Cameron November 7th, 2008
November Art Walk is tomorrow, November 8, 6-9pm. Here are the happs:
Reception, BallardWorks (Artist Workspace):
November 2007
Artists’ reception Saturday, November 10, 6-9PM with music by Paul Fowler and son, cellist and music teacher at Van Asselt School, Seattle.
BallardWorks Art Exhibit: “Affinities: Space & Structure”
An exhibition of artists engaged in painting with the encaustic medium is curated by Joan Stuart Ross & Jay Lazerwitz. Each artist’s work displays a unique discovery of this tactile medium, yet thematic concerns of dimension, depth and form connect them.
New York Fashion Academy Auction:
You’re invited to NYFA’s fourth annual Silent Auction fund raiser, taking place this Saturday, November 8th from 6-10 PM, with bidding ending at 9:30 PM. We have donations from local businesses and artists -coffee, gift cards, paintings, pictures, art objects, clothing, gift certificates, accessories, fine wine and port, restaurants, local events and more; all suitable for gifting. 100% of the auction proceeds support the academy student’s upcoming runway fashion show, Prima La Luce: “First Light” which will take place on April 11th, 2009. Complimentary sips and bites.
Phinney Neighborhood Association Winter Beer Taste
(yes, I know, NOT Ballard, or Art-Walk, whateves)
Enjoy ten tastes from 27 …
Cameron September 24th, 2008
The 5th Annual Sustainable Ballard Festival is coming up this weekend (September 27th and 28th at Ballard Commons Park), brought to us for free by Sustainable Ballard, a local non-profit organization developing a grassroots vision of sustainability for the community of Ballard (www.sustainableballard.org).
From Saturday to Sunday (11-5pm), the Festival will feature a variety of progressive organizations who are at the forefront of discovering and implementing sustainable, green solutions, such as Seattle Electric Vehicle Association and the Sunyata Group. The festival will include various lectures and workshops from eco-gurus and authors on ways to incorporate sustainable living through alternative (but affordable!) transportation, gardening, eating, home/decor remodeling, art and products and the local business where you can find them. They also have fun art projects, puppet shows and “baby oragami” for kids.
Insider tip– Mainstage Festival Sponsor, Earthues (www.earthues.com), a Ballard fair-trade, women-owned textile and eco-friendly natural dye workroom, will host a demo on dying with indigo powders onto fabrics from 10-5pm on Saturday. Seriously, when else would you ever get to do this? Call Weaving Works to reserve your space 206-524-1221.
Come early to the Sustainable Ballard Festival either day and you could be one of the first 200 people that receive a free copy of Chinook Book, full of local event and shopping savings of up to $3,000!
Cameron September 16th, 2008
Wayne Wichern and Daria Wheatley are bringing their designer hats to Ballard. Their work has been featured in galleries and special events all over the west coast, such as the Seattle Opera, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, MOHAI and the San Francisco Fine Art Museum. They will exhibit their fall line of handmade millinery, available for purchase, and of course to ogle over, at the upcoming October Art-Walk weekend at the home of New York Fashion Academy (www.newyorkfashionacademy.com).
Friday, October 10, 10am-6pm
Saturday, October 11, 10am-9pm
www.hats2008.com
Cameron September 12th, 2008
Let’s face it, this Saturday’s Art-Walk event will probably be the last dry and relatively warm Art-Walk night for the next, oh, I don’t know… nine months? So we are rolling off the couch, and from 5-9pm we will enjoy the cool, descending summer evening on Market Street.
Here are some of the options for this Saturday’s Art-Walk:
Opening Celebration at Monster Art and Clothing
Join the Monster crew to celebrate the very recent opening of the newest clothing and accessory storefront in Ballard with savory delectables, music and maybe even some trapeze action. (Corner of Ballard Avenue and 20th in the Cors and Wegener Building).
Glassblowing at Art By Fire
Pretend to have talent like Dale Chihuly and go to the Art By Fire Gallery at 5465 Leary Ave. NW. For $29 and 15 minutes of inflated, molten glass, you can blow like the pros. Call in advance for reservations (206-789-1490).
Beats at Triple
Did you even know that there was probably the coolest shoe store outside of San Francisco in the space above Rudy’s Barbershop and King’s Hardware? Triple features an array of beat-boy (and girl) styled sneakers and usually hosts DJs to spin records while you shop on Art-Walk nights(www.tripleseattle.com). Check it.
Cameron September 8th, 2008
The New York Fashion Academy is gearing up for it’s 5th annual fashion show, with multiple lines expected to hit the runway sometime in April of next year. But fashion shows cost money. Money that broke-ass students don’t have, which will pay for things like pipe and drape, runway construction, lighting, photographers, advertising and promotion, among many other details that go into 15 minutes of fabulousness.
The students of New York Fashion Academy will host a silent auction/parlor party on November 8th, coinciding with the November Art-Walk night. They are currently seeking donations (products or services) that will be auctioned off to fundraise for the 2009 NYFA fashion show. If you’re a proprietor of a local business, consider donating a gift certificate– it’s promo for your business on a bustling Art-Walk night– and you’ll help support little fashionistas in their quest to “work-it-out” and be “fierce”. Or just come to shop– I hear a select group of students will be showcasing some of their pieces, and you won’t want to miss it. It’s kind of a big deal.
