Seattle's Longest Lasting Art Dealers

Francine Seder was the figure I found most interesting in this article. I was remindedof my mother in the sense that this woman had similarly found a calling through a random and complex path of jobs, some of which had nothing to do with eachother and would not typically lead to the next.Especially after seeing pioneer square, I found this article fascinating to read because I would never have guessed that what I saw had been established by these people in the way that it was. I also found Woodside’s story of borrowing big pieces quite humorous.

broken for you

I could relate to Wanda’s musings on the theatre and how it is this family that becomesso incredibly close and then is forced to break apart. Even though one may find another way of connecting with others, one can never find the same connection one had with the last “family”. It is interesting that though Wanda has been through this process of loving and losing in the world of the theatre, she has yet to grasp this notion as it applies to her relationships in real life.

Broken for You, chapters 11-22

“You’re part of this intense family for a while, and then everyone moves on.”

This quote from Wanda struck me while reading it and struck me again reading the prompt. An intense family undoubtedly moves on from the past, but the relationship of a family runs deep within its members. The past is ingrained in all of us, constantly playing the biggest part of what makes us who we are NOW. True, sometimes you may never again see some members of the cast of a show you've been in after closing, but the intense family you built during the run of that show has altered you. Perhaps "moving on" is not a negative idea. Perhaps "moving on" is the unconscious growth that your intense family has affected you with.

Broken for You: chapters 23-34

As humans, mistakes are inevitable. Within a relationship context, mistakes are what progresses a friendship or love. As Stephanie said, the plate with the chip is the one with a story. And relationships are patterned the same way. Most often, the bad times or cracks in a relationship seem to outweigh the good because they propel that relationship to a different level. When you've been through something tough with someone, the connection you have with them is stronger, you're closer.

The only thing I disagree on with Kallos is her statement regarding regret. I like to live my life with no regrets. There is a time for "what if," but if dwelled upon "what if" ideas can control your relationships and your ego. Instead of regret, I believe in second chances and the grace of fellow humans.

broken for you

What strikes me about Kallos’ writing is that she is intrigued by imperfection, in relationships as well as individual people. Both Wanda and Margaret feel a srong need to redeem themselves, yet neither one is likely to change their habits (Wanda’s searching and obsessing, Margaret’s relentless collecting of things) and in a way, their respective stubbornness allows them to recognize it in each other and therefore, within themselves. I am struck by how much Stephanie Kallos’ style reminds meof Margaret Atwood’s, particularly in her desire to tell the stories of searching individuals in an effort to complete what they have left undone in their pasts.

Artopian Seattle

From the minute I read the first paragraph of this article, I knew I didn’t like it. The author’s beginning and ending seem so negative and condescending, while the middle section of quotes from local artists seems to just be full of name dropping and advertisement of their galleries. As I read, I knew who few of the people were and few of the galleries mentioned so all I got out of it was that, according to the quotes, I am to visit those places and know those people to truly understand or to be a better artist. The ending was a slap in the face: “But if artists don’t dream, who will?” The whole thing sounded very backhanded to me.

Big 6

It was so interesting to me to read about the beginnings of the art scene in Pioneer Square, especially since I never knew there were tons of art galleries there. Gordon Woodside and Francine Seders’ stories stood out to me. Founding his gallery with a loan from a friend and borrowing “big name” pieces for his first show, Woodside’s story makes me smile because it is so stereotypically artistic. Francine Seder sounds like an all-around amazing person. Training as a lawyer, moving to the States, working as a librarian, living in the basement of her gallery, it appears that Seder has such an incredible life story and one that shows the power of following her passion. I specifically loved this quote from Francine: “…people are not buying as much as two years ago. That will change because people need art; it’s a necessity and they always come back.”

Veggie Band

Thought you guys might find this interesting because we were talking about weird bands yesterday. These people make instruments out of veggies and then play them...pretty cool.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpfYt7vRHuY

MOORE THEATRE CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION!

The Moore Theatre is celebrating it's 100th year with a vaudeville inspired open house! It's going to be a great party. Completely free including food and drinks. Please come and celebrate 100 years of performing arts at The Moore Theatre with over 25 local performing acts. Please spread the word!

