CoCA's Annual Member's Meeting this Tuesday March 4th at 7:30pm

CoCA encourages all members and supporters to join us on Tuesday, March 4, 2008 at 7:30PM for our Annual Member's Meeting. Our primary business will be to elect board members and discuss the state of CoCA. Anyone wishing to join the board or wishing to nominate someone else for the board is encouraged to sent their nominations to Rachelle Taylor (rachelle@cocaseattle.org)

The meeting will be at the Shilshole Bay Beach Club.

Click here for driving directions and information on Metro bus service.

DWR Seattle Studio: Biz Lady Meetup with Design*Sponge editor Grace Bonney

The Seattle studio of Design Within Reach plays host to Design*Sponge blog editor Grace Bonney to introduce a new resource to help women in design make their mark. Bonney runs Design*Sponge, a daily design blog with 30,000 dedicated readers. She is taking her “Biz Lady Meet-up” lecture series on the DWR Studio circuit with guest speakers in the areas of manufacturing, wholesaling, public relations and all things financial. This fully loaded workshop is an excellent opportunity for local designers to meet, network and get advice from the experts.

This is a great opportunity for local women interested in developing their businesses or taking them to the next level. Refreshments will be served, but bringing a snack to share is encouraged. Ladies only, please

RSVP to designsponge@gmail.com.

Connecting women in design

Thursday, February 28, 7-9pm

DWR Seattle Studio
1918 First Avenue
Seattle, WA 98101

Phone: 206.443.9900

Directions: http://news.dwr.com/rd/9z1zfd9urinr21i2amj3m51eaqcjvit3ca0od8g66s8

Migration (part 7 of 8)

a stone adze

shapes a tree

into departure

or return—

on Rapa Nui

warring tribes

felled the forest

and built wooden skids

to transport monuments

through denuded land.

topsoil blew into the sea,

children grew up to preside

over statues

toppled into discord.

rats in the holds of

canoe migrations

became food

for starving generations.

*

Notes:

Rapa Nui is the Polynesian name of Easter Island. It was originally covered with a diverse forest including the largest palm trees in the world, but had been completely deforested by the time of its European discovery in 1722. The Polynesian inhabitants of Rapa Nui cut down trees for firewood, to build canoes, and to transport moai, great stone statues that were a form of competition beween the island’s dozen or so clans. Clans had begun to throw down each other’s maoi in the 18th century; none remained erect by 1868.

Rats were introduced to Rapa Nui as stowaways when Polynesians migrated to the island in about 900 AD. They became an increasingly important food source when land birds had become extinct, migratory bird populations were decimated, and no trees remained to build canoes for deep sea fishing.

*

Every Friday for 8 weeks I will post a section of a poem-painting cycle called “Migration.” This work is based on my experiences in New Caledonia, where in 2007 I was invited to an artist residency exploring the connections between Melanesian cultures and aboriginal tribes of southern China.

If you enjoy this work, please visit my painting website at www.scottezellgallery.com, and click the links below to see previous postings of “Migration”.

Scott Ezell

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Part Four

Part Five

Part Six

Part Seven

Part Eight

Artist Deduction Bill

There is a bill currently before congress that is not only of interest to artists but also to non profit galleries and arts organization. House bill S. 548 or H.R.1524, will allow artist to deduct fair market value for the art that they donate. The benefits of this bill should be clear to any arts organization that has ever hosted an arts auction, so please take the time to voice your support. Click this link to voice your support.

Urge Members of Congress to co-sponsor bipartisan legislation, S. 548 or H.R.1524, which would allow artists to take a fair-market value deduction for works given to and retained by nonprofit institutions. The U.S. tax system accords unequal treatment to creators and collectors who donate tangible works (e.g., paintings or manuscripts) to museums, libraries, educational or other collecting institutions. A collector may take a tax deduction for the fair-market value of the work, but creators may deduct only their "basis" value—essentially the cost of materials such as paint and canvas.

DESIGN BUILD CHALLENGE 2008

DESIGN BUILD CHALLENGE 2008
Hosted by TILT in Seattle, WA

Design Build Challenge is an annual design and construction competition open to participants of all disciplines and levels of experience. The DBC '08, taking place March 27-30, focuses on encouraging built responses to community needs in designated cities. Join the competition.

The DBC ’08 focuses on various marginalized communities within Seattle that are currently facing issues of displacement due to rapid urban redevelopment. Participants will be given a contact list of potential clients—organizations with a community design need—with whom teams will collaborate to develop a meaningful and appropriate design response. The DBC aims to emphasize craft, creative reuse, environmental awareness, and innovation in response to the needs of the displaced communities identified in this challenge.

You can learn more about the Design Build Challenge at www.designbuildchallenge.org

Drop City Gallery, "Take a Seat" artist Ellen Ziegler

If you get the chance, go and see the "Take a Seat" exhibition at Drop City Gallery, it’s a wonderful show. The show offers a great mix of chairs ranging from the artistic to the more technical. Ellen Ziegler’s design piqued my interest not only because of its artistic merit (Cyanotype (light-sensitive emulsion) on fabric, mosquito netting, gouache on wet-media acetate) but because it also speaks to the insatiable nature of our consumer culture. Below is the artistic statement for her entry.

