ART WALK FRIDAY THE 13th

Flowers bloom as our city tries to shake off winter - just one week before the official start of spring, Art Up Greenwood-Phinney offers an exciting art walk evening including live art, live music and some things filthy and others fresh for spring. Some of the March 13th highlights will include:

"Bound in Color": A collection of mannequins and paper flowers by Ariel Neidhardt & Dashel Milligan will be on display at Olivers Twist.

"Filthy”: Edgy, urban photography exploring the multi-faceted definition of Filthy will include a three gallery exhibition at the Greenwood Collective.

Francine Seders Gallery will feature husband and wife Michael Spafford and Elizabeth Sandvig, with several pieces inspired by swimming with turtles in Hawaii.

SPACE Design Center will feature Dorian Dyer. Dorian produces life-enhancing art of inspiration and beauty, picturing the vibrant depth of soul and spirit he intuits in all of life.

Taking place on the 2nd Friday of each month between 6:00 – 9:00pm, the new neighborhood art walk embraces a thriving art community and invites local residents to enjoy special discounts and promotions from local restaurants, bars and shops.

WHEN:Friday, March 13, 2009 from 6:00 – 9:00pm
Art Up Greenwood-Phinney takes place on the 2nd Friday of each month
WHERE: Greenwood Avenue North/Phinney Avenue North
Between 65th street and 87th street
Print an art walk map here

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First Fridays at the Phinney Art Gallery

As I drive, bus, walk or bike by the PNA I often glance in the windows to see what's going on in there. A friend and I set off last Friday to see what this month's First Friday art opening was all about. We wondered if we had the date right, the building looked dark, but as we rounded the corner to the packed parking lot, we knew there was yet another happening at the PNA. We clomped upstairs to a packed landing filled with regular people sipping wine, and munching snacks while perusing the exhibit, entitled SALON NO. 4. The exhibit is a showing of artists, from the Seattle Print Arts group and includes Maggie Booth, Betsy Best, Spadaro, Laurie D. Brown, Susan Gans, Judy Gregory, Toni Santos, and Kathryn Trigg. I am a huge fan of block prints and one of my favorite pieces is called 24/7, a true to life saga in black and white.

Big Blue

The Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce "Building Green" blog has dubbed the PNA's Blue Building: "everyone’s favorite giant blue building"!

Thanks DJC! That's kinda like winning an Oscar! Kinda.

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It’s official!

Final closing papers were signed and filed on February 27 and the Phinney Neighborhood Association now owns the Phinney Neighborhood Center site.

Thank you to the City of Seattle and the State of Washington for providing the funding for the purchase.

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Greenwood Art Walk This Friday

Sponsored by the Greenwood Chamber of Commerce, the Greenwood Art Walk is happening this Friday evening. For a list of participating business click on www.greenwood-phinney.com One highlight is Greenwoods's very own art cat, Cooper.
The article about Cooper is below.
View One of Cooper’s Nine Lives
Ever wonder what your pet is up to while you’re away? Greenwood residents and filmmakers, Michael and Deirdre Cross, were curious as to how their orange tabby, Cooper, filled his days. So, they fitted his collar with a special camera set to snap a photo every two minutes. The resulting photos prove to be surprisingly interesting, although thinking of my own feline, I wondered how many shots ended up being edited. The fact that Cooper is both an indoor and outdoor cat lends variety to his photos, all from a cat’s eye point of view. Cooper seems unphased by both the camera and his sudden fame as both a photographer and featured cat on an episode of the Animal Planet show Cats101.
Is it art? Well, the photos have a certain detached beauty and the images are a reflection of life in a 21st century urban neighborhood. Decide for yourself at the Greenwood Art Walk, February 13, 2009, 6:00 – 9:00pm. Exhibit running at URBAN LIGHT STUDIOS through March 10 URBAN LIGHT STUDIOS, 
8537 Greenwood Ave N, Seattle, WA 98103.

Taproot Theater Presents "Gee’s Bend"

Normally, this article would run in our newspaper, the Phinney Ridge Review, but the play will have completed its run at Taproot before the next edition comes out in early March. Here's what our Arts Coorespondent, Laura Genoves, has to say about the play "Gee's Bend".

The setting is intimate, the stage is minimalist, and the production of Gee’s Bend is superb. Taproot Theater has once again delivered a story of hope and courage to the stage. Based on the actual small town of Gee’s (pronounced geez) Bend, Alabama, this beautifully written play, by Elyzabeth Gregory Wilder shares the story of three generations of a poor African American family working their land and making the most of what is available to them. The women in the family learn the art of quilting and incorporate scraps of their well-worn clothing into imaginative, yet functional designs. The main character, Sadie, played by Samantha Rund, becomes inspired by listening to a lecture by Martin Luther King in Selma. Sadie and her sister Nella then get their own voter’s registration cards, and Sadie joins a march and protests. Sadie is determined to fight for equality, and Sadie and her husband Macon, are in disagreement as to how to bring equality to Gee’s Bend.

Each scene begins with a short acapella rendition of a traditional African American spiritual, and the brief transitions between scenes allow the audience to absorb the profundity of the story and share the struggles of the Pettway women. As their struggles evolve, we share the triumphs of the women when their quilts are lovingly displayed in a museum as works of art. Many in the audience were brought to tears; director Karen Lund has created a genuinely moving production.

Join the discussion with some of the real quilters of Gee’s Bend, February 18, at 9 p.m. or February 21 after the matinee showing. If you have already seen the play, but want to be involved in the conversation, bring your tickets for admission. There will also be and post-play appearances by the Pacific Northwest African American Quilters (Wednesdays, February 4-25).

At Taproot Theatre – January 28-February 28


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CALL FOR ARTISTS

Farmers Market T-shirt Design Competition
Click here for details


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Let's Twist Again Like We Did Last Summer!

The Greenwood Senior Center goes wild the last Friday of each month with a Bingo/Karaoke Party! If you don't believe it's a wild time check this out at YouTube!

More info about this Wild & Crazy event is available at the the GSC's Web site here. (Scroll down for details.)

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Seattle Folklore Society Concert Photos

PNA volunteer photographer Elisa Sherman took some great photos of Dick Weissman and Sara Sample at last Saturday's Seattle Folklore Society Concert in the Brick Building. You can see Elisa's photos here.




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Home Design & Remodel Fair discussed on KUOW

Did you happen to hear Roger Faris singing the praises of our Well-Home Program (which he started) on KUOW's Weekday program yesterday?

He was marvelous! He & Marcie Sillman even mentioned our upcoming Home Design & Remodel Fair!

If you missed it you can download an mp3 of the entire podcast here. A full list of KUOW podcasts is here. Roger comes on after the first break at about 15 minutes in and the Home Fair discussion begins at about 47 minutes.

Thanks so much to Roger, Marcie & KUOW! We could not have asked for a better mention!

The Home Design & Remodel Fair will be at the Phinney Neighborhood Center, 6532 Phinney Ave N, Sunday, February 8, 2009 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.


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