SEATTLE — An art gallery in the heart of Seattle has a “fresh” new perspective, allowing young BIPOC curators an opportunity to find their footing, gain real-world experience, and explore the world of art through their own eyes.
Tucked inside King Street Station is the Fressssh! Art Gallery, an inclusive space with a different perspective in what can sometimes be a cold and exclusionary field.
The Office of Arts & Culture, partnering with Seattle City Lights, offers ten young BIPOC art curators a one-of-a-kind opportunity to gain first-hand experience working with five local BIPOC artists.
Program Lead James Coley appreciates what the space means for both the young curators and the featured artists, “Particularly, not only with its mission not only to sort of foster community and be a community hub. But, the component of that is its intention and racial equity in creating an opportunity for artists to create and to show their work to the community. To be in conversation with the community. And, to have their expression and their perspective be a part of the Seattle fabric. I think it’s such a dynamic piece of what’s happening here.”
There’s a chance for those curators to visit other spaces too, and get a feel for arts administration – pairing arts and education with practical real-world involvement.
The curators worked directly with creators like Tacoma-born poet and mixed-media artist Kellie Colemon, who represents both the Black and Queer communities. Coleman says, “These kinds of spaces are critical for under-represented artists and late-in-life and self-taught artists like myself.”
Her work is vulnerable and often features re-purposed recycled materials to give them a fresh, new life. Something she can relate to, spending the past few years battling Leukemia, a disease with just a 20% survival rate for Black women.
She is currently in remission, but her art continues to provide solace, healing, and opportunity.
Coleman hopes that a space like Fressssh! can do the same, “The fact that this space was curated by young people, it’s creating a pipeline of arts leaders that maybe would not be available, and it means a lot because it’s actually shifting who has power to make decisions, who’s influencing the art world, and what art has the capacity to do,” she says.
Fressssh! is free to all ages, open from 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. through Saturday, October 5th.
However, if you don’t happen to catch a glimpse of the gallery in person, Coley says these pieces will eventually be incorporated into permanent installations and brought into Seattle’s civic collection once the exhibition is complete.
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