West Seattle, Washington
05 Sunday
Live theater is coming back – including schools. Tonight and tomorrow, the Seattle Lutheran High School Drama program invites you to come see their new production:
Seattle Lutheran Drama is proud to present Crazytown by Jonathan Rand.
In the weirdest town in America, let Jim and Babs of Crazytown Action News break down all the top stories of the day. In politics, the race for president at Crazytown Elementary is really heating up! In public safety, citizens are being brought in for questioning by police for being too kind and considerate! A fierce competition is underway by two professional sports-watchers! All that, along with weather and traffic, tonight on Crazytown Action News.
Crazytown will be performed in person in the Menashe Gymnasium at Seattle Lutheran High School. Audience members will be seated in distanced household groups. Masks are required for audience members. We hope to see you there! Crazytown is appropriate for grades 5 and up.
Friday and Saturday (November 12th and 13th) at 7:30 pm
Tickets at the door (Cash or credit card payment accepted):
$7 for adults
$5 for seniors and non-SLHS students
Free for SLHS students (bring ID) and children 6 and underProduced by special arrangement with Playscripts, Inc.
The gym is at 4100 SW Genesee, just north of The Junction.
(Photo courtesy Brent Amaker)
More local music news: Last time West Seattle musician Brent Amaker and his band The Rodeo played on the peninsula was their headline gig in 2017 for Summer Fest in The Junction. Tomorrow (Wednesday) night, they’re playing a “surprise” hometown show, before heading out on a West Coast tour opening for Grammy winners The Mavericks. Amaker’s announcement notes, “All of the 1,200-seat-theater shows are sold out. The first of the dates will happen this coming Sunday at the legendary Fillmore Theatre in San Francisco.” But first, a kickoff at Yen Wor Village in Admiral (2300 California SW): “The event is free (with a suggested donation) and open to the public. Karaoke will be hosted by Loretta from 7-10 PM followed by a performance by Brent Amaker and The Rodeo.” Note that the event “is 21 + and proof of vaccination will be required.” Here’s their latest video;
If you miss tomorrow night’s Yen Wor show, you can catch their Holiday Show at Neumos on Capitol Hill December 17th, along with local faves The Dusty 45s.
Meet THEM – what you see above is the band’s video debut. Member Ellie emailed us to say, “We are a West Seattle teen girl band (ages 16-19) that formed at Mode Music Studios called THEM! We just released our first music video to our debut single ‘BAD 4 U’.” She and bandmates Hudson, Maia, and Thompson asked us to share it with you. You can also stream the song via a variety of channels that are all linked here. You can also see THEM onstage at a big gig downtown next month – they’re playing the Paramount on December 12th as part of the 30th anniversary screening of “Nirvana: Live at the Paramount” – tickets are on sale online. Find out more about THEM on their website.
(WSB file photo)
The Duwqmish Tribe Longhouse and Cultural Center (4705 W. Marginal Way) is usually open Tuesdays-Saturdays, but not this week. The longhouse is closed “to get ready for the Native Art Market and Holiday Gift Fair,” which as usual is set for the Friday, Saturday, and Sunday after Thanksgiving (November 26-28). The Longhouse plans to reopen at 10 am Tuesday, November 16th. If you’re doing early shopping, the announcement includes a reminder that you can shop with them online any time – art, apparel, books, toys, more – by going here.
Love wildlife? Go see what Jen Vanderhoof has, at the Fauntleroy Fine Art and Holiday Gift Show, now in its first of three sessions this weekend. Her underwater seal photos are especially enchanting. Across from her booth, you’ll see Rance Curtis Holiman:
The vivid sunset painting was reminiscent of so many sunset drives westward on West Seattle’s water-facing hills. More local scenes are part of Tom Costantini‘s work:
Classic cars, too! Steps away, you’ll see Linda Zhao and her creations, including these cuddly bees:
They’re just a few of the more than one dozen artists from whom you can buy local to get your holiday shopping going – we also saw jewelry, cards, plants, textiles, garden art, more. Get in the holiday spirit with some music and decorations, in the Fauntleroy Church (9140 California SW) Fellowship Hall until 8 tonight, 10 am-4 pm Saturday, 11 am-2 pm Sunday. No admission fee.
