Featured Artist Nonprofit Tour Downtown
Disclaimer:
Everything below is a mix of what I observed and heard during the event. The goal isn’t to pinpoint "who exactly said what," but to share (usually) an outsider's view and overall perspective on these industries. I’m not here to act as a definitive firsthand source—readers should do their own research. I hope this inspires you to attend events, explore new industries, and hear what leaders are presenting. These notes combine my observations with thoughts on how things could run smoother and how ideas connect (IMO). I’m not an expert, you know? Just hanging out in the room with them. Enjoy!Topics: Artists Residency, Metal Work, Paint, Mixed Media, Artist Intensives, Vacant Commercial Space, Downtown Seattle, Art and Creation, NonProfits
Originally, I wanted to attend a party at the Seattle Art Museum, but it sold out!! With that in mind, I looked for a backup plan and found this walking art tour hosted by a nonprofit. I wanted to see some art and visit some new venues around downtown. Plus, keep myself entertained by learning something new on a Friday night. Let’s get to it.
Why Attend: Seattle is bursting with creativity. So many artists of all sorts of mediums!! There are many businesses and nonprofits supporting the arts, too - so what does that look like in action? I was curious to learn more about this interesting-looking project. A charity supporting an arts foundation that gives opportunities to artists to create? Seems like a lot to learn and understand (and potentially enjoy!)
Overall Event Rating: Venue (3/5), Food (2/5), Speaker Content (4/5), Networking (2/5), Likeliness to Return (3/5)… (more details below)
Photo Collage and COMMENTARY:
NOTES FROM THE EVENT:
This event was a mix of ‘not exactly my style’ + ‘INSANELY INSPIRING’ at once. It was like, I got plenty from it and didn’t stay the entire time. But it massively inspired me. The situation is that there is SO much downtown retail space available. So, these epic buildings are just sitting empty— communities are able to convince the building owners to let artist residencies exist. This one building used to be like Banana Republic or something, but went out of business because of covid. Now it’s this artist residency building - they all have studios in these (I think old world) buildings. I think this really inspires me to fill up some of these downtown buildings too. I think it’d be something similar to this, or related to kid’s education.
Logic and math maybe? I always wanted to open a “Creative Thinkers” business, teaching logic and strategy skills to kids. Instead, I opened up an English school and then an acting school hahaha. So, maybe finally the third time is the charm.
Not only just making businesses for kids is an option, though, but also think supporting adults is great, making more spaces for people to work, create, do workshops. Exercise and get healthy. Of course, outdoor space is important too. And it’s hard to get convinced to leave your house lately. So we really gotta rethink business models.
As far as commerical real estate, how to use it all. I don’t know what the future holds. It’s like, so much SPACE is available now, but not enough people are making money… so what do we do with this space? I like that art is being created.
The event was not quite my style because I was not a fan of most of the art. There were a number of pieces that really stood out to me as talented, beautiful, and amazing. But a number of the pieces were really about struggle, torture, being misunderstood, mutilation, pornography, etc
I understand that art is self-expression, and sometimes you don’t even know how to deal with difficult things except through art. HOWEVER, I went to an event the other day, the event about events, where a guy reminded me that you can’t only make posts and attract people with BAD news. Lately, we see so much of that, shine light on the good news too.
You are what you eat, you are what you surround yourself with.
All over this city, I see art that is like spooky and native, or twisted and trippy, or random (like those dead stumps outside of the city hall in the nearby city). Stuff like that, where you’re like, enough already! Where’s the cute stuff, too? Or educational? Innovation. Positive for the future. Every community is surveyed, what do they want more of? ART!
I want to see more cute, positive, happy art. Not just the difficulties. It’s like lately there’s so many spooky horror movies. Even the commodities are about death and being corrupt.
I want to see more positivity, values, virtues, optimistic messages, education, information. I want to see that more embraced.
So this event made me want to make my own art studio and find artists creating art that I am such a fan of and I’d like to see more of in the city, too - and let that complement this as well.
I am serious, if/when MOASS starts kicking off - I want to bring more art to the city (and cities around the nation). I know that it’s wanted and needed. And i’d like the art to be really positive, maybe even educational hahaah. Meaningful to me. Wholesome and enhancing of its surroundings. It’s always been one of my many ideas on how to get to work.
So, I think this event inspired me in that way and showed me how things are really needed. I hope it can happen.
