Guest Post: AA+NHPI Women Artists Launch Anti-Hate Poster Campaign

Art by Juliana Kang Robinson.

We’re proud to support this project by a group of incredible artists. They are seeking additional locations to display posters; if you’d like to offer a site, please contact .

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We’re proud to support this project by a group of incredible artists. They are seeking additional locations to display posters; if you’d like to offer a site, please contact .

Seattle Asian American Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander Women Artists United Against Hate is a visual campaign to fight the tide of anti-Asian violence and xenophobia. In 2021 anti-Asian hate crimes across 16 major US cities spiked by 342% (according to a report from the Center for the Study of Hate & Extremism at CSU, San Bernardino.) Because of this alarming statistic, coupled with the waning media coverage of hate crimes against Asian Americans, we feel the urgency now more than ever to boost awareness and spur empowerment. The posters contain positive messaging like WE BELONG HERE, RESPECT BELOVED COMMUNITY, and PROTECT EACH OTHER, combined with original artwork by seven local celebrated AA+NHPI women artists: Diem Chau, Erin Shigaki, Juliana Kang Robinson, Julie Kim, Raychelle Duazo, Saiyare Refaei, and Saya Moriyasu. The campaign aims to raise awareness, beautify streetscapes, and uplift Seattle’s AA+NHPI community.

Posters will be free to the public at the following events:

July 9, 2022
SCIDpda (Seattle Chinatown International District Preservation and Development Authority) Bash
Canton Alley, Chinatown-International District, Seattle

July 28, 2022
Wing Luke Museum JamFest
Maynard Alley, Chinatown-International District, Seattle

In celebration of AA+NHPI Heritage Month the posters will be on display at the gallery windows of 4Culture in the Tashiro Kaplan building in Pioneer Square, at King Street Station, and in various storefronts throughout Seattle throughout the month of May. This project was made possible with funding from 4Culture and the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture and with support from Wing Luke Museum and SCIDpda.

Pick up a free poster and help declare that there is no place for hate in Seattle!

Announcing Awardees of Sustained Support and Recovery Fund for Organizations

Since May 2021 when King County Executive Dow Constantine and the King County Council showed their support of our region’s cultural sector in the form of a $9.4 million appropriation from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) fund, we’ve been working to get those dollars to those in our field who need it most via our Recovery Fund. We’re now delighted to share the King County cultural organizations who have received funding!

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Since May 2021 when King County Executive Dow Constantine and the King County Council showed their support of our region’s cultural sector in the form of a $9.4 million appropriation from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) fund, we’ve been working to get those dollars to those in our field who need it most via our Recovery Fund. We’re now delighted to share the King County cultural organizations who have received funding!

We approached how to best support cultural organizations through partnerships with King County Creative and the City of Seattle Office of Arts and Culture. Our region’s larger organizations were served by King County’s Revive and Thrive program while we funded smaller organizations, and by teaming up with the City of Seattle we were able to offer one application for three separate grants, including our long-standing Sustained Support program. This allowed us to look at the applicant pool holistically, prioritizing organizations that were not eligible for ARPA funds for Sustained Support. All of this helped immeasurably in distributing ARPA funds widely while reducing the application workload for overburdened organizations, and we thank those agencies for their collaboration.

On the applicant side, the requirements and restrictions that come with these federal funds have been significant, and we thank every organization for navigating this process alongside us. We continue to be deeply inspired by the resourcefulness of our sector! As these Recovery Fund dollars head out the door throughout 2022, we invite you to join us in celebrating the cultural organizations who will put them to use creating a vibrant and resilient King County.

In total, we are distributing $5 million of Recovery Funds and $2.95 million Sustained Support dollars to 529 organizations. You can view the full lists of 4Culture awardees here:
Recovery Fund for Organizations
Sustained Support: Preservation
Sustained Support: Heritage
Sustained Support: Arts

Please note: these lists reflect funding for organizations only. We also ran a Recovery Fund grant program for individuals, which will be awarded and announced in the coming months. Stay tuned for more!

