West Seattle, Washington
27 Monday
Baby Sarah has the most awesome story for her 1st celebrity meeting.Thank you @EasyStRecords @RyanLewis @macklemore pic.twitter.com/vDJN7jez2k
— MichelleK (@Kusowski) February 27, 2016
Among the 100 Macklemore and Ryan Lewis fans who got the chance to meet them tonight at Easy Street Records were mom Michelle and baby Sarah (who we’re guessing might have made the crowd count at least 101). We’re featuring the photo they tweeted – retweeted by ESR – because we weren’t allowed into the signing zone up in the ESR loft. We did catch the grand arrival, in the rain, at dusk:
(WSB photos from here down – click any image for a larger view)
Just around the corner, the queue stretched along the store’s SW Alaska side:
Macklemore prepared to take photos –
So did the rest of the “Lucky 100” waiting inside the store:
They were the first hundred to pre-order Macklemore and Ryan Lewis’s second album “This Unruly Mess I’ve Made,” officially released today, which was the occasion for the stars’ visit to ESR – before they headed to Capitol Hill for a free concert at Neumos. It was an Easy Street encore for them – we photographed their 2011 signing there, a year before their huge first album “The Heist” came out.
That’s the winning art chosen for this year’s West Seattle Garden Tour poster. Here’s the announcement from tour organizers:
The West Seattle Garden Tour received nearly 30 art submissions in response to this year’s artist competition. We are pleased to announce West Seattle artist Cynthia Turner as the winner for her piece entitled “Wild, Wild Flowers.” Her original artwork using a medium of cut paper, gel medium, acrylic on canvas board, will be auctioned on the day of the tour (July 17) to benefit WSGT’s 2016 designated beneficiaries. Cynthia’s art work along with several other ‘honorable mentions’ will also be on display during the June 2016 West Seattle Art Walk.
From Turner’s artist statement: “Using my personal ethos of using mostly up-cycled and re-purposed materials, as well working within the West Seattle Garden Tour’s theme of ‘The Art of Gardening,’ I set out to make a piece that was slightly mid-century in feel, using paper that I found or already had on hand. With this piece, I tried to create a feeling of a wild garden that was designed by nature and happenstance, yet is also clean and graphic.” Read more about Turner and her work here; find out more about this year’s tour here.
If this isn’t already on your calendar (it’s on ours!): This Wednesday night (February 24th), the Seattle Symphony performs a free community concert at Chief Sealth International High School‘s auditorium – and you can see the Sealth and West Seattle High School orchestras too! CSIHS’s orchestra performs at 6:15 pm, WSHS at 6:30, and the Seattle Symphony at 7, featuring a side-by-side performance with the West Seattle Community Orchestra on “Finlandia” by Sibelius. Again, everybody’s invited, no admission charge; the Denny-Sealth Performing Arts support group plans a benefit bake sale in the lobby. CSIHS is at 2600 SW Thistle.
If you’re not in line yourself by then – you’ll see one at Easy Street Records starting at 5 this Friday night, because of this:
This Friday, 6pm, @macklemore @RyanLewis signing @EasyStRecords! First 100 to preorder new album guaranteed entry! https://t.co/N6Mmkey374
— Easy Street Records (@EasyStRecords) February 22, 2016
The WSB archives remind us that Macklemore and Ryan Lewis drew a crowd for a signing at ESR in 2011, more than a year before their huge hit “Thrift Shop”:
(WSB photo, April 2011)
Friday is the official release date for the new album “This Unruly Mess I’ve Made.” More on the ESR website.
Thanks to Madison Middle School music director Clark Bathum for the photo and report:
On February 13th, Lily Bertucci, 8th grader violinist at Madison Middle School, performed with the 2016 Junior All-State Orchestra in Yakima, at the Washington Music Educators Association annual convention. She was one of 48 violinists from Washington state middle schools who were selected to perform in this concert for music educators from around the state. The ensemble performed Capriol Suite, Battalia, Directions North, and Moondance under the guidance of conductor Charles Schooler, director of the South Puget Sound College Orchestra.
Lily had this to say about her experience playing with the all-state orchestra: “All-State was a great experience, even though I was initially nervous about auditioning. The music was challenging, but I’m happy that I learned new playing skills. One of the best parts was playing with an ensemble of highly gifted musicians that could prepare for a concert after just a few hours of rehearsal. And, I learned about the group dynamics and essentials needed to put the music together for a concert.“
Lily is the fourth Madison musician to be selected to all-state in the past five years. The Madison Middle School community could not be prouder of Lily’s accomplishment and the way that she represented Madison at the state level.
(WSB photos)
Tết, the Vietnamese New Year, is officially here, as of this afternoon’s celebration at the Vietnamese Cultural Center in West Seattle. The rain lifted in time for more than 50 people to gather on the VCC’s plaza of temples and statues, with the Lion Dance Team from the Van Hanh Temple Buddhist Youth Group.
