Public Art – Page 4 – Test News Blog

Studio Wowhaus selected to create artworks for Delridge RapidRide

Open house with the artists
Wednesday, January 17, 2018, 5:30 – 7 p.m.
Youngstown Cultural Arts Center
4408 Delridge Way SW, Room 111
Seattle, WA 98106

Walk and Talk with the artists
Thursday, January 18, 2018, 3:30 p.m.
NW corner of Delridge Way SW and Henderson

The Office of Arts & Culture (ARTS), in partnership with Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT), selected artists Ene Osteraas-Constable and Scott Constable of Studio Wowhaus to create a permanent, site-specific artwork as part of the corridor improvements that will occur with the implementation of RapidRide, Line H along Delridge Way SW. Upgrades to Metro Route 120 into the RapidRide H Line include adding more buses, upgrading to Metro RapidRide bus stops, improving sidewalks and paths, and the incorporation of a new public artwork.

As part of their artistic process, artists Ene Osteraas-Constable and Scott Constable will solicit feedback from residents through a variety of community conversations and walks along the corridor. On Wednesday, January 17, 2018 from 5:30 -7 pm, at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center, the artists will be participating in an open house/drop in session prior to the Delridge Neighborhood District Council. This is an opportunity for members of the public to learn more about the project from SDOT representatives and meet the artists. In addition, on Thursday, January 18, the artists will be leading a walk and talk in order to learn more about the neighborhood; anyone interested in participating should gather at 3:30 pm at the NW corner of Delridge Way SW and Henderson.

Studio Wowhaus has a depth of experience working on transportation and right-of-way projects, and has a passion for community engagement. Past artworks incorporate feedback from multi-audience engagement, and provide visibility to vehicular traffic and up-close interest/interactivity for pedestrians. To learn more about the project, please visit: https://www.seattle.gov/transportation/projects-and-programs/programs/transit-program/rapid-ride/delridge-rapidride

Prior to joining Wowhaus, Ene Osteraas-Constable worked as an educational multimedia writer and producer for Paramount Publishing. The recipient of two Creative Work Fund Grants as well as an Oakland Individual Artist’s grant, Osteraas-Constable received her BFA from the University of Massachusetts. She was the first Program Coordinator for the Edible Schoolyard, contributing to the establishment of the seminal organic gardening and cooking program founded by Alice Waters. A native New Yorker, her work is also informed by her time in New York City at the Public Art Fund, co-producing the Greenwich Village Halloween Parade, and producing the Bryant Park Festival.

Scott Constable is the founder and principal of Wowhaus, a multi-disciplinary art/design collaborative whose award-winning work over the past two decades spans public art, social practice, architecture and furniture design. Constable is also the founder and author of Deep Craft, a popular web blog that draws from his ongoing craft-based research and observation. Constable has taught and lectured at diverse schools and institutions, including the California College of the Arts, where he was the 2010 Wornick Distinguished Professor of Wood Arts. He has been artist in residence at Grizedale Arts, Mildred’s Lane, and the Kohler Arts Center, and has been awarded many honors and distinctions, including an Investing in Artists Grant from the Center for Cultural Innovation. A native of Philadelphia’s Main Line, Constable studied at the Rhode Island School of Design and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where he earned his degree with a concentration in Sculpture/Generative Systems.

This project is funded through SDOT 1% for Art funding.

Image: SPARK: 3 of 4 Mosaic Murals, 2012,
Commissioned by: Chabot College, Hayward, CA
Site: Chabot College Observatory
Media: Iridescent glass, glass, mirror, grout
4 murals, each 10’h x 12’w
Symbolizing the spark of inspiration, creativity & insight fostered through education at the college, this artwork evokes the cosmos & spirit of scientific inquiry. Mirrored glass & iridescent glass catch the sunlight & cast colored light patterns on passerby.

Artist Peter Reiquam selected to create public artwork for SPU Drainage and Wastewater South Operations Center

The Office of Arts & Culture (ARTS), in partnership with Seattle Public Utilities (SPU), has selected Peter Reiquam to create a permanent, outdoor, site-specific artwork as part of the new SPU Drainage and Wastewater South Operations Center to be located at 4500 W Marginal Way S. SPU Drainage and Wastewater employees clean and repair the City’s sewer and drainage systems, investigate waterway pollution, provide emergency response to storm events and natural disasters and more. The new center will increase SPU’s operational efficiencies while providing closer proximity to service areas.

Peter Reiquam creates artwork that responds directly to the history, culture and current use of the site location. Often balancing humor with elegance, his work is large scale, recognizable and frequently serves as a meaningful site marker.

Since earning an MFA in sculpture from Yale University in 1984, Peter Reiquam has primarily focused on creating interactive, site-specific installations in response to the history, culture and surrounding landscape of the site.