Ellen Ziegler at Drop City Gallery

A Chair for a Hungry Ghost

The Hungry Ghost of Asian mythology consumes endlessly, but can never be satisfied. It’s considered an act of compassion to visualize the Hungry Ghost being fed to satisfaction so it will no longer suffer from craving.

This chair invites the Ghost to be seated at your table.

The materials for this chair are recycled in two ways:

1. The sheets and chair are from a second-hand store.

2. I have an ongoing pact with another artist not to buy any new art materials till we use up old ones: all other chair materials are from my studio and were not purchased for this project. In addition, the acetate painting is cannibalized from another exhibit.

Ellen Ziegler is an artist, curator and graphic designer. A member of In Lieu Exhibit Space, she has been published, purchased and exhibited widely. Her work is available at LIMN Gallery in San Francisco and SAM Gallery in Seattle, as well as through In Lieu Exhibit Space.

Ziegler is a recipient of a Rome Fellowship from the Northwest Institute of Architecture and Urban Studies in Italy, is an Artist Trust Fellow and a GAP Grant recipient. Her work is in many public and private collections.

You can learn more about Ellen Ziegler at www.ellenziegler.com.

Learn more about Drop City Gallery at www.dropcitygallery.com

Migration (part 6 of 8)

animal meat
contains my mind,
sperm gunk clogs nerves,
commerce barters brain
for breath.

I ate my father’s flesh
to metabolize his songs.
I planted a pine tree
in the place he died,
but no son has yet been born.

*

Every Friday for a total of 8 weeks I will post a section of a poem-painting cycle called “Migration.” This work is based on my experiences in New Caledonia, where in 2007 I was invited to an artist residency exploring the connections between Melanesian cultures and aboriginal tribes of southern China. Today’s selection is about contemporary cultural dispersion.

Notes:
1. In some traditional Melanesian cultures, deceased are eaten by their relatives.
2. In New Caledonia, a pine tree is planted where a man dies, a ritual to bring a new son into the world.

Please tune in every Friday to check out this work, and visit my painting website at www.scottezellgallery.com. You can click the links below to see previous postings of “Migration”.

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Part Four

Part Five

Part Six

Part Seven

Part Eight

Focus Green 2008: Call for Entries

This government award is given to manufacturers and designers for forward-looking, professional and excellent design work. The “Focus in Gold” and “Focus in Silver” design awards are highly sought after as guarantees of the highest design quality. With the "Focus” topic changing each year, the competition presents a special challenge for entrants. The competition shows who has the best-designed solutions for current trends and for the topics that are of particular interest for experts and the general public. This renowned competition can look back on a long tradition and enjoys an excellent reputation both in Germany and abroad.

Focus Green – the topic
Today, sustainable development, climate protection and the conservation of our natural resources are being discussed more and more in public debate, and are playing a crucial role in political and economic decisions. In addition, environmentally friendly ways of life are finding more and more advocates, and national and international markets are reacting to meet this demand. Moreover, as raw materials become scarcer and more expensive worldwide, energy and resource-saving measures are pivotal to companies’ economic success. This is why there is a need for design and development that illustrate and implement creative solutions and innovations for more environmentally friendly products.

For more information:
www.design-center.de

Deadline: March, 20, 2008

Open House at Artist Trust Feb 18 thru 22nd

February 18-22, 2008 9:30am-5:30pm

Location: 1835 12th Ave (corner of Denny Way in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Seattle)

Info: 206/467-8734; 1/866/21TRUST; info@artisttrust.org

The 28th Annual Festival Sundiata.

FESTIVAL SUNDIATA
"Shades of Black- Colors of Success....the beat goes onFeatures:

• Regional Talent
• Local Talent
• Art Exhibits
• Photography Exhibits
• Retail Merchants
• Food Merchants
• Children's Place

February 15-18, 2008
Seattle Center
www.festivalsundiata.org

Georgetown Art Attack

I just love Georgetown, I think it has one of the most supportive arts communities in all of Seattle. Last night's Art Attack is a great example of that community at its best.



The drizzle didn't dampen the spirits but it did make the semi-demolished Rainier Cold Storage building look especially dramatic.



Mix gallery patrons checking out the artwork.



One of the many open studios inside the Georgetown Arts Center



I admit those stiff drinks at 9lb Hammer helped to make walking around Georgetown fun (drizzle, what drizzle?). Such fond blurry memories.
I think this is now my new favorite spot on Airport Way. Its right behind Full Throttle Bottles and I have no idea what the place is called but it is one cool space.


(Lisa Geertsen giving Compass Noce the "boot")

Don't forget there's more to Georgetown's art scene than what's on Airport Way. Equinox Studios is off the beaten path but well worth the effort.



If you're one of the lucky ones, you may even gain access to the 2 1/2 floor. Sorry, the secret door doesn't lead to John Malkovich's brain but at least the rent is cheap.