NOW - with that all being said, let’s get into what some of the artists shared.
Lots of crazy stuff on the transit!!! Now, I’m going to tell the story of my travel there. It was wild hahaha. Skip to the next part if you don’t want to read this rambly story and just wanna get to the art tour:
OH YEAH - my adventure traveling there. It was WILD!! It was like I was in the movie “Airplane” but on the subway.
BTW so much of that humor on Airplane is not politically correct. Neither was this whole experience. SO IF YOU READ THIS, KNOW IT IS NOT POLITICALLY CORRECT OR EVEN THAT THOUGHTFUL TO STEROTYPES. PROBABLY IT WOULD OFFEND PEOPLE. SO. I JUST THOUGHT, like in the context of life, THIS WAS A CRAZY experience. Very similar to the movie airplane.. and by the end I was laughing ahha. But also, I wish our reality were different and each of these events had been like creative awesome and positive, instead of like absurdely surreal and so extreme kinda negative/crazy.
First, everyone got amber alerts on their phones. The whole train, myself included. Saying someone was wearing a name brand (they mentioned it) clothing item and the child also had on a name brand shirt. These days I’m questioning too much. But, idk. It happens when you follow the money too far on anything!!
I’m just like, I get why you’re using name brands - but also!!
So everyone gets the amber alerts, and I hear a woman freaking out a bit behind me. She’s yelling at this and that. Then she yells at a guy, saying “don’’t look at me. you! yeah you! No, not you, the black boy. the black boy there.” and for the record, she was white. Since she called him out, let’s call her out too. She was a white lady who looked a little sloppy. And for this story, I’m including everyone’s race, cause it was literally like a scene from Airplane, which is no longer an appropriate movie for 2025, cause all of its jokes are a bit racey, but this was so racey what happened over the next like 10 minutes. All of it!! And its worth telling - though it may offend some, but I only mean it to be like “what a wild situation i’m telling you I saw, of just like so many crazy things all at once”.
Earlier that guy and i had made eye contact and I instantly looked away cause that’s what you do here in Seattle, you avoid eye contact with everyone as a norm. And he and i made strong eye contact for a bit, like half a second, then looked away.
But when she was being aggressive to him, he was really far from her and many people were in between, even myself, and he literally was doing nothing wrong, so I am sure people would have interveined if it had escalated. Maybe even myself if needed, getting security or something. Idk. It was sorta a play-by-ear crazy situation.
So as she was yelling at him, i said - ohhh, he just must have that personality where he makes strong eye contact with people, cause now she’s focused in on him. And then he was just trying to avoid eye conect with her.
But then we get to the next station and suddenly, like, on cue so weirdly there, a security officer is there!! It was kinda a relief cause she was getting aggressive.
Then, the guy sitting in front of the woman yelling is like, “this woman hit my wife with a bottle on the head”. He was white and so was his wife.
And I didn’t even hear/know that’d happened. All I heard was the commotion.
She yells out that that black boy did blah blah blah. Then the officer tells her “don’t be racist”
I look and see that he’s asian.
Then the security officer was like, “is that true? you hit her with a bottle?” She’s all, “idk them, idk them” etc. The security guard officer asks her to switch trains. she said she won’t. Then everyone settles down, I stop paying attention. At the next station the security guard is gone.
Suddenly this other asian lady walks in front of the guy who was being sorta aggressively attacked earlier (and i’m just going to call him Jeff. but he’s like just a little younger than me). She suddenly yells out “Jesus is good! Jesus can save us!” and then walks the opposite direction of the subway from me and Jeff and the couple. Then Jeff just bursts out cracking up. Me too!!!
It was like, wtf? The amber alert, that lady losing it on him (i think she got escorted off), the security guard, Jesus saves…
Then Jeff and an older white guy standing next to him, wearing a rasta hat, start cracking jokes about the woman preaching. Jeff says, “I’ve been there done that. I know my god. I’m straight.”
The guy he’s chatting with laughs and agrees. They settle down.
Finally, we get to the next station and the doors open up. I go to get off, so does Jeff’s new friend in the rasta hat, and another person who was white, a guy who was tall, behind me in a hoodie.
For THEN some reason, at this station, the people waiting to get on the subway were so aggressive and started getting onto the subway before we even got off. A group of three people push their way on, three white people. A man and two white women.
So then the guy in the hoodie yells at them a bit and is like, “Will you let me get off of the train first??”
