West Seattle, Washington
04 Saturday
(SPL-provided collage of photos featuring artists who participated in 2018)
This year’s Southwest Artist Showcase is almost here – the art show open to everyone! One week until you can take your creation(s) to Southwest Library, September 28-30, for the October 2-30 show. Anyone who lives in the West/Southwest Seattle area can bring in up to two pieces of art. Library staffers set up the show, and then it’s open all month for everyone to see. After the show ends on October 30th, you have until November 4th to go retrieve your work. This is a non-juried show, no entry fees, in its 30th year at the library. If you want to participate, just bring your art to the library during its regular open hours on those three days. One caveat from the library: “Please note that some works may not be included if their size or construction prevents their effective display in the library.” Questions? Call the library at 206-684-7455.
The fall season of the West Seattle Community Orchestras is approaching – and there’s big news in the WSCO announcement:
West Seattle Community Orchestras (WSCO) invites you to participate in the Fall 2022 session!
West Seattle’s very own community music organization once again is boasting three full orchestras! Registration is now open (see below).
The big news: Our Debut Orchestra now welcomes wind players and percussionists! After existing as a strings-only group due to COVID precautions, our entry-level group will once again include winds (flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, French horn, trumpet, trombone, tuba) and percussion. Students grades 4 through 12 are especially welcome — and participate FREE! (Adults pay a modest fee.) A few loaner instruments are available to those in need.
Of course, our Concert and Symphony orchestras will be back. Both groups include students and adults. WSCO is hoping to have many wind players and percussionists participate. Also on the agenda again are classes for student and adult beginners wishing to learn to play a violin, viola, cello, or string bass.
WSCO is delighted to have our conducting and teaching staff returning for the new season. They have selected great repertoire, including symphonic classics as well as holiday favorites.
More info is available on the website, but here’s a brief rundown:
— Registration is open through Sept. 25: wscorchestras.org/register
— Tues., Sept. 27: Audition night at Fauntleroy Church. (These are informal auditions, meant to help determine which group is right for you.) A specific time slot will be emailed to you.
— Tues., Oct. 4: Rehearsals begin. (Fauntleroy Church or Chief Sealth International High School)
— More info, email info@wscorchestras.org
Please pass the word to all, but especially to students! We hope to see many newbies of all ages join the many who have participated for years in this great organization!
All around the peninsula, the first-ever West Seattle Art Hop & Shop is on! We visited two of the group sites – above, along the west edge of High Point Commons Park [map], where the crafters showing selling their work included Lillian, who creates with yarn:
Others there include Kevin Marshall with his “fine art functional pottery,” glazed stoneware:
If you’re looking for one-stop shopping, this might be the biggest site – Pathfinder K-8 [map], along the walkway and in the covered area on the north side of the school:
This is the Pigeon Point Craft Fair Festival, and participants are offering a wide variety of handmade items. The breeze drew our ears to the wind chimes at Misty Talkish‘s booth:
A short distance west along the fence, fall colors pop from the handmade “Shabby Chic by Cindy” wreaths:
Other group sites include C & P Coffee (5612 California SW; WSB sponsor). Many participating artists/makers are set up at their homes/studios too, so you can look at the clickable map (or use this downloadable/printable version) and see what’s closest for a neighborhood stroll. Most of the Art Hop & Shop locations are open until 5 pm today!
A free writing workshop for 8- to 12-year-olds starts meeting in West Seattle next week. The organizers of “Write YOUR Story” say there’s still room for more to sign up, so if you have a young writer in the household, check it out. The first session is Thursday, September 22nd, in the upper-level activity room at Curious Kidstuff in The Junction (4740 California SW). Here’s the flyer. If you have questions, emailjuliawsea@gmail.com.
(Late-summer flowers, photographed by Caity Gerhardt)
Here’s what’s up in the hours ahead, mostly from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
SPRAYPARK OPEN: The extended season continues through Sunday for Highland Park Spraypark at 1100 SW Cloverdale, open as usual, 11 am-8 pm.
