Art Interruptions 2018
The Office of Arts & Culture (ARTS), in partnership with the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT), has selected seven emerging public artists to create temporary art installations in the Rainier Valley Greenway. These works will be part of Art Interruptions, a project connecting neighborhoods through art. Working with SDOT and ARTS, selected artists will design and develop a series of small-scale temporary artworks to be installed on city-owned infrastructure (e.g., signal boxes, utility poles, railings, street trees, etc., or private property) from August 2018 through July 2020.
On October 5, 2019, we held a walk to see the art and meet the artists. The interactive map below shows where each artist's piece was located.
About the Artists and Artworks
Snapshots of the Neighborhood
Lana Blinderman
Lana Blinderman tells stories of buildings and neighborhoods through photography and photo-based art. To celebrate Rainier Beach, Brighton, and Dunlap, Lana sought out these neighborhoods' places of meaning and beauty both through community input and her own observations. Rather than photographing the places in a formal documentary style, she created large banners resembling instant snapshots of buildings, parks, staircases, trails, and street corners, with text on every image looking like do-it-yourself industrial labeling tape.
Lana shot the photos using a mobile phone camera and printed them on instant film using Universal Instant Lab. The images vary in color depending on the type of instant film used, from traditional color to duochrome (two-color). The resulting physical photographs were scanned to create the final banners. Four larger banners can be seen at the intersection of S Othello & S 45th Street, and several smaller ones - along the Greenway on S 45th Street.
Beeline to Dinner
Isobel Davis
Through Beeline to Dinner, Isobel Davis engages the public on the topic of interdependency and connection around food ecology. She hopes to inspire a broader awareness on what pollinators mean to food production around the world, how connected the process is to our mealtime, while concurrently celebrating the broad diversity of food traditions rooted in Seattle's Rainier Valley. The unfolding narrative includes drawings of pollinators, flowers, portraits of fruits and vegetables reliant on insect pollination, and finally, a sampling of culturally relevant dishes they make. Her artwork is transferred to vinyl, adhered to a 6" aluminum paint can lid hung on fences along the greenway from Rainier Playfield to Othello Park. Additionally, Isobel is bringing the community together to contribute to a recipe booklet and potluck food-tasting picnic sometime after installation.
Utopia
Angie Hinojos Yusuf
Community gardens, p-patches, and private gardens are vibrant spaces where people come together to share knowledge and food. Inspired by the contributions of senior-aged gardeners, Angie Hinojos Yusuf created portrait banners of gardeners with personalized graphic backgrounds highlighting their most-loved plants and vegetables."Utopia refers to the physical gardens they create as well as the peace and joy that senior-aged gardeners experience while nurturing their gardens. The portraits are a way to acknowledge our senior gardeners and thank them for the gift of cultivated green spaces in the community.
A Path of Wonderment & Connection
Karey Kessler
Karey Kessler created a series of colorful street graphics that include both imagery from her map art and also phrases that she wrote about connection and wonderment. She had these phrases translated into the six languages most frequently used in Rainier Valley: English, Spanish, Tagalog, Vietnamese, Mandarin, and Amharic. She also had the phrases translated into the Duwamish language, Lushootseed, which was spoken in the valley long before any other languages were spoken there. Karey will install these street graphics on the sidewalks and some of the wheel stops along 46th Avenue between S. Kenyon Street and S. Cloverdale. The colorful graphics and phrases about the connection will provide moments of unexpected delight and contemplation to those who pass by.
Poles of Unity
Lawrence Pitre
Lawrence Pitre's Poles of Unity reflect the historical and present day cultures within the Rainier Valley. The symbols and images created represent specific aspects within a culture. The intent behind the Poles of Unity is to recognize the diversity and cultural richness which has made the Rainier Valley one of the most diverse communities in Seattle
Going Places - Rainier Valley
Susan Ringstad Emery
Susan Ringstad Emery created five decorated recycled wheels to highlight environmental responsibility, alternative transportation, and feature symbols for different features of Rainier Valley. A wheel with woven cedar strips highlights the indigenous people of the greater Puget Sound region, the weaving was a community project at a weaving workshop at Tulalip Hibulb Center, and some cedar was a gift from elder Keeta Sheldon; An iridescent painted fish spotlights the safe near-shore salmon habitat and history of fisheries of the Duwamish Tribe; A green garden pea showcases the food innovation of the neighborhood; Blue waves showcase the water and marine history of Rainier Valley; Red hearts signify unity amongst people and proud diversity of the area. Along with the decorated wheels, colorfully painted rocks with related symbols are placed on the ground plane at random places along the greenway to delight viewers with the surprise of discovery.
Feast
Miya Sukune
Miya Sukune's Feast is a series based on the comfort foods of Rainier Valley. The goal of this series is to illustrate the many cultures residing in the Rainier Valley area through the food available and enjoyed by residents. Featured items include bun rieu (Vietnamese crab vermicelli noodles), camel milk (African drink) and elote (Mexican roast corn.) These food medallions are cut from aluminum metal and colorfully painted, providing a visual playfulness and creating surprises along the Rainier Valley Greenway.