West Seattle, Washington
19 Monday
(WSB photos)
11:56 AM: It’s installation day for “Where’s the Party? Elevating Nature and Resilience,” the 17-foot-tall Steller’s Jay that’s going up on the southwest corner of Highland Park Way/Holden as the public-art component of SDOT’s safety project at the intersection. Artist Matthew Mazzotta created the big bird, as we first reported a year ago.
Crews will be working on it for another two hours or so; for safety’s sake, spectators are asked to stay away until they’re done (we’ll update). Reminder that next Tuesday, you’ll get a chance to meet the artist – gather at 4 pm November 14th at the corner, and then everyone will walk south to Highland Park Corner Store to chat. The $120,000 project is funded by the longrunning “1 Percent for Art” program, and took wing after three other concepts presented by the city drew tepid community reaction.
2 PM: Installation complete, crew packing up.
3:52 PM: Adding Scott Bessho‘s photo of a view from behind:
Nine days until Friendsgiving, a party benefiting Mode Music & Performing Arts, which is on a mission to get arts education to more kids. Friendsgiving is planned on November 17th with live music, dinner, drinks, and a live auction, at SoDo Park (3200 1st Ave S.). The emcee is a familiar voice – KEXP DJ Troy Nelson; the catering is by Herban Feast. Student and teacher performances, too, plus a featured performance by Tio Nacho’s House. Be there to support MMPA’s programming – including after-school arts enrichment, in-school arts programs, pay-what-you-can group classes and camps, and private-lesson scholarships for music instruction. Buy your ticket(s) by midnight tonight – go here!
The West Seattle Community Orchestras want you to know about a local musician’s big event in one of the city’s most-famous concert halls. Here’s their announcement:
We of West Seattle Community Orchestras are proud to let you know that a young WSCO “alum” will be a special guest composer at a benefit concert for Seattle Children’s Hospital!
Many of us have been privileged to watch Brannon Warn-Johnston grow musically over the past several years, starting with playing violin in Debut Orchestra when she was just nine or ten and continuing through our Concert Orchestra, where she and her mom, Dana, played side-by-side. Younger brother Arly also played violin for a time and now plays percussion in the Debut Orchestra. Brannon’s first solo performance for us occurred in fall 2018 at our annual fundraising gala; many of us were astonished at the next year’s gala to hear the incredible gains she had made.
Unfortunately, 15-year-old Brannon has developed cancer and has recently undergone major surgeries to combat the disease. In addition to being an award-winning violinist and pianist, Brannon is also a prolific composer. Even while undergoing chemo treatment, she has continued to write. Her most recent composition will be premiered by the Northwest Symphony Orchestra at Benaroya Hall on November 10 at 8:00 p.m. Tickets for the benefit performance can be purchased via lumaguild.org/events. We wish Brannon all the best in this and her future endeavors!
(West Seattle Community Orchestras provides community musicians of all ages and abilities with opportunities for performance and growth. WSCO currently has three orchestras and a wind symphony and provides strings instruction for both students and adults. For more info visit our website, wscorchestras.org )
Ryan Milles‘ air plants and holders are the first things you’ll see when you walk into the Fauntleroy Fine Art and Holiday Gift Show, starting tonight and continuing through the weekend at the Fauntleroy Church Fellowship Hall. This year, among the arts and crafts, you’ll also find books:
Author Susan Whiting Kemp is there with her novel “The Climate Machine” and short-story collection “We Grew Tales.” Of course there’s visual art too – here’s some of what veteran show participant Tom Costantini is selling:
Handmade creations too – lots of quilted options:
Set up on the stage is Qui Moede with Lock + Keep – “calligraphy and keepsakes”:
You’ll also find jewelry, metal art, collage, woodblock, wearables, body-care creations, and more; the artist list is in our calendar listing. The show/sale – with holiday music and decor to help you ease into the spirit – is on until 8 tonight, then again 10 am-4 pm tomorrow, and 11 am-2 pm Sunday. Fauntleroy Church is at 9140 California SW.