HISTORY HOUR: New series of presentations at the Senior Center of West Seattle (4217 SW Oregon), 11 am, starting with “The Murals of West Seattle.”
DINE-OUT FUNDRAISER: At Ounces (3809 Delridge Way SW), part of the proceeds 4-10 pm tonight benefit Lincoln Park Co-op Preschool – be sure to mention you’re there to support the preschool!
POSTCARDS TO VOTERS: 5:30-7 pm pop-up at C & P Coffee Company (5612 California SW; WSB sponsor), gathering for by-mail political action.
ULTIMATE AT WALT HUNDLEY: 6 pm, Thursday night summertime Ultimate pickup games have moved to Walt Hundley Playfield (34th/Myrtle).
POLICE CHIEF FORUM: 6 pm online, the three finalists for Seattle Police Chief answer questions in a live forum. You can watch via Seattle Channel.
BOARD GAME NIGHT: Go play at Meeples Games (3727 California SW), starting at 6:30 pm.
ALKI COMMUNITY COUNCIL: Attend tonight’s monthly meeting in person or online, 7 pm, at Alki UCC (6115 SW Hinds).
BENBOW GOES COUNTRY: Thursday “Nashville Nights“ continue at the Benbow Room (4210 SW Admiral Way), 9 pm. 21+.
Have something to add to our calendar? Email info to westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
Seems like a fitting way to celebrate what’s supposed to be one last day of bridgelessness – travel around the peninsula to meet and buy from West Seattle artists! More than 90 are participating in the first-ever West Seattle Art Hop & Shop, which we’ve been telling you about for a while. Here’s the latest from organizers:
The West Seattle Art Hop & Shop is this Saturday, September 17th from 10 am to 5 pm! This new community-wide arts event features dozens and dozens of artists at more than stops all across West Seattle. On this self-guided, free tour, visitors will discover all kinds of local artists and makers as they hop and shop your way across the peninsula with the tour’s interactive map.
Tour organizers have featured each of this year’s registered artists over the past few weeks, introducing 74 artists and creatives on the tour’s Facebook and Instagram pages, and the tour has put together short videos featuring artists by neighborhood that will post leading up to the event. Artists include emerging and youth participants as well as well-established artists with impressive backgrounds.
“The response to this tour has been beyond enthusiastic,” said one of the volunteer organizers, Johanna Lindsay. “Artists are excited to share their work with the rest of the community, and we hope that people will take advantage of this opportunity to meet their neighbors and support our artist community.”
Many artists opened their doors – or driveways – and are hosting artists they have met through the tour’s artist and host matching aspect. Lorrie Brogan is one veteran artist who is opening her driveway to three artists, “I decided to host other artists as a way of meeting new people in the community and expanding my artist network. Besides, it’s always fun with more people.” High Point Commons Park and C & P Coffee are also hosting multiple artists, and a collective of artists from Pigeon Point have secured space at Pathfinder K-8 to show their work. Take the tour this weekend using the online interactive map to navigate as you go. For those who prefer a paper copy, here is our print-at-home map.
For more information and links to interactive and printable versions of our map, head over to https://wsartwalk.org/west-seattle-art-hop-shop. The West Seattle Art Hop & Shop is organized by an all-volunteer committee of artists and art lovers with generous support from West Seattle Art Walk and West Seattle Junction Association.
Installed this week at 18th/Myrtle [map], just east of Sanislo Elementary, that’s the newest city-funded Art Interruptions work to appear in West Seattle. Thanks to Katie Kauffman for letting us publish her photos – she was there when artist Toka Valu was working with a crew to get the work in place:
The inscription at the north end of the mural explains:
“Lukia e Tenifa”
One of the most cherished ngatu (traditional Tongan mulberry bark paper cloth) motifs from Tonga is the Amoamo Kofe, loosely meaning “caressing bamboo.” Visually, Amoamo Kofe is often depicted to look like 4-5 consecutively larger diamond cutouts stacked on top of one another. This motif can be found on the larger shark and along the water swirls while Octopus displays a series of repeating diamond shapes common throughout Pasifika to represent strength and wisdom in times of conflict. Shark and Octopus continue to honor their peace pact today following their colossal struggle many generations ago.
