November 8-17, 2019
Pop up art gallery, McCaw Hall
This project was created under our former name, SeaPertl Productions, but we are proudly displaying it here because it demonstrates our core values at Damfino Arts - a cross-collaboration between artists and arts organizations
Two weeks. 65 low income, local Seattle artists. 200+ works of art. 14,000 viewers.
Program Notes
A small sample of the artwork shown in the lobby of McCaw Hall
What were the qualifications to be in this show?
We asked that the artists live in Seattle or the surrounding areas, be low income, and that they are not currently being professionally represented by a gallery. In addition, all works should pertain to the artist’s experience in Seattle.
Why only low income artists?
As Seattle’s economy has boomed, many of its citizens have struggled to keep up with the cost of living. This challenge is far more difficult for artists because their income is made from art sales and commissions and not from a guaranteed paycheck. Income is often unreliable and sporadic at best. Low income artists who have devoted their time and resources to creating their art are the people we felt most deserved this opportunity to share their work with you.
Why aren’t you showing artists who are represented by galleries?
We decided to use this platform to showcase artists who have fewer opportunities to display and sell their work. Furthermore, it is incredibly difficult for local artists to receive professional representation in their hometown. We feel that the Locally Sourced program is the perfect opportunity to highlight the incredible talent in and around our own community.
How much do the artists make from their art sales?
90%. To put this in perspective, artists typically receive 50-70% from coffee shops, and around 30-60% from galleries. This art show only exists because we saw that there was a need that had yet to be met in our city: a place for artists to earn as much as possible from their art sales. Only 10% is retained in order to cover the cost of putting on this show. We are funded through this sales commission and from donations from art patrons like you.
A Pop-up Art Gallery Presenting Local Artwork to Local Art Lovers!
‘Skid Row’ has many negative connotations and has generally come to mean the ‘bad’ part of town, but ironically, the term Skid Road originated right here in Seattle and was the founding place of our own industrial revolution. Logs were sent careening down First Hill into the gaping brick jaws of Henry Yesler’s sawmill. This log slide became known as ‘Skid Road’ (now Yesler Way).
Around the birth of the city as we know today, Skid Road became the dividing line between the polarized ideas of how Seattle should be run; to the North, prohibition and religion reigned; to the South, a lawless culture of permissiveness and pleasure ran rampant. This duality in our city, with Skid Road bisecting the two sides, has continued on through the history of the Seattle we now know. Today, this divide is easily seen in income and financial discrepancies.
However, just as any border can be seen as a dividing line, it can also be viewed as a place where cultures connect. The goal of Skid Road Galleries is simply that -- to bring both sides of the divide together in a celebration of art for all!
Sculptures and paintings shown in the upper mezzanine of McCaw Hall
In buying this artwork, you are supporting friends, neighbors, and the vibrant artist community which is integral to our city.
Support your Seattle artists: BUY LOCAL!
