Ver(a)rt Gallery

Artists and Curators, this one's for you:

Ver(A)rt Gallery invites emerging and under-represented artists of all-ages to submit work for the 2010 season. Artworks in 2-D, 3-D, video and installation by emerging artists and crafters are welcome!


The gallery is located in the highly active Vera Project all-ages music venue, so get ready to be seen. Groups, individuals and curators are invited to apply with single works, themed shows or solo exhibits featuring a body of work.


Applicants are asked to send a cd of 3 - 10 images or videos (or a link to website/s) with an image list, a resume/cv or artist bio, and the completed application form.

For more information, visit Vera's Website.

Deadline: October 20, 2009



Ver(a)rt Gallery is a space for artists and curators of all-ages and practices to present their work and ideas. We are an arts laboratory, offering tools for creative experimentation and discovery to our diverse community.


Youth, emerging artists, local crafters, those experimenting in new genres of unsellable or underrepresented work, and collaborative projects are all encouraged. In order to facilitate these works, we offer opportunities to participate as an exhibiting artist, a show curator, an installer, a promoter, a submissions reviewer, or in any number of other capacities.


For those interested in taking on roles outside of their present skill range, we offer education and hands-on training, increasing arts knowledge in our community and potential for collaboration.


For these same reasons we seek collaboration with other local arts organizations and youth organizations with arts programming. We believe in the inherent value of arts participation and are here to be a means to that end.


(The above illustrations are by Michael Zimmerman... check more of his work out here)

Bumbershoot This Weekend

If you're planning on going down to Bumbershoot this weekend, keep your eyes peeled for Amy Ellen Flatchestedmama Trefsger's latest endeavor, OLDSKL TXTN.

OLDSKL TXTN is an aerial banner scheduled to fly over Seattle Center for one hour between 4 and 7pm on Saturday, September 5th.

Aerial letter banners are an antiquated format (before cell phones and online social networks) for communicating brief, succinct messages. And for this one, Flatchestedmama is combining this old school medium with the new school jargon we now relate to texting.

Aerial banners were a familiar sight during Trefsger's childhood summers spent on the Jersey shore, and while taking in recent SeaFair activites, the idea was born.

If you would like to see more of Flatchestedmama's work, check out the video and work on our website, or click on the link to her site above.

Also at Bumbershoot:



Kerfuffle (or The Uneasy Relationship Between Humanity and the Environment)

\kər-ˈfə-fəl\
Etymology: alteration of carfuffle, from Scots car- (probably from Scottish Gaelic cearr wrong, awkward) + fuffle to become disheveled

Kerfuffle is an uncompromising look at the environmental mess we have created in our world, the awkward tension the problem has created, and a search for answers in starting anew. We examine exactly how many plastic bottles the United States consumes within five minutes and the light pollution caused by the world's major economic and political centers. What does one man's garbage look like after one year's time? Should we pack our bags and relocate to the unclaimed lands of Antarctica? Or can we change our ways and grow new cities with green, living matter? This exhibition is an exploration of the challenge we face along with many creative possibilities.

Vaughn Bell
Joseph Gray
Chris Jordan
Allison Kudla
Paul D. Miller (a/k/a DJ Spooky)
Karen Rudd
Christina Seely
Brent Watanabe
Kuros Zahedi

Bumbershoot Festival, Seattle, WA
Fidalgo and Lopez Rooms
Curated by Chris Weber and Lele Barnett

Opening: Friday, September 4, 12-7pm (FREE)
Festival: September 5-7, 2009


Happy Bumbershooting!

Fremont Bridge Project needs Volunteers

Earlier this year, Kristen Ramirez, our beloved friend and local artist, was granted the first-ever Fremont Bridge Artist Residency. Since May, she has been spending her time in the NE tower of the bridge working on the project set to launch on September 26, 2009.

Her project, funded by SDOT's 1% for the arts and Seattle's Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs, will be entitled Bridge Talks Back. Throughout the summer, Kristen has been collecting sounds, random memories from locals, and answers to a quiz she passed out, all to be incorporated into the project. On September 26th from 1 to 4pm, there will be a celebration on and around the bridge with a colorful procession of one hundred people with hand-painted signs, live horns in the bridge towers, decorative flags, and much fanfare.

At this point, Kristen is looking for volunteers to be involved and to help out, specifically performers interested in being apart of this event and marching in the parade.

If you want to take part in this unique and memorable event, there will be an orientation meeting on Tuesday, September 15th from 6-7pm at the Seattle Public Library Fremont Branch’s Meeting Room. All volunteers are highly encouraged to attend this orientation as important information about the event and participants responsibilities for the day will be detailed at that time.

If you are not interested in volunteering, please join us on Saturday September 26th to enjoy the festivities and witness the culmination of this exciting project!

Stay tuned for an upcoming exhibition by Ramirez here at Grey, entitled Ghosts of Commerce Past opening October 8, 2009.

Boudreau and Maxi on SLOG

Earlier this week, The Stranger's SLOG gave some props to the artists currently showing at Grey, Rachel Maxi and Greg Boudreau (Brad Biancardi was mentioned on SLOG earlier this summer.)

Check out the SLOG post here, and if you haven't been in to see any of the three exhibitions we're featuring this month, stop in to view the show!

Stay tuned for Ryan Feddersen's upcoming exhibition here at Grey, Glitterporn, and join us for the reception on September 10th from 5 til 9pm, followed by Blueprint with resident DJs SunTzu Sound.

The Lay of The Land

Join us tomorrow night for the Blitz Capitol Hill Art Walk, and a brand spankin new exhibition from Rachel Maxi.