Remembering Artist Kristen Ramirez

Kristen Ramirez (1971-2021). Ebb & Flow, 2014. Latex paint. Burke-Gilman Trail, Bothell, WA. King County Public Art Collection. Photo: Bob Suh

Kristen Ramirez was a vibrant part of our community and deeply embedded in the world of public art as both an artist and administrator. Never short on creativity or innovation, she changed the things she touched for the better.

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Kristen Ramirez was a vibrant part of our community and deeply embedded in the world of public art as both an artist and administrator. Never short on creativity or innovation, she changed the things she touched for the better.

She exhibited her studio work at Gallery 4Culture in 2006 and 2018, serving as a selection panelist in-between. An original drawing from 2021 will be included in the program’s forthcoming publication, Remark, which is being dedicated in her honor. A number of Kristen’s paintings are also held in the King County Public Art Collection and will continue to be displayed in perpetuity.

Through her first 4Culture commission, she engaged volunteers to create the beloved mural, Ebb & Flow, an immersive experience of color and light in the Burke-Gilman Trail’s bustling Wayne Tunnel. The project was honored with an Americans for the Arts Year in Review Award as one of the top public artworks in the country.

More recently, Kristen and Elisheba Johnson developed the guiding vision for art integration for King County Metro’s RapidRide Expansion as well as a trio of mirrored sculptures for the Burien Transit Center that will be fabricated and installed in 2023.

Kristen was a longtime friend to many of us at 4Culture. We are heartbroken and miss her tremendously.

 

Gallery 4Culture is back, almost!

Remark (with cover card by Sadie Wechsler), 2022

We’re excited to announce the reopening of Gallery 4Culture! Programming will resume on First Thursday, May 5 with Nate Clark’s Squinch. Please join us from 5:00—8:00 pm to celebrate Nate and this momentous occasion, our inaugural exhibition after more than two years of a pandemic hiatus.

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We’re excited to announce the reopening of Gallery 4Culture! Programming will resume on First Thursday, May 5 with Nate Clark’s Squinch. Please join us from 5:00—8:00 pm to celebrate Nate and this momentous occasion, our inaugural exhibition after more than two years of a pandemic hiatus.

This will also serve as your first opportunity to pick up a free copy of Remark, a collaborative publication featuring playful pairings of images and text contributed by 100 gallery alumni. Additional copies will be made available in limited quantities through the end of 2022.

The gallery will operate on reduced hours for the time-being; visit us on Thursdays and Fridays from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm.

Congratulations to Our 2022 Arc Artist Fellows!

The 2022 Arc Artist Fellows. Top row from left: Aiyana Reid, Neve Mazique-Bianco, Sondra Segundo. Bottom row from left: Natasha Alphonse, mario lemafa, Gil Adame.

We are thrilled to announce the recipients of our 2022 Arc Artist Fellowship!

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We are thrilled to announce the recipients of our 2022 Arc Artist Fellowship!

The 2022 Fellows are:

Gil Adame, Filmmaker
Natasha Alphonse, Ceramic Artist
mario lemafa, Artist
Neve Mazique-Bianco, Terpsichorean Artist
Aiyana Reid (sƛʼpúlmx), Regalia Maker and Dancer
Sondra Segundo, Multidisciplinary Artist

The Arc Artist Fellowship provides critical—but rare—unrestricted awards of $12,000 to artists residing in King County. This year we received 46 highly competitive applications from King County artists working in dance, music, theatre, media, film, literature, and the visual arts.

From our Executive Director Brian J. Carter: “In this moment of global turbulence, the work of the artist helps us all make better sense of the joys and challenges we’re collectively experiencing. Through the Arc Artist Fellowship Program, 4Culture stands committed to supporting the work of these phenomenal King County artists. Congratulations to all the 2022 Fellows!”