(Art by Linda McClamrock)
Your next chance to do early holiday shopping by buying directly from local artists and crafters is only a few days away. The three-day Fauntleroy Fine Art and Holiday Gift Show starts Friday. Here’s what you need to know.
These 15 artists and artistic crafters will be showing, discussing, and selling their specialties at the annual Fauntleroy Fine Art & Holiday Gift Show when it returns to Fauntleroy Church (9140 California Ave. SW) this coming weekend (Nov. 5-7). Show hours in Fellowship Hall will be Friday 5-8 pm, Saturday 10 am-4 pm, and Sunday 11 am-2 pm. ADA access from off-street parking; masks required.
Leslee Avery-Beausoleil – hand-crafted soaps
Tom Costantini – fine watercolors, prints & cards
Apple Cox – whimsical media cards & prints
Gretchen Curtis – hand-knit wearable art
Rose Grandbois – glass ornaments, sun-catchers & garden art
Rance Holiman – everyday sightings in oil
Tim James – miniature landscapes in terraria
Espie Lazo – wrapped & hammered beaded jewelry
Johanna Lindsay – twisted, fused & hammered beaded jewelry
Kathryn Lorenzini – fine greeting cards, packaging & fabric art
Linda McClamrock – fine collage art
Dee Miller – welded & fused glass art for the garden
Linda Thorson – molded concrete designs for home & garden
Jen Vanderhoof – fine photographic images of water worlds
Linda Zhao – hand-crafted critters, polished stones & crystal balls
The rain has stopped, good news for watching Skeleton Theatre in person during its second and final 2021 night. The animatronic-skeleton show in an east Admiral front yard (36th/Hanford) is just six minutes long this year, and it’s goofy, not scary. If you don’t want to go watch in person, you can watch it online instead.
The show’s been a labor of love for 15 years now, created and staged by a team of family and friends led by Chris;
The show’s running continuously – with a few minutes between runs, for a reset – until 9 pm.
(WSB photo, July)
That’s how the mural on the north-facing wall of the business building at 35th/Henderson looked when we reported on it in July. Here’s how it looks now:
Part of it has been painted over, while part of it has been altered. This all has its roots in a dispute between neighbors – the Birdhouse coffee shop, which commissioned the mural, and CoCo and Co. salon, which has added to, and painted over, part of it. We’ve talked with both in the last several hours, after Birdhouse contacted us today about the situation, followed by tips/questions from multiple readers.
If you’re not familiar with the building, note that the Henderson-facing wall with the mural is alongside the salon, which faces 35th, while Birdhouse faces Henderson, west of the section of the building that holds the mural. Here’s a wider perspective, from Google Maps Street View:
Both businesses are tenants. Both said the coffee shop had talked with the salon and with the building’s owner before the mural project – which the Birdhouse called its “love letter to the neighborhood” – and no objections were raised by the salon until after it was painted in July. The dispute has simmered over the ensuing three months. The salon says the mural’s prominent feature of birds, among other things, gave the impression that the coffee shop was the sole tenant. In an email to the Birdhouse and the building owner three weeks ago, the salon wrote that “we continue to have customers believe we have moved, closed or downsized, which is unacceptable to us.” So the salon offered, in that email, what they called a compromise, saying the mural could stay if some elements were removed, including “the two (2) black colored birds, the coffee cup, the color red (sun/moon?) and the name ‘fre-mann’ from van license plate.” (That’s the Birdhouse owners’ company name.)
The coffee shop did not respond; they told us the building owners advised them not to. The salon provided an email from the building owners, dated mid-August, suggesting the two parties should work it out – “we cannot decide for either of you.” The salon set a deadline of last Thursday for a response, saying otherwise it would repaint the wall. Still no response, so the salon made some changes to the mural earlier this week: “Our intention in updating the mural was to add inclusivity and remove specific branding. (We added) BLM. RGB. Rainbow feathers so the bird was no longer the Birdhouse logo. Trans symbols. First responders.”
