I can't
get rid of graffiti in the whole city, but I can keep my two little areas clean.
Some claim it’s art, others say vandalism, a surge in
graffiti has the city taking action and residents can help.
It's such a great time to explore and to learn. Children's Film Festival
Seattle is the largest of its kind on the West Coast.
Learn how you can take it all in.
I put you on a small rock now.
Small rock and talk.
And a former president caters to a younger audience after leaving office.
These stories and more next on CityStream.
Hi, I'm Tatevik Aprikyan
welcome to CityStream from the Northwest Film Forum.
This is home to Children's Film Festival, Seattle,
a showcase of the finest international cinema for young audiences.
since 2005.
This festival has used film to champion racial equity,
diversity and social justice related to pressing issues of the day.
Much more on the film festival just ahead.
We begin with something we've all probably noticed driving around town,
the surge of graffiti along the freeways on signs and buildings.
Mayor Bruce Harrell has noticed, too.
And the city is responding with a comprehensive new plan to clean up
graffiti.
And volunteers can join the abatement efforts too.
You know, half hour an hour.
I come over and paint out the new stuff and it's less and less
because they're getting tired of getting their things painted over.
I guess.
Once or twice a month.
Long time Wallingford resident Denise Chase grabs a paint roller
from her basement and hits the streets of Seattle, cleaning up graffiti.
Chase loves calling Seattle home, but is heartbroken
to see graffiti overshadow the city's beauty.
When she sees a problem, Chase says she lives her life
choosing to be part of the solution.
So many people felt like they couldn't do anything.
They were paralyzed because it was so bad.
And so I can't get rid of graffiti in the whole city,
but I can keep my two little areas clean.
It all started with picking up litter at Woodland Park, where she often comes
for walks and brings her granddaughter on one of those walks.
She noticed the graffiti.
There's the profanity.
There's the anti-Semitic.
There are things that this path we're going to go up to leads to the zoo.
And there's families and little children.
And I have a grandchild, and I want her to be able to go to the zoo and enjoy
rolling in the leaves and not be looking
at litter and garbage and graffiti.
Chase says she'd
watch as city workers cleaned up the areas and then they'd get tagged again.
Sometimes the very next day.
It's all that bubble stuff.
There's one fella that really likes his name and he writes his name over and over.
So she decided to pigeon painting this bridge with that
classic gray we see on our freeways and city walls.
So this used to be tagged almost as soon as I painted it, and it's not anymore.
So this like I said, it's been over a month since I've been here
and there's been no tagging.
So it's been really is really nice.
It seems like we've come to some agreement because the graffiti artists
are not painting this out anymore and I'm leaving this for them.
You're bringing volunteers and the city together.
Her volunteer efforts were recognized by Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell last fall
when he held a press conference
announcing his new one Seattle Graffiti plan to tackle the problem
and invited Chase to illustrate how residents can help.
A day would be wasted if we didn't recognize, we want to hand you this.
This is a our one Seattle service award to Denise Chase.
Harrell says the writing was on the wall to create a comprehensive new approach
to clean up graffiti that brings together all agencies involved businesses
and residents.
A 50% increase in graffiti since 2019.
That's 20,000.
I'll repeat that number 20,000 reports of tags and graffiti vandalism.
But quite frankly, you don't need statistics to see
what's happening in Seattle.
Nearly 70% of reported or discovered graffiti is on city property.
Seattle Public Utilities, Parks and Rec, and SDOT are all working on the problem.
They need more resources as the surge in graffiti has outpaced abatement efforts.
Last summer alone WSDOT the department
in charge of the freeways, cleaned up graffiti on I-5 up to seven times.
The tagging is repetitive and overwhelming.
It's often unsafe for crews to reach areas
taggers hit like overpass that would require road closures to clean up.
The department says they're also short staffed.
There are 100 vacancies in maintenance and the need for specialized equipment
has a lot to do with how much they can take on.
We also have
challenges in tunnel paint, which is reflective
to brighten the tunnel and provide safety to the traveling public.
When that needs repainting, that requires specialized paint as well.
