magic with Jiéyì Ludden

  • October 16 – November 20, 2021; Saturdays, 10-11 a.m.  
  • Great for students in grades 3-6 

Learn how to cut and fold paper to create 2D and 3D shapes with teaching artist Jiéyì Ludden of Arts Corps. Together, you’ll explore design strategies, crafting, and storytelling in an inclusive environment. 

Meet the Teaching Artist

Jiéyì 杰意 (they/them) is a visual artist, illustrator, and teaching artist. They have developed visual arts and arts-integrated STEM, maker, and civic engagement curriculum for the Madison Children’s Museum, the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery, the Madison Public Library, Pacific Science Center, and the Seattle Public Library.

Enroll Now

Recovery Funds for Cultural Organizations: Apply for Three Grants via One Application

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We’ve teamed up with 4Culture to create a single application process for several grants in King County and the City of Seattle. 

About the Grants:

Eligible organizations only need to fill out one application to be considered for funding from the following programs:

  • 4Culture 2022 Sustained Support
  • 4Culture Recovery Fund
  • City of Seattle Office of Arts & Culture Recovery Fund

The deadline to apply is Friday, November 5, 2021 at 5:00 pm PDT. 

Who Can Apply?

King County cultural organizations with a minimum 3-year operating history should submit an application. Organizations of all budget sizes will be considered for 2022 Sustained Support.
 
4Culture and Seattle ARTS will also consider organizations with 2019 revenue of $1 million or below for Recovery Funds. To receive these funds, you must have experienced a drop in revenue from 2019 to 2020 due to the pandemic. Please read the guidelines and an FAQ for Seattle Funds for more details on eligibility and criteria.

Note: if you are a cultural organization with pre-pandemic revenue of more than $1 million, please refer to King County’s Revive and Thrive Together program for federal COVID relief funds. If you’re not sure where to apply, start with our screening tool.

Come to a Workshop

We know navigating multiple funding opportunities can be confusing and overwhelming! We’re here to help. Staff from both 4Culture and the Office of Arts & Culture will be available to answer all your questions about these funding programs.

Apply Today

This project was supported by a grant awarded by the U.S. Department of the Treasury. Points of view in this document are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of the Treasury.

Reflections on The Creative Advantage 2021 VIRTUAL Summer Institute

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by Tina LaPadula, Arts Education Manager, Seattle Office of Arts & Culture

The transition “back to school” for The Creative Advantage arts education community kicked off at the Virtual Summer Institute on August 19, 2021. Traditionally hosted by the Seattle Art Museum at their downtown location, this year’s version was virtual and combined the familiar combination of inspiration, updates, and art-making.

More than 100 teachers and teaching artists registered to explore these foundational questions:

  • How does self-care support culturally responsive teaching?
  • How can arts learning cultivate a culture of care?

Recent Franklin HS graduate, Savannah Blackwell, set the stage with a snippet of her awe-inspiring rendition of Lift Every Voice And Sing (Black National Anthem) and a personal message for educators about the power of arts learning, especially as we navigate the trauma of the past year.

Award-winning speaker, teacher, researcher, coach and healer, Dr. Bre, gave this year’s dynamic keynote and laid the groundwork for the day with an interactive workshop focused on the critical need for honest self-reflection. She reminded us of the love and care we need to give ourselves as educators so we can love and care for our students.

“We can either transform trauma or transmit it. Teaching artists have a special role to play in this healing. Art and creativity is a tool for that.”

Dr. Bre

We took a break to celebrate the resilience and creative brilliance of our students with a special highlight reel of student work from the virtual Regional Arts Festivals at the end of last school year.

Splitting into discipline-specific groups, we explored culturally responsive and anti-racist arts through Seattle Public School’s (SPS) new The Roots Arts Framework and participated in sample lessons in music, visual art, and theatre with the teachers and teaching artists of the SPS Antiracist Education Task Force who created it: Naho Shioya, Donte Felder, Jessica Staire, Chris Mena, Carina del Rosario, and Maribel Gonzalez.

We wrapped up with important back-to-school updates for community arts partners from SPS representatives. Click here to see SPS Back-to-school info for partners.

As we move into this new school year, please:

Savannah Blackwell is featured on Lift Every Voice: Responding to Lawrence’s Struggle Series, a video created by Seattle Art Museum in partnership with Donte Felder, South End Stories, and Jeff Santos.

Mayor’s Office Appoints royal alley-barnes as Interim Director of Office of Arts & Culture

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Elevating Black Artists and Recovery With Appointment of
royal alley-barnes

Mayor Jenny A. Durkan announced that royal alley-barnes will be appointed to be the Interim Director of ARTS and the first Black woman to hold the position. Director alley-barnes will lead ARTS during this critical time in recovery while the next administration seeks a new permanent director.  

