(Artist Nalisha Estrellas’s concepts for the Emma Schmitz Overlook mural)

FYI from organizers of community mural-painting at Emma Schmitz Memorial Overlook on Beach Drive – they’re postponing the planned Saturday painting session by a week, and asked tonight if we would share this:

After looking at the forecast for this Saturday, we’re officially moving the paint day to Saturday, May 24th. The weather will be much better and all volunteer shift times will stay the same.

We understand that it’s a Holiday weekend and some of you may not make it but, please know you’re still an important part of the project and this community mural is for you!

If you’re able to keep your shift on the 24th, we look forward to seeing you! THANK YOU!

Please contact the artist Nalisha Estrellas with any questions nalishaestrellas@gmail.com

We first reported on the mural plan back in January.

Story, photos and video by Jason Grotelueschen
Reporting for West Seattle Blog

Students and staff from West Seattle High School hosted a Multicultural Night celebration on Friday night, with neighbors and area families invited to join in the fun. 

The evening featured arts and crafts, informational displays and resources from community partners, student performances including dance, music and poetry, and a potluck dinner with samples of cuisines from around the world. 

The two primary organizers of the event (and emcees for the evening) were student Afra Mirza and school activities director Angela Ferda:

As guests arrived, they were welcomed by a variety of signs:

(WSB photo taken this week)

Following up on our Friday report that artist Don Fels and the city Office of Arts and Culture had come to an impasse about whether the West Marginal Way bones-of-a-boat sculpture Paragon could be saved, the city’s advisory Public Art Advisory Committee just voted to “deaccession” it – which means basically disowning it so it can be removed. The city says it’s a risk of public safety because of deterioration; Fels says the deterioration is because the city neglected to maintain it. He worked for a year to gather volunteer support and donated materials but said the city wanted him to take on a liability level that he could not. Both he and city reps spoke at the committee meeting before the vote; the action still has to be finalized by the Seattle Arts Commission when it meets next month (the May 13 meeting is hybrid, 4 pm, with attendance info here). The committee’s recommendation today comes with a suggestion made by member Caitlin Truong, that Paragon’s legacy be honored, perhaps by documentation for the city’s archives, maybe even an interpretive plaque at the site. We’ll add more details to this report later.

(WSB photo taken this week)

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

Last July, we told you about an uncertain future for the Paragon, the giant wooden bones-of-a-boat sculpture installed more than 20 years ago at what’s now known as həʔapus Village Park and Shoreline Habitat (formerly T-107 Park; map) along West Marginal Way near the Duwamish Tribe Longhouse.

The Paragon’s artist, Don Fels, sounded the alarm at the time, asking for public support to help save the Paragon, which he declared was in “mortal danger” after deteriorating amid what he said was long-running city neglect. When last we updated, the artist had hope it would be saved.

We hadn’t checked in on the situation recently; then we heard from Fels this week. He wrote:

I am writing to tell you and your loyal readers that after a year of a great deal of effort on my part- and many others like the WSeattle Bloggers [WSB readers] and Nucor Steel – ARTS, the so-called ‘public art’ department of the City of Seattle, intend to ‘deaccession‘ the Paragon sculpture along the Duwamish, at their Public Art Committee meeting next week, April 22nd. I’m very sorry to have not provided you with a more timely notice of this, but I was not given such notice myself. This means that once the committee approves the deaccession, the next step will be for the City’s Seattle Arts Commission to formally agree to destroy the sculpture at their May 13 meeting and then begin taking it to the dump.

I am an experienced public artist, and someone who to date has had an excellent relationship with the City of Seattle arts people. But no matter what I tried to do over an entire year, I couldn’t get them to offer any assistance whatsoever to rebuild the wooden boat atop the sculpture. The final straw came when they sent me a multi-page contract to sign wherein the City laid out numerous requirements that I would have to meet in order to rebuild the sculpture, all with donated monies and services, and though unpaid, I would have to assume any and all liabilities, and indemnify the City against any damages. Several well-versed persons in the arts and the law strongly urged me not to sign. I did not.

I attach a letter here that I sent to Gülgün Kayim, the Director of ARTS, informing her of my decision. I believe it is important that interested people send letters to them as well. To be honest, I don’t expect that hearing from the public will change their mindset, or that of their legal dept, but they do need to know that people care about such insane policy decisions.

