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Office of Arts & Culture news and events

Congratulations to John Bradshaw

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We’re pleased to announce that John Bradshaw won the first ever Melissa Hines Award at the annual Gregory Awards last night, held in ACT Theatre.  Bradshaw has been the Managing Director of Seattle Shakespeare Company since 2004. Before that he was the Managing Director at Empty Space Theatre (where he worked with Melissa), and has also held roles at Seattle Repertory Theatre and Kirkland Performance Center. Congratulations to John on this well-deserved award!

The Melissa Hines Award for Outstanding Theatre Practitioner was created in memory of Melissa Hines, the stalwart managing director of the Empty Space Theatre, arts leader and funding program manager for the Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs from 2004-2011. This new category is intended to honor those dedicated individuals who make theatre possible, enabling artists to do their art, but who often are not recognized by curtain calls, reviews or awards. This category may include production crew and stage management, volunteers, administrators, board members, donors and patrons.

More on Melissa here.

– Calandra Childers, Communications & Outreach Manager

 

Two new artworks mark Chief Sealth Trail

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Two sculptures now mark the location of the Chief Sealth Trail, on the east and west sides, where the trail crosses Beacon Avenue South and South Dawson Street on Beacon Hill. In Cloud Rider by Seattle artist Dan Webb, two bicycle riders wearing gold-leafed wings on their backs rise from the clouds. The blue female rides a step-through, commuter-style bike and the pink male rides a mountain bike with flat handlebars. At the artwork’s column base is the symbol of the Duwamish people.

Webb states, “The two bicycle riders represented in this piece ride among the clouds, as all do who ride in Seattle. At the base of each column is the symbol of the Duwamish people, ‘The People of the Inside,’ living between the Cascades and the Olympics. As we ride these paths, we remember them, the first and future riders of these hills.” Seattle was named for the most well- known northwest Native American chief, Chief Sealth (1784 – 1866) of the Duwamish Tribe.

A resident of Beacon Hill, Webb has created both public and private artworks for Pike Place Market, the city of Bellevue, city of Burien and Equity Office Properties (Columbia Tower) in Seattle. His work is in collections at Seattle Art Museum, Tacoma Art Museum, New Museum in New York and numerous private collections.

The Chief Sealth Trail, a multi-purpose trail in Southeast Seattle, is part of the city’s regional trail system. The trail provides new connections to Beacon Hill (and the Beacon Hill Neighborhood Greenway) and Sound Transit light rail stations along Martin Luther King Jr. Way. The trail is one of five regional trails that cross the city, connecting schools, businesses, and residents while promoting a healthy and active lifestyle.

The artwork was commissioned with Seattle Department of Transportation 1% for Art funds.

Image: Cloud Rider; Dan Webb; 2012; aluminum, paint and gold leaf; 11’H. Photos by the artist.

The making of ‘Origami Tessellation 324.3.4 (Fractured)’

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On Sunday, October 21, Ellen Sollod’s latest work was installed in the Seattle cityscape. Origami Tessellation 324.3.4 (Fractured), a 28-foot-tall cylinder of stainless steel, was placed in the median of Mercer Street at Boren Avenue North. We asked Sollod a few questions about the work; you’ll find her answers below, mixed in with photographs of the piece as it was being created at Fabrication Specialties Ltd of Seattle, and then installed on Mercer Street this last weekend.

1. How did you come up with the concept for Origami Tessellation 324.3.4 (Fractured)?

I was interested in speaking to the future of SLU and was struck by the growth of biotech and high tech. At the same time, we have the newly improved SLU park. So, I was also interested in talking about nature. Fractal forms are common in nature, science and art. A tessellation is a repetitive pattern, like a fractal. So my goal was to speak to all three and this form seemed right.

2. What does the name represent?

 The title is the specific tessellation or folding pattern that was used to derive the sculpture. It is a tessellation used by engineers to study buckling patterns of cylinders. It is theoretical math and in practice, the form wants to buckle because of the force on the sides. We “fractured” the form by making separate sections and then put it together to form a column that exists in physical space in the real world.