“I am incredibly excited that royal alley-barnes has agreed to serve as the acting director of the Department of Arts and Culture. I am confident that royal is the right person to lead ARTS as we focus on helping BIPOC and underrepresented artists recovery from the significant impacts of COVID-19,” said Mayor Durkan. “royal is not only incredibly accomplished, but also a devoted community member and public servant. We could not be more grateful that she has agreed to lead one of Seattle’s most treasured City Departments.” 

Read more here

How Creative Strategies Can Build Relationships and Awareness within Racial Equity Learning Cohorts Focused on Environmental Justice

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By Diana Dvora Falchuk

How can individuals use arts, culture, mindfulness, and embodiment to help transform systems and institutions toward racial and environmental justice? One potential approach is through learning cohort models.

Our office (ARTS) partnered with the Seattle Office for Civil Rights, the Seattle Office of Sustainability and Environment, and Seattle Public Utilities to offer the racial equity learning program, Turning Commitment into Action for Environmental Justice (TCA for EJ), for 29 policy influencers, a third of whom were BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) working in historically white-led organizations and municipal agencies.

Those involved included:

  • City of Seattle
  • King County
  • University of Washington
  • Washington State University
  • The Nature Consortium
  • Stewardship Partners
  • Delridge Neighborhood Development Association
  • Earth Corps
  • Seattle Urban Forestry Commission
  • Northwest Harvest

The cohort culminated in final project presentations in 2019 and the qualitative impacts are documented in this final report. Guided by artist-facilitators, these individual policy influencers learned frameworks and developed practices to build and sustain environmental justice. The project revealed critical lessons for supporting such a learning community in the context of a mainstream environmental movement that still lacks consistent leadership from BIPOC communities and others who are most impacted by environmental injustices.

Three circles in a Venn diagram labeled: Racial Equity and Social Justice, Creative Strategies, Environmental Justice.
Venn diagram from the report,
illustrated by Otts Bolisay

TCA for EJ infused racial equity learning with arts, culture, mindfulness, and embodiment. This helped participants develop the relational, emergent, and adaptive decision-making processes and ways of being that the work of equity and justice requires. By normalizing vulnerability, interconnection, bravery and belonging as fundamental components of strategic, outcomes-focused work, participants were able to see themselves and each other in more holistic and humanizing ways. The program deliberately created environments that were radically different from the typical policy conference room or office environment (spaces which often are normalized to keep the broader system of white supremacy in place).

A large group of people kneel around a long sheet of paper, drawing and writing on it. Someone hands a crayon to a woman who stands nearby.
Photo by Zorn B. Taylor

TCA for EJ is one of the first projects of the Creative Strategies Initiative (CSI), launched in 2017 as a partnership between ARTS and the Office for Civil Rights. CSI uses arts, culture, mindfulness, and embodiment to build transformational, anti-racist practices throughout City government and our work with community. CSI projects position artists, cultural organizers and healers as designers and leaders of strategies that interrupt structural racism and move the needle toward racial justice. CSI is a component of the Race and Social Justice Initiative’s culture shift strategy and an outgrowth of nearly eight years of partnership between ARTS and the Office for Civil Rights.

We are grateful to artist-facilitators Sonali Sangeeta Balajee, Alan Wong, and Jéhan Òsanyìn, program co-designers Sudha Nandagopal and Sara Cubillos (also a curriculum designer and facilitator), and program partners Steve Hamai, Sharon Lerman, Pam Emerson, Lylianna Ayala, and Ximena Fonseca-Morales for their many contributions the program and report beginning in 2017. Diana Dvora Falchuk was the ARTS and Office for Civil Rights staff lead on this project. Additional gratitude to Mytoan Nguyen-Akbar, PhD, ARTS Impact and Assessment Manager, for designing and leading the evaluation and report.

A Look Back at Created Common’s Lowrider Block Party

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On August 7, Created Commons partnered with Nepantla Cultural Arts Gallery for the Lowrider Block Party in the Westwood/Delridge neighborhood. All day long, the block between Roxbury St. and Delridge Way SW came to life with a showcase of lowriders, live art, performances, and local vendors.

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Take a look at some highlights from the festivities:

Nepantla Cultural Arts Gallery brought together local collectives, food vendors, artists, and performance groups to fill the block with music, dance, art, and community. Participating groups included Easy Duz It Car Clu, La Sala, Emerald City Soul Club, DJ Bugzy Beatdown, 206 Zulu, 40Low, and Joyas Mestizas.

