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FOLLOWUP: Work begins on Morgan Junction mural
May 12, 2018 6:37 pm
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 |   West Seattle history | West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

Thanks to Meyer for the photo: A little over two weeks after we reported that the project to save West Seattle’s murals would kick off with restoration of the one in Morgan Junction, the artist is at work. Meyer spotted Gig Harbor artist Bob Henry at work today on the mural behind the California/Fauntleroy building that houses five businesses including Peel and Press, whose proprietor Dan Austin is spearheading this part of the project. We expect to hear more next week about broader plans for restoring more of West Seattle’s murals.

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PHOTOS: West Seattle Art Walk, May 2018 edition
May 10, 2018 6:12 pm
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 |   West Seattle Art Walk | West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

(1st 2 photos courtesy John Smersh of Click! Design That Fits)

6:12 PM: Wearable art! That’s some of what you’ll find on tonight’s West Seattle Art Walk – at Click! Design That Fits (4540 California SW; WSB sponsor), the artist is Elyssa Cichy:

Here again is tonight’s map/venue list – with places you’ll find food and drink specials, as well as places with art:

ADDED 6:37 PM: Stop by Wallflower Custom Framing (4735 42nd SW) and meet artist Heidi Bruns Shank:

The display description explains that her “series ‘Adapting Clarity’ explores individuality of sight and perception.”

7:30 PM: Also in The Junction, Graystone Mortgage in Jefferson Square is featuring art by Chief Sealth International High School students – including Tuvy!

Says the WSAW preview: “The student art … on display represents work from the beginning Drawing/Painting class and the International Baccalaureate Art program.” Between there and WSB HQ, we stopped at Locöl for Graham Vittum, presented by the Bruno B Art Colletif:

Next month’s Art Walk – always the second Thursday – is June 14th.

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CONGRATULATIONS! Chief Sealth IHS student wins art competition
May 3, 2018 8:07 pm
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 |   West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

Congratulations to Chief Sealth International High School artist Zhen Williams for winning a competition that will see her winning work displayed in D.C.! The announcement and photo are from our area’s U.S. House Rep. Pramila Jayapal‘s office:

Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal announced the winners of Washington’s 7th District 2018 Congressional Arts Competition. They are:

1st: Zhen Williams, Chief Sealth International High School, “Voice Through My Hands”

2nd: Marlowe Pody, Garfield High School, “Fleeting”

3rd: Min Jeong Lee, Shoreline Christian School, “Hope”

Zhen’s painting will be displayed in the U.S. Capitol Building for one year; Jayapal will hang the second place entry in her congressional office.

“Congratulations to Zhen on winning this year’s Congressional Arts Competition. I’m proud of the 7th District for another successful year celebrating the arts. This would not have been possible without the six schools who participated or without our amazing judges, supportive parents and teachers,” said Rep. Jayapal. “Every year, students have raised the bar, and I look forward to seeing the entries we receive in next year’s competition.”

Six high schools from around the district participated in this year’s contest, including Chief Sealth International High School, Shoreline Christian, Ingraham, Garfield, The Northwest School and New Start High School.

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YOU’RE INVITED! Spanish-language film festival at Chief Sealth International High School
May 1, 2018 8:59 am
|    Comments Off on YOU’RE INVITED! Spanish-language film festival at Chief Sealth International High School
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle schools | WS culture/arts

Chief Sealth International High School will host a film festival this Friday and Saturday – and the second day is open to the community. This celebration of Spanish-language films has quite a backstory – it’s a program with University of Washington involvement, and this UW article explains how it happened, who’s involved, and why. Here’s the announcement we received from the school:

You are invited to Chief Sealth International High School’s Spanish Language Film Festival this upcoming Friday and Saturday. While Friday’s events will be during school hours and mostly open to only students, the events on Saturday, May 5, are open to the community.

We will be viewing the Chilean film Rara and the Colombian/U.S. film Entre Nos (trailer above), with screenings, time for food, and other activities happening between 11-6 that day. We hope you can join us at Chief Sealth International High School. And please encourage your students to attend as well!

