March 2010 Vanessa Ho:
" [...] Talks are ongoing between Chihuly's people, the Seattle Center and the Space Needle to convert the south end of the Fun Forest into a permanent exhibition space for the Northwest's iconic glass artist, complete with a store and cafe. [...] In 2007, the city decided to shut down the Fun Forest, after watching a steady decline in revenue and crowds no longer attracted to the park's skee balls, bumper cars and "Puff 'n' Dumbo" ride. Created in the wake of the World's Fair, the park had deteriorated so much that then-Seattle City Council president Nick Licata deemed it "a dreary forest." [...] Whatever happens, just don't call the project a "museum." That much was clear from earlier discussions. A museum has rotating exhibits and the exhibit would be a permanent installation of Chihuly's works."
Ho, V. "Chihuly exhibit may replace Fun Forest." Seattle PI blog. March 4, 2010
"Posted by Tenochtitlan at 3/4/2010 8:31 p.m.
It occurs to me that the only time I hear anything about glass art, it's Dale Chihuly's glass art. I've got nothing against the man himself, but surely there are other people in the Pacific Northwest who work with glass, yes? Are they all so utterly inferior as artists that they never warrant attention? Or have they been covered in these pages, and I failed to read about them?"
"Posted by lala555 at 3/4/2010 9:08 p.m.
Enough of the Chihuly! Let's feature some other artists for a change."
"Posted by ken7489 at 3/5/2010 12:10 a.m.
What a waste of prime real estate. Can we stop spending time and money creating things that only have value when you go just once? Take EMP for example - you go once and it's great...but that's about it....maybe again when you have out of town visitors. Can we have things that are worth going to multiple times? Sure there are other artists if you want a platter to put over your mantle. But if it must be glass art on the scale in that conceptual design, then it's gonna be Chihuly. There is nobody else when it comes to this scale."
"Posted by bdouglas0 at 3/5/2010 5:09 a.m.
Great idea. Replace carnival rides with carnival glass."
"Posted by Clark W. Griswold at 3/5/2010 9:44 a.m.
I think most of us agree the Center doesn't need Chihuly's "first-class" artwork. His schtick is getting old. Bring in some younger artistic talent with a fresher sensibility."
"Posted by MAXIMA at 3/5/2010 9:51 a.m.
"For us, it fits our mission, and it would be something unique in the world, and very appropriate given what Dale Chihuly has done for the region," said Seattle Center spokeswoman Deborah Daoust.
And just what is that mission? Decorating?
No thanks, I'd rather have a fun forest."
"Posted by Kurosawa at 3/5/2010 11:23 a.m.
And what's wrong with simply converting it to open space? Folk Life, Bumbershoot, and the Byte could certainly utilize the additional space. We could even include a "free speech" corner for soap box speeches and harangues and/or an open mic for performers (with a "boo meter" to shut off the mic?).
I mean, let's use some imagination. We're Seattle, not a Tacoma copycat."
"Posted by NYFLWA at 3/5/2010 11:31 a.m.
RE: Kurosawa. I'm not sure if the Pier 48 can support that weight.
RE: Chilhuly haters
Yes, we have many talented glass artists in the PNW and their works are are featured in several of our institutions: SAM, MOG, TAM, BAM, etc...
However we're talking about Seattle Center. Chihuly has cache beyond Pugetopolis so when people come to Seattle Center they want to see Chihuly. When you go to Rome you want to see Da Vinci & Michelangelo.
Granted, I hope there'll be room to showcase some of talent but Chihuly is the draw. I love this idea. Looking fwd to the Center House concepts.
The Center's golden anniversary is upon us, time to implement some Century 21 evolution.
And for the record, the EMP is a relevant viable institution. In addition to its permanent exhibits, touring exhibits have thrilled visitors not to mention Sky Church serving as a unique performance hall for Bumbershoot and other festivals. And this weekend EMP hosts the Sound Off! Finals f. the best of our underaged talent. Gigs at Bumbershoot and NW Folklife are up for grabs.
It's taken far too long but much needed attention is being paid to our community's backyard, Seattle Center."
"Posted by Mag00 at 3/5/2010 2:54 p.m.
While I like Chihuly I would much rather have Fostoria Heirloom, go look it up on Ebay. This glass has been around since the 50's and everytime someone comes to my house they ask if it is Chihuly's. So many of his pieces seem to be a badly done example of the Fostoria Heirloom line."
No comments:
Post a Comment