Summer’s not officially over yet … but the √West Seattle Garden Tour is looking ahead to next summer already, starting with its annual art competition. Here’s the invitation:
The West Seattle Garden Tour is one of the premier garden tours in the Northwest, as well as a fundraiser for local non-profits promoting horticulture, education or the arts. We are a 501(c)(3) non-profit organized by a group of dedicated volunteers. Since its inception in 1995, WSGT donates about $25,000 annually to local beneficiaries.
In addition to supporting non-profit organizations, the West Seattle Garden Tour provides an opportunity for local artists to showcase their original artwork on tour marketing materials, including the cover of the WSGT ticket book and promotional poster. The winning artist also receives a $500 cash award. Winning and honorable mention artworks will be featured during the May and June 2020 West Seattle Art Walks.
Please accept this invitation to submit your original artwork to the annual WSGT Art Competition. We look forward to receiving and reviewing your submission! Submissions accepted (now through) November 13, 2022.
Submission rules and entry form are available on our website
Thanks for the tips. In our photo, that’s muralist Desmond Hansen, out at 35th/Alaska this afternoon restoring his signal-box portrait of Chris Cornell. As noted here last Sunday, it was defaced (literally, with black paint over the face) about the same time as Easy Street Records‘ south-facing multi-mural wall, which also included a portrait of Chris Cornell. That one, by a different artist, was restored on Labor Day; now this one is restored too. Hansen originally painted it four and a half year ago.
The last West Seattle Art Walk of summer had musical highlights again tonight – two performers for The Art of Music, curated by John Redenbaugh. We got short clips of both – above, Taylor John Hardin outside WEND Jewelry in South Admiral; below, Trevor Ras at KeyBank Plaza in The Junction:
West Seattle Art Walk – with or without music – happens every second Thursday, so set your calendar for the next one, October 13th.
It’s the first day of business for this week’s Alki Arts pop-up in the former Bellevue Rare Coins space on the Senior Center of West Seattle‘s ground floor at California/Alaska. As we showed you last week, murals mark the spot:
The murals are on the plywood covering the storefront’s still-to-be-replaced windows. Above is the one Brooke Borcherding was working on last week; below is the one Steffanie Lorig painted more recently:
Both murals will be for sale after the windows are replaced (with half the proceeds benefiting the Senior Center). Meantime, Alki Arts’ Diane Venti will open the pop-up daily through Sunday (September 11th), noon-5 pm each day except Thursday, when they’ll be open until 8 pm for the West Seattle Art Walk.
Artist Reeve Washburn (who also happens to be Art Walk coordinator) will be doing some live painting inside the pop-up this week too.
(WSB photos)
A vandal’s damage to the mural wall on the south side of Easy Street Records didn’t stand for long. The wall, including its portrait of Chris Cornell, was restored this afternoon by its artist, Son Duong, with whom we caught up as he was close to finishing:
He and his daughter worked all afternoon to restore the art. (Thanks to the texter who tipped us that the restoration work was under way.) In an odd side note, he mentioned that this mural and the Desmond Hansen signal box at 35th/Alaska weren’t the only Chris Cornell portraits that had been vandalized – one by Silver Platters in SODO had been defaced too.
SW Holden, between 16th SW and Highland Park Way SW, just might be the West Seattle street most burdened by bridge-detour traffic these past 2 1/2 years. But a group of artists affiliated with the Highland Park Improvement Club (1116 SW Holden) chose to try to lighten the spirits of pass-through drivers and riders rather than resenting them, by installing roadside A-board art. Now – exactly two weeks before the bridge’s scheduled September 18th reopening – they’ve done it one more time. Here’s the announcement and photos:
we did a low key install this morning of our final set of A-frame reader signs before the High Bridge detour ends.
We have been consciously staying away from any bridge mentions during the hard times of the detour, but now we want to have a celebratory note on bridges and connections restored.
Highland Park poet Judith Camann penned our “Burma Shave” style message:
Life is a bridge
a Connection
Without taking sides.