Schedule for Saturday:

11:00 am: Doors open. Light snacks

11:30 am: Brief intro to Pepa San Martín’s Rara; Screening of Rara (Chile)

1:00-2:00 pm: Food and social hour

2:00-3:15 pm: Workshops

3:30 pm: Brief intro to Gloria La Morte and Paola Mendoza’s Entre Nos (Colombia/U.S.) Screening of Entre Nos

6:00 pm: Closing Ceremony

The film festival’s theme is “Outsider Heroes.” Chief Sealth IHS is at 2600 SW Thistle; festival admission is free.

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Morgan Junction mural to be restored soon: ‘Spark to help save the others’
April 26, 2018 1:57 pm
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 |   West Seattle history | West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

(WSB photos by Patrick Sand)

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

After years of planning and discussion, the next step toward restoring West Seattle’s murals will soon go from plans and hopes to reality.

We first reported in October 2015 that Dan Austin, owner of Peel and Press in Morgan Junction, was leading a project to save the mural on the west side of the California/Fauntleroy building that holds his business and four others.

It’s been a long road but that road reached one big milestone back in January, when the Morgan Community Association committed money to the restoration project. Then, another milestone this week, when the muralist who will restore it got his first look at it.

(L-R, Lora Swift, Deb Barker, Phil Tavel, Dan Austin, Bob Henry, Clay Eals)

He is Bob Henry from Gig Harbor, and we were there as he visited the mural Tuesday with Austin, MoCA’s president and vice president Deb Barker and Phil Tavel, and the Southwest Seattle Historical Society‘s executive director Jeff McCord and past ED Clay Eals, plus Lora Swift of the West Seattle Junction Association, which is working toward restoration of the Junction murals too.

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WORDSWEST ON WEDNESDAY: Celebrate National Poetry Month with Aimee Nezhukumatathil and Susan Rich
April 15, 2018 10:56 am
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 |   West Seattle books | West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

The two featured writers at this month’s WordsWest Literary Series event, 7 pm Wednesday (April 18th) at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor), include one of the series’s co-curators. Here’s the preview of who you’ll see and hear:

Poets Aimee Nezhukumatathil (above left) and Susan Rich (above right) celebrate National Poetry Month with poems that revel in the world’s mysteries, from the vast to the minute, from nature to art, from curiosities to companionship.

Aimee Nezhukumatathil’s newest collection of poems is Oceanic from Copper Canyon Press. She is also the author of the forthcoming book of illustrated nature essays, World of Wonder, and three previous poetry collections. Her most recent chapbook is Lace & Pyrite, a collaboration of nature poems with the poet Ross Gay. Aimee is the poetry editor of Orion magazine and a professor of English in the University of Mississippi’s MFA program.

Susan Rich is the author of four poetry collections: Cloud Pharmacy, The Alchemist’s Kitchen, named a finalist for the Foreword Prize and the Washington State Book Award, Cures Include Travel, and The Cartographer’s Tongue, winner of the PEN USA Award for Poetry and the Peace Corps Writers Award. Susan teaches at Highline College, where she runs the reading series, Highline Listens: Writers Read Their Work.

The Favorite Poem Project, a vital part of WordsWest’s monthly literary events, invites a community member to share a favorite poem and information about his or her organization. On April 18th, we welcome a favorite poem from Billie Swift, owner of Open Books: A Poem Emporium.

WordsWest is curated by West Seattle writers Katy E. Ellis, Susan Rich, and Harold Taw, and this season’s intern/co-curator is Joannie Stangeland. Grant funding from Seattle Office of Arts and Culture and Poets & Writers, Inc. allows WordsWest to pay featured writers for their time and talent.

We spotlighted the series curators last September, before the current season of presentations began.

