I introduced the ArtSparks program a little more than a month ago here, but I also wanted to post the schedule of events so that you don’t miss anything — there are some really great installations this summer, and many of them are integrated into the new Saturday Market in the neighborhood. You can also check out 4culture’s Facebook page for pictures and updates.

June 19- end date TBA: Prismatic Landscape by MiLa
The installation includes strips of mylar-like material, strung on 40lb monofilament line, and suspended from the tree branches. Tree branches will be protected by black surgical tubing.

July 12 – end date TBA: Celebration and Fanfare by Celeste Cooning
Large “paper cutouts” made of Tyvek, strung between two trees and a lamppost at the west side of the plaza. An articulated boom truck will be used to install July 12 and de-install on Aug 9 or some later date.

July 24, August 14 and two weekdays TBD– Driving a Sculpture by Sol Hashemi
This piece is a small, mobile “sculpture” made of a sapling strapped to a toy, gas or electric powered, remote-controlled truck. Artist will perform intermittently throughout the day.

[editor’s note: this was absolutely hilarious — I have videos of a kid “walking” the plant, the car/plant just slowly following shoppers, and more. Here’s a photo:

August 2-9 – Teahouse by Christopher Ezzell
Monday thru Saturday 12pm & 5:30pm and possibly also a 7 pm demonstration on First Thursday.
A teahouse (hut) constructed out of metal framing and soda-pop bottles will be placed in the plaza. The artist will carry out tea ceremonies in it, at noon and 5:30 daily. (DJC post)

August 9 to Aug 15 (or later) – Accordion panels by Jonelle Johnson
A free-standing, accordion-shaped series of panels will be placed in the plaza.

August 16-22 – Clay Lines by Ben Waterman (not happening during Seattle Square)
Artist will lay down lines of clay in various shapes and directions throughout the park, with changing patterns every day. Part of the performance is for the lines to be disturbed.

August 23-Sept 26 – Wind Map by Michelle Arab
Bells of different tones will be hung from the trees and will sound when the breeze blows.

All September weekends, Thursdays through Sundays, 6:00-11:00pm – Fire Barrel by Britta Johnson (not happening during Seattle Square)
A coin-operated “fire barrel,” like those used by people on the street in some cities to keep warm, will be installed somewhere on the plaza. Artist will either figure out a way to secure it or else remove it each night.

September 7-11 or 12, Stimulate Dance
Preview Performance Wednesday September 8th Noon-1pm
Performances Thursday September 9th Noon-1pm, Friday September 10th Noon-1pm, Saturday September 11th 1pm-2pm. On the Saturday performance, they will locate the dance floor in the same area as the teahouse and the accordion-panel prints will be placed.

Sept 20 11:30-1:30: Red by Joan Laage
Two pick up trucks loaded with bricks will be driven into the park from the SW alley entrance. Performers will build a wall within a cordoned-off area, audience members will write messages on small pieces of paper that will be inserted in the wall and, at the end of the performance, burned. Performers will then remove all the bricks.

During the Seattle Square market last Saturday, there was a Facebook photo booth set up that had different costumes that people could try on. The result is a humorous group of photos of market attendees, vendors, and volunteers. Once the individuals tag themselves in the photos, they will be eligible for a prize every week (announced the Friday following the market) — this week, the prize happens to be a $50 gift certificate to FX McRory’s (!).

So if you haven’t done so already, go tag your photos! And if you weren’t at the market this last Saturday, hopefully we’ll see you this Saturday or sometime before September 25th.

You can go to the Facebook Page to see all 99 photos, but here are some of my favorites:

And last but not least, my very favorite photo booth feature from the market:

I can’t believe that after over 7 months of planning, input from community leaders and business owners, partnership with city organizations, and immense volunteer efforts from a huge group of people, that the market is actually happening tomorrow.

We are really excited about the line up of vendors and have been featuring them on the Seattle Square blog as fast as we can before Saturday, but will continue to do so throughout the summer as the vendors change.

Other items of note on the blog to check out include the following:

• How to get to the market
• Blogger Contest Announced
• Free Swag bags to first 200 people at the market

More blogs are coming on that site that will talk about a Facebook “photo booth” competition (with great local business prizes), and will announce all of the businesses that are participating in a neighborhood happy hour from 4pm – 6pm.

Hope to see you all there!

The Seattle Square is blogging about the type of vendors that have already signed up for the market this Saturday. I’m including a short summary here, but go over to their blog to check out longer write-ups and more pictures. It’s not good for my wallet to have so many amazing vendors located just 1 block from where I live!

And don’t forget that the first 200 people to the market get a free swag bag (silk-screened live by Zone4) with DRY soda, gift certificates to FX McRory’s, free passes to Trinity Nightclub and more!

(p.s. please excuse the lack of normal posts on this blog — I’m one of the volunteer organizers for this market and have lost whatever free time I used to have for regular blog posts!)