Each year, a new cohort of Arc Fellows are selected, with an eligibility requirement that changes annually. This year, eligible applicants were Indigenous, Aboriginal, or Native artists of diverse international ancestral lands who live in King County, the unceded territories of the Coast Salish peoples. We seek to lift up the expression of cultural sovereignty of Indigenous makers as culture bearers and as contemporary artists.

Arc Fellows will assist in determining the Arc Eligibility Requirement for next year’s Fellowship, as well as participate in a public cohort presentation organized by 4Culture and in planning and community engagement for the 2023 program.

The Arc Artist Fellowship will provide the Fellows with portraits and a page on the 4Culture website featuring images and links to explore their work.

Congratulations to Gil, Natasha, mario, Neve, Aiyana, and Sondra! Stay tuned to learn more about the 2022 Arc Fellows and how you can connect with their work.

Restoration of Brightwater Artwork in 2022

Andrea Wilbur-Sigo. Grandfather’s Wisdom, 2012/2022. Carved and painted cedar. Brightwater, Woodinville, WA. King County Public Art Collection. Photo: King County Wastewater Treatment Division.

Continuing her work to restore Grandfather’s Wisdom, the large-scale sculptural installation at Brightwater Treatment Plant near Woodinville, artist Andrea Wilbur-Sigo recently welcomed the Longhouse back to her studio. In 2020 the artist recreated the project’s paddles in red cedar. Now focusing her attention on the surface and longevity of the longhouse, Wilbur-Sigo will be both re-carving and re-painting as needed. The new longhouse is expected to return to the site in late 2022.

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Continuing her work to restore Grandfather’s Wisdom, the large-scale sculptural installation at Brightwater Treatment Plant near Woodinville, artist Andrea Wilbur-Sigo recently welcomed the Longhouse back to her studio. In 2020 the artist recreated the project’s paddles in red cedar. Now focusing her attention on the surface and longevity of the longhouse, Wilbur-Sigo will be both re-carving and re-painting as needed. The new longhouse is expected to return to the site in late 2022.

The carved motifs of Grandfather’s Wisdom feature Killer Whale, Octopus, and Thunderbird—creatures of universal importance among Coast Salish tribes. “My artwork represents in a modern view what a longhouse would look like standing in a place that it’s highly likely one might have been,” says Andrea, a member of the Squaxin Island Tribe and the first woman carver in her tribe and family.

Andrea Wilbur-Sigo. Grandfather’s Wisdom, 2012/2022. Carved and painted cedar. Brightwater, Woodinville, WA. King County Public Art Collection. Photo: King County Wastewater Treatment Division.

As stewards of the King County Public Art Collection, 4Culture cares for nearly 2,500 artworks in 150 locations across the county. This includes contracting with specialized conservators, technicians, and as in the case of Grandfather’s Wisdom, the original artist, to clean, restore, and revitalize these important cultural assets. King County provides stewardship funding for the collection, which supports ongoing maintenance of permanently-sited artworks, repairs, framing, photographic documentation, and other conservation services as needed.

Through the work we do with our King County partners, community stakeholders, and artists, we help nurture a cultural legacy in our region. This ongoing care and investment in the public art collection celebrates the people who live, work, and play here, ensuring these artworks will be part of our communities for many years to come.

citizenM and 4Culture Collaborate in Pioneer Square

RYAN! Feddersen. Schema, 2022. Porcelain enamel tile. citizenM Pioneer Square, Seattle, WA. Photo: joefreemanjunior.com

Public Art 4Culture consulted with international hotel chain citizenM to curate and commission original artwork for their highly anticipated historic Pioneer Square location at the corner of Yesler Way and Post Avenue.

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Public Art 4Culture consulted with international hotel chain citizenM to curate and commission original artwork for their highly anticipated historic Pioneer Square location at the corner of Yesler Way and Post Avenue.

RYAN! Feddersen’s massive graphic mural, Schema, brings color, texture, and personality to the building’s façade. Rendered in porcelain enamel tile, the mosaic imagery features an abstract map referencing Seattle’s early history and idiosyncrasies alongside layered symbols of colonization, nature, industry, and politics. As a member of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, Feddersen took inspiration from the aesthetic structure and palette of turn of the century Native American beadwork to make her message clear: actions of today have lasting effects, both physically and experientially. Schema is a reminder that we are the creators of our world, and that foresight and social responsibility are vital.