The “B-sides” are drawings of some fantastical bridges, hiding the HPIC initials.
We have had a great time expressing for our neighbors hosting the detour traffic, and writing and painting together – and look forward to seeing you all down the road.
Kay Kirkpatrick
Monica Cavagnaro
Kelly Lyles
Judith Camann
If you missed the previous displays, here are some of the stories from our archives:
March 2022
April 2021
October 2020
August 2020
The first pop-up is on its way to the former Bellevue Rare Coins space on the ground floor of the Senior Center of West Seattle – and mural-painting is happening outside, to get ready! The announcement is from Diane Venti:
Alki Arts is doing a pop up art show in the West Seattle Senior Center Annex at 4500 California Avenue next week.
The shop will be open Tuesday September 6th through Sunday September 11th from Noon to 5 pm each day, plus Art Walk Thursday evening the 8th from 5 to 8 pm!!
Since the window replacement has been delayed for the Senior Center, I have enlisted the help of 2 local artists to paint the plywood on the windows:
Brooke Borcherding is here today painting the SW Oregon side window (photos attached) and on Mon the 5th artist Steffanie Lorig will be painting the window on California Ave.
If anyone is interested in purchasing the panels after the windows are replaced they can contact me at dianeventi@gmail.com Proceeds from the art panel sales will be split between the artist and the Senior Center! Yay for fundraising while neighborhood beautifying! 😁
We will pack a lot of local music and art demos into our one-week stay at the Pop Up! Artist Reeve Washburn will be helping me run the shop and doing live painting inside on several days!
(WSB photo, 2019)
This summer of returning events isn’t over yet – this Saturday (September 3rd), the Vietnamese Cultural Center in West Seattle brings back the Children’s Moonlight Festival. It includes a kids’ lantern parade – as shown above in our 2019 photo, that doesn’t actually happen in the moonlight, as the festival will take place 3-6 pm with a variety of activities for all, including treats, games, entertainment, and a lion dance. All free! The center is at 2236 SW Orchard (just north of Home Depot).
(WSB photo – Joyas Mestizas at Seattle Folklorico Festival)
Dance and music isn’t all you’ll see at the Seattle Folklorico Festival, happening at Westcrest Park (9000 8th SW) until 4 pm.
As noted in our calendar listing, you can shop and snack too.
Local organizations are there too – from the Highland Park Improvement Club to the Seattle Emergency Communication Hubs, whose booth offers this info for the youngest members of the family too:
The Seattle Folklorico Festival is coordinated and presented by the youth folkloric-dance group Joyas Mestizas (who are scheduled to perform again at 2:30 pm). Performances are for and by all ages!
Looking for music lessons? Mode Music Studios (WSB sponsor) is looking for you – and offering an incentive to sign up now:
It’s almost back-to-school season and that means it’s time to fill up those after-school hours with activities for the kids – and if you’ve got some aspiring rock stars/singer-songwriters/composers in the family, there’s no better after-school activity than private music lessons at West Seattle’s Mode Music Studios.
Through the end of August, the team at Mode will be offering a free tee shirt or tank top*, featuring a limited edition design by Seattle’s own Make Don’t Break Co, to any new student who signs up for lessons starting in the fall!
Mode offers lessons in instruments from guitar and piano to melodica and oud, and all Mode teachers are professional working musicians. You might have seen them at West Seattle Summer Fest, where they not only had a booth but also were proud to have two student bands, K.A.M.P.S. and It’s All Happening, open for former Mode student band THEM and Mode teacher/mentors Naked Giants, respectively.
Mode is proud to provide music education for interested subjects of all ages and experience levels, so don’t hesitate to sign up today! Just fill out the sign up form on their website and you’ll hear from one of Mode’s welcome team members, who can help you decide on the perfect lesson plan and instructor for you.
*sizes adult XS-XXL, while supplies last
Go here to find out about lessons and registration!
