Washblog || PUBLIC ART and public art

PUBLIC ART and public art

By dinazina
Wed Oct 10, 2007 at 10:50:18 AM PST
Section: Diary Topic: Alternative and Community Media

After many years of community input, artistic design and innovation, White Center proudly presented "Blue Sky Baskets", a bronze sculpture, against a backdrop of chilly rain.

The sculpture was created by local artists Judith and Daniel Caldwell. Based on Pacific Northwest Native American shapes and designs, "Blue Sky Baskets" was influenced by local residents and youth who designed the bronze "luggage tags' placed on the basket pillars, to represent where they've visited or immigrated from.

I imagine, like me, you find some public art is highly pleasing, and other examples you consider an eyesore inflicted on passersby. I like this one. Pictures below:

The "Delridge Triangle" at the intersection of 16th Avenue SW, Delridge, and Roxbury, the city line, isn't even a "postage stamp park" - it's half a postage stamp. Yet as the gateway to the White Center Community in West Seattle, it's been beautifully landscaped and features a tall flagpole as a tribute to local Veterans.

At this intersection, the legend goes, Mr. White and Mr. Green tossed a coin to determine the community's name. Mr. White won, but the community is far from white, being the most diverse in the Seattle area.

It's also been nicknamed "Rat City." The irrepressible grrl skaters called "Rat City Rollers" have embraced the name.

Aileen Balahadia of White Center CDA and sculpture artist Judith Caldwell.

Dozens of "travel tags" invite neighborly story-swapping.

Who funded the art? The city's "Neighborhood Matching Fund," Starbucks, Washington State Arts Commission and the White Center Community Development Association .

After the chilly dedication and ribbon-cutting ceremony, the friendly folks at Triangle Pub served up a complimentary lunch, including tasty veggie burgers.

Marissa (in the dark hoodie) directs a "Youth Media" group in White Center, encouraging young people to create original materials.

At a recent public safety meeting, she showed us a video made by a local youth who spoke proudly and defensively of White Center, objecting to labels he often hears: it's a "bad neighborhood" hosting criminals, druggies, prostitutes and delinquent gangs.

Then, Marissa told us she recently had to move the "Youth Media" offices because they were broken into twice in three weeks, and expensive equipment was stolen. She'd like to return to White Center, but they haven't found a suitable location. How unfortunate...

Maybe I should offer a short graphics workshop for the kids, including a gentle suggestion: novelty fonts are great fun, but when used as a text font, sometimes create legibility problems.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Smooth segue:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Just on the north side of Roxbury, three artists have invented Highland Park Arts, meant to encourage all our neighbors to be creative doers as well as spectators.

Our first event is a COLLAGE workshop, Saturday, October 20th.

Even if you're outside of our neighborhood, we invite you to attend...we're easy.

If you get hooked on making stuff, it's a healthier addiction than TV, albeit messier.

At the Blue Sky Baskets event, I met Patricia Lopez of the City Department of Neighborhoods. She asked me to meet with her, so she could show me how to apply for a grant from the city for Highland Park Arts, "Small Sparks".

"Small Sparks is a unique program designed to encourage community members, who may not be involved in neighborhood activity, to use their personal interest and creativity to do something fun and beneficial in the neighborhood. Small Sparks organizers involve new people in their neighborhood project. Small Sparks projects are intended to ignite imagination, create community, and make a difference in neighborhoods across the City."

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PUBLIC ART and public art | 11 comments (11 topical)

Beautiful post!

And beautiful art.

Art makes a public space into something that is, socially, very different, more welcoming -- easier to feel a connection with the place and other people. In this case... easier to feel the connection with other places as well.

I feel that way, too (though with a different flavor) in parks that have pea patches or other elements of creativity/ shared commmunity projects.

Somehow all the reminders of where people have travelled in this art piece, seem to make the little part it appears in all that more 'local' -- and all that more grand...