RYAN! Feddersen. Schema, 2022. Porcelain enamel tile. citizenM Pioneer Square, Seattle, WA. Photo: joefreemanjunior.com

Schema very much represents a mode for how I like to work: time to dive into research and think in a site-specific way about histories and narratives, then the freedom to combine that content with aesthetic and ideological strategies,” says Feddersen

The mural is just the first piece of a larger portfolio that will give the new property an art collection that is distinct to the region. A second commission—wallpaper by artist Harold Hollingsworth—will be featured in the hotel’s bar area. In the living room, cabinets have been designed to showcase The Allure by artist and curator, Anthony White. Guest room artwork will feature pieces by Natalie Krick, Mary Iverson, and Jennifer Zwick.

New Year, New TAR Artists!

4Culture is happy to introduce great King County talent joining the Touring Arts Roster in 2022. After a live audition at Carco Theatre, nine new performing artists were juried into our lineup by a peer panel composed of presenters and local arts agency administrators. Spend some time visiting their profile pages and keep them in mind when planning your upcoming events!

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4Culture is happy to introduce great King County talent joining the Touring Arts Roster in 2022. After a live audition at Carco Theatre, nine new performing artists were juried into our lineup by a peer panel composed of presenters and local arts agency administrators. Spend some time visiting their profile pages and keep them in mind when planning your upcoming events!

Brian Ledbetter
Don’t Ask Band
Ensemble Eurasia
Notable Journey
NOBI (Never Obey Blind Individuals)
Sphie
Tambor e Cordas
theDGTL and Friends
Wednesday Club

Our 2022 Deadline Calendar is Here!

Whether you’re a professional grant writer or totally new to applying for funding, it always helps to plan! As 2022 gets underway, we’ve put all our annual grant and artist call deadlines for the year in one, easy-to-reference place. Check out the image above or download a printable PDF.

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Whether you’re a professional grant writer or totally new to applying for funding, it always helps to plan! As 2022 gets underway, we’ve put all our annual grant and artist call deadlines for the year in one, easy-to-reference place. Check out the image above or download a printable PDF.

You can learn more about all of these programs on our Grants and Artist Calls page. If you’re looking for funding but not sure what might be a fit for you, please don’t hesitate to contact us!

If you’re a public artist looking for calls, please keep in mind that this list only includes our annual programs. We post applications for King County projects as they get underway, so make sure you’re subscribed to our Public Art enews to be alerted when those opportunities open up.

We can’t wait to see what you create in 2022—happy applying!

Familiar Faces, New Roles: Our Public Art Team is Ready for 2022

4Culture Public Art staff, clockwise from top left: Willow Fox, Selina Hunstiger, Guy Merrill, Kelly Pajek, Andy Le, and Jordan Howland. All photos by Sunita Martini.

We are thrilled to announce big news from the Public Art 4Culture team!

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We are thrilled to announce big news from the Public Art 4Culture team!

Our longest-tenured public art colleague, Jordan Howland, has transitioned into the role of Senior Public Art Project Manager. Jordan is taking on increased responsibilities given her previous work in project management as well as her oversight of both the King County Public Art Collection and Gallery 4Culture.

This shift has created the opportunity to grow other talent on the team too. Guy Merrill has been collaborating with Jordan since 2017 to steward the Collection. He brings this experience—plus more than a decade of previous technical and administrative know-how—to his new role as Collections Manager. Andy Le, who was hired in 2018, will put his background in studio art and art history to good use as he leads the Gallery 4Culture program and works as the Public Art Coordinator. Willow Fox, no stranger to public art or to 4Culture, rejoins the team in the newly established position of Collections Registrar. And finally, Project Manager Selina Hunstiger and Director Kelly Pajek will continue in their current roles.