Parfait Organic Ice Cream

One of the vendors that we’re really excited about for the market is Parfait Organic Ice Cream. When I first called Adria to see if they were interested in a market in Pioneer Square to help revitalize the area, there was no hesitation — she signed on for every single Saturday! I’m telling you — if you only come to this market to try Parfait — it is totally worth it! It was hands down the best ice cream I have ever had.

Slide Sideways

Scott and Jacqui are the creators and owners of Slide Sideways, a company that they started because of their shared love of “making beautiful things.”

One of the great things about their business is that all of their illustrations and designs are one of a kind.

Glam Spoon

The first thing that caught my eye about Glam Spoon’s application was when she listed her website. She didn’t just list her website, she added “bohemian chic for women with tenacity.”

And a woman with tenacity is just how I would describe the owner – Tina. She is full of energy and you can tell that she’s really passionate about what she does.

Urban Farm Naturals

UFN is a family-owned and-operated bath & body company based out of Arlington, Washington. They create and develop all of their products from scratch. And, they even mix, measure, and make everything the old-fashioned way. And they just keep getting cooler: many of the herbs and flowers that go into their products are grown in their very own backyard.

This is a call for volunteers for The Seattle Square, the new outdoor market coming to our neighborhood this Saturday.

This market has been totally volunteer-organized and volunteer-driven and they would love to get more volunteers to help out. There is a formal volunteer meeting set up for today, July 12th, at 5:15pm at The Alliance for Pioneer Square’s office across from Smith Tower (2nd & Yesler).

The following is the types of volunteer help that they need:

• Social Media Crew – includes helping with the blog, promote vendors that have been accepted, work on the facebook tagging campaign, etc.
• Promotions Crew – hand out flyers and posters at different locations throughout Seattle
• Set up Crew – help set up tables, chairs, signs, etc.
• Vendor Check In – show vendors where their spot is, answer any questions
• Traffic Crew – help guide people to parking (vendors coming in, shoppers coming in, vendors going out)
• Information Desk (must know the neighborhood well) – help answer questions, direct shoppers to other businesses, or restrooms.
• Vendor Check Out – collect sales tracking sheets from vendors
• Closing Crew (take tables and chairs down to storage)
• Clean up Crew – walk the park and surrounding streets to make sure trash is picked up

If any of these sound interesting to you and you’re interested in giving back to the community, please email info@theseattlesquare.com or fill out a volunteer contact form on their website. There will be free T-shirts for all volunteers involved (designs by market sponsor Tether Design Gallery)

This family-friendly Seafair ­sanctioned community event features at least 15 antique fire rigs on display, vintage law enforcement vehicles, Klondike Gold Rush activities and displays, murals by local artists, face painting and more.

The Last Resort Fire Dept Museum, Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park-Seattle and the Seattle Metropolitan Police Museum will also be open and showcasing their unique displays throughout the event.

More info at www.lastresortfd.org/

Free & Open to the Public!

Other things to see and do:

KLONDIKE GOLD RUSH NATIONAL HISTORIC PARK

2nd Ave S + S Jackson S
206-220-4240
JUNIOR RANGER PROGRAM

SEATTLE METROPOLITAN POLICE MUSEUM

3rd Ave S between Main + Jackson
206-748-9991
INTERACTIVE KIDS DISPLAY

LAST RESORT FIRE DEPARTMENT MUSEUM

2nd Ave S + S Main St
206-783-4474
ARTIFACT HUNT FOR KIDS

Also featuring:

• Antique and classic fire engines from the last resort fire department
• Vintage police, sheriff, and state patrol cars
• Child ID Fingerprinting
• Klondike Gold Rush adventure
• Seattle Firefighters Pipes and Drums
• Inflatable bouncy toy for kids
• Face painting
• Live mural painting by Jeff Jacobson + Joey Nix
• Fire Department Displays

The Waterlines Project examines “the history of Seattle through a focus on its shorelines: the natural and human forces that have shaped them, the ways they have been used and thought about by the people who have lived here, and how this historic understanding might influence urban-development decisions being made today.”

One of the areas that they focus on is Pioneer Square.

“By the end of the twentieth century, Pioneer Square was perhaps the most desnely-layered historical landscape in the city, both because of the things that had existed there (Duwamish village, Yesler’s sawmill, the business district and Lava Beds, and even the prototypical Skid Road) and because of the kinds of stories told there about the city’s history.”

As “an ethnically and socially diverse slum” that “gentrified into a tourism and entertainment district,” you can check out the changes that have happened in the neighborhood, starting around 150 years ago.

In July 2008, the Pioneer Square Community Association (PSCA), with support from the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park, initiated a project to produce a Conceptual Plan to set forth a community vision for a recreational and interpretative trail through Seattle’s historic Pioneer Square neighborhood.

The purpose of the proposed trail would be to tell the story of Seattle’s early history, the diversity of people who have shaped the area, the impact of the Klondike Gold Rush, and how these stories are relevant today.  The ultimate goal of the project is to involve a broad range of stakeholder groups in producing the plan to achieve consensus and ‘ownership’ for a vision that is embraced by all stakeholders.

