Legendary Trolls: Troll Mama
“There’s Trolls in them thar hills!”
The Trolls of which I speak are, of course, the much talked about sculptures brought to the Pacific Northwest (and beyond) through a unique collaboration between Danish recycle artist and activist Thomas Dambo, Scan Design Foundation, and several Coast Salish tribes—especially members from Muckleshoot and Snoqualmie.
Other Legendary Trolls: Seattle Kraken
NB: Thank you so much for agreeing to this interview, Mr. Kraken. I think a lot of people were confused when the Seattle Kraken’s mascot turned out to be…not a Kraken. Can you give us the inside scoop?
BK: Call me Brodie. Mr. Kraken is my dad and he's a huge bummer. I’m so stoked to get a chance to set the record straight, man. It’s been heavy since that little troll weirdo got picked over me.
Artist Peters + Curator Silva Collab at Frye for New, Timely Exhibit
The harmonious pairing of artist Mary Ann Peters and Alexis L. Silva has culminated in a truly outstanding show of Peters’ work at Frye Art Museum, the edge becomes the center. In this show, based on research on displacement and the Middle Eastern diaspora, Peters conducts archival research in several countries (Lebanon, Mexico, and France), then uses her artworks to contextualize her findings. I sat down recently with Peters and Silva to discuss the impetus for this body of Peters’ work and the professional synthesis between artist and curator.
To Tech Millennials, With Love: Lauren Appelbaum’s Latest Seattle Rom-Com
It’s often said that there is the technical and the creative and ne’er the twain shall meet. But local author Lauren Appelbaum aims to show otherwise with the release of her debut novel Rachel Weiss’s Group Chat.
18th & Union Creative Space Secretly Undergoes Exciting Changes
Keen-eyed (read Chronically Online) Seattle Artists know that something has been up lately at 18th & Union, the beloved Central District arts space.
I sat down with marketing director, Jazz Flora, for an exclusive inside scoop:
Timothy White Eagle’s Radical Rituals Connect Art, History, and Culture
In early November, On the Boards unveiled a briefly-run but awe-inspiring performance: Indian School by ritualist Timothy White Eagle (he/him) and co-created with Hatlo (they/them) White Eagle. White Eagle is quick to confirm that Indian School is a collaborative effort, and not a solo show.
SAM VSO Union Strikes on Black Friday After Years of Corporate Misdeeds
The SAM VSO Union consists of a group of 54 Visitor Service Officers, or VSOs. On Black Friday, they started their strike. Strikes are typically one of the last options a union will exercise to make clear to their employer and the general public that their working conditions are unacceptable and their concerns up until this point have been largely ignored. Before the formation of the SAM VSO Union, there were a series of escalations in organized action against Seattle Art Museum (SAM) leadership and policies.
Filmmaker Lightell Chats Fetish to Farce on Manbaby
Local filmmaker Tim Lightell has released a Manbaby into the world. The film is about Sal and Dana, a married couple who encounter a snag in their relationship when Dana reveals she doesn't want kids. Sal comes up with a harebrained scheme, he pretends he's been transformed into a baby, to try and trick Dana into getting on board with the idea of children. Yet, his plan doesn't work out exactly as he hoped.
Local Filipino Filmmaker Shea Formanes Chats New Movie, Seattle Scene
I Watched Her Grow was filmed entirely in Seattle with a homegrown crew. Filmmaker Shea Formanes was kind enough to chat with me about the film and her process.
The story is about Ada (Michelle Colman Padron), a botanist struggling with grief over her mother Mirren's (Eloisa Cardona) death. Ada takes in the mysterious teenager Wren (Taylor Freeman), who seems to be struggling from the same affliction as Mirren did.
Seattle’s Meghan Thréinfhir Puts the “A” in STEAM with STEM-Infused Art
Meghan Trainor’s work has always had spiritual connections. With a practice firmly rooted in her own ancestral Irish Catholic imagery and iconography in her early art-making days, Trainor found new inspiration via Mexican folk art when she was exposed to the work of Frida Kahlo and later from a nearby shop when she worked at Pike Place Market in the 1990s. Importantly, a 1980s show at Seattle Art Museum about African spiritual objects left a significant impression.
Five Questions with Artist Brandon Vosika
Brandon Vosika (BV): I used to live and work in a notoriously haunted building, and I guess it felt worth mentioning in my bio because I feel a deep nostalgic connection to old ghost stories and haunted houses from my youth. Now I have a new studio and only live in the haunted building! I used to put ghosts in my work a lot but I don’t so much anymore. They’ve become very popular which makes me want to stay away. In general, I’m not influenced by the PNW in my work aesthetically. Okay, I probably am subconsciously because I’ve lived here my whole life and love the rain and dark, but the typical PNW-themed art I find totally uninteresting.