On Monday we published an invitation for singers to join the Endolyne Children’s Choir. Today, an invitation for adult singers – from Northwest Associated Arts. Their choirs are based in Burien but seeking singers from surrounding areas, including West Seattle. Here’s the invitation:
Have you always wanted to sing with a group? Do you miss a time in your past when you were part of a vibrant community of singers? Now that many of the limitations placed on choral activities during the pandemic have lifted, Northwest Associated Arts is looking forward to a new season of in-person rehearsals and performances. Our choirs are growing, and we encourage new singers and singers who have sung with us in the past to come join one of our choirs.
ChoralSounds Northwest is a friendly, cohesive group of dedicated adult musicians who are drawn together by their love of singing. We are a Burien-based mixed community chorus under the baton of Artistic Director Dr. Ryan Ellis. Combining traditional choral music with the fun of other modern styles, ChoralSounds offers a musical home to area singers who want to experience the challenge, musicianship, and camaraderie of performing with a professional group.
Under the leadership of Artistic Director Paula Hawkins, SilverSounds Northwest is a mixed chorus of mostly-retired seniors who believe that “you are never too old to rock and roll!” Known for their clever, themed concerts, SilverSounds Northwest loves to entertain audiences with solos, small ensembles, narration, acting, dance, and choreography.
We will be holding ChoralSounds auditions for the 2022-2023 season primarily on September 6th, but may create some additional audition times. SilverSounds auditions can be arranged individually with us. We invite you to fill out this form if you are interested in joining either one of our choirs. We will follow up with you by email. Please visit the NWAA website for more information on the choirs and the audition process.
NWAA’s programs are supported in part by member dues, and financial aid is available to any singers who need assistance.
After West Seattle musician and educator Lou Magor died in April of last year, there was a promise his life eventually would be celebrated in grand style, once it was safer for people to gather. Now, Kenyon Hall – the historic West Seattle venue he ran and championed – is inviting people to that celebration:
Time to Remember
Seattle Artists/Kenyon Hall presents —
An Open House to honor the memory and legacy of Lou Magor.Hosted by – Casey McGill & Orville Johnson
Join us for good food, musical tributes, sharing of memories & good stories.
Saturday, September 17, 2022
12:00 pm-4:00 pm
Kenyon Hall
7904 35th Ave SW, Seattle WA 98126
Email: kenyon@kenyonhall.orgPlease Note: If you want to attend, and share, in person – masks are required inside the hall for the immunocompromised among us.
If you are unable to join us in person, we invite you to share memories, words of tribute, photos or videos of Lou with us. Send them to the hall’s postal address or email address as soon as possible. We will do our best to share your words and memories during the afternoon.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Seattle Artists’ board of directors is working on a memorial marker for Lou to be placed in a W Seattle location. Donations to fund the marker will be collected at the open house or can be sent via the usual channels to Kenyon Hall — ATTN: Lou Magor Memorial Project
Seattle Artists is the nonprofit that operates Kenyon Hall and, as we reported here, has worked to continue to keep it alive as a place where people can find joy.
If you have a young singer in the household, West Seattle’s Endolyne Children’s Choir welcomes their participation this fall! Here’s the announcement:
Join us for Endolyne Children’s Choir’s 20th season! We’d love to sing with you.
Endolyne Children’s Choir is a secular, non-audition, community choir, open to any child in grades K-12 who loves to sing. We offer a safe, equitable, inclusive environment that supports children’s emotional, social, and musical development.
Rehearsals take place in the Admiral Junction at 3050 California Ave SW on Tuesdays starting September 6:
Debut Prep (grade K): 4:30-5:15
Debut (grades 1-2): 4:30-5:30Encore (grades 3-6): 5:45-6:45
Advanced Ensemble (grades 6-12): 7:00-8:30
Registration ends August 29. Choose your tuition tier when registering. Discounted tuition and scholarships available to anyone. Register at form.jotform.com/222254668243154
As part of the West Seattle Best Seattle effort related to the impending reopening of the West Seattle Bridge, a scavenger hunt is about to launch. Here’s the announcement we just received:
For the first time ever, the West Seattle community will participate in what we’re calling The Great West Seattle Float Hunt! From the fiery kilns of Avalon Glassworks are born unique glass floats, each emblazoned with the spirit of West Seattle. Beginning today and going until they’re all found, these prized floats will be hidden all around West Seattle in retail stores and public spaces, secured with netting and accompanied by an instruction card. While only one per family is permitted, these floats are valuable well beyond their monetary cost since they are each singular in nature and represent the beauty of West Seattle.