The Lay of The Land
Thursday, August 13th, 2009, from 5 til 9pm
Followed by Blueprint, with resident DJs SunTzu Sound


The Lay of The Land is a meditation on the evolution of the man made landscape, addressing the growing presence of development and the diminishing presence of all things rusted, broken down and out dated.

Increasingly consumed by our cell phones, lap tops and portable gaming systems we often overlook the objects and surfaces of our daily surroundings that, with light and shadow, create unusually attractive compositions. The back alley dumpsters, roadside pylons and old pick up trucks that we walk by everyday encourage Maxi to portray the industrial still life in its exquisite simplicity.

Alarmed at the rate in which our environment is changing, Maxi is motivated to capture the current landscape, seizing the moment before nostalgia gives way to progress.

Biancardi on Slog

This week, Jen Graves posted a review on SLOG of This Bike Deserves a Painting, Brad Biancardi's current exhibition at Grey.... Check it out here.

If you have yet to come in and view the show, This Bike Deserves a Painting will be up until September 5, 2009. Come check it out!



Above is an image of Duet for Broken Piano, the first collaboration between Brad Biancardi and local artist Jason Wood (Stars & Stallions). Learn more about the piece and its creation in the previous posts below....

Stars & Stallions: Day II

Alright, after some technical difficulties yesterday, here is a new post from Stars & Stallions; with a sneak peek, video and commentary on the progress of their first-ever collaboration together. Brad and Jason are installing here in our gallery at Grey until tomorrow evening, when we will celebrate the opening reception of Brad's latest exhibition, This Bike Deserves a Painting. Stay tuned for some new images, a new show and more from Stars & Stallions!!

Stars & Stallions Begin Installation at Grey

Hi,

We're Stars & Stallions. Stay tuned to Grey's blog for daily updates as we install a site-specific 2D, 3D and sound installation in the Gallery. The show opens as part of Blitz, the Capitol Hill Art Walk this Thursday.

New Hours and Menu!!

You may have noticed recently that Grey has been making some minor adjustments to our hours and menu items...

Our new hours of operation will be Mon-Fri from 11am til 7pm in the Gallery, and 4pm til 2am everyday in the Lounge.

This means that, sadly yes, Brunch has been canceled here at Grey...
But Happy Hour is still available, running everyday from 4 til 7 with draught beer and well cocktails for $3, house wine selections for $3.50 and sparkling wines for $5 !

Come in soon to check out our newly re-vamped dinner menu, with all kinds of new offerings and features. Our kitchen will now be open Tue - Sat from 5 til 11, with small snacks available during our other business hours.

Call - to - Artists: Youngstown Skate Park

The Youngstown Cultural Arts Center is searching for an artist or team of artists interested in creating an artwork in conjunction with the development of a proposed Skate Board Park at Delridge and Genesse in West Seattle... The selected artist(s) will collaborate with the project team, members of the skateboard initiative, local residents, and youth.

The site for this project is located near several community service buildings and has the potential to be a gateway to the Delridge corridor. The public art piece needs to compliment the new skate park and serve as a landmark for the community. Delridge is a diverse community with many cultural backgrounds and part of Seattle’s rich history. The park site is near the West Seattle Bridge and is on a well traveled avenue accessible by public transportation. The art is an opportunity to acknowledge local resident’s support of community development around the park.

This call is open to professional and emerging artists in the state of Washington. YCAC encourages diversity, collaboration, the recognition of marginalized social groups in the design process, and the development of a politically conscious community. The panel will consider artist diversity as one factor in the selection process. Students are eligible with the sponsorship of a faculty member from their educational institution.

The selected artist will design a bold and creative response to this site and its stakeholders. The artwork should be of appropriate scale to be visually accessible to drivers, cyclists and pedestrians without presenting a hazard or driving distraction. The artist will consider the structures access and location to the skate park and accommodate its possible use by skateboarders, spectators, visitors, and neighbors. Design and placement of the artwork will focus on its relationship with the skate park and the social environment by serving as a gateway to the Delridge neighborhood. The artist will play a primary role in the location of the artwork in collaboration with YCAC, the project team, and will take into account safety, maintenance and structural considerations.

The budget for this project is under review. To what extent it is funded will depend on the parties abilities to collaborate with one another, city departments, and to persuasively communicate the story of the Delridge neighborhood and the skate park project.

For questions, please contact the Skate Park Art Project Committee at 206-935-2999 or click here for more details on applying.

Emerging Leaders Reception

Americans for the Arts are holding their annual convention in Seattle this year, holding several different receptions around town this weekend.

Grey is honored and excited to be hosting the reception for the 10th anniversary of the Emerging Leaders program, sponsored by the Master of Arts in Arts Administration Program at Goucher College tonight from 8 - 10pm.

We will open our doors to the public after 10pm and continue the festivities, so please join us in welcoming Americans for the Arts and take this opportunity to meet and mingle with local and national leaders in the arts.

2nd Thursday on Capitol Hill

Today is the opening day of the re-installment of the Capitol Hill Arts Walk... We at Grey, along with many other businesses on Capitol Hill will be participating in the festivities.

We are also celebrating the opening reception of a brand spankin new exhibition at Grey: Build It Up, Break It Down with new work by Greg Boudreau.

Boudreau works with meticulously hand cut paper stencils that are then spray painted onto salvaged wood frames. We are really excited about this new show, and invite everyone to come down tonight for the opening from 5-9pm!

Tonight is a great night to also check out other offerings around the neighborhood and enjoy the new arts walk. For a map of local businesses participating in the art walk and more information go to the Blitz website.