It only takes a few minutes of strolling around South Lake Union to notice a theme: There’s an abundance of art here. That’s largely thanks to Vulcan Real Estate, which is in charge of developing nearly 60 acres in the heart of the neighborhood. Starting in 2003, the company has commissioned and installed 20 works from Northwest artists with the goal of sparking conversation, providing a sense of place, and bringing interesting aesthetics to SLU. “There are public art pieces for all tastes,” says Greg Bell, senior curator at Vulcan.
Complementing those are three spaces dedicated primarily to art, including new-to-the-scene Pivot Art + Culture and longtime gallery Winston Wächter Fine Art. At the third, MadArt, visitors see more than the finished product—artists work on their pieces in the space for several months. “People very rarely are invited in behind the scenes to see somebody making the work,” says Alison Milliman, founder of MadArt. “There’s often trepidation for the person walking down the street because they’ve never been invited in like this before.” Milliman bought the building she’s located in about four years ago, just before the boom of Amazon workers arrived. “I grew up in Seattle, and I could see the change,” she says. “There was a real strong sense for us that there was going to be a really interesting, creative, top-notch group of the next generation moving into this neighborhood to work.”
While tech and art may not seem to have a lot of crossover on the surface, Milliman sees plenty of similarities. “They’re always trying to solve a problem or create something or take an idea and turn it into something,” she says. “Because one is more tangible than the other, it’s easy to think we’re really different, but quite honestly it’s the opposite of that.” This is a realization that’s been discovered through the conversations MadArt facilitates between artists and the public, which are generally fruitful for both sides.
With growth of SLU showing no signs of slowing, the arts scene should continue to thrive. “As the tech industry flourishes in the area, it would seem natural that more opportunities for the visual arts will follow,” Bell says, and Milliman points out that a higher population could potentially mean more demand for galleries. No matter what form it takes, with a neighborhood emphasis on aesthetics and creativity, expect art to be a part of the fabric of the community for a long time to come.”
Here are some of the neighborhood’s artistic highlights:
Mirall
The Allen Institute for Brain Science
601 Westlake Avenue North
Seven alphabets—Hebrew, Latin,Cyrillic, Chinese, Arabic, Hindi, and Roman—went into the making of these white stainless steel sculptures from Spanish artist Jaume Plensa, located in a public plaza off Mercer Street. The scrambled text expresses the idea that we can live together even without a common language. Passersby are able to walk inside the mirrored figures, becoming part of the “conversation” from a different perspective.
There Is Another Sky
Amazon.com Headquarters
515 Westlake Avenue North
Covering a public plaza between Westlake and Ninth Avenues, this glass canopy from Spencer Finch brings the concept of a forest into the city with overlapping geometric shapes in shades of green, yellow, and gold.
Letterpress at Lunch
School of Visual Concepts
2300 Seventh Avenue
Love the look of vintage letterpress? Make like Johannes Gutenberg and take printing into your own hands. Even if you’ve never mixed inks, operated a hand-proof press, or agonized over selecting the perfect typeface, you can get a crash course in this art form during Letterpress at Lunch, a workshop from the School of Visual Concepts. “People who just want to try it but don’t want to make a big commitment can walk out with posters they’ve designed and printed,” says Larry Asher, co-director at SVC. It happens once a month on Fridays from noon to 2pm; visit svcseattle.com for the current schedule. More comprehensive letterpress classes are available.