Firecrackers and drums provided the soundtrack for the dance:
The celebration began with flag salutes and anthems, as Viet Tran raised the Vietnam Heritage and Freedom Flag alongside the Stars and Stripes:
The event was emceed by Bao Van Nguyen (below right) with participants including Col. Yen Len Hua (below left) offering the Tết greeting and New Year’s wishes, as well as the colonel’s fellow VCC board elders Hung Manh Dinh and Khai Dinh Tran presenting the history of King Quang Trung and a traditional New Year’s Wish reading.
The celebration continued inside one of the VCC temples, with a commemorative photo first:
Though last Monday marked the official arrival of the New Year, Tết is a multi-day celebration, and today was the conclusion.
By the way, you don’t have to wait for a holiday to visit the Vietnamese Cultural Center, led by director Lee Bui – it’s open to the public most Saturdays, noon-3 pm, at 2236 SW Orchard, on Metro Route 128, with parking out front.
(WSB photos – click any image for a larger view)
With music, art, poems, and stories, West Seattle Elementary in High Point celebrated Black History Month this morning in a district-wide spotlight, with media invited to cover the event. They’ve been learning about legendary leaders – note the kindergartener (above) holding a photo of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., as classmates read a poem about him, and art in the hallways, with Rosa Parks and Maya Angelou among those featured:
The art is by third-graders, who also wrote essays incorporated into displays.
Along with learning about black Americans’ accomplishments, the children also heard firsthand stories of oppression, told by substitute teacher Lois Watkins, who is publishing a book soon with stories of growing up in segregated Little Rock, Arkansas.
Watkins read two of her short stories. One recalled how she and her sister were only allowed to play with a white girl under certain circumstances and in certain places, as they were not allowed in her home. Her other story recounted how she sneaked a drink of water from a drinking fountain designated “whites only” and was disappointed to find out the water was no different from what was provided in the one labeled “colored only” – as she realized the water all came from the same pipe.
The assembly also celebrated music, with first-graders singing Nat King Cole‘s classic “L-O-V-E“:
While onstage, the first-graders carried flags of all nations:
Fourth-graders also sang at the assembly – Bill Withers’ “Lean on Me.”
The annual celebration of African-American history was expanded to a month 40 years ago, in the nation’s bicentennial year, 1976.
6:40 PM: Until 8 pm, you can help decide which kinetic-sculpture concept will soon grace the north side of Junction Plaza Park – a 20-foot moving sculpture, with a stainless-steel base, in front of the tallest blank wall in West Seattle. The concepts are being shown off at an open house right now at Cupcake Royale (northeast corner of California/Oregon).
Troy Pillow is the artist chosen for the installation, funded by public-benefit money from area development as well as a Department of Neighborhoods grant. He’s here to answer your questions (as are reps from the West Seattle Junction Association and Junction Neighborhood Organization). Pillow says the concepts represent the “coming together” nature of The Junction, present and past; as you can see from the renderings above (which aren’t the only ones), color choices are up for discussion too. He says there will be “uplighting” for the installation.
Along with printed-out renderings of the design options, you can also look at animated versions on screens when you stop by – there’s been a steady stream of people. If you just can’t get here tonight, you’ll be able to offer opinions online too – stand by for the info on that.
ADDED EARLY FRIDAY: Here’s where to go to see all the options, and to tell the project team what you think.
Chief Sealth International High School language-arts teacher Heather Griffin shares the photo from this morning – featuring students rehearsing for a performance to which she tells us you’re invited, this Thursday night:
Ninth-grade students at Chief Sealth International High School are participating in the 16th Annual Page to Stage drama-based instruction conducted by Book-It Repertory Theatre. Students have been studying poetry in their Language Arts classes, and have used that work to create a final performance for you to see on Thursday, February 11th, at 7 p.m. We welcome the community to join us in this dynamic interpretation of student-written poems at the Chief Sealth International Auditorium.
Sealth is at 2600 SW Thistle.
West Seattle High School music director Ethan Thomas sends word tonight of a student’s big achievement:
Maxwell Lemke (junior at West Seattle High School) placed at the top of his division at the Elliott Bay Regional Solo and Ensemble competition at SPU on Saturday. He performed the tuba solo “Beelzebub” by Andrea Catozzi, accompanied by senior Will Sullivan on piano. He will now advance to the State competition at Central Washington University in April. Both Maxwell and Will are strong members of the West Seattle High School music program and are involved in band, orchestra, jazz ensemble, and perform in the pit orchestra for our school musicals.
Maxwell’s father recorded the video during the division-winning performance.