The West Seattle Junction Association is still accepting submissions for the GLOWS projected-light show on December 9 – the new deadline is November 10, one week from today. It’ll be part of Glorious Lights of West Seattle, which in turn is part of the big night of holiday festivities in The Junction, also including the Christmas Tree Lighting, Night Market, and light-costume contest. The Community Art Spectacular will feature images projected on the seven-story Alaska House building that night, next to Junction Plaza Park, from 4:00 – 8:00 pm. The categories announced by WSJA are:
1. The significance of light during the winter
2. How you GLOW as part of our community
3. The brightest thing(s) in your West Seattle life
4. Who is your glorious light of West Seattle? (bonus category)
Art-medium categories include: fine and graphic art, photography and silent video shorts, and original AI-generated art (prompts cannot be from another artist or piece of art). The show will be curated as well as supported by a committee of art and legal experts. Everyone is welcome to enter – submit via this form and visit the Hometown Holidays page for more information. Again, the deadline is now November 10th.
(Photo by artist Matthew Mazzotta, provided by City of Seattle)
First, a giant troll. Now, a giant bird. West Seattle’s next public art will be installed in a matter of days. We first reported a year ago on the public-art plan for the Highland Park Way/Holden “safety improvements” project, and now its installation – and a celebration – are almost here. Sent by the city today:
Next week, our crews will install a 17-foot-tall Steller’s jay at the intersection of Highland Park Way SW and SW Holden St. This new public artwork was created by Matthew Mazzotta and is titled Where’s the Party: Elevating Nature and Resilience. It was chosen by a community selection panel and administered by Seattle Office of Arts & Culture. We can’t wait to share it with you!
Please Join Us to Celebrate! Meet the artist, Matthew Mazzotta, hear more about the piece, ask questions, and enjoy delicious hot beverages provided by the Highland Park Corner Store.
Tuesday, November 14 from 4 – 6 PM
Meet us at the sculpture on the southwest corner of Highland Park Way SW and SW Holden St at 4 PM. From there, we’ll walk two blocks south to the Highland Park Corner Store for refreshments and further conversation.
As promised, now that mid-October is here, the West Seattle Junction Association is welcoming submissions for the Community Art Showcase that’s part of the Hometown Holidays Glorious Lights of West Seattle Festival. They’ve expanded the types of art that will be welcomed, too. Here’s the announcement:
To spur imaginations and reinforce the spirit of GLOWS, submission categories include:
1. The significance of light during the winter
2. How you GLOW as part of our community
3. The brightest thing(s) in your West Seattle life
4. Who is your glorious light of West Seattle? (bonus category)Art medium categories include: fine and graphic art, photography and silent video shorts, and original AI-generated art (prompts cannot be from another artist or piece of art).
All submissions will be curated with the highest level of integrity to promote originality and prevent plagiarism. The Junction Association is supported in selecting work by a committee of art and legal experts.
The GLOWS Community Art Spectacular is the opportunity for families, friends, and community to channel their emotions and gratitude for West Seattle into art. The final, selected artwork will be produced into a spectacular presentation, set to holiday-themed music. The featured art will be revealed only at the Dec 9th event. The Junction Association has the most festive and immersive evening planned, including a night market and beer garden, costume contest, and performances by Endolyne Children’s Choir, The School of Rock, and West Seattle All-Star Jazz Ensemble (led by Jay Cates and Andrew Joslyn).
All West Seattleites and Seattleites are invited to create original artwork for consideration! Ready to get in touch with your inner artist? Submit via this form and visit the Hometown Holidays page for more information. The window for submission is now through October 31st. Submit your art today!!
That’s “Running for Love” by West Seattle band Not Dead Yet, which the band describes as their “second video in 10+ years … a postcard of our favorite running routes in Seattle, set to our feel-good rock ‘n’ roll.” The band’s first video was “West Seattle Hey,” featured here in 2012. They’re so excited about the new one, they’re playing The Skylark in North Delridge tomorrow night (Friday, October 13th). Doors open at 7 pm, show’s at 8, and Not Dead Yet says they’ll be joined by “two West Seattle favorites, Memphis Radio Kings and Knathan Ryan.” $10 cover. You can go early and have dinner – The Skylark (3803 Delridge Way SW) is a restaurant/bar as well as a music venue.