This reorganization promises to bring forward great things in 2022 and beyond—stay tuned!

Guest Post: How a 4Culture Grant Turned Me into a Teacher

Josh Tuininga is an author, artist, and designer based in North Bend, Washington and is a recipient of our 2020 Heritage Grant and Art Projects grants. His latest project is a historical graphic novel set in the multicultural Seattle Central District of the 1940s which explores the unique situation of Japanese and Jewish Americans living side by side during World War II. The project has been picked up by Abrams Comic Arts and will be released in Spring of 2023.

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Josh Tuininga is an author, artist, and designer based in North Bend, Washington and is a recipient of our 2020 Heritage Grant and Art Projects grants. His latest project is a historical graphic novel set in the multicultural Seattle Central District of the 1940s which explores the unique situation of Japanese and Jewish Americans living side by side during World War II. The project has been picked up by Abrams Comic Arts and will be released in Spring of 2023.

As a visual artist who works from a secluded converted school bus in the woods, teaching art in the community was the last place I thought I would end up this year. But everything changed when I was awarded a 4Culture grant.

I received my first 4Culture grant in 2020 which was extremely exciting for the project I was working on (a historical fiction graphic novel). From that point on, there was no doubt in my mind that I would complete my research and finish the work I had set out to do. The only part of the grant that I was apprehensive about was fulfilling my ‘Public Benefit’. One of the main requirements for a 4Culture grant is to provide the citizens of my community with some sort of cultural service. This was going to be a stretch for me, an artist who is much more comfortable heads down in my work rather than facing a public audience. But I was determined to meet the requirements, so I jumped in.

My plan was to present my research and the project to my community at a single small event. Since my focus is on sequential art and comics, I thought it made sense to share my work with an audience who might get the most out of it. I wanted to reach out to kids who had their own stories to tell.

I started by contacting Echo Glen Children’s Center. A maximum security facility for both male and female juvenile offenders in Snoqualmie, WA. I started with a very short volunteer session in one of the resident cottages on campus. Soon I found a few kids that already had sketchbooks of their own and who expressed interest in an art class. The Activities Coordinator and I organized an ‘art club’ and it slowly grew from there. Today, what started as a small public benefit event has grown into an ongoing weekly art class. I work with students to develop basic drawing skills like perspective and figure drawing, and we’ve moved on to other activities including animated flip books and character design. Eventually my work at Echo Glen expanded to the Two Rivers school in Snoqualmie, WA, an alternative ‘Big Picture’ school. I presented my graphic novel, led a drawing workshop and discussed how artists tell their stories using the sequential art form of comics.

After teaching and interviewing people while researching my graphic novel project, one thing I’ve learned is that there isn’t anyone I’ve met that doesn’t have a story to tell. I feel lucky to have the opportunity to encourage and enable young artists to tell their own stories through art.

Over the course of the last year, the grant requirement I was most concerned about has evolved into something that I plan on continuing and growing as a curriculum. As much as I love to hunker down in my bus and work on my own, fulfilling my grant has been a great reminder of the benefits of bringing art into the community and I have 4Culture to thank for that.

Find out more at bluebusart.com!

Guest Post: Exhibit Reimagined 20 Years Later

In this joint post, curators Maggie Kase at the Log House Museum and Heidi Bohan from the Duwamish Longhouse and Cultural Center share the history behind the new exhibit The Spirit Returns 2.0: A Duwamish and Settler Story, which was supported by 4Culture grants:

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In this joint post, curators Maggie Kase at the Log House Museum and Heidi Bohan from the Duwamish Longhouse and Cultural Center share the history behind the new exhibit The Spirit Returns 2.0: A Duwamish and Settler Story, which was supported by 4Culture grants:

The Spirit Returns 2.0: A Duwamish and Settler Story is a collaborative exhibit between the Duwamish Longhouse and Cultural Center and the Southwest Seattle Historical Society. The Spirit Returns 2.0: A Duwamish and Settler Story celebrates two decades of growth and progress. Collectively, we explore the authentic stories of the complex relationships of trade, managed and natural resources, social hierarchy, and the growing relationships between the Duwamish and non-native settlers who arrived in the 1850’s and together melded and transitioned into the Seattle we know today.