The mayor's plan has several key pillars, in addition to better collaboration
with different departments and funding, they'll be working with Seattle Police
and the City Attorney's office to bolster enforcement.
It didn't happen overnight,
and we're not going to be able to resolve this overnight.
Adiam Emery with the mayor's office says another main component of this one
Seattle graffiti plan is art, encouraging artistic expression
instead of graffiti around the city to deter taggers and inspire
those who want to share their talents in constructive ways.
All those retaining walls, which I considered to be a canvas, it's an asset
that we can pivot the narrative of like what we want to see on those spaces.
If we're left empty,
like the way you see it going down the freeway, people are going to tag it.
If we put in a mural that's like speaks to everyone
and brings our voice and our value within the city.
People have a tendency
not to tag those things because it's a creation of an artist.
That's that's my understanding.
Graffiti origins date back to ancient times.
Archeologists say more than 5000 tags of graffiti
have been found in the ancient Roman city of Pompeii.
Tags back then are still what we see now,
mostly names, messages, drawings and quotes.
Modern graffiti in the U.S.
started in the late sixties and seventies in New York, when people would spray
paint names or images on the sides of buildings and subway trains.
The boundaries of artistic expression and vandalism are still often blurred.
Here in Seattle
Chase says it's going to take everyone to redraw the lines.
It takes government, takes individuals, takes nonprofit.
And so if we can all work together,
then we have a chance of really making a difference.
A difference
she's passionate about making one stroke at a time.
I just want my granddaughter to have the city that I know was here
many, many years ago when I first moved here.
So I do my little part.
To restore the city back to a cleaner canvas.
The Seattle Police Department had a designated
graffiti enforcement officer for about a decade,
but that position went away a few years ago.
Now, with the surge in graffiti SPD is looking to bring that back,
the city is also partnering with volunteer organizations
to make kits available to people who want to help paint out graffiti.
Just ahead, how you can view
the movies featured in Children's Film Festival Seattle.
And meet the man who went from
president of rock n roll to musical performances for preschoolers.
That's next.
CityStream continues.
Welcome back to City Stream from the Northwest Film
Forum, home to Children's Film Festival, Seattle.
I'm here with the festival director Kendra Ann Sherrill
Thanks so much for being here.
Thank you so much for coming and having me.
So let's start with a little bit of background.
This film festival has been going on for 18 years.
I think a lot of people don't really know much about it.
So how did it all come to be? Yeah, that's a great question.
So about 18 years ago, the original director, her name is Liz Shepherd.
She's amazing.
She just felt that there was a need
to bring international cinema to our local Seattle families.
And so ever since then, every year we try to bring the best and brightest
in cinema to our families here in the Northwest and
and really just show the kids a little slice of the world.
And it's geared for kids of all ages. Right.
So when you say families, you really mean families
from the little ones all the way up to teenagers. Exactly.
We have programing for our ages two all the way up to teens.
Adults and parents love to enjoy the films as well.
And a question I get a lot actually is are the films made by children
or are they for children?
And the answer is a little bit of both.
We always have a short film program that celebrates young filmmakers,
but a majority of the films are, quote unquote, professional films
from around the world that are intended to be enjoyed by children and families.
Okay.
Let's talk a little bit about what's on tap for this weekend. Yes.
So our big closing night film, which is on February 12th, is The Magic Flute.
It is a German musical fantasy epic film
based on Mozart's opera of the same name, Magic Flute.
So it's a really fun adventure.
We also have a few shorts programs, again, for all different types of ages.
So for the younger kiddos,
they're going to enjoy our warm and fuzzy shorts animation program.
We have a Growing Pains shorts block for
for those kids who are experiencing the challenges of growing up.
And we also have a teen night on Friday,
February 10th, and all teens get in for just $5.
There's a silkscreen print
activity followed by a block of short films just for teens.
Okay.
So, I mean, really, there is something for everybody.
And with a family, for the kids, for all ages, perfect place to come.
You'll be able to find something. Exactly.
So tell me a little bit about how you end up
selecting the films that get featured here. It's a great question.
