What Would You Do with 3 Months Free Rent?

Filmmaker Isaac Olsen (right) shoots stills at his post-production studio. Photo: Schnelluloid Film.

“What would you do if you were given a large, downtown studio space, free and clear, for up to six months?” It’s not the template for a bouncy reality show (we hope-), but a question local artists can realistically ponder, thanks to the Creative Enterprise and Artist Residency tracks of Spaceworks Tacoma. The goal of these programs is to set up dedicated artists and creative entrepreneurs with donated, vacant retail space (we’re talking prime real estate, folks), providing a three-to-six month platform for developing, exhibiting or even selling art work. Residency studios may also be used for practice or performance space. With the second round of Spaceworks drawing to a close, we asked six outgoing artists to describe their experience.

Michael Kaniecki and Semi-Automatic

For Michael Kaniecki, the answer to the question was easy: he would make an extraordinarily long (as in, 40+ ft.) and dynamic India ink painting. Working without a roadmap, his project, Semi-Automatic, unfurled as a “slow drawing performance piece” entailing a gradual accumulation of abstract lines intended to draw viewers in like a Rorschach test.

“I am thankful to the Spaceworks program for allowing me the space to explore, since I cannot handle a work of this size in my home studio,” says Kaniecki. “Another aspect of the residency that worked for me was the sidewalk exposure to the public that the space offered. I could not have asked for a better venue for showing this work in progress. I had a ball doing my project downtown and accomplished most of what I had in mind.” Next on deck: a street-art project addressing the architecture and infrastructure of downtown Tacoma.

Fighting Peacocks, by Josh Everson

Photographer and painter Josh Everson was one of Kaniecki’s studio mates at the downtown-bank-building-turned-art-headquarters. He was already enmeshed in new work when we contacted him: “Well, I just moved out last week. I wasn’t able to complete as much work as I liked, because I am working 3 jobs now” – and, there was a certain problem with the plumbing. (Memo to MTV: if an art-based reality show is in the works, for verisimilitude, don’t forget to include multiple challenges involving A) heating, or B) toilets. Preferably both). “I was able to create some great work with my studio time, both photography and painting. I started a series that I am very passionate about. I’m not ready to disclose any details, but I thank Spaceworks for the opportunity and inspiration.”

Isaac Olsen and his main squeeze. Photo courtesy of Schnelluloid Film.

One man’s plumbing nightmare is another man’s playground. The building’s third resident artist, filmmaker Isaac Olsen, had been seeking a place to do post-production, but discovered the location was ideal for a film set. “I made extensive use of our fabulous rooftop [parking] view for several scenes – and took advantage of the eerie acoustics of the building by recording various brass instruments in different rooms and passages, to haunting effect.” His feature film, I Hunger, “is now experiencing an ‘intensive editing phase,’ and I hope to screen it this summer….I got exactly what I wanted out of the facility: unlimited physical space. My outlook as an artist is tip top!”

Tiffanie Peters shows her stuff at Chiffon.

Across the street, fashion designer and jewelry artist, Tiffanie Peters, got a crash course in retail when she opened her glam, 1970′s-inspired boutique, Chiffon. For her six-month, creative enterprise residency, she received the kind of raw space most artists can only dream of: a Pacific Avenue storefront big enough to house a family of four. But it took a herculean effort to open for business.

Spaceworks Tacoma: Tiffanie, please tell us about your experience as a creative retailer and designer.
Tiffanie Peters: It was a great experience! I learned a lot about retail. I also learned that a designer/artist needs to focus on a medium….Through this experience I have learned where my strengths are. Running a shop, producing product and having a full-time job is no easy task! If I had to do it all over again I would have had a partner set up beforehand.
SW: Anything else you would’ve done differently?
TP: Yes, I would have painted the walls one color [instead of a hand-textured blend of four]!
SW: You had a terrific set up here, with a boutique in front and a professional sewing room in back. What was your proudest achievement during your residency?
TP: I created a new series of cuff bracelets which inspired a line of bridal crowns that are in the works.
SW: You kept insane hours, balancing creative time with your day job, and a long commute to Shelton. How did you keep it going?
TP: I turned into a zombie.
SW: What are your plans for Chiffon?
TP: An online shop and to focus on wholesale.