THEN!!! The guy with the people pushing his way on, goes, “DONT SPEAK THAT WAY TO A WOMAN!!!!” so angrily to the guy who asked to get off hte subway.
Then me, Jeff, and Jeff’s new friend all lose it, cracking up so hard - each laughing separately to ourselves. It was just, like, SO many crazy/funny/extreme things all happening at once in the span of 10 minutes.
The subway and public transit are so crazy sometimes.
And it was all like, all races, all stereotypes enhanced or broken or mixed and mashed. You know? That’s why I left it all in for this story.
And yeah, for me, just making eye contact with the wrong person can get you into conflict on the train. I’m not oblivious to the vibe Jeff was feeling. It can happen because of anything to anyone of any race on the subway and in public. But probably it happens more to certain races. It’d be interesting to look at the data from trains and see how ‘bullying’ goes. What are the patterns and trends in arguments breaking out?
Just the other day I had a young high school age kid get very upset with me. He was white, with blonde hair, looked very orderly. But then he mentioned he was drunk as he walked away. He got into a confrontation with me cause I cheered for him as he got onto the subway at the last second as the doors were closing. IDK why but i was just in a good mood and happy for him, but then he got really up on me. My daughter was with me and I eventually got him to move on.
then, as i said, he sang to himself about drinking alcohol, so it explained that, i think. But, avoiding eye contact is an art haha. In ‘the south’, i lived there a while, meeting strangers and random eye contact is more common - at least it was while i was there. but in this city, not so much. Similar to Shanghai or other big citites. Sometimes it can get you into trouble, WITH ANYONE! :)
TOUR BEGINS:
- I loved the host. She was so funny and really nice and kept almost finishing literally every sentence I was saying. It was kinda amazing and impressive. hahaha. Just the last syllables idk if she noticed it. It was impressive. I don’t know how she did it.
This nonprofit does work to operate the artist side of Seattle restored.
We help artists get spaces to put art in the windows. The next year is the residency where they have six months in a retail space. Engage and test. The next part takes you up another notch. Telling you to manage your own space. Maybe even long term lease support
Late spring next round of applications. Next rotation and all the spaces get new blood, new artists. Unless they transition to long term lease.
There are a number of places all over the city. Many of the districts popping up with work. Some even popping up today.
Comes from the office of economic development. Helping support artist career group. Tonight’s support is a mix of a foundation and a strange supporting it.
These add so much value for artists because now they have an impressive place to host their art and show it to curators, unlike ever before.
FIRST ARTIST
Post internet Arab-American artists. Considers everything prior was research. If you look around you see a lot of her abstract arts. They’re documented behaviors of moving our mouse. Before that, interested in figuration and representation of art. The subconscious of the internet, the community. What we do. When you click and pause there’s humanity to it. I’m an insomniac I don’t sleep well. Sometimes I click and click and realize things that are incredible. I wonder why I didn’t explore it more. It’s more than what we see. It’s the subconscious of the internet world.
Lately people are negative about technological advances we miss the point where it’s improving our lives and we have engagement with our machine. Our movements have stories. It’s how you support your family. They’re like archeological documentation of our internet us, computer use, and mouse. Connects the work on the computer to the art. It’s interesting and there’s a lot for me to explore. You’ve arrived at a good time in my art career. I’m excited for you to bask in this.
It’s super abstract and until you tell me, it’s not necessarily the first that that occurs to me. What kinda of mechanisms are you thinking about the importance for the viewer to understand ?
I feel like it’s always good to question. It has to peak your interest and intrigue.
Prior to this moment call of her art was her representative. Doesn’t feel like a departure. Feels like an arrival.
I think maybe the anonymous donor person is on our tour. Right? That’s how I’d do it. lol.
When you sit in your office you click and click and access things from across the world. We don’t celebrate that enough across humanity. It’s the subconscious of the internet that I’m interested in.
I’m not expecting people to know what this it. It would spark a conversation. Somehow it’ll all make sense.
I think she’s missing an opportunity. It’s like making a new language and not teaching anyone it. She should at least tell everyone at the start of the exhibit if she ends up with one. If not it looks so chaotic.
NEXT ARTIST
Next artist is “sleep deprived” and going to tell the truth. When going into her studio. She invites us to stand in her studio. Made of stuff people usually think you can’t make art out of and turns it into art. She uses brass copper and steel into meaningful and transformative art for those who view and wear it.
