Ambach & Rice Presents: From Whence The Rainbow Came

Ambach & Rice, in Seattle, held a reception on September 12, 2009, for Whence The Rainbow Came, an exhibition of work by Jeffry Mitchell, Joe Park, Dan Webb and Claude Zervas. The show continues through October 18, 2009.

Bumbershoot 2009 - Monday

The final day of the Bumbershoot Festival, Monday, September 7, 2009, opened with a heavy rainfall. It was a relatively light day, for me. I caught part of a Pacific Northwest Ballet performance at midday, made a final walk through the visual art exhibits, and went to the Mainstage for a performance by the Black Eyed Peas. Liis had to work today, but I met her at the gate at 4:30 and we check out Wise Fool New Mexico, a collective of women engaged in puppetry and circus arts.

The Black Eye Peas

Wise Fool New Mexico

Bumbershoot 2009 - Sunday

The second day of the 39th annual Bumbershoot Festival was Sunday, September 6, 2009. Highlights of the day included Christian Lander of Stuff White People Like blog and book fame, the legendary filmmaker/renaissance man Melvin Van Peebles, along with musical performances by Dyme Def, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Roy Ayers, Jason Mraz and Raphael Saadiq.




Melvin Van Peebles

Christian Lander (right)

Bumbershoot 2009 - Saturday

The 39th annual Bumbershoot Festival ran from September 5 to September 7, 2009, in the Seattle Center. The festival includes a huge collection of musical performances, as well as theater, ballet, fine art, comedy, dance, spoken word, and more. A diverse variety of food vendors and indie retail booths fill out the picture. Performances I saw on opening day included The Goldberg Variations, Katie Perry, Mayer Hawthorne & The County, Carrie Rodriguez, Os Mutantes, Sheryl Crow and De La Soul.

Seattle Mayor’s Arts Awards

The Seventh Annual Mayor’s Arts Awards ceremony and reception was held in the Seattle Center on September 4, 2009. This year’s recipients included:

• Artist Trust
• Jesse Higman, visual artist
• Speight Jenkins, Seattle Opera general director
• Northwest Tap Connection
• Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestra




Mayor Greg Nickels (at podium)

Richard Andrews

Rachel Younkin

John Boylan, Gene Gentry McMahon & Ellen Sollod

City Council Member Nick Licata

Spike Mafford, artist

Joyce Halldorson

Jill Fanette

Cara Egan

Laura Hopkins

Deborah Paine

Catherine Person

Alison Keogh at Francine Seders Gallery

On the #5 bus moving towards Francine Seders Gallery, I noted a large dense area of green, bounded by a parking lot. When I ask the unusually good-looking young woman seated next to me whether it was a park and she replied “the Woodland Park Zoo,” it occurred to me that I need to get out of Belltown more often.

My gallery visit was for an exhibition reception of a show that includes my friend Alison Keogh and runs through September 27, 2009. Other artists in the show are Michael Howard, and a collaborative exhibition featuring the work of Gail Grinnell and Sam Wildman.

Another Alison Keogh exhibition was featured in this blog last year.

Art works by Alison Keogh

John Boylan & Alison Keogh

Alison Keogh & Michael Spafford

Alison Keogh & Emma Shultz

Robert Mang, Alison’s husband

Francine Seders

Near bus stop at N 65th & Phinney Ave N

Central District Forum Open House

The Central District Forum for Arts and Ideas celebrated its 10th anniversary with a rooftop open house and reception on August 27, 2009. The CD Forum presents and produces African-American cultural programs for the greater Seattle area that encourage thought and debate. The event also served as an opportunity to welcome Kumani Gantt, the organization’s new executive director.





Kumani Gantt (center of image)