Jennifer Adams is an artist and the founder of the beloved renegade boutique, fly. Her six-month creative residency hit major snags, including a forced move due to a fire at the next-door sandwich chain, but she retains her enthusiasm for showcasing and selling product and design by local artists. Now ensconced at King’s Books, fly will be closing (or rather, “hibernating”) starting January 31, but Adams hopes to reopen in the fall, possibly as a pop-up store. Until then, she’ll be busy with teaching engagements at the Museum of Glass, School of the Arts, and Metro Parks.

John Bartley, veteran and violinist, performed at a reception at the War Experience Project. Photo: Rick Lawson

Rick Lawson at the War Experience Project

Rick Lawson introduced a special, one-of-a-kind exhibition to Tacoma in the War Experience Project, which has been extended through April. Lawson, an Iraq veteran, says that after a slow start, the program has attracted a steady stream of vets interested in making art at the drop-in center. The exhibition centerpiece is a somber and fascinating collection of uniforms painted by military men and women. The WEP calendar includes events such as movie screenings, a book signing, a service dog presentation, and live music. A KING-5 interview with Lawson about the exhibit recently garnered an Emmy Award. The WEP is open by appointment at 906 Broadway; information at http://www.warep.com. (The War Experience Project extends special thanks to Major General Timothy Lowenberg and Mary Lowenberg, Lieutenant Colonel Andrew Leneweaver, Major Matthew Cooper and Catherine Senn for their support of this project.)

A Traveling Show Gets Legs

Actors Verra Werre and Kelly Borgford onstage. Photo courtesy of 4th Wall Theater

When local actor/director Bob Yount crafted the idea for an upcoming Spaceworks Tacoma project, 4th Wall Theater, he energized the grand idea of theater as a social act. His proposal: to bring full-form mobile theater productions and improv acting classes to the elderly.

4th Wall Theater was conceived for fans of the stage who may be unable or unwilling to travel distances to theater events. “We solve that by bringing the production to them,” he says. The professional cast and crew are skilled in creating high-quality productions that are adaptable to each senior community or facility. Spaceworks Tacoma is supporting the work of this innovative troupe with a three-month artists’ residency at 915 Pacific Avenue, starting February 1. Yount says the savings provided by the rent-free rehearsal space may translate into creation of “up to 10 paid acting/tech jobs per show. Our standard season is six shows, so [that's] adding a potential 60 paid jobs in an industry where getting paid to do what you love is a rarity.”

Guests at an improv session get ready to form a conga line. Photo courtesy of 4th Wall Theater.

For young and old alike, live performance holds an excitement different than that of digital media. Yount explains the appeal: “Live theater is all about connecting.  The audience connects with characters on stage, and an actor connects with his audience through their emotions.  The ’4th wall’ is the imaginary wall that is removed so the audience can see inside the actor’s world. Breaking through the 4th wall is when an actor on stage makes eye contact or talks directly to the audience. Our productions, and the very reason we chose the name 4th Wall, set out to destroy the 4th wall. We bring our audience on stage with us (sometimes literally) and make them the stars of the show. Unlike any other type of media, we stress personal contact and emotional connection.”

An active participant in South Sound community theater for the past decade, Yount is surprisingly modest about his t.v. and film credits, which include a spot on the HBO smash, Six Feet Under, and several episodes of The Fugitive, as well as parts in feature films. Yet he is effusive about his four years of performing on the Spirit of Washington dinner train, performing interactive mystery theater with guests. “There was no better gig for an actor. The chance to work with the best group of actors in the Puget Sound, and be given the freedom to develop characters that entertain. The one thing you learned very quickly is how genuinely appreciative the elderly members of our audience were. They loved to play and enjoyed being part of the action.” That experience laid the ground for 4th Wall Theater.

Rehearsals are underway for the group’s first production, Show People, by Paul Weitz. Yount rues the fact that many South Sound actors must migrate to Seattle to make a living, and hopes his project may turn the tide, a little. He says 4th Wall Theater will support the Tacoma community by attracting a steady flow of theater professionals into the downtown. The troupe is offering high school internships in the areas of acting, basic stagecraft, costuming, and marketing; interested parties can contact BYount@4thwalltheater.com.  Information at http://www.4thwalltheater.com. 915 Pacific Avenue, Feb. 1 through May 1, 2011.