Lined up along the block, Easy Duz It Car Club showcased a variety of their lowriders for the community to admire.

Founded in 1988, Joyas Mestizas is Seattle’s first folklórico youth group. They brought the beauty of traditional Mexican dances to the streets of White Center.

Artists Jose Rodriguez III, Desmond Hansen, and Angelina Villalobos showcased live artmaking.

Guests were also welcomed into Nepantla Cultural Arts Gallery to experience the Lowrider Art Show, featuring a variety of work from local artists.

“The Lowrider Block Party was a dream come true. It was amazing to see so many in the community in such great spirits. The high attendance of the event proved that the community was eager for the opportunity to express our cultura.”

– Judy Avitia-Gonzalez and Jake Prendez, co-directors of Nepantla Cultural Arts Gallery

Share Your Feedback

Calling all artists, performers, booth vendors, and community members who participated in this event:

Please take this brief survey about the impact of Created Commons! Your feedback will allow us to assess our programs and improve future programming with the community’s needs and suggestions in mind. Thank you! 

Take the Created Commons Survey

The Lowrider Block Party is a part of Created Commons: Neighborhood Edition, a new ARTS initiative that transforms outdoor spaces across Seattle into venues for spectacular temporary arts and cultural extravaganzas. This program is created by the Seattle Office of Arts &  Culture (ARTS) in partnership with the Department of Transportation (SDOT), and Seattle Parks and Recreation, and community curators. 

All photos courtesy of Lupe Carlos III, Sergio Avitia, and Diego Hurtado.

$27 Million in Federally-Funded Pandemic Relief Coming for King County Cultural Organizations

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Seattle Office of Arts & Culture and 4Culture partner to streamline process for the sector 

The Seattle Office of Arts & Culture (ARTS) and 4Culture are working with our partners at King County to build new COVID-19 relief programs for the cultural sector, funded by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). Our shared goal is to put these federal dollars to work supporting as many King County cultural organizations and producers as possible.    

For organizations with 2019 revenue over $1 million 

Today, King County Executive Dow Constantine announced the opening of Revive and Thrive Together. It will provide $20 million in disaster relief and business interruption funds to arts, heritage, or historic preservation organizations with 2019 revenue of more than $1 million. The application opens at KingCountyCreative.com on September 13.  

Learn more and apply!

The application is open through October 18, 2021 at 11:59 PM (PT). A panel will review applications starting on October 19. King County will notify applicants about the status of their request within five weeks of the application closing date. 

For organizations with 2019 revenue of $1 million and under 

Using a single application, these organizations can apply for both ARPA disaster relief grants and 4Culture 2022 Sustained Support funds. ARTS has partnered with 4Culture to share this application process to better serve cultural organizations within Seattle and King County. This will allow eligible organizations to submit one application to be considered for funding by both agencies. ARTS and 4Culture will distribute $7 million in federal relief funding.  

Later this month, 4Culture will open the first phase of our Recovery Fund. Cultural organizations with 2019 revenue of $1 million and below that experienced revenue loss between 2019 and 2020 will be eligible for this program. 

Learn more and apply!

The 4Culture Recovery Fund will also offer support for individual artists and cultural producers in the coming months; we will provide more information as we develop the program.   

Applications are due by November 5, 2021 at 5:00 pm. 4Culture notification of Sustained Support awards and preliminary notification of 4Culture Recovery Fund awards will take place by February 2022.

Determining where to apply 

Organizations are eligible for either King County’s Revive and Thrive Together program or ARTS and 4Culture’s Recovery Fund, not both. They can answer this short series of questions to figure out where to apply. 

Public Art Boot Camp Class ’20-21 Culmination and Artwork Celebration

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In mid-2020, 11 emerging artists were welcomed into Public Art Boot Camp and for the past year participated in a series of trainings and planning, which has culminated in temporary art installations. The Office of Arts & Culture is pleased to celebrate their hard work by showcasing the artwork at both Seattle’s Lake City and Seattle Center!

Artists Amanda Lee, Baso Fibonacci, Damon Brown, Fumi Amano, Jacques Trautman, Jovita Mercado, Kamla Kakaria, Lynn Yarne, Micah Lawton McCarty, Nate Clark, and Sabina Haque currently have work on view and invite you to explore the two neighborhoods:

Seattle Center Art Walk and “Meet the Artists”
Saturday, October 2, 12 pm 
Tour will meet and start at the Fisher Pavilion Rooftop 

Lake City Art Walk and “Meet the Artists”
Saturday, October 9, 2 pm   
Walking map and information available at the Lake City Library Plaza 
Food by Gyros Lake City and Pho An, live music by Trío Guadalevín.
Walking maps, designed by Damon Brown, will be available for self-guided tours.