After that, the salon says, they were threatened, and their security cameras were broken. A police report was filed. They blame the coffee shop, which told us they take responsibility for the cameras. As a result of that, the salon then decided “the mural was not worth dealing with” and started painting over part of it today. The Birdhouse filed a police report about that.
So what now? The salon says, “We will work on a solution to the current situation.” As of a phone conversation this evening, the coffee shop had no next steps planned.
–Tracy Record, WSB editor
Thanks to Ian for the tip! West Seattle’s newest mural is on the west side of Viva Arts (4421 Fauntleroy Way). One of the artists, 404Era, writes, “The composition was inspired by the fluid and powerful gestures of capoeira dance.” That’s a specialty at Viva Arts. The mural was a collaboration with John Horton (@hightech_lowlife).
If you used the west end of the West Seattle Bridge – technically the Fauntleroy Expressway – before the bridge closed, you know about the “Walking on Logs” sculptures on the slope along the southwestbound lanes. The award-winning sculptor who created “Walking on Logs,” Phillip Levine, has died at 90. Mr. Levine’s obituary, published Friday by The Seattle Times, was called to our attention by West Seattle historian/journalist Clay Eals, who interviewed Mr. Levine by the installation in 2014:
Later that year, we featured that video in coverage of the theft of one of the four sculptures (which to date has never been recovered). “Walking on Logs,” installed in 1996, was one of more than 30 public-art pieces Mr. Levine created. He was a resident of Burien.
Thqt’s “A Little Prayer for Those Who Migrate,” by Jake Prendez of Nepantla Cultural Arts Gallery in South Delridge, the official poster for this fall’s West Seattle Art Walks. With the first of those Art Walks this Thursday night (October 14th), the WSAW makes history – with a record number of participating businesses (more than 50) and a record number of sponsoring partners (eight, plus WSB as media partner). West Seattle Art Walk coordinator Reeve Washburn notes, “This is a remarkable come-back from the dark days of the pandemic, where we went virtual for three months, then had only a small handful of businesses reopen to bring Art Lovers back together in the community. And it’s wonderful growth since the Art Walk’s restart in 2016, with nine businesses.”
One factor in the WSAW’s growth is the development of neighborhood hubs. The Art Walk is not just a “Junction thing” any more – the other Junctions – Admiral and Morgan – have blossoming participation, and the support of neighborhood groups (Morgan Community Association and Admiral Neighborhood Association). If you haven’t been out on Art Walk night, know that it’s not just about art – some venues also offer food and beverage specials to support the fun night out. Here’s the map/list for this quarter:
Washburn says the Art Walk has “had great turnout all summer,” which also has encouraged more businesses to join in. Some have artist receptions on Art Walk night; some have ongoing displays not only that night but all month long. You can find out more about featured artists each month in a detailed preview on the WSAW website – here’s the info for this month (including events’ specific times – most start at 5 pm but not all). Back to this quarter’s artist – you can see Prendez’s work not only at his own gallery but also at three other Art Walk venues this quarter – The Good Society on Thursday, Flying Apron in November and Hotwire Coffee in December.
Not planning to spend the next few hours watching the Mariners, Storm, or Seahawks? Day 2 of the West Side Artists studio tour continues until 4 pm. We visited one stop Saturday; today, we have photos from another stop, sent by Kelly Lyles:
In addition to her work, she’s hosting artists Bill Gravengood and Rickie Wolfe. Even if you just drive by, there’s something to see.
She’s at 5029 26th SW. Here’s the full tour map – again, it’s free, self-guided, all stops have outdoor displays, and they’re open until 4 pm today.