Using a saw for metal, you can handle big sheets and cut around. Drill bits smaller than you’ve ever seen. A 15lb anvil. Tools of the trade I work with and I’m classically trained.
Ethos is it’ll heal you. All about ancient symbols and using the materials. Make it and draw it out with hand.
This is an art because you’re using your hands and making this metal art.
Did the public art boot camp. Through the puget sound there are trolls. Made by an artist. Huge trolls. She made mile markers.
Now conceptual artist looking at ancient symbols. Worked with a mentor. Her name is vulgar dreamee but now boom chicka wow. The wu tang name generator gave her this name. How childish gambinoo got his name.
What symbol is packed into your work?
Ones about how you need poison to find balance.
One is alchemy. The second to the last stage. Right when you’re close to your goal of turning your payoff into gold. It’s when the strongest opposition comes. Do you recognize that or fall when you were almost there. The devil’s tale and the crystal have meaning.
She can’t work with heat. Wire wrapping is extremely dexterous. One little thing she worked on for two days so far. She said come back anytime you’re downtown and she’ll show how it works. She said one to one is so much easier.
So much of the art here is like naked women. And a naked woman wearing a penis strapped on, gender fluidity... One with bdsm.
I am just like, okay… I get it - but I feel like all of this type of art is everywhere lately. Maybe that’s just Seattle. But I want more balance. Maybe that’s too mainstream of me? hahah. But my art galleries will be a bit family friendly, rated G!! 😁
She said everything she makes is an ideogram. Everything you can recognize what the symbols mean. Ideogram isn’t attached to language. It’s what you know without really knowing. Birds. The moon. These things I’m attracted to and making things out of. My own hieroglyphics.
An astrologer told her for 2025, basically she needs to be less old school. She needs to have an instagram. Your 2025 is about being more open to things like instagram.
A guy comments that it’s a modern marketing astrologer.
She’s working 25 hours a week here usually.
NEXT ARTIST
Many of her pieces are about love and black art. She’s done a lot of heterosexual relationships in her art. She’s making things that connect more with herself. Transitioning the character to a woman in her art at the last minute. Her wife showed her a good art technique. The piece is coming together.
Talk to us about who these people are. Do you know them? Magazine clippings? Where do the people come from? You made them up?
All the images that you see are things that you find. It can be Pinterest. Instagram. I think of and see and find references. I find what I can use and find in my head a lot of times to reference it on canvas. Inspired by community. People in here I know. A piece of wife
Do you paint someone you find on instagram and not tell them? She used to but didn’t like painting people and not telling them. People running into them.
Fat swag. Then his friends saw it. I slid in his dm and committed. I’m doing paintings of you, but i added a gap in your teeth. Personal preference.
It was in the Roots picnic. Their yearly festival. The visual aspect. The curator put her in the show.
Next series will be on people making impact in the city. What they’re doing and their stories.
Also, you’re a serial program participant. Not your first time here. Why do you keep coming back? What have you learned along the way? Usually, people are one and done. Or come back in a different way.
First time signed up. Looking for community. Still covid how do I do it. Signed up. Felt welcomed by staff. So much enthusiasm. Not only staff but in a spot where I’m getting attention. Placed me in a spot here to pick up movement and get into more spaces.
Applied again and again.
This is a good stepping stone to get notoriety.
Right down the street from the Sam. Great place to invite people. Now it’s nice to be able to work on four places at a time. To have space and not worry of how to maintain it.
There’s energy in hair. So the one series is on beauty in hair.
One guy in the audience asked how she’s gonna transition that person and not over-feminize them?
I thought his question was surprising. He is worried about if she realized she may over-feminize the woman in the painting as she transitions them from a man to a woman in her painting. lol. The english/logic teacher in me views that almost as a word problem or writing prompt where you have to see how well you understand english/grammar. Also, I’ll point out I’m a woman (who is lately even trying to be more feminine, for the fun of it! Let me live a little, too, okay?)
She said she just follows along with her intuition. Just let people calm down and ask, she said. Some days I am so dressed up, some days I’m dressed down. I have different styles every day.
As for making them more feminine, I’m tapping into myself. I’m just adding boobs and not tooo much to the face.
She said she hopes her answer was good enough for him, he said oh definitely.
