Free Reading

The Last Best Place

You are invited to a one-time, free, first-time public reading of a new theatrical documentary, the collaboration of anthropologist Sara Jo Breslow and theater artist Todd Jefferson Moore, performed by Mr. Moore with video by Thomas Ager, will take place

Monday, 7 pm, January 28
at the Capitol Hill Arts Center
1621 - 12th Ave., Seattle, WA

In 1999 stocks of Puget Sound Chinook and Coho salmon are listed as “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act. The listing galvanizes efforts by federal, state and tribal agencies to restore the fish’s freshwater habitat. This action to “Save the Salmon” threatens another popular cause: “Save Our Farmland.” A young anthropologist inadvertently becomes mired in this community of competing forces and attempts to figure it out. Seattleites are passionate about wild-caught salmon, farm fresh food, and high-speed wireless Internet. But we rarely consider how these mainstays of our lives and identities are produced in our city’s hinterlands - those rural river valleys spilling off the Cascades. We rarely observe how the production of what we love converges there, sometimes incompatibly. How often do we pause to consider that fingerlings migrating out of the Skagit River make up a full third of Puget Sound’s salmon population; that Skagit farms – formerly Chinook salmon nursery grounds - produce an increasing share of our local fruits and vegetables; that Skagit River dams generate thirty percent of our city’s electric power? While we worry about declining fish runs and dwindling farmland, do we truly understand how we are all connected? Verbatim interviews taken from Ms. Breslow’s anthropological study form the text of The Last Best Place.

Sara Jo Breslow is an Anthropology Ph.D candidate at the University of Washington and has been conducting interviews with a wide range of people living and working in the Skagit Valley.

Todd Jefferson Moore is a Seattle actor. His previous theatre documentaries include In the Heart of the Wood; The Killing Jar; The Professor, the Puppet and the Execution; and Cars, Driving, People.

Thomas Ager is an award-winning, multi-disciplinary Seattle artist. His artworks are in private and institutional collections throughout the USA and he has over two decades of experience in theater.

For more info: 725-5695 or CHAC at 388-0569

You're Invited!

Barbara De Pirro
Painter, Photographer, Sculpture, Mixed Media Artist, and Golden Acrylics Educator
A two-hour educational presentation on acrylic as a medium

Thursday February 7, 2008
11:30- 1:30
Painting Studio, 602

The Painting and Drawing Departments warmly invites the entire Cornish Community to attend this event!

Sign up in the painting lab by January 31st for free samples
Seats are limited and will be on a first come, first served basis.

(Check out Barbara DePirro's work at www.depirro.com.)

Response Paper #1

Due: Wednesday, January 16

1. Read “Skid Road: An Informal Portrait of Seattle” by Murray Morgan in Reading Seattle (pages 65-72). As you read, take notes in the margin, note questions, underline ideas of interest, and look up unfamiliar words and references.

2. Jot down notes in response to the following questions (and be ready to discuss them in class):
· What elements of Seattle’s geography and history does Murray Morgan emphasize?
· Morgan describes businessmen in downtown Seattle—in a landscape that had formerly been full of Douglas fir and Western Red Cedar trees—gazing west upon the forests on the Olympic Peninsula. Does this description seem to fit? Why or why not?
· What is the origin of the name for Alki Point?
· What are the names of the ships that Morgan mentions? What makes these ships famous?
· What is Skid Road, and how is it important to Seattle’s history?

3. Consider the portrait of Seattle that Murray Morgan paints. How does it relate to your own experience of the city?

4. Imagine that you are writing a letter to a friend who has never been to Seattle before. How would you describe the city as you have experienced it?

5. Brainstorm a list of the people, landmarks, geographical elements, weather, activities, and events that reflect your experience of Seattle. Be as specific as possible. Include relevant street names, bus routes, restaurants, shops, friends, songs, sayings, sights, sounds, etc.

6. Freewrite your own portrait of Seattle. (Limit:15 minutes.)

7. Read what you’ve written and circle, underline, or otherwise mark the word choices you like, the images that are most compelling, the examples that are most vivid, etc.

