Artwalk rEVOLVe Comes To The Old Rainier Brewery April 14 2012

0 CommentsFriday • March 30, 2012 • by Imei

Last year about this time, I was talking to a friend who lamented about the state of artwalks. He felt that they were hit-and-miss, lackluster outdoor art flings full of kitch-y commercial art objects for sale, and vendor booths with items stocked from your neighbor’s last garage sale. Having become a participant of the Old Rainier Brewery Artwalks, which run four to five times a year, I could have easily become defensive. However, I’ve perused a few artwalks in other neighborhoods and other states, and there is a ring of truth to his description. It begs the question of why anyone who is interested in art would wish to attend, let alone participate in, an artwalk. While I can’t speak for all of the artwalks (over 30+ and growing!) in Seattle, I can give you at least three reasons why Seattle peeps will want to come to the Old Rainier Brewery’s Artwalk “rEVOLVe” on April 14, 2012.

 

REASONS TO ATTEND REVOLVE AT THE OLD RAINIER BREWERY

 
3150 Airport Way South, Seattle 98134
April 14, 2012 6-10 pm, with after-party by invitation

 Reason 1: Music and Performance Art

Music and performance art practices go on in the Old Rainier Brewery pretty much seven days a week. It doesn’t take a brain surgeon to figure out why our artwalk boasts some pretty awesome music groups, dancers and troupe, fire dancers, and other circus-type acts in our building.

In the case of the Hips For Hire studio, Hejira World Band will be joining us once again from 7 -8 pm for concert. They’ll be giving away a few house concerts     (remember to bring your business card!) during that hour, and if you can’t stay long, you can get your name in the bucket for the drawing. Hejira’s blend of world music with a jazzy feel makes our artwalkers happy!

 

 Reason 2: Weather Resistant

Currently, I’m watching a rain and hail storm scrub my windows free of bird poo and dirt. But when other artwalks run their events, weather can be a real factor into the enjoyment of the actual function. People don’t generally want to freeze their fingers in snow and hail, or risk their paintings becoming wet from rain and snow. These worrisome factors do not affect this artwalk. Not only do we have convenient parking onsite, our artwalk is entirely housed within the  building during the wet weather months. We have the ability to use more outdoor space during the summer months. Artists can be assured their art will be clean and dry.

 

Reason 3: Art by Artists for Everyone

One of the changes we made to the artwalk is to charge a registration fee for artists showing their work in the building. Running an artwalk is a big job, and advertising and organizing requires some money to offset costs for the posters, as well as maps for the artwalk itself. Since our building is huge and a bit confusing to first-timers, a map is absolutely necessary. But by charging a small fee to the artists who want to show, we get early commitments to show, the organizers get a chance to organize the art by floor and by host, and the public gets less kitch and more quality. While we might now have as many T-shirt vendors and metal toe-ring makers, what people do end up participating have thoughtfully constructed something for your artistic viewing pleasure.

It’s not very likely anything highly commercialized will be showing in our artwalk. Yet most of the artists are available to create on commission if you like their style and want something unique.

 

REVOLVE IN HIPS FOR HIRE STUDIO

For now, the artful presentations in the Hips For Hire studio are:

6-7p DJ attamc, and “Facial Karoke” with Imei
7-8p Hejira World Band (Don and Ashraf)
8-9p U-hoop and possibly another band

I don’t yet have anything planned for the final hour, except clean up and break down. That’s because it’s near my birthday, and I’ll be preparing to go to our after party, where three of us are having birthdays. I imagine there may be copious kitteh petting sessions, as some people have only met Ms. Lumi virtually. If you’d like to see what the fuss is about, check out my Pinterest page under “kittehs”.

Our faces use 43 muscles and access over 1000 expressions. Facial Karaoke is my unique presentation of recycling and borrowing expressions, allowing participants to explore feelings in a physical and visceral way without experiencing the actual situations that can produce them. This is a fun (and funny) way to learn expression, reading, and human connection that we all crave from the first moment our baby eyes open and see our first caregiver. All participation is voluntary. Facial Karaoke involves movement, observation, pauses, and inspiration from Butoh (modern dance from Japan). It is my attempt to help show you a little of my world as an artful psychotherapist, but with a humorous approach to educating others about emotions.

 

MY CAUSE BENEFITS YOU: DESIGNING YOUR PRACTICE, A BOOK WRITING PROJECT

As usual, parts of the artwalk will be on broadcast on Ustream.tv. Any donations to my studio’s artwalk presentation will benefit my book-writing project, Designing Your Practice: An Artist’s Approach, which is currently on Kickstarter. Professional book publishing (as opposed to a simple eBook) is a longer and more expensive publishing process, but one that is necessary for me to present a professional book able to hold up to scrutiny in the medical, mental health, and education fields. This book is about why and how re-infusing our daily practices with artful thinking is meant to change the way we do business, relate, and compassionately treat one another. There will be more information provided soon about my book writing process.

For the first time since I came to live and work from the Old Rainier Brewery, I’m using the artwalk as a way to present to the community my own shameless self-promotion. This time, the cause benefits you, because this book is being written for you — that is, artists, business people, educators, activists, free thinkers, professionals. I’m writing something that I believe will transform the way people think about ways of being and living, doing business, and helping others. I know that ultimately the book’s presence will be the present I give back to the world. While it may not directly feed a malnourished child in Africa, it indirectly teaches each person a response to their artistic and creative self that can easily lead someone to change their best practices to accommodate thoughtful giving to feed the world’s malnourished children.

If you haven’t seen my Kickstarter campaign video about the book, here it is:

 

By April 7, my campaign on Kickstarter will either be funded or canned forever. But the book writing project must continue, and I must get this book published. Whether it’s one dollar in a tin can at a time, or a generous angel investment (or something in between), I’ll continue to write and get this baby published.

Come one, and come all to rEVOLVe, or watch it on Ustream.tv/channdel/hips-for-hire-with-imei