So one of the biggest things we try to keep in mind is making sure the films are
for children, not just about children, because those are very different things.
There's a lot of films that are about children
then aren't necessarily made to enjoy by children.
So we always try to keep that in mind
and we really try to feature stories that aren't seen in mainstream media.
You can't find it streaming anywhere.
This year we have over 150 films from 40 different countries.
So it really gives families a glimpse into different countries,
cultures, languages and just different perspectives
that they might not get from Netflix, so to speak.
A diverse selection.
And you guys have a lot of diverse activities here, too,
so it's not just coming here to watch a movie.
You offer workshops and a lot of other activities.
Tell us a little bit about what other things people can do. Yes.
So we have some really fun workshops coming up this weekend.
So we have a shadow puppetry and we have two workshops
to learn the art of Shadow Puppets.
It's going to be a lot of fun.
We also have an interactive showcase that's audience participation
put on by our friends Majestic Adventures, which is a local youth fantasy camp
and so it's going to be a really fun, interactive theater showcase,
and that's going to be on Sunday, February 12th.
And then, like I said at the teen night, we have the silkscreen print activity
that everyone can enjoy.
Okay.
You've been a part of this for a long time.
Hard question for you.
Do you have any personal favorite films of yours?
Oh, man, that is very that's a hard question.
I really just enjoy films that
I would never get to see anywhere else.
So there's some amazing animation films that we've seen from France, Germany,
Africa.
Like, I just it's really hard to choose.
But last year we were able to feature
a local TV show called Look Listen Learn, which I also work on.
And it was really fun to be able to provide them a venue to screen it
in the cinema and let our local families know a little bit more about it.
So that was kind of a really special event that I would got to be a part of.
So families watching, they want to come here this coming weekend.
How do they go about it? Where do they get the tickets?
What do they need to know?
Great question.
So there's a couple of different ways you can do it.
The best way is to get a festival pass and we have three options.
You can do an all virtual pass.
You can do an in-person pass or hybrid pass, which is a little bit of both.
You can come in person or enjoy virtually.
If you don't want to do a pass, you can get individual tickets,
virtual or in-person, to any of the individual programs that you see
that you really like.
And you can get all those tickets on our website or here at the theater
at the Northwest Film Forum, and you mentioned the website.
So if anybody has any additional questions or would like to purchase that film
pass, you can visit NWFilmForum.org
Kendra Ann Sherrill, thanks so much for joining us.
Thank you so much for having me.
We'll be right back.
Other than maybe the Rolling Stones or Bruce Springsteen,
being a rock star is usually a profession with a limited run.
So the question is,
what do you do after you've been a world famous rock and roller?
For Chris Ballew formerly of the presidents
of the United States of America, he decided to think small.
Jenny Cunningham explains.
It's a nice vista with a donut all lit up and the palm trees.
It's nearly showtime.
And Casper Baby Pants has a problem.
If I go here,
I and a decent number of the people will be undercover.
It's going to rain on his concert in the parking lot of Top Pot Donuts.
What should I do?
Should I do?
What am I going to do?
He makes a last minute call. All right.
I think I'm deciding to try inside and I know that's more work for you guys.
All right.
I'm going to start bringing in gear.
That's my 867th show.
Use your knees kids. No, 6th
No, 7th. 867.
Yeah.
And this is butterscotch my guitar.
Casper, baby pants, worry, isn't that no one will show up on a rainy day.
This is a very small table.
I think I can make it work.
If that the audience may not fit under one roof and in close quarters.
His fans are known to get unruly,
even violent.
I have a sort of dangerous repeat offender who wants to tear everything apart.
I can refer to the blue line. Where did all these kangaroos come from?
Oh, my goodness.
Kangaroos.
You see, most of this songwriter's fans are under six years old.
Like Oliver, he's three.
And this is a dedication to a request from and a dedication to Oliver
here, who has brought his little orange guitar.
And he's awesome.
I put you on a small rock now.
Small rock and top.
This dedication is more of an honor than Oliver realizes.
