You might notice a few changes to the monthly Capitol Hill Art Walk this month. We’re dropping “Blitz” from the name for one–to better promote the neighborhood to the rest of the city as an arts destination every second Thursday. We’re also adding a starting point every month: art walkers can stop by the Cal Anderson Park Shelter House anytime from 5:00 to 6:30PM to pick up maps, enjoy a changing mix of activities, and meet-up with friends.
If you haven’t heard about the party we’re throwing to celebrate five years of the Chamber-sponsored art walk, check out all the details here. And if you can, stop by the after party at Vermillion to help us celebrate Ellen Forney as a true Capitol Hill Arts Hero and win some great raffle prizes from neighborhood businesses.
Starting this month we’ll highlight a few of our upcoming art walk venues here on the CHS blog. Here’s just a small sampling of the 40+ venues we have up here on the Hill.
Blindfold Gallery on East Olive has been a part of the walk since the beginning. This space usually focuses on local artists but this month internationally known L.A. painter Rachid Bouhamidi shares his solo show “Fanfare for the Area Man.” This series of paintings are wildly inventive and intoxicatingly colorful– celebrating life and carrying an air of musicality and playfulness. Rachid will be at the opening, most likely reciting poetry in French or telling stories of his world travels.
Closer to the central Pike/Pine corridor is the veteran favorite Cloud Gallery at Frame Central. Three local artists are featured in this cozy gallery located in the loft above the frame shop. Photographer Nate Gowdy gives us a colorful and diverse collection of images from the nearly 800 LGBTQ events he has attended. Aubry Kae shows off some “Illustrious Characters” from her new series and a few pieces from the 2014 Seattle Erotic Arts Festival. Painter Adream fills out the show with a mix of fabric, threading, beads, and crystals.
Just around the corner on 12th Avenue, Northwest Film Forum, makes its Capitol Hill Art Walk debut with a happy hour + video art program that spans new films from Seattle, Guangzhou, Toronto, Brooklyn, Turku and more. This independent film arts center has been a Pike/Pine staple for more than a decade, and is a proud Capitol Hill hub for independent filmmakers and film lovers from across the region. During Art Walk, you can start off at the Film Forum lobby bar at 6pm (it’s opening night of COMING OUT ALL OVER: QUEER FILM STYLE) and soak in the venue’s industrial chic and fabulous film-loving conversation. Continue in the cinema: the Film Forum will be looping an on-screen video art program (6pm-7:30pm), specially built for Art Walk by guest curator Vera Petukhova, that uncovers a beautiful world of Bart Simpson, emojis, chess games, culture collisions and visual music. Dip in and out of the cinema with your drink and friends before you hit your next Art Walk stop.
Another Art Walk newcomer and the latest happening art and event space on the Hill, 10 Degrees, also breaks the mold by offering video art of dancers. Drop by the 13th and Union space at 7:00PM where they’ll be hosting RADAR, a 45-minute series of short dance films curated by artists in residence Shannon Stewart and Adam Sekuler. Enjoy a cash bar featuring two Capitol Hill favorites: craft booze from OOLA Distillery and treats from Feed Co Catering.