Lights On at Personal Power Company

Art courtesy of PPC

On Friday, January 21, the Personal Power Company will open its doors for the first-ever concert held at a Spaceworks Tacoma venue!  The all-ages show features music by Slashed Tires, Allan Boothe, Seed, Margy Pepper and Battle Stations inside the Power Company’s über-cool venue. The concert starts at 7:30.

In other Power Company news, artist Dan Martin is leading a project to create alternative, directional “street signs.” Visitors are invited to pitch reflective sign messaging to be posted in locations TBD. We hope to finally pinpoint the intersection of “Hope” and “Give a Damn.”

Power Company member Jena Van-Stedtler specializes in D-I-Y educational events – one of the most intriguing is a how-to on cooking soulful and delicious family-style dinners on a recession budget.

Upcoming projects include a meditational music video featuring dance choreography by Joel Myers, and a children’s show scripted by Bridgett Nicol with animation by Kris Crews. Both projects feature music by PPC musicians: Allan Boothe of Humble Cub, Benjamin Paris of Ethereal Weeping, Nicolas Hartzell of Going Shopping, and Phil Harty of Smile for the Sky. Currently, photographer Drew Shapiro is collaborating with Crews and Nicol on the technical side of video production. Personal Power Company, 913 Pacific Ave. Contact: Kris Crews: facebook.com/openyourseventhchakraplease

The digital cave. Photo courtesy of PPC.

Bridgett Nicol and Kris Crews find home, sweet home at the Personal Power Company. Photo courtesy of PPC.

An Elegant Structure of Rammed Earth

Tidal Resonance Chamber. Photo: Robert Horner

When artist-architect Robert Horner chose a building technique called “rammed earth” to create his Tidal Resonance Chamber, on Tacoma’s tideflats, he utilized a construction method that dates back thousands of years, to the Neolithic age. Yet the “earthen” chamber, a clean-lined trapezoid that harbors a 2,500-gallon tank of water pumped from the adjacent Thea Foss Waterway, is thoroughly modern in design – and it addresses contemporary concerns of ecology and sustainability.

The pool will eventually host barnacles and other aquatic life forms. Photo: Robert Horner

This permanent public art work is a contemplative space, one whose thick, freestanding walls offer a buffer from the industrial noise of the Port of Tacoma while allowing an open view of sky. The stone-filled pool ebbs and flows with the riverine tide via a series of feedback pumps. According to Horner, the chamber is designed to allow users to “synchronize with the natural rhythms of Commencement Bay,” and to “reflect on the manner in which human beings have utilized and manipulated the natural environment.”

Photo: Robert Horner

The former student of microbiology notes, “Estuaries have always fascinated me, especially how they serve as bio-filters for the planet.” Appropriately, the roughly 12′ x 18′ chamber is sited next to the Center for Urban Waters, a marine research facility housing the city’s Environmental Services Division, University of Washington Tacoma labs, and the Puget Sound Partnership.

Photo: Robert Horner

Tidal Resonance Chamber is Tacoma’s first construct from the rammed-earth method, a technique used in building the Alhambra, in Spain, and China’s Great Wall, as well as structures in the American southwest, where the material provides insulation from heat. Horner worked with builder Bly Windstorm of Port Townsend-based Earth Dwell LTD, which specializes in the eco-building technique. Historically, rammed earth construction has employed local materials and generated little waste.

Photo: Robert Horner

The chamber’s walls were constructed with a combination of local soils mixed with a small of amount of Portland cement, poured into staunch plywood/aluminum frames reinforced with rebar, then compressed (or “rammed”) every 6″ with a pneumatic tamper. The custom material, mixed with iron oxides, gives the walls their warm layers of color resembling sedimentary rock. After removal, the frames are reusable and recyclable.

