Artopia In Georgetown Strikes Again, Part 1

I’m sad to say that this was my first year attending Artopia in Seattle’s Georgetown neighborhood, but I now wholeheartedly back the event, which is full of shenanigans, music, and of course, art. And to my pleasant surprise, a lot of installation art — which is relatively lacking in Seattle.

To the unacquainted, Georgetown is a relatively “rundown” part of the city, but in a good way. It’s chock full of antiques and old-school personality. With portions of an old brewery and malt plant still intact, the neighborhood has established itself as a pretty good art niche as of late.

Upon first getting there, we were met with crafts to do. Carve your own clay tile, they said. Partake in our creature swaps, they said. Eat free popcorn, they said. Play in our strongman competitions, they said. But that was just the beginning!


Sand painting, with powdered paint. Powdered paint?!!


Yoga ball alley does a body good. How do they come up with this stuff?


Power tool racing. This was all the rage for some reason. In this particular race, the new generation tool beat the old generation tool. Unfortunately, I’m not sure what tool it was…


Numerous colored paints, one record, and one centrifuge = spin art.


An experimental film setup of sorts.


A contraption that’s a little like a seesaw, but when you stand on the end, it’s similar to a flipbook. You think about that.


Jethaniel “Spyder” Peterka‘s Anatomical Icons. Oil on panel and what looks like gold leaf. He was a former (or current?) Gage Academy of Art student. I know nothing more.


Sarah Fansler LavinBite, Tear, Chew, Gnaw #2, made of cast plaster and steel. Here is her artist statement:

“My work is a response to where we have been and where we are going. For me, Blacksmithing is the connection between the worlds. It reflects the physical effort and human struggle in the confrontation with matter. It is an ironic nod to tradition and the labor intensity eschewed today. My work explores the issues of human fragility/natures tenacity. This imbalance is the subject of my recurring dream: Teeth falling out. This common dream represents fear of losing control, not being heard and our caged instinctual and primal instincts.”

Written by
Vee Hua 華婷婷

Vee Hua 華婷婷 (they/them) is a writer, filmmaker, and organizer with semi-nomadic tendencies. Much of their work unifies their metaphysical interests with their belief that art can positively transform the self and society. They are the Editor-in-Chief of REDEFINE, Interim Managing Editor of South Seattle Emerald, and Co-Chair of the Seattle Arts Commission. They also previously served as the Executive Director of the interdisciplinary community hub, Northwest Film Forum, where they played a key role in making the space more welcoming and accessible for diverse audiences.

Vee has two narrative short films. Searching Skies (2017) touches on Syrian refugee resettlement in the United States; with it, they helped co-organize The Seventh Art Stand, a national film and civil rights discussion series against Islamophobia. Reckless Spirits (2022) is a metaphysical, multi-lingual POC buddy comedy for a bleak new era, in anticipation of a feature-length project.

Vee is passionate about cultural space, the environment, and finding ways to covertly and overtly disrupt oppressive structures. They also regularly share observational human stories through their storytelling newsletter, RAMBLIN’ WITH VEE!, and are pursuing a Master’s in Tribal Resource and Environmental Stewardship under the Native American Studies Department at the University of Minnesota.

View all articles
Subscribe
Notify of
guest

0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Joshua Lee
15 years ago

I know that this is a long shot but I am a friend of Jethaniel Peterka from Ventura California. I have not seen him in quite a few years with the exception of a brief “hug and how ya doin? ok bye” I miss him sooo sooo much and was wondering if you can help me get back in contact with a long lost friend…

My name is Joshua Lee. My email addy is joshua38.jlee@gmail.com

please help!

Written by Vee Hua 華婷婷
0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x