They worked with famous local artists with art collectors to fill this space with art collectors. Awards all over the nation art thanks to them. Used to be banana republic. Before that it was a movie theater. The concept is an MFA without the academic institution. 30 artists each with a space. Space is free of charge. The goal is in the next year to grow into a bigger space. They do open studios and art walks once a month or quarter with curators. As a hub and resource space. All different discpline artists
The girl whose brain child this is arrived. Fiscally sponsored by the company. She’s part of an artists in residence group. They’re provide long term studio space and art and artist accelerator. Take underutilized spaces in downtown Seattle and fill them with art studios. Let’s take over downtown.
Complimentary effort. Maybe a full initial intersection. The goal is to be an artist accelerator. A way t get separate groups and art supporters and curators. Everyone together in one space.
The idea is to bring groups together and cross pollotinate. More than just free space. Provide workshops. Curator tours. Curators meet with artists and give feedback. Help artists forward careers. DIY MFA.
NEXT ARTIST
Recently she did stor. The fake ikea. It was a huge experiment to see a template of where we all know how to shop. Visible pricing. Signs. Etc. did people shop! Over 800 transaction? Over $50k of art. Pretty good. Only open 2 days a week.
Didn’t have the staff of IKEA.
I remember seeing this. But I didn’t even know it was for sale.
A therapist bought something special for their office, she thought that was fun.
Proof that Seattle wants art. Wants more art. It’s like Ike’s but everything was interest and amazing. Helped local artists get themselves out there. Likes to do screen printing but on any irregular object. Lately on glass with glass dust.
Her birthmark makes her relate to moths. How moths are creepy but butterflies aren’t. But beauty standards aren’t fair.
Art filling a space adds value. We need more voices being experimental. That’s how things happen.
NEXT ARTIST
There’s a new one all about pain and suffering but using beeswax.
Again, I love the idea of beeswax, but can we help solve the mental health crisis in America and start giving little trickles of happiness and joy? I feel like making this artists sanctuary where they can just make more art about suffering makes… more art about suffering!
I want a beeswax artist to be in my gallery that makes art about the future, positivity, etc.
I know I’m being ‘too judgemental’ but you need a preference and taste to make choices in business. So, I’m glad to see this business and how they make their choices and who they choose to add to their artist collection. For me! I want a different trend.
NEXT ARTIST
Used to work in a strip club and has pictures of the strippers all getting ready to go out and strip, all in black in white. Women getting ready for work.
At this point, I decided to leave and head home.
It was very cool and beautiful, but… again, not exactly my style - and if i had a venue, I’d pick a different set of artists. And I like the idea of doing this in the future hahah. But I’m still glad this exists. Just wanna add to it KT style!!
As I said, totally inspiring!!!!!! In the sense, it showed me something I’d like to make, but a different version of. :)
OVERALL EVENT REVIEWS ELABORATED:
Venue (3/5): The venues were cool from what we could see, but we didnt’ see all of it. Also there weren’t really any places to sit around, lots of standing. I guess that’s how most art galleries are, but it was a long time to stand. I also just didn’t totally love the overall vibe - like the pods were rectangular and abrupt but the ceilings were arched, so it looked like temporary visitors in a space.
Food (2/5): They only had cookies, and it wasn’t even clear if you could take one or not. So I never did, but also it’s not even that healthy. Then for drinks, they were selling alcholic drinks and la croi, etc. But lately I’m avoiding “natural flavors” the ingredient. Which is like all that La Croix is… its just sparkling water and natural flavors (as are many drinks).
Speaker Content (4/5) : It was cool to hear from the artists. Hear the stories of how they make their work (and I knew some of their works already, without having known THEM). It was neat and fun to hear some of the takeaways, as well.
Netwokring (2/5): I did talk to one or two people, but there were no efforts at all for anyone to meet. That was alright.
Likeliness to Return (3/5): I’d be interested to come back, but not in a hurry, since across the board, most of the styles I wasn’t so interested in. I’d say of the 40 artists we saw, I liked maybe 20% of the work? Lots of it, not the biggest fan. But I do like this project so much, and I support it!
Until next time, I wish you the motivation and success to search for opportunities around your area. Search and explore: Who is out there giving talks? There are new things happening all of the time.
Find relatable or interesting topics you like and check them out! Maybe even something hosted at a cool venue, if there’s no other reason to go. Let’s see what you can learn and discover not too far from home. 😊
