Housed on a quiet street at 4131 Woodland Park Ave. N., Windows Art Gallery recently reopened in January 2005. The building - part house, office and retail space - has trees shading the white exterior, with large windows covering the façade, and could easily be mistaken for any other home lining the street. Owner Ron Paul Baum has owned Windows Art Gallery for 12 years. He provides a unique opportunity to serious artists by focusing on mainly one-person shows and occasionally showcasing two artists as well. Each month, a new artist is featured, and the opening coincides with the Fremont Art Walk, the first Friday of every month. Visitors to the gallery will find artwork in numerous mediums, such as photographs, installations, mixed-media paintings, sketches and even performance art. For the month of May, Marcia Huber, an abstract artist from Bow, Wash., will have about 25 of her paintings and sketches displayed in the gallery. A previous opening included a scrim installation and drawings entitled "Insideout," by local artist Weldon Butler. Bellevue artist Daniel Colvin recently showcased original paintings, photography and digital alchemy (a combination of both photography and painting). How it all beganWorking as an architectural design illustrator, Baum discovered the building just a block from his own home. A residential house, it was also licensed for an office and retail space. Baum needed a space to work on his illustrations and had other plans for the retail area, he explained: "I was always interested in art, so the obvious choice was a gallery." In the beginning, Baum used the studio to work on his own illustrations and displayed other people's art on the surrounding walls for people to view. In 1998, Baum moved to Woodinville, and while he still owned the gallery, he put operations on hold, until last January.Baum's son Forest still lives in the neighborhood, and together, they operate the gallery. Forest answers the business line and will take appointments for people to stop by. Baum says the hours the gallery is open vary. " People can call to find out what the current hours are, or they can make an appointment," he said. "If one of us is here, we are open. We are generally open during hours that other places are not, like Saturday or Sunday afternoons, or in the evenings."
Circus Contraption pays homage to the nickelodeon machines and cheap, popular entertainment of America at the turn of the 20th century in its "Grand American Traveling Dime Museum."The show returns to Magnuson Park on June 3, after a successful run in Seattle and San Francisco last year."I'm excited about it," musical director Kevin Hinshaw said. "I think it's going to be that much better this time around."The show has been modified and improved, but the acts are essentially the same, noted troupe member and acrobat Evelyn Bittner: "Everything's better. This is our biggest show ever."
About 100 physically disabled youths will have the chance to go to a free, week-long summer camp sponsored by the North Central Kiwanis club. The Kiwanis have sponsored Camp Casey, at Fort Casey on Whidbey Island, for the last 70 years. The club is having a spaghetti dinner and silent auction fund-raiser on Sunday, May 22, to raise money for this annual sponsorship of Kiwanis Camp Casey and to celebrate the Kiwanis club's 75th year of service. The fund-raiser is open to the public and will take place at Calvary Lutheran Church, 7002 23rd N.W., in Loyal Heights, beginning at 4 p.m.
(Editor's note: This story went to press before the Seattle School Board announced that it will not implement the closure plan and will not close any Seattle schools.)School closures and an end to open-choice enrollment have upset parents who foresee a tidal wave-like change to the student population of individual Seattle schools. While a change to the current enrollment plan will relocate students to their neighborhood schools, school closures will increase the student body of five Northeast schools. If the district decides to implement the proposal to localize schools and end open enrollment, Mary Callahan, whose kindergartener is currently attending Alternative Elementary II (AE II) at Decatur, will be forced to enroll her child in another elementary school.
Land that once belonged to a 19th century African-American entrepreneur in Seattle was officially opened as the city's newest park and dedicated to a modernAfrican-American man of high achievement on Saturday, May 14. Homer Harris Park, in the 2400 block of East Howell Street, was named after a Seattle resident who grew up in the Central Area and went on to become Garfield High School's first black football-team captain. He also went on to become the first African-American football-team captain at Iowa State University, and Harris was inducted into the Iowa Athletic Hall of Fame in 2002. Before retiring in 2000, Harris also worked for 43 years as a dermatologist in Seattle, where he is honored as a "Pioneer Black Doctor."
Thumper's, the venerable eatery at 15th Avenue and East Madison, turned 20 last month. The last 20 years has seen huge changes in Seattle's, and the world's, gay community and Thumpers' owners, Nathan Benedict and Steve Nyman have had a ringside seat to see it all."We've been here a long time and watched this end of 15th totally change." Benedict said.
Adam Hart doesn't like to use the word "experimental" when talking about the New Pioneers Program in the Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF)."Experimental has the same association as 'broccoli'-it's good for you but not too exciting," he said. But the shorts and the two features packaged under the New Pioneers banner are anything but boringly good for the watcher, Hart said. "These films are quirky, weird, stylistic; the sort of films that can't be pigeonholed into the normal slots of the film festival. This is really the future of cinema."For the first time, SIFF and the Northwest Film Forum have teamed up to present those indefinable films in one program.
