An Extraordinary Time

According to ancient Chinese legend Lion Dancing began a thousand years ago as a means to ward off a beast, which would descend from the mountains on the first day of the Lunar New Year and destroy crops, villages and eat people.

Eventually the villagers realized the lion was just hungry and left out food for it to eat. In return the lion provided the villagers with protection. Today lion dancing on the Chinese Lunar New Year is used to bring good luck and prosperity. In Seattle Sifu David Leong of the Belltown Martial Arts School led his students through the streets of the International District.

Bryce Kawaoka, 29
We’re performing the traditional lion’s dance, which is part of Chinese New Years tradition where the lion goes to various establishments here and blesses them for good luck for the year. I was the tail end of the lion.

The (lion’s) head kind of leads the dance and the tail just follows the head and the beat of the drum. I can hear the beat of the drum and I know kind of where in the cadence we are. I just try and keep up with them and anticipate what direction they are heading.

Some of the moves we do are symbolic. The bowing is to show respect to the establishment. The establishment offers the gift of the lettuce to the lions and the lions play with it and eat it. It’s a tradition that goes back a long way in Chinese history.

My heritage is not Chinese. Not everyone in the school is of course Chinese heritage, but we all have a deep appreciation for the culture and the things that it offers.

I consider it a privilege (to take part in this). Building up to it takes dedication and hard work to learn how to do it, to build the skills that are necessary to perform this in a way that it can be appreciated.

I feel like we’ve been welcome. And they’re prepared. They had they’re offerings for the lions. Everyone’s always happy to see them come not only for the show but for the blessings and the good luck that it brings for the year.

After nearly 30 years of failed attempts in Washington state, the legislature recently passed an anti-discrimination law protecting the rights of lesbians, gays, bisexual and transgender persons in housing, employment, and lending.

This makes Washington the 17th state to pass such a law, and the seventh to include transgender people in it.

Before the celebratory party began inside the Paramount Theater, Misty Parton shared her thoughts on homelessness and discrimination within the transgender community in Seattle.

Misty Parton, Seattle, 44
I’m 44. I‘m transsexual. I’ve been living fulltime now for 7 years. I hope one day to continue the journey of surgery and so-forth to live a normal happy life, so to speak.

I’ve definitely been discriminated against and it would be my hope that (this law) will (help). Cuz it’s really hard when you’re discriminated whether you’re looking for work or even so much as going to the grocery store. Its really hard…. It’ll help make medical more accessible. Just about every aspect of life will become a little easier.

I’m starting a transgender house for the homeless. The idea behind it is to help the men and women that are transgender that are on the street prostituting, wrapped up in drugs, whatever. Our hope is to get them in some kind of a normal shelter because they are really discriminated against in the shelters that are out there. Where people can get the resources they need and work on their issues and eventually move on to being healthy productive citizens.

It happened a year ago September. I ended up in serious trouble where I was staying and I ended up homeless over it and basically ran in survival mode. You’re not really paying attention to any inner feelings or anything. Everything’s just geared toward ‘get out of the mess’. When you do get a place you just kind of crash. It takes a while to pull yourself back up and say, ‘OK I can take things easier now.’ I can concentrate on one thing at a time. Rather than everything just being daunting.

The name of the project is going to be called ‘The Cocoon Project’. It simplifies what the transgender community does in their transferring, transitioning. Kind of going from, before they start either male or female, and as they transition over its kind of like going from a caterpillar into a beautiful butterfly.

The other problems with shelters is that they’re just not safe. The girls are very easily raped and beaten. The guys , the same thing. Just for being different. So it’s definitely a need.

 

The Blowers / January 22, 2006 / Qwest Field

 

Hours after fans streamed out of Qwest Field after the NFC championship game around 200 employees of Aramark Facilities worked throughout the night to clean up the mess.  In addition to picking up garbage and power rinsing beer and mustard stains over 1.6 million square feet of space, about 30 people armed with gasoline powered blowers rounded up 350 pounds of confetti which had been fired onto the field during celebrations.  It is expected to take 3 days to clean the field.

