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Office of Arts & Culture news and events

New ‘UNION’ Art Exhibition Creates Opportunities for Public Art in Capitol Hill

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SeaLevel Properties (“SeaLevel”), Capitol Hill Arts District (“CHAD”), and Sensebellum have partnered to showcase public art in Capitol Hill through the ‘UNION’ project. Located on the corner of 10th Ave. and E Union St., this new public art installation will feature a rotating, 60-foot tall projected art show curated by revolving guests on SeaLevel’s new Woodworth Apartment Building. The first art show will be held on Wednesday, July 14 at 9:45 p.m. and will continue every night at dusk throughout the year. You can RSVP for this event on Facebook.

Woodworth Apartment Building, courtesy of The Capitol Hill Arts District

The first ‘UNION’ exhibition highlights local photographer and artist LeLeita McKILL. Selected by Capitol Hill Arts District, McKILL will display her photographs taken during the COVID-19 pandemic for Essentially Seattle, (originally commissioned by ARTS) along with her other work.

About Essentially Seattle:

Essentially Seattle is a Public Art Project featuring 25 artists who document essential city services in the time of COVID-19 and mandated restrictions on physical movement and gatherings. Partners for the project include Seattle Public Utilities, Seattle City Light, Seattle Fire, Human Services Division, and Arts & Cultural districts. The photographs highlight City frontline employees, at work, along with community essential workers, artists, and neighbors.   

  • Diana Adams, owner of Vermillion Gallery
  •  Missy Berens, owner of Nomadia Creatives
  •  Laurie Kearny, owner of Ghost Gallery
  • Daniel Reveles, Manager of Facilities at Gage Academy
  • Rhonda and her father Henry Faison, owner of Juiced by Rojo
All photos by LeLeita McKILL as part of Essentially Seattle

As part of the inaugural exhibition celebrations, all are invited to join the CHAD Steering Committee Members and McKILL for an opening celebration at Optimism Brewing on Wednesday, July 14 at 8 p.m. The group will then walk a half-block away to witness the inaugural unveiling of the exhibition around 9:30 p.m.

The ‘UNION’ installation will rotate every two months, with the current curator joining a panel of artists to select the next artist. Stay tuned for future art shows!

Seven Artists Selected for Art Interruptions 2020 along North Seattle Neighborhood Greenway

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Promo postcard for Art Interruptions 2020. Blue petals with descriptive text about the project.

The Office of Arts & Culture in partnership with Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) has commissioned seven emerging public artists to create temporary art installations along the North Seattle Neighborhood Greenway in Licton Springs for Art Interruptions 2020. The artworks will inhabit city sidewalks and parks and offer passers-by a brief interruption in their day, eliciting a moment of surprise, beauty, contemplation, or humor. The artists selected are:

Eva Funderburgh

Hinojos & Jimenez Art, LLC

Naoko Morisawa

Shawn Parks

Forrest Perrine

Nichole Rathburn

Erin Shigaki

Artists were selected by a panel of artists, community members, and city staff. Art Interruptions is funded by the SDOT 1% for Arts Funds.

New artwork “Alone Together” delights downtown pedestrians

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Friday, August 2, 2019, 2-3 p.m.
Public celebration at Harbor Steps
1221 1st Ave, Seattle, WA 98101
Artwork stickers will be available for the first 250 people.

A new artwork, Alone Together, by Juliana Kang Robinson will be interwoven into the infrastructure of the all-walk intersection of University and 1st Avenue near Harbor Steps and the Seattle Art Museum. The artwork includes pictorial street signs in the blocks that surround the main artwork, and a new crosswalk painting on the intersection of University and 1st Avenue. 

One of the panels on the back of a parking sign depicts a baby bear on an ice floe as a narwhal swims underneath.

As you walk toward the intersection – west on University, North on 1st or South on 1st, the series of six separate but thematically connected images will lead up to the all-walk in which the theme of the artwork Alone Together will come into play. Pedestrians begin alone on the four separate corners of the intersection will cross over the artwork coming together for a moment.

A photo from above as pedestrians cross the intersection with the artwork below them.
Pedestrians cross at the intersection where Alone Together is installed

Bears are the main character in this illustrated series of images, in reference to a Korean creation myth and a reminder that people, like animals, share the same needs and strengths. The artist’s intent is to showcase that we all find refuge and strength in togetherness and that all families belong together. The goal of the artwork is to celebrate youth, families and pedestrians in our Downtown core. 