On Stage Billing

Kevin Joyce of Seattle Channel’s Big Night Out as emcee
Hammond B3 Organ
Saint James Cathedral Fanfare
Laura Drake & Joanne Klein perform vaudeville’s Two Woman Act
Joanne Klein belts Sophie Tucker’s Some of These Days
Hallie Kuperman and Century Ballroom dancers perform swing and audience participation
Artis the Spoonman, famous busker plays his faster-than-the-eye-can-track spoons
Sergiy Krutikov of Teatro Zinzanni juggles just about everything
Alicia Murillo of Opera Café, Columbia City Theater sings Rossini and Kurt Weill
Ladies Musical Club presents Helena Emery performing a Jascha Heifetz tribute
Tamara the Trapeze Lady and Quynbi Horton of Columbia City Cabaret dazzle on trapeze ropes
Lily Verlain performs La Vie En Rose
Sydni Deveraux pays vocal tribute to Fats Waller’s Ain’t Misbehavin’
Broadway Bound teens perform two pieces from the musical Dreamgirls
Kara O’Toole dances Pat Graney’s work, Jesus Loves the Little Cowgirls
Totally Tap Kids and Northwest Tap Connection tribute Bill Bojangles and Savion Glover
Michael Matthews on saxophone plays Charlie Parker
HAIR is commemorated through the song Age of Aquarius sing-a-long

The Moore house band rocks out with 40 years of folk and rock featuring:
Benjamin Anderson, Leif & Levi Andersen, Jeff Angell , Nabil Ayers, Zach Davidson, Josh LaBelle, Jeff Rouse, Andrew McKeag, Ty Willman, Victoria Wimer, Kim Virant and guests

Theatre Entrance & Lobby Billing
Ye Olde Carolers on High sing festive Christmas carols
Adam Lee, Balloon Man, sculpts legendary performer balloons
Haruko Nishimura, performs Butoh in the mezzanine arches
Sukuma Avery mystifies patrons with his magic tricks
Shakespeare characters assist in ordering beverages
Pike Place Market Buskers bring home the vaudeville spirit with Carleton Baltimore (paper horn man), Reggie Miles (hand saw & junk guitar) and Slimpickins (rags, country blues & cajun tunes)

RAFFLE DRAWINGS on stage with Randy Hoffmeyer as Jack Benny
Free Food, Drink, Pizza from Tom Douglas' Serious Pie and Sculpted Cake by JW Desserts!

Milk crates, construction cranes, posters, and snow on the mountains

As I walk down the street
Many objects appear in sight.
It was the first morning
I noticed the snow on the
Distant mountains.
Beautiful was the color
White
Amidst the fog
over the water.
I tripped carefully
on a milk crate
on the sidewalk
which broke my trance
and made me notice
the construction cranes
that are endlessly present
in the city.
Building the homes
for the generations before us.
Looking up for a brief moment
the clouds slowly move
towards each other
and a brightly colored poster
on a telephone pole
catches my eye.
It looked like a bird
flying low
But it's just an
advertisement
and I walk on...

Arts Support!

Writing Prompt: What are some of the ways in which the arts are supported in the city of Seattle?

The arts have so much support in the city of Seattle. So much more than I would have thought! Artist Trust is amazing. Everything it does for artists, funding them, providing courses, providing the opportunity for them to share their work with the public and get themselves out there. There is support financially. Work-wise, there is help for artists to get out and be part of the community. Artist Trust is one of the most generous organizations that I have encountered in this class this semester. I feel like this is one of the greatest gifts people who love art could support it.
Jim Tune is also one of those people who helps the arts because he loves it. I like the quote about him and his more organized nature from Donnelly, "He's much more organized and methodical than I am. I'm better at free-falling and landing on my feet; he uses a road map. But with that road map, he really knows the community. People know him and trust him already. With his great track record, everyone just fell in behind him. He knows where all the bodies are buried - and who buried them." It is so important for the arts to have a liason between the organization itself and the corporations who support them. That is who Tune is. He has ArtsFund now, and continues to inspire other organizations in different cities to support the arts.

support for the arts!

I think that the percent-for-art ordinance is awesome! I'm such a huge fan of public art! I just love turning the corner in the middle of a business district and having a sculpture jump out at me. It completely changes the atmoshphere of a place. Downtown Everett used to be pretty bland, and not a very desirable place, but within the last couple years they have started putting a lot more public art out, and it has completely changed my perception of the city. (Everett also has a percent-for-arts ordinance in place).
I was pretty excited to read that Artist Trust also supports arts students through scholarships! Definately must research that more!
I was a little dissapointed with the ArtsFund article, because I feel like I don't have as good of a sense of what that orginization is all about, and the article focused mostly on the CEO.

Support

The city of Seattle gives a percentage of "city capital improvement" funds towards new art. Artist Trust helps local artists with grants and fellowships as well as publishing opportunities for career development and support information. ArtsFund also helps out local artists with money and is currently attempting to expand into Snohomish county and possibly Olympia.

Supporting the Arts

I thought it was really great to read about how much thought goes into the making of public art. When I see a piece of art in a public place, I never really thought about how it got there and why. I would just enjoy it. Now I know that public art projects not only benifit the viewers but the artists themselves. Having public art encourages visual artists to have a voice within thier own city, and also enriches the daily lives of it's people. I really think that setting aside a percentage of money just for public art installations is a great idea, as well as a vital one too.
I also never realized how much Artist Trust did for working artists. For one thing, they help artists make sure that they can stay working. I thought it was interesting just how far thier help reached into different fields, like emergency relief and health care for artists in need. It was also interesting to see how Artist Trust has evolved and not evolved. One example is when people suggested that they support students and teachers as well, but that they decided that the program should still focus on supporting working artists in their art-making.

