By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

At sites along the Duwamish River, from West Seattle to South Park and beyond, a huge four-month art project is about to “open.” And you might already have seen signs of it … in one case, literally, signs:

When Jonathan tweeted a photo of that sign and called it to our attention Friday morning – with the backdrop at Port of Seattle-owned Jack Block Park, within view of the Shell oil rig Polar Pioneer – we had a hard time imagining that kind of sign could have been guerrilla-installed without port security noticing. Then WSB reader “Grayson Girl” texted us about it this morning and we went over to see for ourselves. She also mentioned another sign out on the pier – and that’s where we found the key clue.

A small label near that sign attributes it to Jack Daws and Duwamish Revealed.

Daws is a Seattle artist; Duwamish Revealed is the name of the big art project that is about to officially open at locations from West Seattle to Tukwila. And we do mean big: More than a dozen sites, and dozens of collaborators. Here’s the program with details (including Daws listed as one of the Jack Block Park artists):

Sarah Kavage and Nicole Kistler are the artistic directors for Duwamish Revealed, a project of the Environmental Coalition of South Seattle, as explained here. (Kavage confirmed to WSB tonight that the Jack Block signs are part of DR, installed with authorization just two days ago.) We recorded them talking about their grand project at last month’s Duwamish Alive! opening ceremony:

Last summer, we published their call for artists – mentioning at the time that it wasn’t just intended for people who already consider themselves artists.

And indeed, the participants are from a range of backgrounds – including students from West Seattle’s Pathfinder K-8 School, whose work at T-107 Park on this side of the Duwamish involves “a sculptural interpretation of a Coast Salish fish trap,” in collaboration with Jennifer Bennett.

Back at Jack Block Park, as noted on the program shown above, you’ll see the Duwamish Lighthouse by George Lee – some of which he’s chronicling on Instagram – plus Jordan Monez‘s work Plant 2015: “To-scale replicas of the ersatz neighborhood built on top of Boeing Plant 2 during WWII are a tribute to the river’s wartime history and the act of revealing, and concealing, history.” Other West Seattle locations on the Duwamish Revealed roster include Terminal 105 and 107 Parks, Lafarge, and Harbor Island (if you can’t see the program embedded above, see it here as a PDF).

Ongoing performance-related art includes free workshops by Ballet Folklorico Angeles de Mexico, weekly in White Center and South Park.

In the photo provided by Duwamish Revealed are Ballet Folklorico’s Aurelia Ramos and Jose Antonio Malagon Garcia.

The grand-opening celebration for Duwamish Revealed is next Friday (June 5th) with soundscapes and sculpture at the installation site called The Estuary on the east bank of the river, 4651 Diagonal Avenue South – details and map here.

Other day/time-specific events along the way include the Water Festival in South Park, August 15-16, and “Revealing Coast Salish Cultures,” with canoe families landing at T-107 Park for an event there and across the street at the Duwamish Tribe Longhouse on September 12th. Even sooner than all that, check out what’s on the calendar.

And for all you’ll find there, it’s just a drop from the river of visual art, performance art, and more that will comprise Duwamish Revealed – browse the official website to sample more.