3. What do you hope the workers of South Lake Union think when they see the piece?

I hope they enjoy it day and night–how the stainless steel surface reacts to light and how the form changes from different viewing angles. I hope it becomes a bit of a landmark for the Mercer Corridor so that people will know where they are and identify South Lake Union with it and vice versa.

 

4. Tell me about the fabrication process.

Fabrication took approximately 8 months. I worked with Fabrication Specialties Ltd, based here in Seattle to fabricate the work. They are highly skilled craftsmen and art makers with great attention to detail. I worked with Fabrication Specialties and engineer Chuck Morris throughout the process to solve various technical challenges. I also worked with the landscape architect HBB early in the design process to design the mound and the landscape plan.

Prior to fabrication, I made several models of various sizes to study the form. My models were paper and cardboard. Fabrication Specialties made partial models of steel. I developed the perforation pattern and made a full size paper model of one full side to see how it would behave as it moved around the form. I spent time in the shop as the work was fabricated. So, let’s just say, I was there in the beginning, middle, end, on the phone, in the shop.

 

 

 

 

6. Did the work come out as you envisioned?

I’m delighted with how it came out. One of the concerns you always have is whether the scale would be right. Often things can look great in the shop and “shrink” on site. I feel like it “holds” the space quite well. We are still working on the lighting so that will change a bit before it is complete. I was delighted to have the opportunity to be a part of the revitalization of SLU and had a great design team to work with throughout.

Thank you Ellen, for talking with us about this work! 

Fabrication photos courtesy of the artist; installation photos courtesy of Kelly Pajek.

 

 

 

 

Free seminar on cultural organizations as civic leaders, Nov. 2

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What does it look like when a cultural organization is authentically engaged with its community, beyond audience development strategies and outreach departments? Join us for Dynamic Adaptability 2.0: Cultural Organizations As Civic Leaders, a free seminar on audience engagement, 12:45 to 4 p.m., Friday, Nov. 2 at Town Hall, 1119 Eighth Ave.

 “Community,” “relevance,” and “engagement” are now buzzwords in the cultural sector, but what do they really mean? Does deep community engagement require compromising artistic or organizational goals, or can it make organizations more adventuresome and sustainable? 

Hear from four cultural organizations that are nationally recognized for their artistic excellence and are also deeply committed civic leaders in their communities. John Michael Schert (Trey McIntyre Company), James Kass (Youth Speaks), Lisa Sasaki (The Oakland Museum of California) and Chris Coleman (Portland Center Stage) are at the forefront of a growing movement of arts organizations seeking to more effectively engage their communities. They’ll talk about how this has led to numerous benefits, including greater organizational stability and artistic creativity. The day will include short talks, a panel discussion and small group discussions.

 Go here for more information and registration.

What is Dynamic Adaptability 2.0?
Dynamic Adaptability 2.0 is designed to support the cultural sector of the Puget Sound region. The series is organized by a consortium of regional funders to provide cultural leaders the chance to gather and discuss issues around navigating change.

Weekly Art Hit: ‘Governor John Harte McGraw’ by Richard Brooks

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In this election season, with an upcoming vote for this state’s governor, we thought we’d feature a public artwork created in honor of the second governor of Washington state, Governor John Harte McGraw.

The full-length, historic, bronze statue stands in McGraw Place near Westlake Center, bordered by Stewart Street, Fifth Avenue and Westlake Avenue. Artist Richard Brooks was commissioned to create the sculpture shortly after the death of the governor in 1910.  The bronze features McGraw in a suit, cane and overcoat in hand, staring determinedly into the distance.

McGraw was governor from 1893 to 1897 and was instrumental in the creation of the Lake Washington Ship Canal which, through a series of manmade cuts, connects Lake Washington with Puget Sound through several preexisting bodies of water, including Union Bay, Portage Bay, Lake Union, Salmon Bay and Shilshole Bay.

Earlier, as King County sheriff, McGraw was a major figure in keeping the peace during disturbances against Chinese laborers in the late 1880s. In February 1886, he repelled vigilantes who were trying to round up Chinese Americans in Seattle and send them back to China. McGraw deputized 400 Seattle citizens to protect the Chinese. He also protected property during the Seattle fire in 1889.