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STREET ART: Desmond Hansen’s fifth West Seattle signal-box portrait
April 14, 2018 4:30 pm
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 |   West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

Thanks to Nicole for the photos! Graves (aka Desmond) Hansen has just painted another signal-box portrait … this time, a tribute to Kurt Cobain on the southeast corner of California/Graham. He actually painted this signal box first, as we showed you more than a month ago, but it just held the swirling background pattern until he added Kurt today. (Nicole’s photo below features Hansen at right, an assistant Dozer at left:)

He’s also continuing to collect donations to cover his costs. His previous four signal-box portraits are Jimi Hendrix at California/Morgan, Bruce Lee at 35th/Morgan, Chris Cornell at 35th/Alaska, and Layne Staley at Harbor/Spokane.

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HAPPENING NOW: See, sip, snack at stops along the West Seattle Art Walk
April 12, 2018 6:08 pm
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 |   West Seattle Art Walk | West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

Sunbreak! Just in time for you to spend a while on the first West Seattle Art Walk of spring:

AT VISCON CELLARS: This quarter, Viscon Cellars (WSB sponsor) is showcasing the work of West Seattle mixed-media artist Jessie Summa Russo. You can meet her at the tasting room while viewing her art tonight until 9 pm. Viscon waives tasting fees for Art Walk participants – and you can nosh on pasta and cake tonight, too. “Lemon ricotta olive oil ciambellone cake,” to be specific, as Jessie describes it.)

Here’s the full map/list for tonight and the May and June second Thursday West Seattle Art Walks:

ADDED 7:15 PM – AT VIRAGO: You can stop by Virago Gallery‘s new location for its “soft open” during Art Walk tonight:

We first reported back in February that proprietor Tracy Cilona was moving her gallery/store around the corner to 4537 California SW – and now she’s there!

Across the street:

AT CLICK! Salyna Gracie is drawing quite a crowd at Click! Design That Fits (4540 California SW; WSB sponsor) with her “Poisonous Beauty” paintings. If you can’t get to Click! in person, her paintings are available in their online store, too.

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GOT YOUR TICKET? ‘Greatest Show on Earth’ for, and with, Denny/Sealth Performing Arts
April 12, 2018 9:45 am
|    Comments Off on GOT YOUR TICKET? ‘Greatest Show on Earth’ for, and with, Denny/Sealth Performing Arts
 |   How to help | West Seattle news | West Seattle schools | WS culture/arts

Later this month, you have the chance to both enjoy the talents of, and assist, student performers from Denny International Middle School and Chief Sealth International High School. In case you haven’t already seen it in the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:

The Denny Sealth Performing Arts annual fundraiser, Music Night Out, “The Greatest Show on Earth,” will be held on Saturday, April 28th at the Fellowship Hall of UCC Fauntleroy Church. You will enjoy music from the Denny and Sealth Band, Orchestra, Mariachi, Choir and the award-winning musicians in the Sealth Jazz Band led by Dr. Marcus Pimpleton and Ms. Brittany DeLong. Beverages, appetizers, a full dinner and dessert dash will round out the evening. Please join us for this fun night. Early Bird tickets are available if you act fast and can be purchased [here].

The DSPA (Denny Sealth Performing Arts) servers approximately 300 scholars in the Middle School and High School Performing Arts programs.

Band, Orchestra, Jazz, Mariachi and Choir scholars work all year on their craft, and share with the community in a few performances. And performance is a key element in the art.

Many of our scholars will be traveling this spring to destinations such as Disneyland, California and Silverwood, Idaho.

Our high school jazz scholars recently returned from Montana for such an experience. Your ticket purchase allows the DSPA to raise money for scholarships for those students who would not be able to afford the experience of such travel.

Our program serves a population of approximately 63% free and reduced lunch, students. Besides travel, the DSPA helps to cover the cost of maintenance and purchase of musical instruments, band uniforms and all of the small things; sheet music, rosin, strings etc, that, keep our scholars making the beautiful music and creating the amazing performances that we’ve come to expect from our Denny-Sealth programs. Our instructors rely on their ability to write grants and your generosity to be able to provide working instruments for our performing arts scholars.