An aerial view of the intersection with a rendering of the artwork in the middle.
A rendering of the artwork at the pedestrian crossig

Inspired by conversations with pedestrian advocates, transportation specialists, neighborhood groups, and youth (special note of thanks to the kindergarten classes at Giddens Elementary and students from Summit High School) some of the overarching desires stated by these community members included the desire for new artwork to use bright colors, reference nature and animals, contain a positive message and put a smile on your face, and be located in a highly accessible location. You can learn more about the artist’s work at julianakangrobinson.com. 

This is part of the Imagine Greater Downtown initiative, designed to improve the pedestrian experience in Downtown Seattle using existing SDOT street infrastructure to create art for pedestrians and cyclists to see in their everyday movements. Commissioned by the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture and Seattle Department of Transportation.

Design firm Civilization selected to create Connecting Artworks Project for the AIDS Memorial Pathway

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Design firm Civilization was selected to create a series of artworks conceived as a “connective tissue” that will create thematic elements across multiple sites at The AIDS Memorial Pathway. These artworks will be at points around the pathway to help identify the multiple art zones, and guide individuals towards them. The artworks will be located within three art zones specified in The AMP Master Art Plan.

In 2020, the plaza over Seattle’s Capitol Hill Light Rail Station and the north edge of Cal Anderson Park will become home to The AMP: AIDS Memorial Pathway. The way-finding artworks designed by Civilization will help visitors find the art zones from the transit entrances/exits, through and around the plaza, and to Cal Anderson Park. They will allow visitors to encounter the different experiences provided by the art pieces along The AMP, create attractive sightlines, and connect all of The AMP without using formal text signage.

The AMP will offer visitors opportunities for meaningful participation in the ongoing fight to end HIV/AIDS and discrimination that can arise in a community during a crisis. It will be a reminder of our collective need to be active, remain vigilant, and stand ready to fight scapegoating and discrimination however and whenever they may arise. A passionate group of volunteers and community leaders, including people living with HIV, people of color, and members of the LGBTQIA+ community, are working to make The AMP: AIDS Memorial Pathway a reality.

Civilization is a design practice that builds identity systems, digital experiences, printed materials, environmental graphics and exhibitions that are engaging, empathetic, sustainable and create meaningful connections. They work on a variety of projects for public, private and non–profit clients that share their commitment to creating positive change and promoting greater insights about our world.

Their practice is a recipient of the National Design Award for Communication Design from the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum in honor of “excellence, innovation, and enhancement on the quality of daily life.” Their internationally recognized work is included in the permanent collection of SFMOMA and the Milton Glaser Design Archives at the School of Visual Arts, has won numerous awards including a Webby Award for Best Activist Website, and is regularly featured in print publications as well as most major global media outlets such as The Guardian, The New York Times, The Huffington Post and NPR.

New public artwork rises at the new City Light Denny Substation

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Denny Substation is now home to two incredible new public artworks, the towering Transforest by Lead Pencil Studio and a kinetic piece, Switchwall, by Ned Kahn. The Office of Arts & Culture (ARTS) worked with Seattle City Light to incorporate artworks and cultural planning that supports the utility’s mission and goals at the Denny Substation.

ARTS worked with City Light and architects to develop a temporary art program prior to construction of the substation, and permanent art installations at the new facility that are responsive to the surrounding community and reinforce the public nature and essential function of the station.

Please note: the site is still closed to the public. There will be a dedication sometime in the summer of 2019. Check our calendar or sign up for our email newsletter to get updates.

Denny Substation Permanent Artworks

Transforest by Lead Pencil Studio

  • A view of Transforest from The Mirabella next door, photo by Jason Huff
  • Street-level view of Transforest, photo by Jason Huff

Transforest is a site-specific sculpture developed to address important qualities inherent to the Denny Substation site and its broader context. The large-scale sculpture combines forms drawn from Seattle City Light’s industrial history and those of our Northwest landscape, creating a narrative of Seattle’s system of electrical generation that has been placed into the wilderness of Washington. The artwork is designed as an integrated landscape element that serves the place-making needs of the future public space.

Watch Seattle’s tallest public art combines old and new from KING 5 News.

Switchwall by Ned Kahn

Switchwall by day

Switchwall is a kinetic artwork that covers three faces of the substation façade with an array of thousands of light “switches” that are flipped by the wind. During the day the polished aluminum surface of the swaying panels reflect light and color from the sky and surrounding buildings. As the wind flips the panels from side to side they will reflect light from very different parts of the sky and surrounding environment. These light contrasts will animate the façade. As night approaches, or on dark cloudy days, the blue and orange LEDs will become visible and the artwork will reveal a different luminosity but will still create the impression of movement.