Tomorrow night, it’s a pre-Halloween thriller – the October West Seattle Art Walk, with a freebie:
Art Walk director Mia Manzulli sent the photo and tells WSB, “Art Walk visitors on Thursday night can get a head start on their Halloween celebrations by picking up a glow stick at businesses along the way.” Here’s the list/walking map for October, with venues where you’ll find art as well as food/beverage stops which offer specials on Art Walk night:
If you’re wondering who you’ll see and what kind of art they make – some of the featured artists are spotlighted on the West Seattle Art Walk website. Several stops feature multiple artists, like the Alki Arts pop-up at California/Oregon, and Jet City Labs (4547 California SW). The peak time for artist receptions is 5 pm to 8 pm, but some venues start earlier. And as previewed here, you can enjoy music tomorrow night too – three Art of Music performers and venues with mini-concerts 6 pm to 7:45 pm, one in each Junction (Admiral, Alaska, Morgan) – details are here. (WSB is a community co-sponsor of the Art Walk – see you tomorrow night!)
Thursday night brings the first West Seattle Art Walk of fall, and with it, three mini-concerts celebrating The Art of Music. Coordinator John Redenbaugh tells us who’s performing this time:
The next free admission Art of Music performances presented by the West Seattle Junction Association are coming up on Second Thursday Art Walk evening October 12 at three locations — Lana Sparks in the Alaska Junction at Verity Credit Union (4505 California SW):
Cyd Smith in Morgan Junction at Beveridge Place Pub (6413 California SW):
And Swing 3PO in the Admiral District at Antico Soprano’s Pizza & Pasta Restaurant (2348 California SW).
Musicians will perform from 6 pm to 7:45 pm (with one 15-minute break at the midpoint).
We have two Supporting Sponsors for this year’s Art of Music performances: the Admiral Neighborhood Association and the Morgan Community Association. Also: Funding provided by the Neighborhood Matching Fund from the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods.
And thanks to all that, you can watch/listen to Art of Music mini-concerts for free! The Art Walk itself will be happening that night “5 pm until late” as always – watch for that preview soon. (WSB is a longtime WSAW community co-sponsor.)
(File photo, courtesy West Seattle Community Orchestras)
The West Seattle Community Orchestras‘ new season is about to begin with rehearsals, and WSCO is sponsoring WSB right now to be sure you hear about it. The orchestras include musicians of all ages, but this fall they’re issuing a special invitation to students too:
STUDENTS! Join an Orchestra, Band, or Beginner class — FREE!
West Seattle Community Orchestras will soon be starting the fall session. Students grades 3 through 12 are welcome and may participate with no charge. Of course adults are welcome too! Both students and adults can choose from three orchestras, a Wind Symphony (concert band) and beginner string classes.
All ensembles are mixed-age and have space for more musicians. Two beginning string classes are available; one for students, one for adults.
Registration is open now at wscorchestras.org/register. Sign up for an audition when you register for ensemble placement. (The auditions are friendly, just to see which level would work best for you. Details will be provided after you register.)
Weekly rehearsals will be held Tuesday evenings, October through early December, with community concerts planned for early December.
For more information, email info@wscorchestras.org
Join us!
P.S. In need of an instrument? WSCO has a small collection of string and wind instruments to loan — also at no charge.
First rehearsals start next Tuesday evening (October 3).
(WSB file photo – an entry from 2018 showcase, on display at SW Library)
A fall tradition is returning, and the Southwest Library invites you to participate. Here’s the announcement:
In 2023, the Southwest Artist Showcase is back for its 31st year! This free, month-long event at the Southwest Branch of the Seattle Public Library features artists from all over Southwest Seattle. We welcome submissions from people of all ages and experience levels.
The showcase is a non-juried, non-profit art exhibit. All artists who identify as West and Southwest Seattle residents are invited to submit up to 2 pieces of art. Artwork will be accepted Tuesday, October 3 through Thursday, October 5 only and will be on display at the Southwest Branch from Saturday, October 7 through Saturday, November 4. Artwork will not be offered for sale at the Library. All works must be picked up by 6 p.m. on Sunday, November 11.
To view the Showcase, visit the Southwest Branch during open hours from Saturday, October 7 – Saturday, November 4 to view the art displayed throughout the branch.
Please note that some works may not be included if their size or construction prevents their effective display in the library. Library staff will determine the placement and display of each piece, and artwork will not be moved once it has been placed.