Download a PDF of Printable Postcards

Art Interruptions in Lake City 

Our Excellent Ingredients, Amanda Lee 

Our Excellent Ingredients celebrates the culinary knowledge and shared ingredients of the diverse cultures of the Lake City neighborhood. Start at the mural on 30th Ave and then walk to 27th between 125th and 130th to find five augmented reality (AR) pieces.  

Illusionary Planters, Baso Fibonacci

Illusionary Planters are three painted steel planters planted with native northwest plants installed in front of the Lake City library. Throughout the year they are there the plants will grow and change and the planters will rust. 

Here Before Me, Damon Brown   

This public art piece represents the history and neighborhoods that currently make up Seattle’s Lake City area — at the same time, honoring Seattle’s host tribe and our area’s only indigenous tribe, the Duwamish Tribe.

Namaste, Kamla Kakaria

Lake City has one of the most ethnically diverse populations in Seattle.  Embracing and celebrating that diversity I made this piece Namaste which is a Hindi greeting.  Welcome to Lake City! 

Scan to See A Story of This Place: Lake City, Lynn Yarne

Places hold histories we sometimes cannot see. This project is comprised of Augmented Reality (AR) collage interpretations of six Lake City stories accessible through scanning signage throughout the neighborhood or by visiting www.astoryofthisplace.com.  

Orca – Wolf Transformation, Micah McCarty

Orca – Wolf Transformation, mounted the Traditional style Box that represents the wealth of the royal families of the Lake. In a tribute to the hereditary legacy and Living memory of the Lake “Lake Washington” and presented to the diverse community of Lake City with respect to indigenous relatives.

Windows on Lake City, Sabina Haque

Sabina Haque created two metal lattice sculptures that incorporate her 54 painted portraits of Lake City residents. The work celebrates this largely new immigrant community and crafts a beautiful artistic tribute to the neighborhood.

Sculpture Walk at Seattle Center 

Resilience, Fumi Amano

The world is in the process of adapting well after facing crises such as COVID-19. Resilience not only helps us get through difficult circumstances, but it also empowers us to grow and even improve our life along the way.

Might be Going to Have Imagined This Place, Jac Oliver Trautman

The world is in the process of adapting well after I have heard the Duwamish are the Indigenous people of this land. It is written that the Duwamish do not exist. Look-

Los Trabajadores, Sus Apoyos, Y La Comunidad (The Workers, Their Advocators, And The Community), Jovita Mercado

These Loteria-style prints are centered on Washington state’s laborers and community organizers. This piece specifically commemorates Latinx field workers, Filipino cannery workers, and community activists that fought for workers’ rights and the security of BIPOC communities like Dulce Gutiérrez from Yakima and the Gang of Four from Seattle. 

Inverted Pyramid, Nate Clark

Inverted Pyramid is a hand-tied net made of a 2-ply strand combining bonded nylon twine and hand-spun wool. The handbell suspended in the center of the piece rings as wind interacts with the installation.

Art Interruptions is an annual program funded through SDOT % for Art, while Sculpture Walk is funded through Seattle Center % for Art. Many of the scheduled trainings throughout this past year focused on topics specific to public art such as “how to develop a concept proposal” or “how to work with a fabricator.” Most of the content was recorded and is available online.

Boot Camp artists created and installed artwork through both Art Interruptions, an annual program that places temporary artworks in and around Neighborhood Greenways, and the Seattle Center.   

Public Art Boot Camp was initiated in 2003 (known as the Emerging Public Artists Roster Program) to introduce artists to the idea and practice of public art and transformed in 2015 modified with the added goal to advance racial equity by centering artists of color and providing them the information and experience they needed to enter the niche world of public art.   

‘Two Different Somali Perspectives: Hawo Ali and Abdi Ibrahim’ Now On View at ARTS at King Street Station

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Soomaali

ARTS at King Street Station is proud to present, Two Different Somali Perspectives: Hawo Ali and Abdi Ibrahim. On view from September 7 – October 23, 2021.  

Join us on Tuesday, September 7 for the launch of Two Different Somali Perspectives: Hawo Ali and Abdi Ibrahim with a special opportunity for guided tours with the artists! Guided tours are free and open to the public with registration. Tours will be approximately 30 minutes long and take place at the top of each hour from 2 – 6pm.