Together, we revisited and updated The Spirit Returns: A Duwamish and Pioneer Story which was hosted at the historical society’s Log House Museum in 2001. One of the biggest changes between the 2001 and 2021 iterations of the exhibit is the fact that Spirit Returns 2.0 is hosted in two locations: the Duwamish Longhouse and Cultural Center, and the Southwest Seattle Historical Society’s Log House Museum. The initial decision to revisit the exhibit happened in 2019, but most of the collaboration process occurred in 2020 and 2021 via Zoom.

At the Log House Museum, visitors will find an exhibit that explores the stories of key non-native settlers, and their early relationships with each other and with the Duwamish Tribe to set the stage for a celebration of contemporary collaborations and friendship between these communities. We examine a range of topics from why settlers wanted to move west in the first place, to how their arrival in the Seattle area changed pre-existing relationships with the Duwamish Tribe. Ultimately, Spirit Returns 2.0 ends on a note of growth, showcasing the progress that has been made in the 20 years since the first exhibit at the Log House Museum.

At the Longhouse we approached this exhibit from the perspective of what has now “returned” since the 2001 exhibit. The Duwamish Tribe now has a beautiful new longhouse constructed at an old village site along one of the only natural curves in the Duwamish River. We use the knowledge contained within the artifacts found at this village site as well as known place names nearby, as the basis to help tell the story of the lifeways of the Duwamish people past and present. The Tribe can now tell their own story in their own exhibit at the entrance to their own Longhouse, with objects ancient and new—many now returned to tribal ownership, others under their care.

As curators for these two very different, yet linked, exhibits we worked hard to listen and learn from those involved in the first exhibit, and, to what our leadership wanted to have told with this new exhibit. The words we heard again and again were “uplifting,” “celebratory,” “love,” “return.” Because this is a dual-hosted exhibit, one of the most important aspects we had to consider were the touchpoints between the two spaces that would make them feel like one project rather than two exhibits with the same name. What themes were we both exploring? How do our stories intersect? We spent many meetings discussing the nuances of language and approach, words such as “pioneer,” “party,” “industrious,” “first contact.” Pushing back against that language became one of the key ways we blended our stories together.

Finding those thematic overlaps was a great starting point. We expanded on connecting the exhibits as well through the loaning of collections objects between our organizations, and the graphic design and marketing materials for the exhibit. By showcasing artifacts from the other half of the exhibit at both locations, we were able to create clear connections and call-outs between both institutions. Using the same marketing materials and graphic direction overall was another way we were able to make the physical experience of the exhibit feel seamless and interconnected in both spaces.
Underlying this story is the lasting friendship between the Log House Museum and the Duwamish Longhouse, also represented in other community collaborations such as the Real Rent program which supports the Duwamish Tribe.

We are still planning joint school tours and public programs, virtual or in-person. The Longhouse exhibit is ongoing, and will continue to be expanded while the Log House Museum will close their exhibit April 17, 2022. See the two exhibits at the9 Duwamish Longhouse and Cultural Center and Log House Museum today!

Guest Post: Marilyn Montúfar Spotlights Migrant Youth

Marilyn Montúfar, Yaneyda, dimensions: 20”x20”, medium: archival pigment print .

Marilyn Montúfar is a recipient of our 2021 Art Projects grant and exhibited her photography at Gallery 4Culture in February 2018. Here, she shares how she’s putting her grant funds to work:

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Marilyn Montúfar is a recipient of our 2021 Art Projects grant and exhibited her photography at Gallery 4Culture in February 2018. Here, she shares how she’s putting her grant funds to work:

Hello, my name is Marilyn Montúfar, I’m a photographer, activist, and educator. I am a recipient of the 4Culture 2021 Art Projects grant for the project Migrant Youth–a photography project and educator collaboration, highlighting migrant youth in rural Washington. The photography series bridges my photography with youth writing. Since October 2020, the participating youth have committed to attending weekly remote meetings and have been mentored in writing, photography, and art collaborations. The youth are mentored in art by me, and in self-expression through writing by Underground Writing—a literature-based creative writing program.

