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June 7, 2001

Convention center showcases public art

  • Seeking to provide more than mere backdrop, the convention center’s art foundation rotates exhibitions and has assembled a diverse collection.
  • By SHARON DUCEY
    Washington State Convention & Trade Center

    public art
    The estimated value of the art on display is $1.5 million.

    The Washington Convention & Trade Center has been commited to creating an environment that enriches the experience of all who pass through it.

    The creative incorporation of art into the original design of the building was accomplished through the state’s Percent for the Arts program. Since then, and due to the dedication of the convention center’s board of directors to provide civic benefits to the state of Washington, the center’s four-story galleria with its central escalators offers an ever-changing and growing collection of two- and three-dimensional art readily accessible to meeting attendees and the public.

    In November 1997, the board established the Washington Convention & Trade Center Art Foundation at the recommendation of original board member Phyllis Lamphere. The foundation is a nonprofit corporation and serves the art program as a means to raise money for commissioned works for the convention center.

    The convention center’s public art program has two components: permanent works and rotating exhibitions. The permanent collection consists of gifts, long-term loans, and commitments from museums, corporations, arts organizations, private collectors and professional artists who continually display works from their collections.

    Rotating exhibits are booked approximately two years in advance following a screening and selection process by an art advisory committee. Ninety exhibitions and displays have been featured in the galleria since the program’s inception in August 1991.

    Many of these exhibits feature local artists, although a number of them are national or international juried exhibitions specifically for the convention center. The galleria is free public space and has established a reputation of being a high-quality exhibit site with tremendous daily visibility. The estimated value of the art on display in the facility is approximately $1.5 million.

    Cultural diversity in showcasing artists and art works is an important component of the program. The Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle’s annual art exhibition has been showcased at the center since 1995. Other examples include yarn paintings by Huichol Indians, the Reencuentros/Reencounters exhibits featuring Hispanic artists, a photography exhibit by Sarajevo art students and a Chatani Origamic architecture exhibit. An exhibition of works by female Irish artists was featured in September 2000 in conjunction with a cultural exchange project sponsored by the Women Painters of Washington.

    Currently on display is the Northwest Pastel Society’s “15th Annual Open Exhibition: A Voice Like Yours: Words and Images from a Shared Sojourn,” 33 journals by artists from Washington, Ireland and Northern Ireland. Also on display is “Now You See Them...,” silk banners by Oregon artist Judith Sparks, one of 15 commissioned works of the “Salmon in the City” project sponsored by the Seattle Arts Commission.

    The center strives to provide a link to other museums and art institutions throughout the state. Contacts have also been established with the Burke Museum, the Tacoma Art Museum, and Eastern Washington University in a continuing effort to expand exhibits from other parts of the state. Other partners include the Washington State Historical Society, Bank of America, Microsoft Corporation, Safeco Corporation, Preston Gates & Ellis, the Seattle Arts Commission, and the King County Public Arts Program.

    Lectures, concerts, and artist receptions are offered free to the public to provide entertainment or a deeper understanding of the art forms. In many instances lectures are scheduled in conjunction with the exhibitions, either to explain more about the works on display or to demonstrate the art form. Additional information about the public art program is available at the convention center’s Web site, www.wsctc.com.


    Sharon Ducey is the convention center’s art program administrator and coordinates the public art program with the board’s art foundation. She has served as corporate secretary to the board of directors since 1989.


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