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THURSDAY: West Seattle Art Walk’s spring season begins! See the new stops and deals
April 11, 2018 9:09 pm
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 |   West Seattle Art Walk | West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

That’s the venue list and map for the spring season of the West Seattle Art Walk – second Thursdays in April, May, and June. Take a look to plan where you will stop tomorrow night starting at 5 pm – some venues have art, some venues have food/drink specials, some have both! You can preview many of the venues and artists via this update on the Art Walk website.

Venues are all over the peninsula, and the spring list includes these WSB sponsors:

Click! Design That Fits (4540 California SW) – “Deadly Beauty” by Salyna Gracie – a “recent collection of poisonous botanical paintings.”

Viscon Cellars (5910 California SW) – mixed-media art by Jessie Summa Russo, and no tasting fee for Art Walk-ers

Canna West Seattle (5435 California SW) – photos by Machel Spence

Alchemy (4717 42nd SW) – happy-hour menu all night for Art Walk-ers

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VIDEO: 2 more chances to cheer ‘A Chorus Line’ at West Seattle High School
April 5, 2018 10:05 am
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 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle schools | WS culture/arts

(WSB video, photo)

Back in 1975, Broadway birthed the Tony and Pulitzer Award-winning sensation “A Chorus Line,” which ran for 15 years. The tale of 17 auditioners is still thrilling crowds today, with songs that have become classics, including “One,” which you can hear in our video clip, featuring West Seattle High School students from the Drama Club and Music Department. “A Chorus Line” is their spring musical, and you have just two more chances to see the 90-minute performance at the WSHS Theater – tonight and tomorrow (Friday) night at 7:30 pm (we recorded them during a runthrough before last night’s show).

It’s a huge production, with more than 60 performers and crew members, led by drama teacher Andrew Finley and music director Ethan Thomas (the program has a shoutout for more than a dozen parent volunteers too). E-mail for a reservation to get tickets at a lower rate. Haven’t been to the WSHS Theater? Enter the school through the courtyard off its parking lot on the west side of the school at 3000 California SW.

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Need a laugh? Get a ticket! Youngstown to host ‘Stand Up for Healing Laughter’
April 4, 2018 9:04 am
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 |   Delridge | How to help | West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

From the WSB inbox, a unique event for our calendar that seems like something you might want to know about in advance, since we don’t get a lot of comedy performances on the peninsula: The 3rd annual Stand Up for Healing Laughter benefit is coming to Youngstown Cultural Arts Center in North Delridge, 8 pm Saturday, April 28th. This is a “fun-filled evening of standup and physical comedy” that benefits Room Circus Medical Clowning at Seattle Children’s Hospital. The show will feature:

Standup Comedian: Brett Hamil
Human Jazz: Christian Swenson
Standup and Physical Comedian: Peter Pitofsky
Kerfuffle: Linda Severt & Sarah Liane Foster
Physical Comedian: Bill Robinson

If you buy your ticket (updated) during the early-bird-discount period, it’s $20 – after that, $25. You’ll also get to cheer for the winner of the annual Golden Chicken Award, going to a “distinguished volunteer” for Room Circus (which you can learn about by going here).

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West Seattle scene: Young designers model their creations in runway show at VAIN
April 3, 2018 11:43 pm
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 |   West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

These creative young West Seattleites have been studying fashion design for the past quarter, and tonight at VAIN in The Junction (WSB sponsor), they took to the runway to show off their creations. Proud relatives were there to cheer, and snap:

The nineteen students have been learning design in the Miss Reese Fashion Club at West Seattle Art Nest. She of course was at tonight’s show too:

Her students created fashions based on artworks that they had seen and appreciated.

Miss Reese also teaches at some local schools.

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See West Seattle Garden Tour’s winning 2018 art, ‘Garden Fantasia’!
March 25, 2018 3:19 pm
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 |   Gardening | West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

(Images courtesy West Seattle Garden Tour)

Only three months until this year’s West Seattle Garden Tour – and today, the WSGT has just unveiled the art you’ll see on this year’s poster:

West Seattle Garden Tour announced today the artwork titled Garden Fantasia [photo above] by Edgewood artist Doreen Koch Allen [photo right] has been selected as the winner of this year’s annual art competition.