Please direct all donation inquiries to:
Newyorkfashionacademy@hotmail.com
(206) 352-2636
Cameron August 27th, 2008
More fashion is coming to Ballard. Move over, make room. It’s a big deal. Monster Art and Clothing is moving into the old Cors and Wegener Building on Ballard Avenue and 20th, to officially open for business this Friday, August 29th. But this isn’t another polished Dolce Vita or previous commercial tenant, Merge. All of you Ballard-purists with your skeptical eyes and crossed arms can appreciate what local artist, Holly Gummelt (http://www.etsy.com) and her art posse are trying to do with Monster Art and Clothing– eco and econ friendly art and fashion.
With the exit of Merge and most recently Olivine (both have moved onto yuppified Fremont), a new movement is setting forth: clothing made by artists, to look like art, at an artist’s budget. Holly Gummelt, a Pike Market craft booth veteran, is picking up her tent, and setting up shop in Ballard to bring art to the common man. She coins her movement, “casual art”, for unpretentious, anti-boutique people– so basically, for Ballardians. “We don’t have a lot of money ’cause we’re artists, so we’re really 
trying to bring something to others who love handmade art, that’s sustainable and affordable. We’re not ‘hoity-toity’; we want to be accessible.”
And we want to access you, Monster Art and Clothing! With hoodie wraps made from 100% up-cycled wool (see photo with proprietor, Gummelt, modeling hat/scarve), screen-printed T-shirts, and quirky accessories created out of recycled scratch, Ballard welcomes you with open …
Cameron July 31st, 2008
Sitting unmarked on Ballard Avenue for the past nine years was at one point the largest distributor of handmade, original greeting cards in the United States. Souvenir, owned and curated by Curtis Steiner (www.curtissteiner.com) with a friendly sales associate named Liberte, is less of a boutique and more of a decorative art gallery, full of quirky and eccentric surprises from the all original handmade cards (only $6.50 each!) made from vintage photos, match boxes and gold leaf to early 20th century botanical lithographs. Steiner is a real artist and craftsman– his stuff, 1,000 Blocks, is a permanent feature in the Seattle Art Museum–as anyone could probably decipher from the glassine baby doll dresses dangling in the storefront of his shop. This store is more than just retail, it’s a museum of treasures, but here, you’re encourage to touch– and even wear the exhibits.
5325 Ballard Ave NW
Seattle, WA 98107
View on Google Maps
Tel 206-297-7116
Hours: Tue-Sat 11-5.30, Sunday 12-4
Cameron June 20th, 2008
In my last article, Make Room For Some Fashion, not everyone agreed that Dolce Vita, the newest clothing boutique to hit Ballard Avenue, actually “fits in”; that’s fine. But believe this—the New York Fashion Academy is bonafide Ballard.
I first learned about the school when a distant friend of mine, who works as an assistant to a real estate entrepreneur, mentioned that his boss was trying to purchase a 100-year-old historic building on the corner of Ballard Ave and 24th to turn it into who-knows-what. The investor apparently met some resistance by the current host of the building—the New York Fashion Academy. When I learned that a) an independent fashion school exists in Seattle and b) its owner is a badass and won’t be pushed outta Ballard, I was intrigued.
Since it’s inception in 1979, the New York Fashion Academy is the only independent fashion school in the Pacific Northwest. Right now, certifiable education in fashion is dominated by cookie cutter, corporate-owned universities: Art Institutes, International Academy of Design and other universities that advertise on non-primetime TV. The parent company of the Art Institutes, Education Management Corporation (www.edmc.com) is the most prevalent provider of private education in North America, with student enrollment at about 70,000 a year. EDMC has 67 primary campus locations in 24 states and two Canadian provinces. So for students seeking an education in couture fashion and textiles without …
Cameron May 29th, 2008
Yet another sleek and trendy clothing boutique found its home on historic Ballard Avenue. At first glance, Dolce Vita, a New York based clothing line, appears incongruously placed in the blue collar neighborhood that includes a handmade guitar shop, fisherman’s unions and custom cabinetry reminiscent of the 19th century. These Mom and pop businesses give Ballard the cozy, humble working-class, Americana charm that we all treasure.
In the midst of transformation, change and growth, it’s easy to typecast transplant businesses as the vehicles of Ballard’s gentrification. But the single thread that interweaves the unique tapestry of Ballard’s identity is the spirited appreciation and embrace of craftsmanship. This is why Dolce Vita actually fits in– even with its posh European facade, faux vintage chandelier and seizure-inducing trance music. Dolce Vita is an American designer whose products: clothing, accessories and some shoes, are made in the West Coast of the United States– a rarity for 21st century retailers. Prices are surprisingly modest for a company who do not outsource their production to China. Lines like Dolce Vita keep American culture, in terms of art and style, alive– from the runways to the sidewalks of our neighborhoods.
They also score cool points for serving Pabst Blue Ribbon on their grand opening last Saturday afternoon. That’s so Ballard.
Kendra May 5th, 2008
The choice of handbag is a form of self-expression and a projection of what image we want to give the world on any particular day. Laura Bee Designs, a Ballard shop, understands that.
