King Street Station, 6/8/19, 1:57 pm
I don’t go to the I-district very often so I was really excited to take this opportunity to explore a little
and visit this art exhibit. I actually love art museums but I rarely go to them. I read about the exhibit
beforehand but I was still surprised by the amount of art and sheer talent that I saw. The exhibit was in a
beautiful space with great natural light. It wasn’t very busy, but there were still a few other visitors
walking around. The set-up was easy to follow and there was a good mix of different forms of art. Some
were very colorful, some were structurally impressive. I actually saw two pieces that I had seen before in
a different class. In a class that I took this quarter called “lovework: an unfinished syllabus”, Charles
Fiddler, an Anishinaabe (Ojibwe) woodlands style artist, came in and spoke to us about his art and
culture. He showed us images of a lot of his work, and he encouraged all of us to try out the woodlands
style. He talked about the meanings of the different symbols and why there are many connecting lines.
and visit this art exhibit. I actually love art museums but I rarely go to them. I read about the exhibit
beforehand but I was still surprised by the amount of art and sheer talent that I saw. The exhibit was in a
beautiful space with great natural light. It wasn’t very busy, but there were still a few other visitors
walking around. The set-up was easy to follow and there was a good mix of different forms of art. Some
were very colorful, some were structurally impressive. I actually saw two pieces that I had seen before in
a different class. In a class that I took this quarter called “lovework: an unfinished syllabus”, Charles
Fiddler, an Anishinaabe (Ojibwe) woodlands style artist, came in and spoke to us about his art and
culture. He showed us images of a lot of his work, and he encouraged all of us to try out the woodlands
style. He talked about the meanings of the different symbols and why there are many connecting lines.
It was really cool to see his work hung up in the exhibit, especially because I recognized it immediately.
Overall, I was very moved by the exhibit. Many of the art pieces really spoke to me, especially paintings
and images regarding indigenous womxn. In an American Indian Studies class I had taken, someone did a
presentation on indigenous womxn and how they are murdered and go missing at much higher rates than
any other racial/ethnic group in the United States-- a terrifying fact. Seeing all of this art that depicted
such strong and beautiful indigenous womxn made me pretty emotional. One of the art pieces that
particularly struck a chord with me was a vinyl sign that said,
Overall, I was very moved by the exhibit. Many of the art pieces really spoke to me, especially paintings
and images regarding indigenous womxn. In an American Indian Studies class I had taken, someone did a
presentation on indigenous womxn and how they are murdered and go missing at much higher rates than
any other racial/ethnic group in the United States-- a terrifying fact. Seeing all of this art that depicted
such strong and beautiful indigenous womxn made me pretty emotional. One of the art pieces that
particularly struck a chord with me was a vinyl sign that said,
INDIGENOUS WOMXN
WE HAVE ALWAYS BEEN HERE
WE WILL ALWAYS BE HERE
WE WILL ALWAYS BE HERE
In thinking about the location of the King Street Station, I realized that we were West of I-5, meaning that
we were on land that was created by men to extend the coastline further West. I realized this when I saw
CenturyLink Field through one of the windows.
we were on land that was created by men to extend the coastline further West. I realized this when I saw
CenturyLink Field through one of the windows.
It’s really thought provoking to think about how much this landscape has been altered, and how so
much has changed. Before colonization and the development of Seattle, the area where King Street
Station is was a tidal lagoon. After colonization, the people of this region were displaced in the
process of creating the United States. As time passed and the United States formed, opening its borders
to immigrants, this region became the International District, home to many Chinese immigrants. Today,
this area is still the I-district, but much of it has changed. There’s a lot of history in this place, and it’s
interesting to think about the different people who occupied this land and how that came to be.
much has changed. Before colonization and the development of Seattle, the area where King Street
Station is was a tidal lagoon. After colonization, the people of this region were displaced in the
process of creating the United States. As time passed and the United States formed, opening its borders
to immigrants, this region became the International District, home to many Chinese immigrants. Today,
this area is still the I-district, but much of it has changed. There’s a lot of history in this place, and it’s
interesting to think about the different people who occupied this land and how that came to be.