Ms. Allen is best known for her exuberant, color-infused paintings. Working primarily in watercolor and mixed media, inclusive of pastels and acrylics, her creations are often whimsical and playful. Ms. Allen’s deep love of nature and its offerings of detail, pattern, texture, and color are elements often found in her work. Frequently she listens to music while painting outdoors, surrounded by her extensive gardens, which will usually influence the direction of her artwork.

Her process for Garden Fantasia involved painting many successive layers to establish an interesting underpainting. From that point, she pulled out desired images through negative painting, bringing to the forefront the resulting positive shapes, blooms and botanical elements. The 40” high x 30” wide piece was painted in acrylics and uses a variety of found objects to imprint the canvas, replicating interesting textures found in nature.

Garden Fantasia will be featured on the 2018 Garden Tour’s official poster and ticket book. Ms. Allen will also receive a $500 cash prize. West Seattle Garden Tour will auction the artwork on the day of the tour, Sunday, June 24, 2018. Bids will be taken in one of the gardens from 9 am to 5 pm. Proceeds will benefit the year’s designated beneficiaries, which will be announced in early April.

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CAMP TIME! Mode Music and Performing Arts signups for spring break and summer
March 23, 2018 9:02 am
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 |   West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

(Photo by Kaija Rae Photography)

Only two weeks until Spring Break for Seattle Public Schools and those who follow its schedule. If you’re still looking for a spring-break camp for a second-, third-, fourth-, fifth-, or sixth-grader in your household – this is the first spring season ever for nonprofit Mode Music and Performing Arts in West Seattle, and listen to this plan to get your kid(s) singing, dancing, and acting:

We’re putting on a one-act musical in one week. We’ll pick the right musical to fit our group of performers. Titles under consideration include Willy Wonka Jr. and The Big Bad Musical. We’ll cast on Monday and rehearsal our songs, scenes, and movement throughout the week. On Friday we’ll perform our show complete with costumes and props for our family and friends in the Mode Music and Performing Arts space. Register here!

Follow that same link to check out Mode MPA’s summer camp offerings – if you sign up for any of those before March 31st, you’ll get a 10 percent discount.

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VIDEO: Musical mentoring with Seattle Women’s Jazz Orchestra and Girls’ Jazz Band
March 22, 2018 1:07 pm
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 |   West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

Two months of musical mentoring reached a crescendo last night at the Chief Sealth International High School auditorium, as the second annual Girls’ Jazz Band – middle-schoolers from around the city – took the stage with the Seattle Women’s Jazz Orchestra, whose professional musicians have been working with them since January.

15 girls were in the program – here they are performing “Basie-cally The Blues”:

Their mentors performed too – here’s SWOJO with Gershwin’s “Lady Be Good”:

As explained on the orchestra’s website, “The program offers evening rehearsals and a culminating concert for Seattle girl jazz musicians ages 12 and up. SWOJO’s professional musicians and music educators will mentor, lead rehearsals and sectionals, give a master class, and perform a FREE joint concert … The goal is to provide a comfortable and supportive educational opportunity for girls to develop jazz interpretation and improvisation skills within a big band and combo setting.”

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West Seattle art: Desmond Hansen’s 4th signal-box tribute
March 18, 2018 8:39 pm
|      13 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

Over the weekend, West Seattle artist Desmond Hansen painted a tribute portrait on a fourth local signal box. This time, it’s Layne Staley of Alice in Chains, and it’s on the northwest corner of the Avalon/Harbor/Spokane intersection. That follows Jimi Hendrix at California/Fauntleroy (featured here March 7th), Bruce Lee at 35th/Morgan (featured here March 10th), and Chris Cornell at 35th/Alaska (here’s the artist’s Instagram photo). Hansen also launched a crowdfunding page to raise money for supplies, and it’s already past its goal; in a video accompanying it, he says he might even take the project citywide.