Something else you can do today – visit Fogue Gallery (WSB sponsor)(on Sundays, it’s open noon-5 pm). Fogue just announced the addition of two more local artistd:
Fogue™ Gallery West Seattle announces the addition of West Seattle locals Steffanie Lorig and Kevin Ducoing as permanent members of the Gallery. “Connecting local artists and art to our community enriches our environment and feeds the soul,” said Patti Curtis, Owner and Founder of Fogue™.
Steffanie Lorig has explored many different aspects of the creative arts—from painting to writing children’s books to designing brands to illustrating. She is an award-winning designer and founded social enterprise, Art with Heart, an organization dedicated to helping children in crisis through the power of creativity, helping over 155,000 children worldwide. Lorig has eleven books to her credit and outside her design and consulting business, and leads workshops that help individuals tap into their lost creative confidence.
For Kevin Ducoing, painting has always been his primary form of communication, as a child and into his adult life. Ducoing moved to Seattle in 1991, attended the Art Institute of Seattle, and was profoundly influenced by the teachings of Bill Cumming. Kevin paints mostly in acrylics, but also employs mediums such as charcoal, sand, and latex paint. He stretches his own canvases and adds a textural component to them with the application of wrinkled paper adhered to the surface, conveying additional depth to the painting’s story.
Fogue™ Gallery provides a community of artists over age 50 and patrons, of any age, to share, support and honor creativity. Providing a venue that showcases art that is relevant, powerful, and vibrant, expressing an ageless life. Fogue Artists are not just turning the page on cultural perceptions of aging; they are rewriting the book.
Fogue is at 4130 California SW, on the north edge of The Junction.
(WSB photo)
Westwood Art Studio (9042 31st SW) is one of nine stops on this weekend’s West Side Artists studio tour. Each stop hosts multiple artists; at this studio, we found (above, L-R) Gary Georger, the studio’s owner Damian Grava, and Jacob Foran. Find the full list and map of studios on the self-guided tour here; until 5 pm today, and again 11 am-4 pm tomorrow, you can visit as many as you want to!
Get a close-up look at the local art scene this weekend by visiting stops on the West Side Artists studio tour! 10 am-5 pm Saturday and 11 am-4 pm Sunday, the tour features more than 30 artists, at nine stops:
From Admiral to Arbor Heights to White Center, the tour is free and self-guided. Also note: “In an effort to have a spacious environment as a COVID precaution, each stop has set up an outdoor display for viewing. The mapped destinations are working artists’ studios and each will have multiple people showcasing their artwork – From ceramics to weaving, encaustic painting to forged jewelry, and from colored pencil to tin collage – We have it all!”
The Kindie West family-music concert series is returning to the Fauntleroy Schoolhouse, two Sundays a month, October through March. The artists are part of Kindiependent, “a collective of like-minded musicians who are passionate about cultivating a vibrant kids and family music scene in the Pacific Northwest.” Here’s the lineup:
October 24 and January 9 – Dani and the Bee
November 7 and January 23 – The Not-Its!
November 21 and February 6 – Harmonica Pocket
December 5 and March 6 – Johnny Bregar
December 19 and February 20 – Eli Rosenblatt
Doors open at 10 am, shows are at 10:30, lasting about an hour. These are ticketed shows, with an admission charge for everyone 6 months and up, but they’re offering discounted family passes too. Free parking behind the schoolhouse; COVID guidelines will be followed.
(Collage of photos featuring artists who participated in 2018)
It’s an art show open to everyone – no judging, just showing. The Southwest Artist Showcase returns to the Southwest Library (9010 35th SW) this year, and you have two weeks until it’s time to take your creations to the library for the monthlong show. Here’s the announcement:
Calling all West Seattle artists! It’s time for the Southwest Library‘s 29th annual Artist Showcase. Artists may submit up to two unique works of art for this non-juried exhibition to celebrate West Seattle’s creative talent. Entries may be submitted at the Southwest Library (9010 35th SW) from Thursday, September 30th through Saturday, October 2nd. Art will be on display at the library through the month of October starting on Sunday, October 3rd. Please call 206-684-7455 for more details.