Last month, the City Council sponsored a Citywide Neighborhood Crime Summit and Public Hearing, where a packed council chamber heard each of the police precinct commanders explain how they deployed their police officers in their respective precincts in response to citizen concerns about crime. The chair of each Precinct Advisory Council also lead meetings for each of the precinct caucuses during a breakout session and then reported back to the full group. From research that I initiated, for the first time since I've been on the council, the actual number of police officers on patrol per precinct and per watch was determined. The final numbers are still being reviewed by the Seattle Police Department and the Seattle Police Officers Guild, but I believe that they are fairly accurate. Besides educating citizens about crime levels and patrol staffing priorities, the crime summit also provided a venue for people to talk about their public safety priorities and the ideas they have about effective strategies to address those.
The Capitol Hill Times' April 20 story on Jennifer Howlett, the tenant with terminal cancer who faced eviction from her apartment, highlights how important it is that vulnerable members of our community have access to services that are designed to provide them with support and technical assistance to protect their interests.Catholic Community Services' Legal Action Center (LAC) in Seattle is the legal services office that provided Ms. Howlett with legal representation during the eviction process. The mission of LAC is to reduce homelessness by preventing illegal or unnecessary evictions.
You've probably heard about the proposed zoning changes along Broadway. You may also know of changes to the parking requirements for new residential construction recently put into place. These are among the current city efforts that fall loosely under the banner of Broadway revitalization.Another proactive effort, one that could have a more immediate effect on the Hill's largest business districts, is being undertaken by Broadway and Pike-Pine property owners. A group of property owners is working to create the Capitol Hill Improvement District (CHID), modeled on the Metropolitan Improvement District downtown. If these efforts are successful the CHID will raise money to help address some of the safety and maintenance issues plaguing the Hill's business corridors.
Land that once belonged to a 19th century African-American entrepreneur in Seattle was officially opened as the Central Area's newest park and dedicated to a modern-day African-American man of high achievement on Saturday, May 14. Homer Harris Park, in the 2400 block of East Howell Street, was named after a man who grew up in the Central Area and went on to become Garfield High School's first black football-team captain. He also went on to become the first African-American football-team captain at Iowa State University, and Harris was inducted into the Iowa Athletic Hall of Fame in 2002. Before retiring in 2000, Harris also worked for 43 years as a dermatologist in Seattle, where he is honored as a "Pioneer Black Doctor."
It's been over 25 years since a group of young African American men occupied the Old Coleman School to turn it in to a museum. I was one of the people in that group and I remember how cold it was that night we walked through the snow, pulled back some boards, and entered the old school.That turned into the longest occupation of a public building in the history of America. Because of the politics of the occupiers we never did achieve our ultimate objective. We ran away allies and friends, and though we did create a committee and receive some city monies, we eventually lost control of the project.Now the Urban League has bought the building and a smaller version of our museum is in the process of being built. People have asked me repeatedly whether I support this project and my answer is simply this: It's time to get something done with Coleman school and get this project behind us.
Headlines in a recent issue of a state newspaper gave an eye-blink story of our state, nation and world:"GOP legal challenge to election kept alive.""Entrepreneurs seek new ways to mine the Web.""Abu Ghraib defendant: I knew abuse was wrong.""Seattle law firm caught in glare of spotlight aimed at lobbyist.""Seattle climber dies in bid to help fight fatal disease."Of course, in the first few pages there were headlines celebrating the macabre: "Worker's finger found in frozen custard," and "Fiancée stands by runaway bride."It was on Page A9 of this particular daily paper that the first headline concerning current news of the wars - Afghanistan and Iraq - appeared: "Dozens die in Afghan explosion." It was right next to a headline: "Hitler 'sank into himself' in final days, nurse says."The Afghan story was on Page A13; the smallish headline appeared at the bottom of the news columns, just above a Newspaper in Education serial story titled "Class Pets." The story was about two U.S. soldiers and an improvised explosive device at the Baghdad International Airport.One soldier, unnamed, died; his comrade was wounded.
Gas prices have hit a record high in the Puget Sound region. With gas currently selling for around $2.50 per gallon in Southeast Seattle, Metro transit participation is on the rise.Buses are brimming with passengers, and applications for Metro's vanpool and ride-share programs are increasing. According to Linda Thielke of Metro, of the 96 ride-match participants from Southeast Seattle, 25 have registered since March 15. Cathy Bulmenthal, Metro Ride-match coordinator, asserts that, "The number one reason commuters cite for ride-share program participation is the cost of driving."
What is it about the bald eagle that makes nearly everyone stop in their tracks and take notice? Is it because this bird symbolizes strength and freedom as our national emblem? Is it because it is easily recognized and spectacular with a contrasting white head offsetting piercing, pale-lemon yellow eyes and dark body with a wing span of nearly seven feet? Or is it because these birds were on the brink of extinction only a few decades ago? I happen to believe it is all of the above, but largely because one experiences a sense of hope and joy when a species makes such a remarkable recovery from that brink.