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CONGRATULATIONS! Chief Sealth IHS Jazz Band’s festival success
March 18, 2018 2:29 pm
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 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle schools | WS culture/arts

The photo above shows Chief Sealth International High School Jazz Band members on the pedestrian bridge over the Clark Fork River in Missoula, Montana. It’s from parent chaperone Debbie Taylor, who explains:

They returned yesterday from a four day trip there to compete in the Buddy DeFranco Jazz Festival. The festival is in its 38th year and takes place at the University of Montana. The band was able to take this trip through the generous donations made to and support from the Denny-Sealth Performing Arts (DSPA) Boosters. The Jazz Band is conducted by Dr. Marcus Pimpleton and Brittany DeLong (not pictured). The Chief Sealth Jazz Band brought home the Buddy DeFranco Jazz Festival Outstanding Soloist Award, and at least seven medals awarded for outstanding musicianship to individuals in the Jazz Band.

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FOLLOWUP: Another West Seattle signal-box portrait
March 10, 2018 7:43 pm
|      14 COMMENTS
 |   High Point | West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

(WSB photo)

Artist Desmond Hansen was just finishing that portrait on the signal box at the northwest corner of 35th SW and SW Morgan when we saw him and pulled over for a photo. It’s been three days since we first showed you his other creations, painted on signal boxes in Morgan Junction. In a comment on that story, he mentioned he was thinking about painting Bruce Lee, among other Seattle-linked luminaries – and now, he has.

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WEST SEATTLE ART: Morgan Junction signal boxes painted by Desmond Hansen
March 7, 2018 3:32 pm
|      30 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

(WSB photos)

Morgan Junction has joined the ranks of West Seattle neighborhoods with signal-box art. After spotting this work in progress while passing through California/Fauntleroy earlier today, we went back for a photo. The artist is Desmond Hansen; he described the project on Instagram as “donating my time to the community.” In addition to the Jimi Hendrix portrait, he also painted this box one block north:

Delridge signal boxes were painted in 2013; signal boxes in The Junction were wrapped in 2014.

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FRIDAY: 8th annual Soul Jambalaya concert at Chief Sealth IHS
February 28, 2018 9:45 am
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle schools | WS culture/arts

Friday night at 7 pm, you’re invited to this year’s edition of an annual don’t-miss musical celebration in the auditorium at Chief Sealth International High School – Soul Jambalaya. As announced by longtime music educator, and assistant principal at adjoining Denny International Middle School, Marcus Pimpleton, it’s another stellar lineup:

Soul Jambalaya 2018 will feature some pretty outstanding artists and music ensembles (Clinton Fearon, The Total Experience Gospel Choir, Septimus, and the Native Jazz Trio) in concert with our very own Chief Sealth Jazz Band as we celebrate the contributions of African Americans to the music of the world.

The concert is free of charge, although donations will be graciously accepted to support jazz education and events at Chief Sealth.

It would be really great to have a full audience to support these great artists who are giving so generously of their time to provide our students with an opportunity to enjoy authentic performances of these important music styles. Please consider joining us and inviting friends.

Chief Sealth is at 2600 SW Thistle; the auditorium is on the west side of campus.

If you can’t go to the concert but would like to support the music students, you can do that online too.

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VIDEO: Songs and stories @ Arbor Heights Elementary’s Black History Month celebration
February 17, 2018 3:52 pm
|      6 COMMENTS
 |   Arbor Heights | West Seattle news | West Seattle schools | WS culture/arts

(Starr W., Simone S., Zoe P., Tevia & Taytum C., Denise K. singing ‘Lift Every Voice and Sing’)

“We’re here to remember, honor, and celebrate Black history and Black culture, which is American culture.”

With that mission, Arbor Heights Elementary students and staff presented songs and stories in an hour-long assembly this past Thursday afternoon. They were each other’s audiences – joined by many parents, too. A big ovation greeted AH staffer Rosslyn Shea, who emceed the assembly (and kindly invited us to cover it).