The project began in 2020 as I listened to stories of how COVID-19 was disproportionately impacting farmworking communities. I reached out to a club in Skagit County that worked with migrant youth in the farmworking community. I pitched the idea of creating a photography and writing project that shares a story about identity, family, and coming of age during the pandemic from the perspective of migrant youth. At the time, the club was led by educator Marco Morales of Migrant Leaders Club and the students had previously worked with Underground Writing, successfully publishing their writing in two books. Since our initial meeting, the work we have collectively created through photography and youth writing has been exhibited in 2021 from west to east coast and showcased at locations such as the Jacob Lawrence Gallery in Seattle, Strange Paradise Gallery in Portland, OR, and more recently at the Chautauqua Visual Arts Gallery in Chautauqua, NY.

On Thursday, October 7, 2021, after one year of mentorship in the collaborative art and writing process, the youth will join me, Marco Morales, and Matt Malyon, Executive Director of Underground Writing in sharing their writing for their first artist talk during Latinx Heritage Month for the Mexican Consulate’s MEX-AM Festival. Please join us in celebrating their story, here and now.

RSVP on Eventbrite.

Marilyn Montúfar, Juli, dimensions: 36”x36”, medium: archival pigment print.

After 30 Years, Silhouettes and Cutups Finds a New Home

Cris Bruch. Silhouettes and Cutups (detail), 1989. Corten steel. Vashon, WA. King County Public Art Collection. Photo: joefreemanjunior.com

King County Metro’s Northgate Transit Center opened to the public on June 6, 1992. Artist Cris Bruch was a member of the original design team. He worked closely with architects Zimmer Gunsul Frasca of Portland and Barbara Oakrock of Seattle to influence the overall look and feel of the site. In addition, he created fifteen free-standing Corten steel sculptures for the urban landscape – eight larger animal silhouettes and seven smaller animal cutouts. These Silhouettes and Cutups represent his first-ever public commission.

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King County Metro’s Northgate Transit Center opened to the public on June 6, 1992. Artist Cris Bruch was a member of the original design team. He worked closely with architects Zimmer Gunsul Frasca of Portland and Barbara Oakrock of Seattle to influence the overall look and feel of the site. In addition, he created fifteen free-standing Corten steel sculptures for the urban landscape – eight larger animal silhouettes and seven smaller animal cutouts. These Silhouettes and Cutups represent his first-ever public commission.

Now, almost 30 years later, the site is home to Sound Transit’s newest light rail station and another permanent artwork by Bruch. Due to this redevelopment and expanded use, 4Culture was asked to find alternative placement for the sculptures. Artwork in the King County Public Art Collection often needs to be moved to accommodate growth, but not all situations result in such generous partnership and resource sharing. STart (the Sound Transit art program), King County Parks, King County Metro, ArtSite Ltd., and numerous community stakeholders contributed to the successful transfer of Bruch’s work from Northgate to King County’s Island Center Forest (ICF) Westside Trailhead on Vashon Island.

An ideal location for the spirited art, the ICF natural area is bit wild and untamed but already manipulated by human interventions such as fencing, signage, and the clearing and excavation that created a borrow pit for the neighboring Vashon Island Recycling and Transfer Station. The soft-surface trail sees regular pedestrian and equestrian traffic and is easily accessed via a maintenance road.