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
After 25 years in what was once “downtown Arbor Heights,” artist Loren Lukens is leaving.
But his Brace Point Pottery studio and gallery site at 4208 SW 100th will remain in an artist’s hands.
We found out about the transition plan from Deb Schwartzkopf, who announced this week that she will open Rain City Clay there next March.
We talked to Lukens last night while Brace Point Pottery was open for the September West Seattle Art Walk. He and wife Beth Kirchhoff are moving in February to central California, near where their daughter is a geology professor. He plans to set up a studio there once settled, but isn’t expecting to get back into the gallery business. He’s been in Seattle for 40 years – 25 of them in Arbor Heights.
He’s proud that the sale means the studio will remain just that, rather than be redeveloped like the former church next door (which was demolished for a stalled townhouse project).
Here’s where Deb Schwartzkopf and her Rain City Clay plan comes in. It’s meant as an addition to her current business, Rat City Studios, which she says is “a thriving community that supports ceramic artists of all levels” but after eight years has outgrown its capacity “and cannot accommodate the waitlist for independent study participants or classes in their current location.
“We would love to expand our reach to youth, golden-agers, and underserved communities in our immediate vicinity as we grow,” Schwartzkopf said in the announcement. And regarding taking over the Arbor Heights studio: “We couldn’t be more excited for the opportunity to build on the legacy of this artist community.”
To expand into her full vision – to “offer classes for all levels, skill-building workshops, a firing service for local potters, artist studios, and a specialty shop featuring local and national artists” – Schwartzkopf is crowdfunding. As also explained on her website, the Arbor Heights facility will need some maintenance and upgrades, so that’s part of what the contributions will cover. The GoFundMe page is here; you can also support her plan, she says, via taking an online clay class or buying her pottery.
Though the official handoff isn’t until March 1st, an exhibition is planned in January to introduce Rain City Clay at the Brace Point Pottery location. (And you’ll have chances to say goodbye to Lukens before that – the gallery continues to host events including a sale tomorrow of Cathy Woo’s work, and the Westside Artists tour later this month. (That tour, in fact, began as a collaboration between artists including Schwartzkopf and Lukens.)
(Deb Schwartzkopf photo by Matisse LB Photography)
In the heart of The Junction tonight, bassist/vocalist Marina Christopher brought The Art of Music back to the West Seattle Art Walk. (In our clip, she’s performing Warren Zevon‘s “Carmelita” with Andy Short.) The pop-up performances coordinated by John Redenbaugh returned to the WS Art Walk starting tonight, also featuring harpist Alyvia Miller at Welcome Road Winery in South Admiral. Here’s who’s booked for next Art Walk:
October 14
Verity Credit Union — Award-Winning Singer-Songwriter Larry Murante
Sopranos Antico — Byron Street Swing: A Quartet Performing Hot Club Jazz and Early French Swing Music
And of course, there was art tonight, at venues around the peninsula. Our Art Walk wanderings were cut short by breaking news but we did see West Seattle mixed-media artist Linda McClamrock at Windermere:
We have one more story to tell from tonight’s Art Walk, but that will have to wait until tomorrow. The Art Walk happens on the second Thursday, every month year-round, so the next one will be October 14th.
Just announced: A limited-participation ride that’ll take you on a tour of local musical history:
The Southwest Seattle Historical Society is delighted to announce the return of Cycle History in partnership with West Seattle Bike Connections for the fifth year in a row. Cycle History, Sound Spots is happening Saturday, September 18 2021! Please plan to arrive at 9:15 am and be ready to ride at 9:30. Registration is required to participate in this ride. This program is limited to 25 participants.
Join us for an in-person ride through West Seattle’s Admiral District starting and ending at Hiawatha Playfield and Community Center. This year, we’ll be exploring highlights of West Seattle’s musical history. From jazz to grunge, we’ll have stops to please music lovers, bike enthusiasts, and everyone in between!