She explained the backstory of Black History Month – which became a monthlong celebration in 1976, half a century after it began – “a time to remember the struggle, while remembering the accomplishments …” The program, directed and produced by Laura Drake, then began, with the anthem “Lift Every Voice and Sing” (top video). Ms. McAlpin‘s class sang “Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me Around”; then Reyana H. portrayed Sojourner Truth, telling her story of slavery, and marriage with five children.

She was 30 when slavery ended in NY State in 1827. “I began to work with other abolitionists … I was also a strong believer in women’s rights.” Student Artise B., portrayed Frederick Douglass. “It was against the law for slaves to learn to read and write,” but he secretly taught himself.

“Once I learned how to read, I taught other slaves.” He was an adviser to President Lincoln. “A white man’s happiness cannot be purchased by a black man’s misery.”

Ms. Irish‘s class sang “Keep Your Eyes on the Prize.” A poem by Langston Hughes was performed by students Simone D. and Naimo M. Then pilot Bessie Coleman‘s story was told by Mariah R., speaking of achievement despite discrimination.

“I opened the possibility for women of color to become pilots,” though her life was cut short by an airshow-rehearsal accident.

Booker T. Washington, the influential educator, was portrayed by Joaquin L.. “Once I saw white children inside a schoolhouse reading books, that was what I wanted to do.” He ran a school “that is still going strong today.” He closed by reading this quote spiritedly: “If you want to lift yourself up, lift up someone else!” Then Ms. Ciocca‘s class sang “Woke Up This Morning with My Mind Set on Freedom,” and Ms. Amble‘s first-grade class performed to Ella Fitzgerald‘s version of “Old MacDonald Had a Farm.”

.”

That was followed by Ms. Wilson‘s class with “If You Miss Me at the Back of the Bus.” Then, from even-more-recent history, more historic character portrayals – two trailblazing Black candidates for President, U.S. Rep. Shirley Chisholm (by Phalestine W.) and Rev. Jesse Jackson (by Zinneddine A.). “What is the American Dream? The American Dream is one big tent.”

Two third-grade classes sang along with Sly and the Family Stone‘s “Everyday People” – “Sometimes I’m right, I can be wrong …” they raise their index fingers on the chorus.

“Love’s in Need of Love Today” by Stevie Wonder was the afterschool program’s presentation, and then “We Shall Overcome” as a closing song, with everyone in the auditorium invited to join in. And on the way out, we stopped to notice student work on the walls:

AH and other Seattle Public Schools are now out for a week of mid-winter break, with classes resuming Monday, February 26th.

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From ‘MacArthur Park’ to Pulitzer Prize: Colson Whitehead visits West Seattle High School
February 15, 2018 3:45 pm
|      4 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle books | West Seattle news | West Seattle schools | WS culture/arts

(WSB photos)

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

Before Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Colson Whitehead speaks tonight at Benaroya Hall downtown, he had a few other Seattle stops to make – starting at West Seattle High School.

Language-arts classes filled the WSHS Theater this morning to hear him talk about the writing life.

Teacher Sean Riley, who invited us too, said introducing Whitehead was “like a dream come true,” recalling speaking at a conference last year and getting stuck in a “real rant” of cynicism until he transitioned into a line from Whitehead’s award-winning novel “The Underground Railroad“: “Freedom was a community laboring for something lovely and real.” Riley explained that he feels that “critical thinking paired with hopeful action is a type of freedom.”

Then Whitehead took the podium, telling his own story, wryly.

He was born and raised in Manhattan, describing himself as kind of a shut-in yet not a “sickly child” as the stereotype goes – he “just didn’t like going outside.” He adored Stephen King. He said he hoped to write “the black ‘Shining‘” or “the black ‘Salem’s Lot‘.” But he grew into “more high-brow stuff,” speaking of discovering, for example, Samuel Beckett. In college he “considered myself a writer but I didn’t actually write anything” – he “wore black and smoked cigarettes” – then he tried writing, two 5-page stories, and encountered rejection.

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