Participating areas include:
Alki, North Delridge, South Delridge, Highland Park, Endolyne/Fauntleroy, South CA Ave (Edmunds and south), North CA Ave (between Admiral and AK Junctions), Avalon Way, North 35th (by the golf course), The Triangle, Alaska Junction, Admiral Junction, Morgan Junction
Organizers say they’ll be dropping hints online.
ADDED: Commenter M asked about the floats’ size. That’s part of this descriptive information just circulated by Shannon Felix of Avalon Glassworks:
Hand blown by Avalon Glassworks, the West Seattle Float is a decorative glass sphere inspired by a vintage fishing float that once buoyed a net. This sturdy ball is sealed with a Heart ❤️ WS commemorative stopper button. The design of this glass float is inspired by the West Seattle shore. Predominantly blue, the ball has spots of white creating a rocky beach foreground with ocean waves beyond. A band of transparent aqua blue represents the sky, on which sparkly blue aventurine glass shines like stars. This gazing ball is suitable for indoor or outdoor decoration and will float in a water feature, if you choose. The West Seattle Float is approximately 4.25″ in diameter.
(Wednesday night photo by Kanit Cottrell)
Here’s what’s happening for the rest of today/tonight – there’s even more on our West Seattle Event Calendar:
BLOCK DROP DIY CLEANUP SUPPLIES: Until 6 pm, today’s Block Drop is at Fairmount Park Elementary (3800 SW Findlay).
HELP WITH MEDICARE: Got questions? Need guidance? Patrice Lewis is at the Senior Center of West Seattle (4217 SW Oregon) to offer help, 11 am-12:30 pm – our calendar listing has info on how to call first to register.
WADING POOLS, SPRAYPARK OPEN: The city plans to open the wading pools, including Delridge (4501 Delridge Way SW), noon-5:30 pm, and Lincoln Park (8011 Fauntleroy Way SW), noon-7 pm. Highland Park Spraypark at 1100 SW Cloverdale will be open as usual, though – 11 am-8 pm.
COLMAN POOL OPEN: Noon-7 pm, go swimming in the saltwater pool on the shore at Lincoln Park (8011 Fauntleroy Way SW).
‘FUN WITH WATER’: Family-friendly games, art, and other fun (including free lunch for those 18 and under) at Roxhill Park (2850 SW Roxbury), 12:30-2:30 pm.
ART AT THE COFFEEHOUSE: Cam’s Art Show, with new work plus a West Seattle Food Bank fundraiser, 5-7 pm at C & P Coffee Company (5612 California SW; WSB sponsor).
ULTIMATE AT FAIRMOUNT: 6 pm, Thursday night summertime Ultimate pickup games are back at Fairmount Playfield (5400 Fauntleroy Way SW).
PIANO MUSIC: Solo piano with Betty Spangenburg at Otter on the Rocks (4210 SW Admiral Way), starting at 6:30 pm.
BENBOW GOES COUNTRY: Thursday “Nashville Nights“ continue at the Benbow Room (4210 SW Admiral Way), 9 pm. 21+.
Have something to add to our calendar? Email info to westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
A unique outdoor concert that delighted parkgoers last summer is back this summer for an encore: Flutes in the Forest. You can enjoy it free this Saturday at Schmitz Park. Here’s the announcement:
Enjoy the sounds of the JBC Rose Flute Trio on Saturday afternoon, August 20, from 2:00-3:00 pm in Schmitz Park: Jennie Goldberg, Barb Cotton, and Carolyn Hoppe-Denend.
Bring your own chair or blanket; stay as long as you’d like.
Enter Schmitz Park off SW Admiral Way and SW Stevens Way. Walk the paved road 300 feet to the sound of flutes in the forest. Plenty of street parking along SW Stevens.
Concert is FREE and open to the public.
Note: there are no restrooms in the park.
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