Seattle is famous for its grunge scene, but our music history goes far and wide. Some of the best hits were created right in West Seattle! We’ll explore locations where music was made, where historic artists performed, and talk about the local and national impact of West Seattle on music history.
To register, please visit loghousemuseum.org/exhibits/cycle-history-sound-spots-bike-dont-run/. For more information, please contact Maggie Kase, Curator, at maggiek@loghousemuseum.org.
Tomorrow night, the last West Seattle Art Walk of summer offers live music as well as art displays. Above is this quarter’s list of participating venues, some with artists, some with food/drink specials for Art Walk visitors, some with both. Venues span the peninsula from Arbor Heights (Brace Point Pottery & Gallery, C.A. Pierce show and sale, 4208 SW 100th, 5-8 pm) to Admiral (West Seattle Grounds, Priyanka Parmanand painting live, 2141 California SW, 5-8 pm). Some venues are showing multiple artists’ work, like Fogue Gallery (WSB sponsor), 4130 California SW, open “until late” on Art Walk night, with a group show featuring guest artist Reeve Washburn (who also happens to be the WSAW’s coordinator). This month’s highlight is the return of live music to accompany your Art Walk wanderings. The Art of Music is happening in two locations – Welcome Road Winery, 3804 California SW, hosts harpist Alyvia Miller, and bassist/vocalist Marina Christopher is at KeyBank Plaza in The Junction, both performing 6-7:40 pm. Plan your Art Walk night with this month’s full preview – venue spotlights and hours – here.
4:05 PM: Created Commons continues through Sunday at Westcrest Park (9000 8th SW) and right now the performances are celebrating Pacific Islander culture – Hawaii, Samoa, and now Okinawa. It’s all free, outdoors, just north of the P-patch, until about 8 pm. (Here’s the schedule.) Video and photos later!
6:48 PM: We were there for two performances – first, Ala Talo from the Asia Pacific Cultural Center introduced a trio of dancers who she said had not performed onstage before today.
They were a late substitution for a Hawaiian dance group originally scheduled for this afternoon.
The dancers’ previous collaboration: Playing on the volleyball team Pakka Hittaz. Like some other performances we covered in the past week-plus at Created Commons, this one featured audience participation. Talo talked about the mood conferred by the music, particularly a song she attributed to a 12-year-old Marshallese boy, with the lyrics: “Smile and be happy/don’t let nobody take the smile away/Live life to the fullest/As if you’re dying every day.”
Following the dancers, the duo of Mako and Noriko performed Okinawan music, with vocals, the stringed instrument sanshin, and a traditional drum.
Some of the music was hypnotic and lulling; other songs, festive and upbeat. Mako explained her instrument between songs – covered in python skin, with a pick made from a water-buffalo horn.
The afternoon was hosted by R2ISE‘s Alexia Jones and curated by the Jack Straw Cultural Center, which also presented poets and writers; Jack Straw writers are also on the schedule for tomorrow, the final day of Created Commons, a grant-funded festival of art and science that began Friday, August 27th, spotlighting BIPOC artists and speakers, produced by Lelavision. Our coverage of night 1 is here; the second day, here; third day, here; fourth night, here.
P.S. Sunday begins, as did today, with a free 10 am wellness class – this time, K-Pop Zumba!
(Lelavision’s Interspecies Communication sculpture, hovering over the Created Commons stage)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
“I’m not going to die like this.”
That is what Alexia Jones told herself, at the moments when she couldn’t see her way out of the depths to which drug addiction took her.
And indeed, she did not die. She has been in longterm recovery for 26 years, Jones said as the continuing Created Commons art/science celebration at Westcrest Park commemorated International Overdose Awareness Day.
Jones, the host of Tuesday night’s event, leads R2ISE, a Georgia-based organization that explores recovery through art.
She opened by proclaiming the night “a space and a place to remember,” a night about “those who didn’t make it” as well as “those who are out there trying to make it back home.” Here’s our full video of what happened onstage for more than an hour:
Here’s why this is a matter of life and death:
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