For more information about the Southwest Artist Showcase, please visit spl.org/southwestartistshowcase or call the Southwest Branch at 206-684-7455.
Branch hours, for dropping off and/or viewing art, can be found here.
Thanks to Shannon for the photo – and to John for the first word via a comment with a screengrab of the ferry-dock camera! That was NOT “our” troll being trucked out of West Seattle this morning – it was the future Ballard troll, after arriving via ferry from Vashon Island. It will be placed at the National Nordic Museum for an unveiling on Monday – the last of the six trolls that artist Thomas Dambo is placing around the Northwest.
Back-to-school time is also afterschool-activity time. Here’s an opportunity: West Seattle writer Julia Douthwaite Viglione is organizing another free “Write YOUR Story” series. She asked us to share this announcement:
Write YOUR Story now enrolling for Fall 2023!
Free writing workshop for people ages 8—12, on Tuesday evenings 6:30 pm —7:30 pm, in the Concord Elementary School cafeteria space! Concord International Elementary, 723 S. Concord St. (South Park).
A semester-long program of twelve (12) meetings from Tuesday September 26, 2023, to Tuesday December 12, 2023, 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm. By enrollment, limit: 12.
We will read two beautifully illustrated classics of world literature, vote on our favorite plot, then rewrite it and illustrate our story together. Every child receives a copy of our book at the end, in color and spiral bound!
Fall 2023 TRICKSTERS! Books we will read:
Gerald McDermott, Papagayo the Mischief Maker, about a parrot of the Amazon rain forest who helps the other jungle creatures learn to make noise without fear.
Charles Perrault, Puss in Boots, the story as it was originally told in the 1670s, in France, of a trickster cat and his lucky owner.
Write YOUR Story is a free program offered by West Seattle writers who love to share their passion for good stories and the creative process. Established in 2012 in South Bend, IN, “We read, we write, and we have a lot of fun.” jdouthwa.wixsite.com/writeyourstory1
To enroll, contact Ms. Julia, at juliawsea@gmail.com
Hope to see you this fall! — Julia Douthwaite Viglione, PhD, Shepherd Siegel, PhD, and the Write Your Story team
On this Labor Day, we have news from West Seattle’s professional, non-profit theater ArtsWest (WSB sponsor), where more than 100 local artists are employed each year. The 2023-2024 season – themed “Sometimes I Dream …” – begins with “Matt & Ben,” written by Mindy Kaling and Brenda Withers, directed by Zenaida Rose Smith. ArtsWest’s announcement explains:
… Matt & Ben serves as a perfectly funny introduction to a season that explores how different people pursue their dreams and promises audiences a refreshing way to end their summer. … Matt & Ben is a witty and irreverent play that reimagines the lives of Hollywood’s beloved bro-buddies, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, in the 1990s, just before they skyrocketed to fame. In a hilarious twist, Kaling and Withers wrote the roles for female-presenting performers. Seattle actors Nabilah Ahmed and Jacquelyn Miedema will portray the two Oscar-winning actors as they navigate fame, friendship, and the fateful script that would eventually become “Good Will Hunting.”
ArtsWests artistic director Mathew Wright calls it a “biting and brilliant comedy about celebrity and the Hollywood dream.” After a preview performance at 7:30 pm Wednesday (September 6th), “Matt & Ben” will continue at 7:30 pm Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, and 3 pm Sundays, through October 1st. You can get tickets online by going here.
West Seattle’s Vietnamese Cultural Center was brightly decorated this afternoon for one of the most festive occasions of fall, Tết Nhi Đồng, the Children’s Moonlight Festival. It drew a sizable crowd of all ages:
While a lion dance and martial-arts demonstration were part of the afternoon, kids’ activities were the centerpiece:
Young participants got lanterns for a parade around the center’s North Delridge grounds before the festival wrapped up. Never been to the Cultural Center? In addition to special occasions like this, it’s open most Saturdays for the general public to visit.
ADDED: Thanks to Lynda Bui with the Cultural Center for video of the lion dance:
Vovinam Martial Arts from Burien performed the lion dance as well as the martial-arts demonstration, while artist Rick Klu did face-painting.