How do ancient building techniques stand up to modern building codes? In an interview with the Tacoma News Tribune, city building inspector Jon Kendall said of the project, “I had never seen rammed earth before. But it tested at extremely high strength, around 6,000 psi. (City codes require at least 2,000 pounds per square inch.) It was a learning experience for all of us. Our biggest concern is that it’s durable – the cement content is pretty low, and we don’t know how it will stand up to the salt air down there. But we’re very satisfied. It’s a beautiful structure, though very labor-intensive.”

Ghostly trails of wind-driven salt trace the sides of the resonance chamber. “Windows” of water-filled glass tubes catch the sunlight (and reference the lab analysis taking place at the Center for Urban Waters, next door). Through a thin vertical opening, the Old City Hall clock tower is visible across the waterway. On a chilly winter day, the water is calm in the rectangular pool. Horner hopes that “it becomes populated with microorganisms and aquatic life. I think that process has already started….In a way, I think of it as a petri dish providing a [glimpse into] the dynamics of the Foss.”

• • • • • • •

Center for Urban Waters. Photo: Jeff Barney

About the Center for Urban Waters: In addition to highlighting the city’s commitment to urban water quality, the facility, opened in 2010, is a showcase for sustainable building practices and energy conservation. The center is LEED Platinum-certified, the highest rating awarded under the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rating system, the nationally recognized standard for green construction. Tours of the facility may be arranged at 253-591-5588; or urbanwatersinfo@cityoftacoma.org.

A Subtle Presence of Light

Forest of Souls, by Monika Proffitt

Monika Proffitt’s light installation in Tollefson Plaza, Forest of Souls, is a tribute to the region’s earliest inhabitants. This quiet work shines from the plaza’s reflecting pools at the busy downtown intersection of South 17th and Pacific Avenue, where a Puyallup Indian village once stood.

Tacoma's "Welcome Figure" overlooks Tollefson Plaza

Forest of Souls is best seen after the sun sets and darkness provides a backdrop for the slender bunches of fiber-optic cables that rise up from the terraced pools. Nestled in clusters under a concrete overhang, the pink and green stalks, each topped by a small “head”, glow softly, unobtrusively, their reflections seeming to pulsate on the water’s rippling surface. Though easy to overlook initially, once spotted, this work seems to extend an invitation to slow down and ponder the site’s history, and that of the Puyallup Indians who inhabited this area for thousands of years before the arrival of European settlers in the 19th century. “I wanted the light installation to give them voice in some silent, yet understood way,” says Proffitt. (One wishes there were a plaque to explain the site’s historal importance.)

Proffitt is a busy artist on several fronts. She recently inaugurated an artists’ residency program, Starry Night Retreat, in the hotsprings town of Truth or Consequences, NM, south of Albuquerque. She owns the property, which she discovered in 2000 while completing a research project for her undergraduate degree at the Evergreen Tacoma campus. “The town is really artsy and eccentric,” and has a high ratio of artists per capita, she says. “Everyone is an artist there, and I decided that artists from all over would really enjoy a chance to create in such a secluded, eccentric environment. So far it has turned out that I was right.” She says the residency program offers artists the opportunity “to make work, engage with local artists and the public, and show their work in [storefront] spaces” along the main street of downtown.

Proffitt also recently opened The Living Room, a bar on Capitol Hill in Seattle. Forest of Souls, at Tollefson Plaza, South 17th and Pacific Avenue, December 21, 2010 – March 20, 2011. www.monikaproffitt.com.

Spaceworks Call to Artists

Apply now for Round 3 of Spaceworks Tacoma

Online applications are now being accepted for Round 3 of Spaceworks Tacoma, opening March 15, 2011. There are currently three opportunities available to artists:

Video installation by Alexandra Opie

1) Artscapes temporarily places visual art installations in interior window storefronts.

2) The Artist Residency program offers dedicated practicing artists the chance to pursue projects in any discipline for three months, with the opportunity to extend to six months.

3) Creative enterprise provides designers, crafters, consultants and other fledgling entrepreneurs the chance to test new products and services in a physical space for three or six months.

Please download the application which best describes your interest:

• Artscapes

• Artist Residency

• Creative Enterprise

Spaceworks Tacoma is a joint initiative of the City of Tacoma, Shunpike and the Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber of Commerce. For more information, please contact Rebecca Solverson at rsolverson@ci.tacoma.wa.us or (253) 591-5560.