CoCA Belltown: Black History Month Artist Reception for Ronald Hall Weds Feb 13th 7 to 9 pm

Center on Contemporary Art is pleased to present two exhibitions in honor of Black History Month. Prominent independent art critic and curator, Matthew Kangas, organized both exhibitions drawn from his own art collection and those of other local collectors for Black History Month


"Missing" Ronald Hall, 2007, Oil, mixed media and collaged elements on canvas

Ronald Hall: Three Paintings, in cooperation with Pacini-Lubell Gallery of Seattle, focuses on African-American history and current events. Amistad (2006) proposes a plantation takeover in the aftermath of the slave ship mutiny aboard the S. S. Amistad in 1839. Missing (2007) deals with missing African-American children. The Martyr of Death Row (2007) is a memorial tribute to the musician Tupak Shakur.

Learn more about Ronald Hall by visiting his web site

Show runs from Jan. 31 through March. 5, 2008

Artist Reception: February 13th 7 to 9pm

Location: Reception is above the gallery in the Avenue One condos on the corner of First & Clay (Belltown)

Click here to see photos from the reception.

Click here if you want to read Regina Hackett's blog about the exhibition

Migration (part 5 of 8)

I am so violent in desire
I think my embrace
would tear you like a wound,
and bloody the waters around us.

I am shark breath,
the smell of brine and rot,
scales and skin and blood,
rows of teeth all down my throat,
one tooth for every
impulse to devour you.

I am a saw blade
struck with a hammer to sing,
I am a compass
pointing to the northern star in you
around which
galaxies revolve.

*

Every Friday for a total of 8 weeks I will post a section of a poem cycle called “Migration,” along with a painting of the same name. This week’s poetry selection is a reflection on the greatest migration in human history, the movement of individuals and communities from rural-agrarian to urban-industrial environments.

Please tune in every Friday to check out this work, and visit my painting website at www.scottezellgallery.com.

Scott Ezell

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Part Four

Part Five

Part Six

Part Seven

Part Eight

Pecha Kucha | February 12, 2008 at See Sound Lounge

Mend that bleeding heart at the See Sound Lounge with Seattle’s 5th city-wide Pecha Kucha Night. We’ve got a great line up of artists, film-makers, architects, designers and other amazing creative folks. Share ideas, see great work and make some mischief.

Event Details:
Tuesday, February 12^th at 6:00 PM
See Sound Lounge 115 Blanchard St, Seattle, WA

Theme: LOVE

Presenters:
Linda Carlin, Senior Design Analyst, Frog Design
David Harrell, Fellow, Royal Institute of Public Health
John Grade, Artist, Seeps of Winter/Suyama Space
Allan Packer, Artist, Davidson Contemporary
Jon Taylor, Architect/Artist, Callison
Alex Maxim, Knowledge Manager, NBBJ
Dave Clapper, Editor, Smokelong Quarterly
David Ho, Architect, Gensler
Ryan Matthew Smith, Photographer
Shannon Wells & Jed Dunkerley, SlideLuckPotShow

About Pecha Kucha: www.pecha-kucha.org

Pecha Kucha (the Japanese for the sound of conversation) gathers creative individuals to share their work and ideas in an informal environment. Pecha Kucha Night was conceived in 2003 by Astrid Klein and Mark Dytham (from Klein Dytham architecture, in Tokyo), as a place for young designers to meet, network, and show their work in public. Each presenter is allowed 20 images, each shown for 20 seconds each - giving 6 minutes 40 seconds of fame before the next presenter is up. This keeps presentations concise, the interest level up, and gives more people the chance to showcase their ideas, visions, work/areas of curiosity.

Click here to download the show postcard

The Georgetown Art Attack: Saturday Feb 9th 6 to 9pm

If you haven't yet made it out to check out Georgetown's art scene, this Saturday is your chance. Compacted into a tight few blocks in one of Seattle's coolest neighborhoods are some great artist studios, galleries, bars and restaurants.

The Georgetown Merchants’ Association is pleased to launch the Georgetown Second Saturday Art Attack. The first of these lively monthly art walks takes place on Saturday, February 9, from 6:00 to 9:00 PM.

More than two dozen galleries, studios, nightclubs, boutiques, and cafes will participate in the inaugural event. The work of countless local artists in a variety of media will be presented.

Fine art, crafts, theater, cartoons, film, food, drink, music, mirth and mayhem in the heart of Seattle’s coolest art community. Maps will be available locating all participants

Mark Anderson lecture at UW School of Art 2/27/08

The Painting, Sculpture and Public Art Programs of UW School of Art are pleased to present a lecture by Mark Anderson, founder and owner of the renowned Walla Walla Foundry in Eastern Washington. Mark will show slides of his foundry operations and the execution of works for international art stars such as Deborah Butterfield and Jim Dine, among others. This is a world class foundry that has developed numerous innovations in the casting field. You are cordially invited to attend.

Date: February 27, 2008
Time: 7:00 PM
Place: Room 003, School of Art Building
Admission: Free to the public. Arrive early, seating is limited.

For more info contact
John T. Young
Professor
Chair, Sculpture and Public Art Program

jtyoung@u.washington.edu