8. Using your freewrite as the basis, write a brief (1 - 1½ pages) portrait of Seattle.

9. Read what you’ve written and evaluate:
· Does the portrait accurately depict your view of Seattle?
· Are your word choices strong? Are the images specific?
· Are your ideas clearly expressed?

10. Revise as needed.

11. Proofread your revised draft. (It may be helpful to exchange papers with a classmate.) Correct errors of spelling, grammar, and punctuation.

12. Save a copy of the paper on your computer, and print a copy to bring to class. (Your paper should be double-spaced, with one-inch margins. At the top of the page, please include your name, the date, “Seattle Arts Ecology,” and “Response Paper #1.”)

Spring Semester in SAE

Welcome back to the Seattle Arts Ecology for the Spring!

Please note that there is one new text book--THE LURE OF THE LOCAL by Lucy R. Lippard--which is available at University Bookstore as well as at amazon.com. (Used copies available.)

There is a new course reader which is available at Perfect Copy, at the corner of Broadway and John on Capitol Hill.

We will continue to work with READING SEATTLE: THE CITY IN PROSE.

Please pick up the new text book and course reader asap. Looking forward to seeing you soon!
~ Chris

THANKS FOR A GREAT SEMESTER!

Thanks, everybody, for a great semester! See you in January.

Best,

Chris

Peter Boal

I think reading this profile was an eye opener for me.  I thought i was really cool the way he said that he wanted people to not only support his productions but all the dance going on through out seattle.  That is something that takes great respect for him to say, it also gives him that image to other dancers through out the area.  It is great to hear someone that is not only thinking about himself and his productions but is opening himself and his productions up to respecting other companys in the area.

Artopian Seattle

I love hearing about the great art in Seattle!  It is so amazing the things you can find in this city, it is so great to know that you are a striving artist surrounded my millions of resources right at your fingertips.  It is such an awesome thing to be at cornish right in the middle of the art world around me.  It is good to know that there are things out there for me when i graduate.  The time and effort it takes to make these things possible is something that most people don't care about and it is great to be surrounded by people that support you.

Artopian Seattle

I love hearing about the great art in Seattle!  It is so amazing the things you can find in this city, it is so great to know that you are a striving artist surrounded my millions of resources right at your fingertips.  It is such an awesome thing to be at cornish right in the middle of the art world around me.  It is good to know that there are things out there for me when i graduate.  The time and effort it takes to make these things possible is something that most people don't care about and it is great to be surrounded by people that support you.

From Kobe to Broadway

I think it is so great to hear about someone that went to Cornish that can speak so highly about her education that she recieved.  It really gives me the confidence and motivation so succeed here at Cornish.  I think it is great that this girl gave it her everything to do what she really loved.  She never stopped trying, that really shows the heart it takes to accomplish your goals.  I think it was incredible to see the changes she made to go to Cornish.  She must have had to make such sacrafices to make this new life style work for her.  I think that is amazing, just goes to show that if you put your mind to what you want...you can always accomplish your goals.

Sweet Home

I remember when we were talking about this in class, the sense of home.  I really thought about it and questioned myself as to were my sense of home really is and what that means.  This piece or writing also really made me think about my "sweet home".  I definently agree to the sense of place that they talk about, it being a virtual immersion that depends on lived experience.  I have not been in Seattle for very long but somehow the college experience doesn't necisarly mean that seattle is my home.  I always say that i am from my hometown, but am I anymore?  My drivers license is from there, i am not a Washington resident.  But I feel like it is the time in my life were i need to call Seattle my home, i do live here, i want to live here for awhile, i will be here for another 3 years atleast, why isn't it my home?  I think i will always classify my parents home my home.  It is really hard for me to really signify were I am from, home to me can be multiple places.

The big six

Reading this really opened my eyes to the art dealing industry (0bviously because that is what it is about).  I did not know that Seattle had such a huge history of the art community, and it has been changing and growing every year...getting better and better.  I think it is really neat that people give so much to the industry and really devote themselves to making it happen.  It takes alot of time, devotion, and money to make it work, the people that give themselves to this should be recognized more often.  It is really amazing that it all started out so small but without the help and devotion of these people it would not be nearly as big as it is now.  Striving artists are given a chance in these art industry's and that is really incredible.

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!