Because Casper Baby Pants used to be
the president of the United States of America. Wow.
That is amazing.
Okay.
A president of the United States of America.
I want to rise to the sun.
In the
1990s, the president's music was everywhere.
Their first album went double platinum, and the band toured the world.
The goofy guys from Seattle were rock stars.
The big secret that I'm going to let out now is that being famous is not awesome.
Chris Ballew, the president's front man.
Sorry, didn't like being a rock star.
I wanted to break up right away, but of course, the machinery
was humping and pumping and the pony is pooping and gold bricks.
We had to just ride that pony until it was dead.
And where are the presidents now?
We're we're on a lifetime break.
Let's get to work.
The break up of the president sent Chris on a journey of self-discovery
that began in his own backyard.
That is probably why I was there.
The magical box that has a symphony inside of it.
In this tiny home studio, Chris stripped his music to the bone
with a folk music undercurrent.
He liked it, but felt unclear about where he was headed until he saw this.
But if I want my way, I'll say you'll never guess forever where it flared.
And when I saw Kate's artwork, I thought immediately, I want to make music.
That's from that world.
And when I did it, I listened back and it hit me like a ton of bricks.
Oh, oh, oh.
It's kids music.
Pretty crabby.
Today.
Chris and collage artist Kate andAll are married
and their home in West Seattle is a cottage industry of joy.
This needs to go back outside.
Kate creates cover art for the album's Chris and Kate write
Casper Baby Pants books.
There are music videos, too.
They're all vacant at the staff hotel.
Yet it's laundry room with a musty old smell.
What if the drops were a different place?
Then you just kind of read.
And that's where Chris's 15 year old daughter gets into the act.
Jose helps storyboard videos.
By the way, she's cool with her dad's new gig.
He's kind of a goofy guy, so I think the kids music stuff
sort of resonates with him more than like the rock and roll stuff.
That kids music just keeps coming.
See what we got here, Doctor?
Nurse Ambulance.
Chris has about 150 Casper songs in some state of creation.
Kick in
one. Fell off his head.
He plays all the instruments, sings all the parts.
He's the recording engineer.
Yes, but he can drive his truck
any better by driving a truck.
The one thing Chris wasn't going to do was perform live.
But once he tried it, kids
went crazy for Casper and vice versa.
He's gay, but he's gay. But the new puppy don't know. Do.
No, don't know. Do. No, don't.
I've had so many parents come out and say,
you're the soundtrack to us raising children.
And that is just a gets me.
I'm getting a little who get a little verklempt.
It's fantastic.
He's been doing it long enough that some of those early
children that were
fans of Casper are now graduating to the president's music.
For little me
pushing and shoving all around my lemon tree.
While that's gratifying.
Now, in his fifties,
Chris has no desire to follow his older fans back to rock and roll.
Thank you, everybody.
Okay, bye.
I'm 51.
I could be 71 and be doing this and still feel good.
As Casper's 867th concert wraps up.
There are no groupies, no roadies, no
hint of what Chris Blue used to be, only what he is now.
A do it yourself musician and a happy man.
That was good.
Casper Baby Pants is currently not playing
live shows, but the good news is Chris is still creating music.
His 19th album, Easy Breezy, is out now.
For more information, check out his website.
BabyPantsMusic.com
From Music for the Young to languages learned by little ones.
Next on CityStream, special instruction designed to help children
become bilingual.
Seattle has become much more diverse over the years, and it's now
pretty common to hear a lot of different languages spoken around town.
As we become more of a global society, it's proven that
children thrive if they're fluent in more than one language.
It's also part of the reason why language immersion programs are becoming
more popular, where two languages are used to help children
become bilingual.
That's the sound of a
construction site at the Sponge school in Seattle's Beacon Hill neighborhood.
Seats. Oh, choo choo, choo, choo, choo choo.
For baby builders with park hats and foam drills.
They're laying down the foundation for their future.
I don't think the children even realize that they are learning another language.
They are just coming here for a playdate that happens to be in Mandarin.
That's Heiko Meisel, the co-owner of the Sponge school,
who knows a thing or two about languages.