  • The Denny Substation is shaped like an elongated, metal pyramid.
    The Denny Substation with Switchwall at the top
  • Photo shows the Denny Substation next to a tall apartment building next door.
    The Denny Substation next to The Mirabella

Watch this video of Switchwall both during the day and night to see how it moves.

Healing in Remembering

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The AMP: The AIDS Memorial Pathway Master Art Plan by Horatio Hung-Yan Law

Amidst all the cranes and dizzying development taking place on Seattle’s Capitol Hill, there is an exciting new project called The AMP: AIDS Memorial Pathway. The AMP is community-driven and community-funded, and its goals are to use public art to create a physical place for remembrance and reflection, to utilize technology to share stories about the epidemic and the diverse community responses to the crisis, and to provide a call to action to end HIV/AIDS, stigma, and discrimination. To bring shape and purpose to these goals, in the spring of 2018 The AMP partnered with the City’s Office of Arts & Culture to commission artist Horatio Hung-Yan Law to write a master art plan that would define what The AMP could be.

An artist known for his depth of work in community, Horatio Law has developed an art plan that represents months of outreach and conversation with communities affected by HIV/AIDS, and conversations in public open houses and community engagements. Law’s art plan centered individuals and groups currently dealing with HIV/AIDS, especially people of color, transgender individuals, and other historically under-represented communities. Law’s AIDS Memorial Pathway Art Plan also represents deep and sustained dialog with stakeholder-agencies and organizations, including: Sound Transit, Seattle Parks Department, Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT), Seattle Public Utilities (SPU), Office of Arts & Culture, Berger Partnership, Schemata Workshop, and Gerding Edlen, the developer of the Transit Oriented Development (TOD). These consultations and conversations shaped the visions and guiding principles for The AMP Master Art Plan.

Horatio Law has written a comprehensive art plan for The AMP that frames and embodies the communal experience of the AIDS epidemic, creates a road map for a series of multi-sensory and experiential public art projects to tell the community stories and responses to the AIDS crisis, and builds understanding between the general public and communities affected by HIV/AIDS. The plan divides The AMP into three major segments that focus on different emotional and symbolic aspects of the pathway, including (1) Remembrance and Reflection, (2) Celebrating Creativity and Life, and (3) Honoring Community Courage and Resilience. The AMP Art Plan also introduces opportunities not only for permanent public artworks, but temporary projects, arts residency programs, and a digital story-telling component. Finally, The AIDS Memorial Pathway Art Plan concludes with a group of essays that convey background histories, personal experiences and a sense of place regarding The AMP and HIV/AIDS in Seattle and King County.

Celebrate International Sculpture Day with our newest artwork “Aurora Bright Dawn”

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Saturday, April 27, noon
Oak Tree Village Pedestrian Bridge
N 102nd Street and Aurora Avenue N

Guest post by artist Vicki Scuri

Tomorrow, Saturday April 27th, is International Sculpture (IS) Day, a worldwide event celebrating the many ways sculpture and public art impact and improve people’s lives. Artist Vicki Scuri, the Office of Arts & Culture, and the Department of Transportation are participating in IS Day by dedicating “Aurora Bright Dawn.” This Public Artwork combines space, color and form on an aging pedestrian bridge, promoting community connectivity and safe crossing.

Two challenges we face in the 21st century are humanizing aging infrastructure and connecting communities. This project, funded through an SDOT community grant, written by the Aurora Licton Urban Village Community, is a good example of a transformational project on Aurora Avenue in Seattle.

Inspired by the sunrise, this project adds color and pattern to an aging pedestrian bridge, transforming it into a community landmark gateway. Hundreds of translucent colorful fins transition through the hues of the sunrise across the span of the bridge. The fins elevate the bridge into a unique art experience for both the cars traveling under and the pedestrians above. The colors on the translucent fins will shift and blend as the viewer moves through the site, creating a dynamic experience. The bridge’s columns and stairs hold colorful painted graphics, connecting the artwork directly to the site.

Public Art transforms neighborhoods by promoting community values, fostering pride of ownership, social interaction, and a sense of belonging. All communities deserve safe and supportive environments. International Sculpture Day is about reflecting on all that Art and Sculpture bring into our lives, enriching our experiences and our optimism for the future.