This project is funded through SPU 1% for Art funding.

Image: HIT OR MISS 2015
Pierce County Skills Center, Puyallup, WA
An iconic, interactive, freestanding sculpture, Hit or Miss represents the most basic of tools and by extension all of the specialized tools used in the various programs taught at the Skills Center.
Powder-coated aluminum, stainless steel
15′ x 10′ x 10′
Washington State Arts Commission and Bethel School District

Historic Georgetown Steam Plant powers graphic novel

Artist team David Lasky and Mairead Case selected to create novel

The Seattle Office of Arts & Culture (ARTS), in partnership with Seattle City Light has selected David Lasky and Mairead Case to create a fictionalized graphic novel about the historic Georgetown Steam Plant.

Built in 1906, the Georgetown Steam Plant advanced industrial architecture in its time through the early use of reinforced concrete employed on a massive scale. The steam plant was the result of forward-thinking in its turbine generator design that greatly increased power generation capability across the nation, and in turn influenced modern power generators. This project offers the opportunity to bring Seattle history to life, as demonstrated through the development and use of this building.

“We are thrilled to have David Lasky and Mairead Case create a story grounded in the experiences of the people and significance of the steam plant’s history,” says Lynn Best, Chief Environmental Officer Seattle City Light. “Their narrative will reach beyond Seattle and will tell the story of the historic plant as it transitions from retirement into a fully realized cultural space.”

West elevation exterior of engine room.
The Georgetown Steam Turbine Station, built in 1906 is now a National Historic Landmark. The plant is owned by Seattle City Light and has been working to restore the plant. It is open for tours the second Saturday of each month and is occasionally used as a teaching facility for steam power engineers and hobbyists.

Lasky and Case will write and illustrate a compelling fictionalized graphic novel that incorporates aspects of the Georgetown Steam Plant’s history. Lasky will serve as the illustrator and bring his skill as a comic book artist with fine art sensibilities. Case, serving as the writer, will develop storylines that bring in historical information with a fictionalized narrative to ignite wonder and joy about this special building. Both have works previously published including Carter Family: Don’t Forget This Song, by Frank Young and David Lasky and See you in the Morning by Mairead Case.

Lasky and Case were selected from an open call inviting comic writers, artists, and illustrator teams from Washington, Oregon, Idaho and British Columbia to apply. Seventy-one applications were reviewed by a selection panel that included Taneka Stotts, editor, comics artist, and creator of award winning anthologies; Kelly Froh, comics artist and co-founder of Short Run Comics and Arts Festival; and Larry Reid, Fantagraphics Bookstore Manager and President of the Georgetown Merchants Association.

The team will begin work immediately with in-depth research. As part of the project, they will be sharing progress throughout the next year in a combination of online updates on their blog at SteamPlantGraphicNovel and in-person events.

The finished book will be printed and made available free of charge through regional libraries, museums, and schools in 2019. The Georgetown Steam Plant graphic novel is commissioned by the Office of Arts & Culture and is funded by Seattle City Light 1% for Art funds.

Image: Photo of the Georgetown Steam Plan, by Ben Benschneider. Illustration: Single Girl panel from Carter Family: Don’t Forget this Song by Frank Young and David Lasky

beyond BorderLands: a weekend of artist conversations at King Street Station

303 S. Jackson St., Top Floor, Seattle, WA 98104

Photo by Sunny Martini

BorderLands explores the concepts of belonging and resistance throughout the third floor of King Street Station with 2D- and 3D works from the City’s collection and immersive installations. The exhibition is free and open to the public, and is accompanied by a range of related programming including lectures, performances, and engagement activities on Saturdays through the run of the show, a schedule is available at seattle.gov/arts/borderlands

Saturday, October 7, 2017, 2 – 5 p.m.
BorderLands Community Response Center
Admission is free, RSVP here

The BorderLands Community Response Center will be an afternoon of workshops, discussions, art-making, and healing led by artist Pedro Lasch at King Street Station with representatives from regional artists and community organizations including:

21 Progress
Black Prisoners Caucus
artist Marita Dingus – healing through doll-making
artist Henry Luke – protest sign-making
NW Immigrant Rights Project
Red Eagle Soaring

Sunday, October 8, 2017, 3 – 6 p.m.
Artist Talk, and performance
Admission is free, RSVP here

The afternoon will include an artist talk by Pedro Lasch, a 20X20 presentation by local artists and a performance of Abstract Nationalism curated by Evan Flory-Barnes. Artist presentations will be followed by a community celebration.

20X20 presentations by:

Humaira Abid
Anida Yoeu Ali
C. Davida Ingram
Deborah Lawrence
Ries Niemi
Carina del Rosario
Brenetta Ward
Inye Wokoma