(WSB photo from 2019 Fiestas Patrias parade)
Before summer officially ends, another tradition will return for the first time in four years – the Fiestas Patrias parade in South Park. Sea-Mar Community Health Centers present the parade, and a weekend-long festival at Seattle Center, as a celebration of Latin American culture, and two weeks from today will bring the first parade since 2019. You can watch along 14th Avenue South (Henderson north to Cloverdale) or South Cloverdale Street (14th west to 8th, where the parade ends at the community center) starting at 11 am Saturday, September 16th.
The Boeing Employees Choir, which rehearses in West Seattle, is inviting potential new members to come to their rehearsals starting later this month. Thie choir has a big trip planned, too. Here’s the announcement sent to us to share with you:
We are planning a 2-week concert tour of Greece in late September 2024 and are recruiting new members from the West Seattle area. Come to an open rehearsal at the American Legion Hall on 3618 SW Alaska Street on Tuesday evenings (6:30 – 9:00 pm) to see if you’d like to join and schedule an easy audition. Open rehearsals run Tuesday 9/12/23 through 10/10/23. Historically made up of Boeing employees and their families, we have opened membership to the public, sharing our love of music and cheer in numerous concerts throughout the year, especially during the Christmas holidays. Suggested dues are $150/semester. Sign up in September to ensure your spot on our tour! For questions, email president@boeingchoir.org.
(WSB photo, Sunday evening)
We went back to visit Bruun Idun, the giant troll newly installed at Lincoln Park by artist Thomas Dambo with private funding and volunteer help, and have been watching for her to turn up on the Northwest Trolls website. Today, she’s there, along with the full poem that Dambo debuted at the troll-“unveiling” event Friday (WSB coverage here). She’s now also on the worldwide map of Dambo’s trolls. Bruun Idun (Idun, pronounced like Eden, in short) is the third of six he’s installing around the Northwest; the first two are in Portland and on Bainbridge Island, and the next three will be introduced in Issaquah this weekend and on Vashon Island and in Ballard in mid-September. (If you haven’t been to see Bruun Idun yet, she’s right behind Colman Pool.)
4:17 PM: At an invitation-only (but crowded) event under way right now, West Seattle’s troll Bruun Idun has just been “unveiled.”
As we first reported back in June, with a followup when troll-building began last week, this is one of six trolls that Danish artist Thomas Dambo is making from recycled materials and installing around the Northwest – first one was in Portland, then Bainbridge Island, now West Seattle (still to come are Issaquah, Vashon Island, and Ballard). Now that it’s been completed, its location at Lincoln Park has been revealed – right behind Colman Pool, where volunteers were still working to complete it this morning:
We took that photo after hiking in for a scheduled chance to talk briefly with the artist:
We also met John “Coyote” Halliday, a Muckleshoot Tribe artist who is contributing decorations to the troll, made primarily from bark and shells.
More photos and info to come – including the troll’s story (Dambo told us it’s meant to be “singing to the orcas”) – when we’re back from the event!
7:06 PM: Turns out Bruun Idun (“Idun” for short – pronounced like “Eden”) is playing a flute with a song for the orcas. Each troll has a poem, and Dambo read part of this one at the podium, including the line, “She played for them the orca song, to ask them where they all had gone.” Artist Coyote, meantime, explained that his creations are adorning Bruun Idun’s flute. He and Dambo had an “artist exchange” as part of this, including a visit by Coyote to Denmark, where he painted a killer whale on Dambo’s house. He and Dambo also exchanged gifts today.
This is all shown in our video of the program, which was emceed by Visit Seattle‘s Tracey Wickersham – a West Seattleite.
Guest speakers included Mayor Bruce Harrell, who talked with the artist before everyone moved to the portable podium:
The program began with a song by the Muckleshoot canoe family.
As underscored by the listing of partnerships at the end, this was a privately funded project. More information about Bruun Idun should appear soon on the nwtrolls.org website, as it has for the Portland troll Ole Bolle and the Bainbridge troll Pia. Dambo said this all was intended to happen a few years ago, but the pandemic interrupted the timeline. He has installed 121 “environmental sculptures” around the world and has more on the drawing board – even as this one was being built, he flew briefly to Austin, Texas, for meetings about a series planned next year.
P.S. As explained in our earlier interview with the artist – video above – no, they are NOT left to decompose; at some point the site host (Seattle Parks for this one) will decide when to dismantle it and recycle its components.