Olalekan Jeyifous selected to create artwork for Taylor Creek Culvert

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The Office of Arts & Culture in partnership with Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) has commissioned artist Olalekan Jeyifous to create artwork for the Taylor Creek Culvert Replacement Project. Jeyifous will join the Taylor Creek Culvert Replacement design team to develop wayfinding artwork that will be integrated in the future natural area in the Rainier Beach neighborhood. The artwork and culvert replacement projects are expected to be completed in 2024.

SPU purchased property at the lower reaches of Taylor Creek, located near the south end of Lake Washington in the southern edge of the Rainier Beach neighborhood. SPU plans to increase the quality and amount of Taylor Creek and Lake Washington shoreline habitat, particularly for threatened juvenile Chinook salmon. The project will provide public access to the new natural area north of Rainier Ave. S., as well as corridor safety improvements in coordination with the Seattle Department of Transportation.

Olalekan Jeyifous is a Brooklyn-based artist who creates architecturally-inspired artworks that explores the fictions, histories and futures of cities and urban spaces in whimsical and insightful ways. Jeyifous received his bachelor’s degree in architecture from Cornell University in 2000, and has created public art installations for the Corcoran Garage in Durham, NC; Cleveland Public Square in Cleveland, OH; and the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio, CA.

Jeyifous was selected by a panel of artists, community members, and city staff. The project is commissioned with SPU 1% for Art funds.

Image: Inner Sanctum, 2017, mixed-media installation

 

ARTS Publishes “Capacity Building for Racial Equity in Public Art”

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Public Art Boot Camp, the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture’s award-winning program, is the subject of the publication Capacity Building for Racial Equity in Public Art (pdf).

ARTS’ Public Art Program specifies that 1% of eligible city capital improvement project funds be set aside for the commission, purchase, and installation of artworks, integrating artworks and the ideas of artists into a variety of public arenas. A goal of the public art program is to address historic and current institutional racism and one way we do that is capacity building for public artists through our Public Art Boot Camp program, that received an Americans for the Arts Public Art Network Award in 2017.

Capacity Building for Racial Equity in Public Art illustrates how public art administrators can shift the field to be more inclusive and affect change by creating a program that intentionally serves artists from under-represented and under-invested communities. While systemic changes take time, capacity building is something that can show almost immediate results.

From 2015-18, ARTS’ Public Art Boot Camp centered artists of color and provided them with the information and experience they needed to enter the niche world of public art. Public art reflects our history, society and defines the space and community it resides in. When diverse artists work in the public realm, people see themselves reflected in public space in a way that only commissioning artists of color can do. Cities benefit from a richer visual environment by including everyone’s narrative. Art becomes more culturally relevant and meaningful to everyone.

ARTS published Capacity Building for Racial Equity in Public Art (pdf) to share our experience and to encourage other cultural organizations and municipalities to change their programs to create opportunities for artists of color.

For more information contact us at (206) 684.7171 or email us at arts.culture@seattle.gov

Fremont Bridge will be a temporary studio for sound artist Paurl Walsh this summer

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Beginning June 2018, the northwest tower of the Fremont Bridge will be a temporary studio for musician and composer Paurl Walsh. Walsh will be able to use the tower space as a source of inspiration to compose and create a sound-based piece in response to the summer residency. He will also engage in several community outreach events and a public performance will be presented at the close of the residency, in late summer or early fall 2018. The musician-in-residence will run June through August.

Walsh was selected by a panel, facilitated by the Office of Arts & Culture, that included musical artists and community members and advised by the Seattle Department of Transportation. His selection was based on his impressive career and his focus on collaboration with players throughout the region. His proposal included a desire to create a work that investigates the inherent collision between creativity and mental health, which resonated with the selection panel.

Paurl Walsh graduated from Cornish College with a degree in Classical Composition and Electro-acoustic music. He is an active composer of electronic music, modern classical chamber music, music for dance and theatre, and experimental rock. Writing and performing throughout the US, Canada, and Europe, he has been a core member of the experimental performance art/music groups Degenerate Art Ensemble, Implied Violence, and St Genet. He founded experimental hardcore band X-Ray Press, electronic pop group Rainbows, electroacoustic duo Medina/Walsh, and solo electronic act Trying. He has scored many stage works for choreographers and theater artists such as Kyle Loven, Ezra Dickinson, Peggy Piacenza, Paige Barnes, Paris Hurley, and PE|Mo. He also runs ExEx Audio, a creative recording studio centered around working collaboratively with artists to help them better express themselves through sound.

This residency project is funded by SDOT’s 1% for Art Funds and administered by the Office of Arts & Culture.