Melissa Chaudhry’s Strong Policies Challenge Adam Smith’s Complicity in Genocide
Democrat Melissa Chaudhry has made it to the general election for Washington congressional district 9’s seat in the US House of Representatives. She’s challenging the nearly 28-year incumbent Democrat Adam Smith who has denied the genocide in Gaza. His largest donor by far is the pro-Israel AIPAC, the biggest source of Republican money influencing Democratic primaries. Chaudhry runs a grassroots campaign. Smith just voted to send $26 billion to Israel—$14.1 billion of which is for U.S-made weapons.
Leave Only Footprints Spookily Snaps Back Annex Theater
Before attending the interactive experience, Leave Only Footprints, I was unsure about what to expect: A haunted house? A murder mystery? But this spooky, fun, campy, mystery experience by The Emilys (Emily Pike and Emily Sershon), along with a dynamic cast of 40+ performers and multiple writers, did not disappoint.
Building Pressure and Crafting Time: Syncronos Redefines Live Electronic Music
The two-man band weaves together synth pads, crisp guiding melodies, improv solos, innovative drum beats, a tasteful touch of live flute, and a bass sound that gets one in touch with their body’s natural resonance frequency. Their music is made modular by the power of their linked Ableton setup and sequencers that they expertly manipulate to recontextualize different musical parts on the fly.
Black Cod Reigns with Hosmer Brothers’ Pâté
When it comes to fish around these parts, it’s hard to deny that salmon is king—literally in the case of the king salmon species. But what if I told you there was another fish that quietly reigns in abundance from our West Coast to Alaskan waters? What if this hypothetical fish had just as many, if not more, healthy OMEGA-3 fatty acids and loaded superfood proteins? This fish is already hot stuff in Japan and mostly found as a high-end restaurant item here in the states.
Georgetown Liquor Company is Making Vegan Punk Again
100% vegan, 100% house made. A lot of people don’t know that we make everything from scratch. It’s plainly written on our menu. That’s the biggest thing I'd like to get across, is that’s what separates us from everybody else. We make everything from scratch. You will not find anywhere else like us.
Tara Campbell Continues Book Tour at Hugo House
Campbell's work blends elements of fantasy, magical realism, poetry, and speculative fiction, which evokes the styles of a host of renowned authors, including Margaret Atwood, Isabel Allende, Walter de la Mere, Octavia Butler, Jonathan Swift, Douglas Adams, Ann Carson, and Brian O'Nolan, offering readers a robust, immersive literary experience.
Tara Campbell’s book tour continues at Hugo House in Seattle, with a reading and writing workshop on September 18, 2024, from 7pm-9pm at the Salon Stage.
Geeking Out with Our Steampunk Favorites: The Finale
Steampunk can be treated in a really serious fashion, as any genre can be. There is very serious steampunk fiction—I really recommend reading Everfair by Nisi Shawl if you want some very beautiful serious steampunk fiction—but also there’s a certain element to steampunk that is absurd. It’s ridiculous! And we are leaning into that. And sometimes people need to be reminded as adults, especially in this hard, hard world, that you can laugh! You can just come and as the English say, take the piss out of something.
Kirsten McCory: Reflections of Creative Diversity
Kirsten McCory is a Seattle-area actor, playwright, voice artist, and model. Several months ago I had the pleasure of acting in a stage reading of a play she wrote called In The Garden. A few months later, I was invited to do a table read of another play she is creating: 100% Solution. I realized later that being immersed in Kirsten’s writing gave my inner artist lessons about creativity and self-expression that anyone can benefit from. Always diligently moving through some part of the creative process, she dares to dream—and all the better for the dynamic worlds and multifaceted characters she manifests into theaters near you. Kirsten McCory is currently playing the character of Amanda Wingfield in a local production of the Tennessee Williams play The Glass Menagerie.
Madame Askew and The Grand Arbiter: The Origin Story
One of the things that I think makes us really unique in the steampunk space is that our events are in general designed to be us as hosts or facilitators and the guests are the stars. They get to be performers. We have what I call the Big 3 competitions that we run, which is Tea Duelling, Splendid Teapot Racing (RC cars shaped to look like teapots that you run through an obstacle course), and Madame Askew’s creation: Compliment Duelling.