People who wish to write should do so to: allie.lee@seattle.gov

I am grateful from the bottom of my heart for the outpouring of appreciation for the sculpture, and only wish I had been successful in saving it.

Here’s the letter Fels sent to director Kayim. Toward the end, he suggests that what has gone awry here could happen to other city-owned public art (in which we all have an interest, given – among many other things – the public funding that goes into it):

… ARTS has forced a legacy, beloved sculpture to be scrapped and made necessary spending a large expenditure of public money to make that happen. That is a long way from not allowing the ARTS conservator to inspect and/or maintain the sculpture every so often. I cannot be expected to make up for what has ARTS failed to do. Nor can my actions undo what ARTS has caused to happen. That is not the role of the artist, nor should it ever be. Clearly, ARTS needs a robust maintenance budget for its large public art collection. And without it, other artworks in the City of Seattle’s collection will meet the same fate at the Paragon. …

We asked Office of Arts and Culture spokesperson Otts Bolisay about the situation; he confirmed that partial demolition is proposed and the next step is a meeting this Tuesday:

We’ve worked with Mr. Fels on this since last year and, unfortunately, are unable to come to an agreement. Since it’s still a safety risk, we are moving forward with deaccessioning Paragon.

We’ll present a proposal to the Public Art Advisory Committee (PAAC) on Tuesday, 4/22 to remove the hazardous parts of the sculpture. But we’ll keep the steel armature in place for one year should Mr. Fels change his mind about replacing Paragon himself.

If PAAC recommends to the Seattle Arts Commission (SAC) that Paragon should be deaccessioned, SAC will review and vote on it Tuesday, 5/13.

Both meetings are open to the public and we encourage you to attend.

The Tuesday meeting is at 9 am online, and the attendance info is here (we are requesting the agenda document); the May 13 meeting is hybrid, 4 pm, with attendance info here. You can see the “armature” to which Bolisay refers, in this old photo provided by the artist:

(Photo courtesy Don Fels)

Fels was told the Tuesday discussion is scheduled at 10:20 am, to last 40 minutes – broken down by the city as follows:

Public Art team to present deaccession recommendation (10 minutes)
Artist and community response (10 minutes)
PAAC member questions or comments (15 minutes)
PAAC motion for recommendation (5 minutes)

We are seeking information on the city’s budget for the planned demolition/removal work, as Fels contends in his letter, “Asserting that there are no funds to rebuild the sculpture, ARTS will spend an equivalent amount in removing it.”

See the sculpture’s background here.

Spring break is close, and summer vacation isn’t all that far away. Fun, creative camps and classes await students at West Seattle’s own Mode Music and Performing Arts:

2025 spring break camps in songwriting and play creation are available for K-5 – go here to sign up.

For K-8, MMPA’s 2025 summer camps will run from June 23rd through August 29th. This year we are offering our standard Monday thru Friday week-long camps, with morning and afternoon options. We are also offering new camps for 6-8th graders this year! Middle school campers will meet two days a week in the afternoon for 4 weeks. Find out more here.

Tiny Modes (0-4) classes are in a new session now too!

As always, our programming is pay-what-you-can. Please take advantage of our 100% scholarships!

MMPA is sibling to Mode Music Studios (WSB sponsor), headquartered in North Delridge.

As we cool down from a recordsetting warm day (73 degrees!) we have a truly cool invitation: The eighth-graders of Our Lady of Guadalupe hope to see you in the audience at their one-night-only performance of “Frozen” this Thursday:

On with the snow! Our OLG 8th graders are thrilled to invite you to their one-night only performance of Frozen! All friends, neighbors and community members welcome!

Where: Our Lady Of Guadalupe School (Walmesley Center & Gym) – located on the stage inside the gymnasium:
3401 SW Myrtle St (34th & SW Myrtle)

When: Thursday, March 27th, 7:00 pm (doors open at 6:30 pm)

Show Run Time: approx 40 minutes

Cost: The event is free with a suggested donation of $1 per person. We are accepting donations to help us recoup our costs and to help build our volunteer parent, teacher and student-run program.