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Lenoard Carter, 59.   Right now we are blowing down the field and getting the confetti off.  After they pickup, we’re going up into the stands and blow it down.  Then they’re going to have some power washers come through and clean it up the day after. Its fun to me.  (The shift) might be ten, maybe 12 hours.  I’m from Jacksonville, FL.  I can’t stand the Seahawks.  But I love the city.  I love ya all.

Fredrick Beasley, 27.  Colts are my team.  I can’t be mad.  At least I get to watch sports.  You know, that’s the best thing about it. 

Andre Johnson, 39. This is my first time on the field.  This is great.  Being on a pro football field in the stadium.  I’m not originally from here so all the hoopla is pretty exciting I think.  Of course I would have liked to have gone to the game but how many people get to do this.  This is a once in a lifetime (opportunity) too.

Frederick Blair, 43. My favorite team is the Giants, but Seattle deserves it.

Nathan Snyder, 25.  I just moved here from Pennsylvania about 2 weeks ago.  I am a Steelers fan.  It’s cool.  I like the Seahawks too.  Its pretty cool that the last 2 cities I’ve lived in are going to the Superbowl against each other…. Steelers probably have the biggest following around the country. You can instantly talk to anyone whose a Steelers fan.  They’re pretty cool fans.  I’m fans of both.  I’m rooting for the Steelers in the Superbowl and I think they’re gonna take it.  But I like the Seahawks too so I’ll be a little sad for the Seahawks.

Jurgen Unger, 29.  It’s very fun.  It’s easy.  You meet a lot of good people. I’ve done it a number of times.  Every time you get a big game like this one, especially towards the end of the season, you get more mess to clean up.  But it’s easy enough.  

Urban Environmental Art / January 10, 2006 / Western & Union streets

 

A state Appeals Court recently reinstated City Light’s participation in the One Percent for Art program.  This ordinance requires 1% of capital improvement projects be allocated to public art by any capital department.

 

“Tree Reflection” is a mural by Sue Gundy displayed on the Electric Gallery, on a City Light substation. She received this commission through a special grant program administered by the Office of Art & Cultural Affairs, City of Seattle.  It stands 14 feet high by 100 feet long.

 

The CityArtist program currently has an open call for  film, new media  literary, visual/ installation artists. Deadline is Feb. 21^st . More information can be found at www.seattle.gov/arts.  

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Sue Gundy, 38

I chose this subject matter because the site itself is very industrial and kind of ugly and so I really wanted to bring some nature and color into that space…. I also wanted to bring in the idea of northwest themes and bringing some of northwest nature into this industrial site.

The fish were photographs that I took of salmon in the Ballard Locks… and I just loved that fish ladder and salmon are so prominent in this area and so to me salmon really is a strong northwest symbol.  The trees are from photographs I took of individual trees out in eastern Washington near Winthrop.  I just love the grandness of the trees.  They’re so huge and just incredibly beautiful.  For some reason I just had this idea that I would merge the two together.

…there is this pretty ugly industrial site and probably however many years ago, a hundred years ago, had some trees and grass or whatever was there before and was covering it all up and put buildings there and parking garages and streets.  It’s a gentle reminder to people that we do have to preserve our wildlife and our natural spaces and trees and fish.

I hope that people will just stop for a minute and pause and reflect on the actual beauty of the world we live in and really appreciate it.

Where you live actually effects your artwork too.  In Seattle since people are so environmentally aware its nice to have artists who feel the same way that I do about the environment and trying to preserve it and appreciate it and enjoy being here.

Whenever I go down with my son we’ve noticed that its gotten dirty.  From all the soot and smog and pollution in the city which unfortunately we have since we use our cars and everything.  I keep hoping that the city might clean it.  That’s what happens in nature anyways is that things get dirty when they’re outside.