I speak German and English fluently, although my children might argue
with me being fluent in English, I learned Russian.
That was my first foreign language that I learned.
And I also studied some French and I'm trying to pick up some Spanish.
And with Mandarin and Japanese, I'm unfortunately failing so far.
It's a love of languages
that's the brains behind the Sponge school.
With three locations in Seattle and the East Side.
The center provides classes, private lessons, and also partners
with school districts for language immersion programs,
for bilingual education, for infants to elementary students.
Baby Sabrina is one of the youngest here.
For a mom, Shannon, this class serves as a way to incorporate her
husband's Chinese heritage into Sabrina's life.
We wanted to get her
started as soon as possible, and so my husband started teaching her at home.
He can't teach her. Unfortunately.
I was really excited when I found this program
where I could go with her and I can learn too which is nice.
Every language class is taught by a native speaker at the Sponge school.
This 85 minute Mandarin class for babies is all about
building homes and part of eight units in this year's curriculum.
To teach the language.
While having fun is most important, we don't do any drills.
We don't give any homework.
We place only very little emphasis on reading and writing.
Our emphasis is on listening. Comprehension.
We teach them that I have a hammer or I need a hammer.
She needs a hammer. He needs a hammer.
They are screaming right there.
But it's integrated into into the content of the song.
I notice that she would pick some words that were easy for easier for her to say
in Mandarin and Chinese than they were in English.
And so for a really long time she'd go walking around
and instead of saying thank you, she would just say, Che che.
You know, I.
Just think it's so important for more families to do this.
I think the more languages you can know, the better
you can connect with other people.
The less foreign things feel.
About 20 minutes away in Shoreline.
We opened our doors in two 2013 with 13 kindergartners.
The North Seattle French School
was built on one family's mission to make things feel less foreign.
Being in that environment and having it be totally normal that your mom speaks
another language at home, or that your grandmother has an accent, or that you
eat certain kinds of food at certain times a year.
That was a really just a great environment to grow up in and just to shape
the way that you see the world.
And I really wanted my kids to be able to have that.
The North Seattle French School
is among many private immersion schools in the greater Seattle area, offering
full time bilingual elementary instruction.
In this case, French is actually a language of instruction.
So kids are learning math in French.
They're learning science in French.
They also might be learning in English and certain parts are combined
or are co-taught where both teachers are in the classroom
and they're sort of teaching the concepts in parallel.
The school has grown to
83 students from preschool to fifth grade.
Teachers here are also all native French speakers.
In the hallways
you can often find school director Gilles Faure engaging with his students in French.
We have to bear in mind
that, you know, modeling go are not the majority in the world.
More than 50% of the world's citizens speak two languages.
It makes you really understand that there's more than one way to say
something.
There's more than one way
to express yourself and and communicate or approach a problem
and to be able to give that understanding to kids so early
really just shapes the way that they then think about how they're going
to move in the world and how they're going to contribute to the world.
Contributing to the world by becoming a French teacher
at the university level.
It's something mom Hailey Burgess never imagined.
Continued on in French, eventually just finished my Ph.D.
last year in French at the University of Washington.
Her passion for learning was passed down.
Burgess's son, a preschooler here, is about her age when she started
immersion and is loving learning French to.
But fluency isn't Burgess's goal.
A bilingual education.
It's not just about the language speaking a different language.
But there's just such an advantage to being able to understand other cultures.
And I think in this day and age, it's so important to do whatever we can
to help our kids down that path of having compassion and empathy for others.
Constructing life skills that open doors with dialog.
Strengthening foundations
for whatever these little learners create in life.
Language immersion schools have historically been very expensive,
but a lot of local immersion programs now offer scholarships and reduced rates,
and that's opened up the world
of bilingual education to kids from all economic backgrounds.
We'll be right back.
That wraps up this episode of CityStream
from the Northwest Film Forum, home to Children's Film Festival, Seattle.
If you'd like more information about this
festival, check out their website NWFilmForum.org
I’m Tatevik Aprikyan
Thank you for watching.