I wish I could go to your collage workshop.

by noemie maxwell on Wed Oct 10, 2007 at 08:12:21 PM PST

* 1 none 0 *

Look forward to and enjoy Dina's picture stories

cause sometimes I'm still a child at heart and I like picture stories, I like visuals to go with the words.

Btw,in the poll, I put the response about punished for drawing on the walls. So I was more into being a danceur type artist until I discovered that I could paint on a canvas and create a picture -- all by myself, even, so I found another aspect of my artiste self.

And this damnable war in Iraq has forced me to sharpen my writing skills - that's art too, right, writing? Oh, blogging doesn't count you say ... too bad. Oh well, (as she leaves singing a sing song), I still like picture stories.

General Paul Eaton video, May 2007If Pres. Bush Won't Listen, Congress Must

by Lietta Ruger on Thu Oct 11, 2007 at 11:52:20 AM PST

* 2 none 0 *

Thanks for this feedback~ by dinazina, 10/12/2007 07:27:20 AM PST (none / 0)

Wow, a compliment for a compliment by Lietta Ruger, 10/15/2007 10:47:07 PM PST (none / 0)

Art Saves Lives

I love (civic) public art. I also love (personal) public art. Walking or peddling through the Greenwood, Crown Hill, and Ballard neighborhoods, back and forth to work, it's remarkable how many homes have art, architectural details, interesting gardens, benches, etc., to enjoy.

I was thinking that a "neighborhood found art" exhibit would be cool.

The Frye Art Museum currently has two exhibits that I really enjoyed:

Hug: Recent Work by Patricia Piccinini is genius, beautiful and disturbing. Here's an image of the sculpture The Embrace:

The Piccini exhibit is probably my favorite since the NSK show a few years ago. (Excepting Trimpin's Kloppen, a sculpture, musical instrument, and composition in the style Trimpin's known for.)

And I really enjoyed Yvonne Twining Humber: Modern Painter, especially her earliest works, like Business District:

I try to visit Frye at least every 3 months, because there's always something new to see.

by zappini on Thu Oct 11, 2007 at 01:29:42 PM PST

* 3 none 0 *

Great Sticker Thingyies ! the poles with

the baskets ...

really miss me. why ...

like why make it, why put it anywhere, why look at it, why spend time on it, ...

they did some weird poles in downtown ballard with ... some weird things at the top

everytime I look at them I think - they're still there? shit - when are they going to put up something that will provide some shade in the summer and some protection from rain the other 10 months and LOOK nice?

I feel like this pole thingyie art stuff is meant to show off someone's huge pile of art degrees

when lots of people look at something and think

'that sucks'

uh ... what IS the point of the multiple dense paragraphs that seem to accompany this kind of stuff explaining how the basket ties to the lore of some clique of avant garde multi post anti modern retro whoevers?

oh, they got paid, and they have to justify the grant.

whatever people want to put in their houses and whatever they want to pay for is their business, I just like public art that isn't so freaking weird.

bob.

http://www.liemail.com/BambooGrassroots.html

by rmdSeaBos on Sun Oct 14, 2007 at 08:38:32 AM PST

* 5 none 0 *

Thanks for your trademark candor! by dinazina, 10/14/2007 01:33:37 PM PST (none / 0)

Might end up a place to put a negotiating table... by m3047, 10/17/2007 11:20:26 PM PST (none / 0)

Some Hut Is Trodden... by m3047, 10/17/2007 11:17:18 PM PST (none / 0)
No Links by zappini, 10/18/2007 11:16:54 AM PST (none / 0)

I hear those tiles at the Pike Place Market...

... aren't so permanent. Don't have your loved-ones' ashes embedded in them or something.... you know, a permanent memorial. Nice funding source though.... and did you get a share of voting stock?

by m3047 on Wed Oct 17, 2007 at 11:23:53 PM PST

* 10 none 0 *

PUBLIC ART and public art | 11 comments (11 topical)

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