Art piece 1: Ceremony
I chose to focus on this piece for multiple reasons. First, it caught my attention with the contrast of the
red paint splattered on the white canvas. The paint framed the poem in the center very nicely. It also
looked like the poem had been burned in the center which was interesting. The poem contained vivid
imagery that invoked a strong reaction within me. The image of the “brown children” taking “shovels to
their eyes” was powerful. The image of the “brown children” “[taking] knives to their skin to bleed”
was also very powerful, especially because of the red paint that outlined the poem. Also, the poem speaks
to the indigenous practices of agriculture which we had discussed quite a bit in class. The poem talks
about the relationship between earth and people, like planting seeds and creating fires. There are both
practical and spiritual themes woven throughout the poem and I thought it was a beautiful piece,
poetically and visually.
red paint splattered on the white canvas. The paint framed the poem in the center very nicely. It also
looked like the poem had been burned in the center which was interesting. The poem contained vivid
imagery that invoked a strong reaction within me. The image of the “brown children” taking “shovels to
their eyes” was powerful. The image of the “brown children” “[taking] knives to their skin to bleed”
was also very powerful, especially because of the red paint that outlined the poem. Also, the poem speaks
to the indigenous practices of agriculture which we had discussed quite a bit in class. The poem talks
about the relationship between earth and people, like planting seeds and creating fires. There are both
practical and spiritual themes woven throughout the poem and I thought it was a beautiful piece,
poetically and visually.
The poem says:
Morning has come.
And the brown children of the earth
open their eyes to greet her.
Morning has come.
And the brown children of the earth
open their arms to embrace her.
Morning has come.
And the brown children of the earth
open their mouths to sing for her.
Morning has come.
And the brown children of the earth
take knives to their skin to bleed for her.
Morning has come.
And the brown children of the earth
take shovels to their eyes
and plant seeds for her.
Morning has come.
And the brown children of the earth
cover their heads with red paint,
and build fires with the bodies of
their brothers, for the night
will soon
be here.
Art piece 2:
I chose to focus on this photo series for several reasons. I really liked the parallel images of these
different women in different parts of Seattle. The colors were lovely and they just looked so incredibly
strong and beautiful. The photography was just really good in terms of spacing and depth. I also really
liked the title of the pieces, which I thought were relevant to things we discussed in class: Indigenizing
Colonized Spaces. Again, in these images, contrast is at play. The contrast between the traditional
dresses/garments of these native women and the very new, urban background was very captivating.
This idea of “indigenizing colonized spaces” is an important one, and thankfully happening more. I think
the art exhibit itself is a great example of that. The fact that these indigenous artists are bringing
knowledge and presence back into this space is both important and beautiful. I also feel like the
Intellectual House on campus is also a good example of indigenizing a colonized space. Colonization
and indigenizing places are things we have discussed in class, like in lecture or when we stopped at the
Jamestown S’Klallam Information Center on the all-weekend field trip to Lake Crescent.
different women in different parts of Seattle. The colors were lovely and they just looked so incredibly
strong and beautiful. The photography was just really good in terms of spacing and depth. I also really
liked the title of the pieces, which I thought were relevant to things we discussed in class: Indigenizing
Colonized Spaces. Again, in these images, contrast is at play. The contrast between the traditional
dresses/garments of these native women and the very new, urban background was very captivating.
This idea of “indigenizing colonized spaces” is an important one, and thankfully happening more. I think
the art exhibit itself is a great example of that. The fact that these indigenous artists are bringing
knowledge and presence back into this space is both important and beautiful. I also feel like the
Intellectual House on campus is also a good example of indigenizing a colonized space. Colonization
and indigenizing places are things we have discussed in class, like in lecture or when we stopped at the
Jamestown S’Klallam Information Center on the all-weekend field trip to Lake Crescent.
I’m so glad I took the time to visit the yəhaw̓ art exhibit and this outing inspired me to look into local art
more.
more.
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