Concessions: Snacks and beverages will be available for purchase before and after the performance. Proceeds benefit our 8th grade musical program at Our Lady Of Guadalupe. No outside food or drink, please.

Please come check it out and support our West Seattle community. The show is one night only – don’t miss it!

Siena Jeakle enjoys living in L.A., but says she’s a West Seattleite at heart. This Friday she’ll be performing close to home – at Seattle Center’s Vera Project (305 Harrison) as a part of LA-based puppet sketch comedy group Freak Nature Puppets, sharing the bill with musical artist Worn-Tin.

(Photo courtesy Siena Jeakle, above left with fellow members of Freak Nature Puppets)

Jeakle grew up in West Seattle, before moving after high school. She says she takes every chance to visit, and is excited to be back in Seattle on tour. “I love the people, I love the weather, I love the vibes. West Seattle is my Seattle,” she said.

We have featured Siena before on WSB for her podcast Tossed Popcorn, which she described as “A comedy podcast about classic movies.” She and co-host Lianna Holston won iHeart Radio’s ‘Next Great Podcast’ award in 2020. You can find links to the podcast here.

Jeakle describes the upcoming performance as an “interactive world of mischief and magic”: “Essentially, we make large DIY puppet creations and feature them in comedy sketches or concerts.”

While she’s here, Jeakle plans to show the rest of her bandmates around Alki Beach and Lincoln Park, which she visits whenever she’s in the area. “I need to prove to them the Pacific Northwest is the best place in the world,” she said.

The group has performed alongside musicians such as Childish Gambino and comedians such as Jack Black Their upcoming tour will take them from Costa Mesa to Seattle and Portland, and then back to Los Angeles. You can get tickets to the 7 pm Friday show in Seattle here.

(Photo courtesy Brenda Walden, who is at right above with artist Jamie Allaire and city rep Nathan, who installed the plaque)

By Hayden Yu Andersen
Reporting for West Seattle Blog

A plaque put up this morning at the stairway on Admiral Way at 49th SW was the finishing touch for a weeks-long community mural project.

The stairway had only been complete for a few months before it was hit with graffiti vandalism, recalled area resident Brenda Walden. In response, Walden reached out to the City of Seattle with the idea to fight the vandalism with art. “Not only did I want to do something that celebrated the Alki community, I wanted it to be a welcome sign for folks who are coming into Alki,” which is just downhill from the mural site.

(WSB photo)

The mural, titled “Fun in the Sun at Alki,” blends more than a dozen colors in a portrait of Alki Beach with the mountains behind it and, of course, orcas. The design, created by local artist Jamie Allaire, was voted on by the community. The project was supported by the City of Seattle and A Cleaner Alki, the renowned volunteer group that aims to create a “cleaner, safer, more welcoming community in which to live.”

More than 30 volunteers showed up to help paint, some as young as four years old. “It was awesome to see such an incredible and positive response to the mural,” said Walden.

Allaire, a former teacher and set designer, said she drew on her experience to help direct the project and keep every volunteer engaged. “It was important to us that people of all skill levels and ages could contribute,” Allaire said. The mural was first sketched out in chalk, with sections labeled by numbers, corresponding to a color. Then, volunteers could fill in the blanks using the listed color, almost like a coloring book.

In the future, Walden and Allaire hope to paint the stairs themselves, allowing the mural to stretch all the way up the hill. According to Walden, they’re “just waiting for a dry day to do it.”

To prevent graffiti vandalism from damaging the mural, it has been given a special anti-graffiti coating, which allows paint to be safely cleaned off without harming the mural underneath. Walden and Allaire hope this will ensure the mural stays up for as long as possible, serving as both community artwork, and a visual welcome to people headed for the Alki area.

For more information about Jamie Allaire’s artwork, you can find her website here.

You can imagine that St. Patrick’s Day is busy for dancers from West Seattle-based Comerford School of Irish Dance. More than a dozen of the school’s students spent much of the day performing, including this stop this afternoon at the Center for Active Living in The Junction, where a standing-room-only crowd filled the upstairs hall:

The Comerford School’s Mike Nagan told the audience a bit about the school, which holds classes Tuesdays and Thursdays at the West Seattle VFW Hall in The Triangle (3601 SW Alaska).