Cris Bruch. Silhouettes and Cutups, 1989. Corten steel. Vashon, WA. King County Public Art Collection. Photo: joefreemanjunior.com

I think this new location is so much better than the original site. There is space to see the work clearly, there’s enough space between the sculptures to create anticipation and surprise. Island Center Forest is a treasure, and I hope Silhouettes and Cutups are well received, and that they inspire affection for the whole forest. – Cris Bruch

Cris Bruch. Silhouettes and Cutups (detail), 1989. Corten steel. Vashon, WA. King County Public Art Collection. Photo: joefreemanjunior.com

Guest Post: Summer of Virtual Internships

To offer a capacity-building and professional development opportunity during the pandemic, our Heritage department implemented the King County Heritage Virtual Internship Program as a 3-month virtual program. Three host organizations were selected through a competitive panel process in early 2021: StoryBoards in Sammamish, the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park in Seattle, and the Kenmore Heritage Society. Interns have been working on their projects since June; as they near the end of the program, we asked them to share what their experience has been like this summer.

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To offer a capacity-building and professional development opportunity during the pandemic, our Heritage department implemented the King County Heritage Virtual Internship Program as a 3-month virtual program. Three host organizations were selected through a competitive panel process in early 2021: StoryBoards in Sammamish, the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park in Seattle, and the Kenmore Heritage Society. Interns have been working on their projects since June; as they near the end of the program, we asked them to share what their experience has been like this summer.

Ann Kousin
My name is Ann. I am working with the organization StoryBoards this summer. I’m helping to gather oral histories regarding the experiences of Chinese-American poets and artists who used their art for activism in the 1960s and 1970s. My day-to-day responsibilities include collecting data to establish context for Chinese American activism during the Civil Rights Movement, reading and summarizing my findings, and helping the Project Manager create specific questions relevant to the person providing the interview.

It has been a creative and exciting learning experience. I have gotten to know Chinese American poets and artists and activists with diverse perspectives and stories I wouldn’t have learned about otherwise had it not been for this opportunity. And that part of the internship has been gratifying for me. Although it is only a 12-week internship, I feel I have gained a better understanding of the process of creating a podcast.

Lena Rodriguez
The 4Culture KHS Summer Heritage Internship was developed to aid in the Kenmore Heritage Society’s effort to engage people where they are and give voices to those who have been overlooked or underrepresented. Over the course of the summer, I worked with a project advisory committee to develop a new strategic plan centered around Healing Arts and Restorative Practice, multidisciplinary research methodology and a list of timeline additions oriented around Coast Salish peoples in the area of Kenmore and Lake Washington to assist the Society in becoming more inclusive and comprehensive in their community building outreach initiatives. As a result of this Internship, I will be working at KHS for the next school year to continue to support the Society in their initiatives and implementation of my Strategic Plan and Research Methodology.

During my internship, I also received Tribal Government Training from Lisaaksiichaa Ross Braine that will be extremely helpful as I move forward in writing my Master’s thesis on DEAI best practices for Museum Exhibition, Programming, and Interpretation. As well as my continued research into the impacts and manifestations of colonization in the Americas, I hope that my research and work will contribute to a more inclusive future and help to foster a healthier, stronger, and more connected community not only in Kenmore, but beyond.

Rebecca Lawler
In My Backyard is an award winning, youth-based leadership program that started at Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park. Their goal is to help foster the next generation of stewards and create opportunities for communities that have been historically underserved and excluded from the National Park Service. This summer, 4Culture gave me the opportunity to work with IMBY as a mentor to 16 high school youth interns. I had three main goals for my internship: make meaningful connections with youth interns and Klondike team members, design presentations and lesson plans surrounding nature and equity, and finally to learn more about Seattle and the National Parks Service.

My internship started with me meeting the team and learning about the area. Then, I met the youth interns and learned about their interests. After that, I prepared for weekly meetings by creating examples of deliverables for youth interns to submit and lesson plans on topics like the outdoors, social justice, mental health, and art. I co-host weekly team meetings and provided additional support to the youth interns’ questions as needed during their five-week program. I accomplished guiding the youth interns in connecting with the nature around them. I’m finishing up my time at Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park by organizing feedback from youth interns and brainstorming new ideas for next year. I learned that the next generation can save the world and that mentoring is about valuable connections, not just educating. I am so thankful for the opportunity to be introduced to the National Parks Service through 4Culture!