The Draft Conceptual Plan for the Trail to Treasure was released at a public meeting yesterday, where they accepted comments and feedback.

The meeting kicks off a month-long comment period for the Draft Plan, which will be posted from May 26th thru June 25th at www.trail2treasure.org. The Final Conceptual Plan will be completed in August 2010.

Please visit this link to download the Draft Plan. Any comments on the plan can be emailed to liz@pioneersquare.org.

The following image is conceptual only and doesn’t reflect final choices for themes/people/trail routes.

What it is supposed to convey is:

1. Multiple entry/exit points
2. Multiple choices by theme
3. “Web” trail system (not linear)

The following are highlights of the plan:

1. The trail is not linear; rather it is a network of trails organized thematically around the Pioneer Square neighborhood with three entry points. The Trail to Treasure links other neighborhoods and communities to the area.
2. The trail tells important ‘People’ Stories along the trail: personal stories about real people; includes diverse perspectives and lesser-known individuals from different ethnic and/or cultural backgrounds. The Trail would consist of a network of thematic trails to tell the people stories at specific locations marked along the Trail (15-20 stories).
3. Interpret the historic shoreline to help both visitors and locals understand what the landscape once was and how Seattle was dramatically and aggressively reengineered. Trace the shoreline in the roads, sidewalks, or sides of buildings with a durable  material, such as stone or metal, not necessarily contiguous. Show both the horizontal and vertical changes.
4. Recommend restoration of the Washington Street Boat Landing and adjacent shoreline in conjunction with removal and repair of the seawall. Aside from the Olympic Sculpture Park north of downtown, this is the only downtown portion of the Seattle shoreline where people will have the opportunity to be close to the water and experience the rising and falling of the tides, connecting residents and visitors to our rich maritime past.
5. Develop three entry points or nodes that roughly triangulate Pioneer Square, symbolic of how people have arrived and departed from the area over time. WEST: Waterfront (near Washington Street Boat Landing), symbolic of maritime arrivals and departures. SOUTH: connection with Chinatown/ID, symbolic of arrivals and departures by train near King Street Station. EAST: near/around Yesler Way, potentially at the Smith Tower, symbolic of more modern times and the transport of natural resources.
6. Develop ways to enhance the tourist experience by partnering with local businesses to develop display information in storefronts, train employees, and provide information in stores regarding the specific history of their building and surrounding area. Hospitality training would be provided to store employees to assure quality and consistency in the provision of visitor information to the Pioneer Square neighborhood and, in particular, how to experience the Trail.
7. Incorporate both low and high tech methods for experiencing and interpreting the Trail. Examples: walking map, audio tour, geocaching, cell phone tour, historic characters, marked line designating historic shoreline, kiosks, etc.
8. Emphasize the Trail to Treasure as a healthy recreational opportunity for all ages.
9. Incorporate aspects for youth programming and involvement throughout the Trail by working with local schools and the Klondike Gold Rush NHP.
10. The Trail to Treasure should be expandable over time, implemented in phases. Other entities and interested groups would be able to build upon and supplement the trail user’s experience.

Daniels Development Co recently did a great visual representation of ideas that could make King Street Station more functional and what the area could look like in 5 years.

Artwork by Craig Thorpe

Things to look for in the rendering:

1. 2nd Ave Ext is removed and creates a large public open space.  Cars heading south turn at Main to get to 4th.  Costs cars about 1 minute in travel time.
2. Extension of KSS open space to go over the passenger rail tracks (BNSF won’t allow it over the freight rails).
3. Street car as planned located in middle of street.  Stations are at 5th and Jackson and 2nd & Jackson.
4. New Inter-modal bus terminal above the passenger rails between Weller & Lane.
5. Grand staircase leading down from bus terminal down to north lot.
6. Create open space between DDC’s new building and KSS on Third Ave Ext.
7. While they haven’t started design on the North Lot, this shows the concept of a more traditional façade below 70’ and the modern high rise set back on top.
8. New passenger bridges across tracks that provide a connection to KSS.

What the area looks like currently:

(image credit)

Just to get this out of the way: I love Glee.

When the Glee flash mob was announced on the Seattle PI and Publicola, someone astutely observed that this was less of a flash mob and more of a promotion for Glee’s new season. Which is OK with me — I kind of hoped/assumed that they would end up in Pioneer Square and kept my eye on twitter. As soon as the three locations popped up (Westlake, the Space Needle, and Pioneer Square), I tweeted it and headed over to Occidental Mall, which was already packed. People were milling around in front of Caffe Umbria, Tether Design, and some of the other galleries in the mall, chatting and laughing with each other.

And then the music began.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylcjgdmgy4w[/youtube]

At first, I was surprised that it was such a small group that was actually participating in the flash mob — the crowd was gathered around, and it was hard to see. After the first number, the crowd turned in to the participants and the mall was filled with people dancing to the sound of Glee.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03gYvYbWKYg[/youtube]