(Editor’s note: Troll’s name corrected post-publication to reflect that Bruun Idun is two words, not one as originally reported)
(WSB photos)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
The end of the summer will be the end of an era for youth theater in West Seattle.
After one last round of summer theater camps, Laura Drake is retiring, and turning over her Stage Struck program to a new owner (who’s expected to give it a new name).
She’s hoping to catch up with former Stage Struck families for a “final bow” party at 8 pm September 1st, after the last summer-show performance.
It’s been a monumental run. She’s produced 180 shows between 2001 and 2023, both after-school and summer-camp productions. She started Stage Struck in the basement of Admiral Church, and currently works in the fellowship hall at Fauntleroy Church, where the walls are currently decorated with photo montages from all those shows over all those years.
Drake – who has an extensive performing background – says she launched Stage Struck, with partners, as a “49-year-old single mom” hoping to bring in some extra income; she became interested in classroom teaching, too, and went back to school for a certificate. She subsequently taught at both Highland Park Elementary and Arbor Heights Elementary until retiring from Seattle Public Schools five years ago. But even while teaching, “summers were always full” with eight or nine 2-week Stage Struck camps.
Fauntleroy Church has been the ideal home for the program, she says, not just because of the stage – to which lighting and other features have been added over the years – but because of other rooms in the building where instruction and practice can go on. Drake explains that Stage Struck production have rotating casts, so each production has multiple students per role. Another unique facet of her program has been learning and exploration adjunct to the production – performing “The Lion King” was an opportunity to explore African music and dance, for example. And the productions have always featured live musicians. This year, they’ve been doing two longtime favorites – “Annie” and “Grease” – and two “Best Of” shows.
Over the years, Drake says, she’s worked with so many students that “I run into ‘Stage Struck’ kids everywhere!” Many of the teachers who’ve worked in the program “came up as alums, she adds. The new owner, a member of her staff, plans to rebrand it, likely as Lights Up! But in the meantime, for Drake, it’ll be curtain down at summer’s end: “It’s been great.”
P.S. If you’re a Stage Struck alum interested in the “Final Bow” party on September 1st, or reconnecting before then, you can reach Drake via stagestruckseattle@gmail.com.
As the start of school approaches, so does the start of fall activities, including music! Endolyne Children’s Choir asked us to share this announcement:
Calling all young voices in West Seattle! Embark on a musical journey with Endolyne Children’s Choir this Fall.
Unleash your inner star as we harmonize, uplift, and create unforgettable melodies together. Dive into the world of music theory and fine-tune your performance skills, all while immersing yourself in an atmosphere of fun and community.
We’re thrilled to introduce the latest additions to our esteemed teaching staff: the gifted Clara Dorst and the talented Dylan Petersen. Under the expert guidance of music director Megan Booth, this dynamic trio is set to orchestrate an unforgettable experience for our singers.
Mark your calendars – registration is open until August 28th. Secure your spot now and let your voice soar with Endolyne Children’s Choir!
The registration page has more details, including registration schedules.
That photo from Portland was shared by a WSB reader who was there last weekend as the first installation in the series “Northwest Trolls: Way of the Bird King“ was unveiled. (The troll’s name is Olebolle.) As previewed here back in June, one of the other five trolls by Danish artist Thomas Dambo is being installed at West Seattle’s Lincoln Park. And work is under way, according to the readers who have deluged the WSB inbox with sightings. One of the volunteers working on the site sent this photo.
As explained in the original announcement, the trolls – like dozens Danbo has installed around the world – are being built with used/recycled materials – mostly wooden pallets. The West Seattle site is adorned with signs explaining what’s going on:
Despite this happening in a very public place, where hundreds if not thousands have seen it already, the privately funded project coordinated by the Scan Design Foundation is trying to keep a bit of mystery, so we’re not going to be the ones to spoil it for you – as the sign says, the “grand reveal” is just nine days away. As the construction continues, the volunteer who emailed us advises, “Follow the sound of power tools and hammers.” The other four, after ours and Portland’s, are planned for Ballard, Issaquah, and Vashon and Bainbridge Islands; the schedules are on the artist’s Instagram feed, including a peek at the one that’s almost complete on Bainbridge.
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