The statue is part of the city’s permanent public art collection and was funded by Seattle Chamber of Commerce and gifted to the city of Seattle.

Image: Governor John Harte McGraw, 1912. Photo by Spike Mafford.

– Tamara Gill, Community Development & Outreach

31 individual artists awarded $160,000 in funding

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We’re so excited to have just announced our 2013 CityArtist Projects recipients. $160,000 in awards will go to 31 incredible individual artists working in the dance, music and theater arts. The annual program assists individual artists that are based in Seattle to develop and present their work.

Awards for 2013 include $3,000 to Kathya Alexander to revise and complete a script about homosexuality in the Black church and gang violence in the Black community; $4,500 to Samantha Boshnack to develop eight new jazz pieces to be performed by a new group of musicians in disparate venues around Seattle including an elementary school; $8,000 to Rose Cano to develope staged presentations of a bilingual play based on Don Quixote and Sancho Panza as homeless characters for homeless audiences and advocacy organizations; $8,000 to Jessika Kenney to compose, record and perform new work exploring secular court music, vocals and associated literature from Iran and Java; $6,000 to Jody Kuehner for a theatrical performance inspired by the parallels between drag culture in Seattle and authentic Mardi Gras culture in New Orleans by The Cherdonna and Lou Show; $6,000 to Li Hengda to develop a new, collaborative dance drama with the Chinese National Acrobatic Troupe from Beijing; and $6,000 to Anna Telcs to present a live show exploring the ritual of dressing and ceremony of fashion to be presented concurrently with fashion week 2013.

View the complete list of all 31 2013 CityArtist Projects on the Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs website.

The 2013 program received 100 applicants. Thirty percent of the awards will go to first-time recipients. Request amounts are set at $4,000, $6,000 and $8,000, though award amount may be less than requested based on the ranking of the application. Projects must be realized within a year. A peer-review panel evaluated proposals based on criteria such as artistic merit, public access or impact and innovation.

The CityArtist Projects program supports new works, works-in-progress or works taken to the next stage. All projects must incorporate a public presentation. Funding is offered to different artistic disciplines in alternating years. In 2012, CityArtists awarded $156,000 to 45 individual artists working in literary, media, film and visual arts. 

Image: 2012 CityArtists award recipient Fulgencio Lazo will create a new large-scale sculpture and sandpainting for Dia de Los Muertos/Day of the Dead at Seattle Art Museum’s Olympic Sculpture Park.  There is an artist reception on Friday, November 2 from 6-8 pm, which includes traditional Oaxacan music and dance.

Arts & Social Change Symposium: Arts Organizations as Puzzle Pieces

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A diverse cross-section of our region’s arts and cultural leaders gathered at Seattle Center on Oct. 12 and 13 for the 2012 Arts & Social Change Symposium. Many thanks go to the Symposium’s organizers and our co-sponsors 4Culture, The Association of American Cultures, the Seattle Office of Civil Rights, the city of Seattle’s Race & Social Justice Initiative, Seattle Center/Next 50, ArtsWA (Washington State Arts Commission), and Boeing for sparking this important dialogue. It was a great opportunity to explore some of the challenges we face and to learn new ways to take them on.

In the opening keynote, University of Southern California’s Dr. Manuel Pastor spoke to the unique role the arts plays in addressing differences and bringing diverse people and interests together. The only viable and sustainable means to that end is a values-based, transformational organizing approach, as opposed to the interest-based, transactional model we’ve historically relied upon. Dr. Pastor compared these approaches to building a jigsaw puzzle vs. playing chess. In chess each piece is an expendable resource used to take away resources from an adversary. In a jigsaw puzzle, each piece is as critical to achieving the vision of the whole as any other, and without every piece, the work will never be complete.

The workshops throughout the symposium each illuminated different pieces of that puzzle. In session after session, we learned from our peers how new approaches have more effectively advanced their missions, broadened their audiences and communities served, and increased their impact. Listening, collaborating, taking risks, and inviting everyone to the table were themes that came up repeatedly.