Register for Free

MEET THE ARTISTS

HAWO ALI

Hawo Ali is a Seattle-based Somali-American artist and community activist. Centering on the flowers and scenery of her home country Somalia, her art is inspired by her arrival to the United States and the new flora of the land. 

Hawo’s paintings often include abstraction and strong colors to accentuate her portrayal of traditional Somali practices, artifacts, and narratives on Somali culture. These diverse narratives represent vivid depictions ranging from the resourcefulness of the native nomadic people to the native lions, tigers, and hyenas that make up the land.   

Spring Flower in Somalia, Hawo Ali, Acrylic, 2019
  • Purple Roses, Hawo Ali, Acrylic, 2018
  • Inside of the Somali Indian Ocean, Hawo Ali, Acrylic, 2019

ABDI IBRAHIM

Abdi Ibrahim is a Somali-American photographer based in Los Angeles. Raised in Seattle, Abdi is the son of two immigrants. Since his start in film photography at the age of 17, his work has been featured in numerous publications including New Yorker, Vanity Fair, and Billboard Magazine. 

Abdi also works as a film and commercial director, where he has worked on campaigns for Apple Music, REI, Subaru, and The Fader. Abdi shoots his subjects in what feels like abstract worlds — creating an image that tells a story and a surreal aesthetic that is meant to be imaginative but rooted in reality; a cross between documentary and conceptual. 

Happy Sad, Abdi Ibrahim, Digital Photograph; Inkjet on Epson Premium Luster, 2019
  • Band Practice, Abdi Ibrahim, Digital Photograph; Inkjet on Epson Premium Luster, 2020
  • Workout, Abdi Ibrahim, Digital Photograph; Inkjet on Epson Premium Luster, 2020

ARTS at King Street Station is free and open to the public Tuesday through Saturday, 10am to 6pm. In accordance with the statewide indoor mask mandate, all visitors — regardless of vaccination status — are required to wear masks while in the gallery space.

Two Different Somali Perspectives: Hawo Ali and Abdi Ibrahim is organized and presented by the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture (ARTS) and is curated by Ricky Reyes and S Surface in partnership with ARTS at King Street Station Advisors. Support for the installation is provided by Benjamin Gale-Schreck and Blake Haygood.    

Soomaali

Noogu imow kulankeena “Labo Ra’yi ee kala duwan oo Soomaali ah: Hawo Ali iyo Abdi Ibrahim,” Kulanku wuxuu dhaciyaa September 7 ilaa October 23, 2021 Waxaana lagu qabaiyaa ARTS at King Street Station.

laga bilaabo 2 duhurnimo ilaa 5 galabnimo markay tahay Talaado, Sebtember 7.Labaduba waxay qaban donaan kulamo 30-daqiiqo ah ee loogu talagalay in dadka la tuso shaqada ay qabtaan. Halkan iska diwaangeli.

Xaawo Cali waa farshaxanley Somali-American ah oo joogta Seattle, bulshadana way u doodaa. Farshaxankeedu wuxuu u badanyahay ubaxyada iyo muuqaalka dalkeeda hooyo, Imaanashaha maraykankana iyo dhirta cusub ee dhulka ayaa dhiirrigeliyay inay sii wado. Sawirada Xaawo inta u badan waxaa ka muuqdo midab xoog iyo tayo leh. Midabkaas ayaa ka caawiyay inay xoojiso sawirkeeda, dhaqanka Soomaalida, farshaxan -yahannada, iyo sheekooyinka dhaqanka ee Soomaalida.

Cabdi Ibraahim waa sawir qaade Soomaali-Mareykan ah oo deggan Los Angeles. Wuxuu ku soo barbaaray magaalada Seattle waxaana dhalay labo somaali ee soo -galooti ahaa. Cabdi wuxuu dadka ku sawiraa adduunyo qurxoon – wuxuu qaadaa sawiro ka sheekeynaya sheeko iyo bilicsanaan dhab ah oo loola jeedo inay noqoto riyo ku jirta xaqiiqda hada; Tani waa talaabo u dhaxaysa dokumenteriga iyo fikirka guud.

ARTS -ka ee ku yaal Saldhigga Tareenka ee wadada King waa lacag la’aan wuxuuna u furan yahay dadweynaha, Talaadada ilaa Sabtida, 10ka subaxnimo ilaa 6 da fiidnimo. Waxaan tixraacaynaa waajibaadka gobolka ee waji xirka gudaha, iyadoon loo eegin heerka tallaalka dhammaan booqdayaasha waxaa laga rabaa inay wajiga xirtaan inta ay ku jiraan goobta dhexdeeda.