(WSB photo from 2013 celebration at Vietnamese Cultural Center)
Looking ahead to next Sunday – you’re invited to a New Year celebration at the Vietnamese Cultural Center in West Seattle. From Lee Bui and Lynda Bui:
The Vietnamese Cultural Center would like to invite the community to our Tết Celebration for the Year of the Monkey. We will have lion dancing and fireworks. Afterwards there will be light refreshments and karaoke inside.
12 pm-3 pm Sunday, February 14th – 2236 SW Orchard St.
If you haven’t been to the VCC – here’s some backstory from the WSB archives.
(WSB photos @ Roxhill Elementary)
They asked for help – you gave it – and Friday was delivery day for some of the students in the Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestras‘ Southwest Seattle Strings Project: Donation-funded supply baskets with practical and vital items such as replacement strings, chin rests, shoulder rests, rosin, and method books.
Back in November, we published the call for donations to fund one basketfor each of the seven local schools with which SYSO partners – Arbor Heights, Concord, Highland Park, Roxhill, Sanislo, and West Seattle elementaries, and Denny International Middle School. The drive was a success, and today we were there as Roxhill got its basket.
Through SYSO, students can borrow instruments for free if needed, and they get expert coaching from professional musicians in free weekly lessons. But the supply baskets were just a bit above and beyond what the project could do, so the extra donations made sure the students can keep taking advantage of the gift of learning music.
During the next West Seattle Art Walk – one week from tonight – it’s your chance to offer your thoughts about the public art installation that’s on its way to The Junction. We reported last year about the plan for art in Junction Plaza Park, 
the greenspace at 42nd/Alaska where the community gathers for events including the annual Christmas-tree lighting and special features during West Seattle Summer Fest. As mentioned briefly in our report on last night’s Southwest District Council meeting – with a promise of this followup – the artist chosen for the project, Troy Pillow, will be at Cupcake Royale from 6-8 pm on Thursday, February 4th, showing proposed designs for the art installation, which is partly funded by a grant from the Department of Neighborhoods and partly with “public benefit” funding from the nearby Spruce development. So drop in while you’re visiting for Art Walk, evening shopping, dinner, etc. – here’s more info from the West Seattle Junction Association.
Tonight brought the first of two big film-related events for Emerald Water Anglers (WSB sponsor) in The Junction:
The shop often hosts events and tonight it was the EWA Film Festival, set to continue until about 10 pm. From left below, filmmakers Leah and Russ Ricketts, Daniel Silverberg, Flyfish Journal editor Steve Duda, a West Seattleite, and EWA proprietor Dave McCoy:
This was the lead-in for an even bigger event next week, when EWA brings the Fly Fishing Film Tour to the historic Admiral Theater, 7-10 pm Wednesday (February 3rd). Tickets are $15 and you can buy yours at the shop. Here’s the tour trailer; read more about the tour here.
(File photo, courtesy C & P Coffee)
Not only is C & P Coffee Company (longtime WSB sponsor) a hub for coffee and conversation, live music, and events – classes are taught there too. Co-proprietor Cameron calls our attention to a series starting tomorrow night – watercolor painting. The instructor is well-known local artist Jennifer Carrasco, who teaches a six-week series of evening classes, 6-8 pm Tuesdays, both for those learning to paint and those who want to refine their technique. E-mail the instructor – jennifer@carrascostudio.com – for more info and to sign up.
Resolved to get more movement into your life this year? Dance! West Seattle (WSB sponsor) is enrolling now for the winter session, which starts Monday:
We have classes for ages 2 (out of diapers) through adult, and would love for you to join our dance family. While specializing in Classical Ballet, we have added Contemporary and Hip Hop to the curriculum. Call or e-mail to arrange for your free trial class and start the New Year off with a dance in your step. Sign up by January 15th to participate in our June performance of “La Fiesta” and other dances. Visit our website dancewestseattle.com or call 206-938-3062 for more information!
DWS is headquartered in the historic Fauntleroy Schoolhouse.
What has long been the home of Brace Point Pottery is actually “downtown Arbor Heights,” as Loren Lukens explained when we visited his studio/shop last night, the first night of its annual holiday show and sale, which is continuing right now (until 6 pm) and again 10-6 tomorrow. Downtown, because the commercial buildings there at and near 4208 SW 100th used to include a market and a drugstore, he explains. But for almost 20 years, he and wife Beth Kirchhoff have made art and music there.
Looking for light on this gray day? The brightly lit studio/storefront shows some of the creations:
Brace Point Pottery is hosting four other artists in the space for this weekend’s special occasion:
It’s part of the Seattle Sampling studio tour this weekend, which has four other West Seattle stops – see the full tour map here.
(WSB photo from one stop on this year’s WSGT)
While this is the dormant season for many gardens, it’s a busy time of planning for the next West Seattle Garden Tour, which is now inviting artists to get ready to enter next year’s poster contest:
The West Seattle Garden Tour provides an opportunity for local artists to showcase their original artwork on 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 June 2016 West Seattle Art Walk.