In the closing session, all-star arts consultant Donna Walker-Kuhne stressed that making the arts more inclusive and relevant is hard work, but that work builds muscles and makes us better warriors. Moving the thinking of arts work from building individuals and individual organizations to creating a healthy ecosystem is quite a workout. It’s my hope that all of us in the arts can leverage the strength we’re building in this process to ensure that our region’s cultural jigsaw puzzle is complete.

Images: Arts & Social Change Symposium. Photos by Robert Wade.

-Tim Lennon, Events & Cultural Space Coordinator

 

 

 

It’s electrifying!

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Last week Lanny Bergner installed his work Electrifying the Grid at Seattle City Light’s (SCL) South Service Center.  The piece is located in a conference room and consists of seven wall mounted painted MDF (a type of fiberboard) panels, each serving as backing boards for 16 patterned and burned stainless steel, mesh 3-D forms. The mesh forms are mounted creating a four-by-four-foot grid.

Bergner’s artwork is inspired by electrical grids, energy transmission, pulsing energy sources, electrical sparks and lightning. It is dedicated to the men and women who construct and maintain the SCL electricalgrid. The artwork represents light, energy and the structural power needed to harness it. The piece was funded by SCL 1% for Arts funds. 

 

IMAGE: Electrifing the Grid by Lanny Bergner. Photos by Spike Mafford. 

 

 

 

 

 

Weekly Art Hit: ‘Olympic Iliad’ by Alexander Liberman

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Just a few more days of The Next Fifty – the anniversary celebration of the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair – and we’re featuring artworks on the old fair grounds at Seattle Center.

Head down to Seattle Center before the celebration ends on Oct. 21 and check out Alexander Liberman’s largest sculpture Olympic Iliad (1984). The artwork is a monumental agglomeration of steel cylinders located on the lawn surrounding the Space Needle. Liberman, known for his use of industrially manufactured materials, cut giant steel cylinders at varying angles and lengths, painted them an industrial red, and assembled them to form an immense structure that one can walk around and underneath.

A similar artwork of Liberman’s, Iliad, can be found at the Storm King Art Center in Mountainville, N.Y.

Olympic Iliad was funded by private contributions, the Seattle Center Foundation and Seattle Center 1% for Art, and is part of the city’s permanent public art collection.

Last week we featured Seattle Mural by Paul Horiuchi at Seattle Center’s Mural Amphitheater. Read more about that artwork here.

IMAGE: Alexander Liberman, Olympic Iliad, 1984, steel cylinders. Photo by Amy Louise Herndon.

-Tamara Gill, Community Development & Outreach

Weekly Art Hit: ‘Seattle Mural’ by Paul Horiuchi

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As The Next Fifty – the anniversary celebration of the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair – draws to a close on Oct. 21, we’d like to feature a few artworks on the old fair grounds at Seattle Center.

We bet you’ve seen the 60-foot-long, landmark glass mosaic Seattle Mural at the Mural Amphitheater. Designed by acclaimed Northwest artist Paul Horiuchi for the 1962 fair, the mural has led a colorful life. It set the stage for early performances by Seattle bands including Nirvana, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam and Alice in Chains. Today, the Mural Amphitheater remains a venue for events from rock shows to Shakespeare plays to outdoor movies.

Horiuchi was born in Japan, where he learned calligraphy and sumi techniques, and then moved to Seattle in 1946. In the mid-1950s, Horiuchi began working in collage, a technique that would become his signature. Horiuchi’s design for the mural began as a collage of multicolored torn paper before it was enlarged and reworked into 54 brightly colored panels of Venetian glass fabricated in Italy. Using 160 color variations of glass, Horiuchi intended the mural to evoke the natural beauty and colors of the Northwest. The mural acted then and now as a sound-reflecting acoustic backdrop for the amphitheatre stage.

The Seattle Mural is part of the city’s permanent public art collection. The artwork was restored in 2011 as a joint project of the Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs and Seattle Center, with grant support from 4Culture and National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Image: Paul Horiuchi, Seattle Mural,1962, glass mosaic. Photo by Spike Mafford.

-Tamara Gill, Community Development & Outreach