What's the Mission?

One mission statement that I found quite intriguing--albeit simple-was the one for Book It Repertory Theatre: "a non-profit organization dedicated to transforming great literature into great theatre through simple and sensitive production and to inspiring its audiences to read." I thought that this mission statemnet was so appropriate for what the company accomplishes simply by being loyal to the literature that inspires its productions and its innovative way of narrating the stories. I also thought that it is not to be overlooked that their mission is to inspire a love of books in their audience, as this is a very original idea for a theater company and shows the company's integrity as well as their originality.

Peter Boal

I enjoyed this article and learning about a pioneer in the dance world, since it is indeed a world I don't know very much about but which I find incredibly interesting. I also loved reading about an individual who is taking an art form that gravitates towards tradition and making it "new" again. Because ballet in particular is still very much rooted in the original techniques of its founders, many forget or are unaware that at its beginning, ballet was considered a rogue form of artistic expression--ballet dancers themselves were in a similar realm of society that many actors were in, and it was not a highly respected one. Therefore, I think it is wonderful that someone has made it something controversial again, an art form that can once again challenge society and convention in the present day as it did over a century ago.

Artopian Seattle

Catherine Person's statement that "about 99 percent" of the artists in Seattle are underappreciated is such a universal fact, and something I have spent time agonizing over. Yet she also says that to be an artist is a very courageous endeavor, which is an important notion for everyone to remember.

I felt this article was interesting in that I got see the various opinions of local artists on their preferred mediums, locations, etc., it also felt a bit discombobulated since I am not a native of this city, and I have little to base their opinions on.

FINAL PORTFOLIO

Your assessment in Integrated Studies is based on a portfolio of your writing throughout the semester. Your portfolio is a neatly organized collection of the following items:

Formal writing assignments:
o Memoir (draft and revision)
o Artist Profile (draft and revision)
o Artist Statement (draft and revision)

Informal writing assignments:
o Olympic Sculpture Park – description
o Seattle Arts Questionnaire
o “Bioregional Thinking” – blog entry
o “The Real West Marginal Way” – blog entry
o Memoir – pre-writing exercises
o “I am from . . .” poem
o “The Big Six: Seattle’s Longest Lasting Art Dealers” – blog entry
o “Sweet Home” – blog entry
o “From Kobe to Broadway” – blog entry
o “Artopian Seattle” – blog entry
o “Profile: Peter Boal” – blog entry
o “Sound Artist Trimpin” – blog entry
o interview questions
o Frye Art Museum – response
o Broken for You, chapters 1-10 – blog entry
o Broken for You, chapters 11-22 – blog entry
o Broken for You, chapters 23-34 – blog entry
o “What’s the Mission?” – blog entry
o “Arts Pump $330 Million into Seattle Economy” – blog entry
o “Public Art,” “The Artist Trust Story,” “ArtsFund CEO Playing a New Tune” – blog entry

When you have assembled and organized your written work, read through it and reflect on the work you’ve done this semester.

(1)
· Select three examples of your informal writing that represent your best reflections on readings, your strongest writing, or class activities/exercises that you found particularly useful or meaningful.
· Write a short reflective memo on these examples of your informal writing. (Why did you choose these specific pieces? What of yourself do you see in these entries? What do they demonstrate about your thinking, growth, or abilities?)

(2)
· Select one example of your formal writing that represents what you consider to be your strongest work.
· Write a short reflective memo explaining why you chose this piece. (What “works” in this piece? Is your voice is present in the writing? What does this piece demonstrate about your growth and development?)

(3)
· Select one example of your formal writing that represents growth in your process of writing.
· Compare the first draft and the revised draft of this piece.
· Describe the process you went through in revising this piece. (What are the differences between the two drafts? Why did you make the changes you did? How did your changes improve the piece?)

(4)
· Make a list of ten things you’ve learned this semester. These may relate to Seattle artists and arts organizations, specific course readings, or places we’ve visited in field study; things you’ve learned about reading, discussing, analyzing, interviewing, or writing; and discoveries you’ve made about your own process of learning.

(5)
· Reflect on your overall growth and development during the semester.
· Write a self-appraisal of your work this semester. Discuss challenges you’ve faced, progress you’ve made, and specific skills and knowledge you’ve developed. Identify specific areas in which you need/want to improve going forward.


Organize your portfolio as follows:

. List of ten things you’ve learned this semester.
. Self-appraisal.
. Reflective memo on selected informal writing.
. Three selected examples of informal writing.
. Reflective memo on strongest formal writing.
. Strongest example of formal writing.
. Reflective memo on process of revision.
. Selected first draft and revised draft.
. Remaining informal writing.
. Remaining formal writing.