Please accept this invitation to submit your original artwork to the annual WSGT Poster Competition. Submission rules and entry form are available on our website.
The West Seattle Garden Tour (WSGT) 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, the WSGT has donated nearly a half million dollars to local beneficiaries.
Entries are due in early February.
(SYSO photo)
Students at seven local public schools get the priceless gift of coaching from professional musicians via the Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestras‘ Southwest Seattle Strings Project. If needed, the students can borrow instruments for free from Seattle Public Schools. But the ability to assist stops there, which means it stops short of providing badly needed supplies such as replacement strings, chin rests, shoulder rests, rosin, and method books. So a modest donation drive is under way right now – explained in this clip:
SYSO hopes to put together a supply basket worth more than $1,000, with the assistance of the discount at Hammond-Ashley (mentioned in the video), for each of the seven local schools with which it partners – Arbor Heights, Concord, Highland Park, Roxhill, Sanislo, and West Seattle elementaries, and Denny International Middle School. You can help build the baskets by chipping in a bit here.
(WSB photos)
Potential gifts you won’t find anywhere else await you right now at the Duwamish Tribe Longhouse in West Seattle; it’s Day 1 of the three-day Native Holiday Gift Fair. Above, Vashon Island-based Shotridge Studios‘ offerings include laptop sleeves and phone cases by Tlingit master carver/artist Israel Shotridge; below, artist Margie Morris is at work during the fair, adding designs to drums:
While you’re there, get your copy(ies) of the West Seattle Wildlife Calendar, with photos by Mark Wangerin (you’ve seen his wondrous bird photos here on WSB). It’s a benefit for Chief Sealth International High School environmental programs, and students are helping sell them – Elaine was on duty when we stopped by:
No admission charge at the Longhouse, which is also a cultural center, but if you want to support the tribe’s fight for federal recognition, “Stand With The Duwamish Tribe” T-shirts are being sold too:
You can also buy snacks/lunch while there. The fair continues until 4 pm today, 10 am-4 pm tomorrow and Sunday, at 4705 W. Marginal Way SW (turn into the parking lot from the west side
Story and photos by Michelle Riggen-Ransom
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
If you live in West Seattle, you probably already know that you can enjoy a meal out in Chicago, or Brooklyn, or even exotic Rhode Island just by visiting local restaurant Endolyne Joe’s (WSB sponsor). With its rotating, site-specific themes changing every four months, at Joe’s you can be sipping mojitos under a palm tree one season, slurping pasta and drinking vino at a cheerful Italian café the next.
But what you may not know is that beneath the restaurant is a cavernous basement filled from floor to ceiling with funky props, exotic creatures, and hand-painted signs from themes of yore. Looking for a giant wooden shark, or a glittery, oversized Mardi Gras mask? You’ll find it here, tucked away in the depths below the hundred year-old building where Endolyne Joe’s has made its home for well over a decade.
Our newest WSB sponsor has been providing quality dance enrichment for West Seattleites of all ages since 1983!
For more than 30 years, West Seattle has been home to one of the region’s best schools for dance instruction and art enrichment. Dance! West Seattle (formerly Seattle Civic Dance Theatre) has exposed hundreds of children and their families to the joy of dance through classes, pre-professional company experience and community performance. With classical ballet at its core, Dance! West Seattle has expanded its class offerings over the years to include *Tap, *Jazz, *Hip Hop, and *Contemporary.
“We’re one of West Seattle’s best-kept secrets,” says Artistic Director Kim Dinsmoor.
This might be because of our off-the-beaten-path location! Dance! West Seattle is located in the lower level of Fauntleroy Schoolhouse (9131 California Ave SW), with the main entrance facing SW Director. Walk by any weekday evening or Saturday morning to hear music drifting out of the tall studio windows. Then, stop in and say hello! We are happy to offer a FREE CLASS to any student (ages 3-Adult) new to our studio.
Unlike other schools, Dance! West Seattle doesn’t focus on competition. Professional instructors lead students in a supportive and creative environment so they develop strong minds, bodies and spirits and a love for artistic expression through movement! We look forward to serving the West Seattle community for another 30 years.
ENROLLING NOW! Find us online @ dancewestseattle.com and facebook.com/dancewestseattle | info@dancewestseattle.com | 206-938-3063
We thank Dance! West Seattle for sponsoring independent, community-collaborative neighborhood news via WSB; find our current sponsor team listed in directory format here, and find info on joining the team by going here.
This year’s Community Art Showcase at Southwest Library featured 112 creations by 57 artists and musicians – and librarian Jane Gibson says that if you’re among them, tonight and tomorrow are your last chances to go get your work and bring it home! She shared the photo collage of participants; click the image for a larger version. The library at 35th SW & SW Henderson is open until 8 tonight and 10 am-8 pm tomorrow.
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