Love & Wisdom
Seattle Magazine 2011 Spotlight Award: Garrett Fisher
NEW ARIA CODE: Composer Garrett Fisher is creating a new genre of note
Sitting on the living room floor of his modest Capitol Hill home, a cup of tea in hand and a large cat lounging nearby, Garrett Fisher hardly seems poised to upend opera as we know it. But he might just do so. The acclaimed composer has earned accolades nationwide for his fresh approach, blending ancient…
Seattle Magazine 2011 Spotlight Award: Kyle Loven
MASTER OF PUPPETS: Kyle Loven performs a magical hand jive
At Kyle Loven’s studio space in Belltown, the worktable is littered with ears—latex ears, which he’s been perfecting for his recent work, When You Point at the Moon. The spooky story is based on Chinese moon mythology that warns, “Don’t point at the moon, or the moon will cut your ears off.” Loven, a skilled…
Seattle Magazine 2011 Spotlight Award: Troy Gua
POP EYE: Troy Gua turns pop culture into high art
Visual artist Troy Gua wants to be famous. His deadpan stare and signature slicked black topknot are unmistakable at local art gatherings—and often the subject of his own artwork. He’s hung large-scale photographs of himself, fashioned a small sculpture of himself urinating (after the famous “Manneken Pis” in Brussels), and even translated his face into…
Seattle Magazine 2011 Spotlight Award: Mandy Greer
HIGH IN FIBER: Installation artist Mandy Greer weaves dreams from detritus
“This is my eight-year-old dream come true,” says Mandy Greer, surveying her home studio, which her husband (artist Paul Margolis) recently built with a friend in a space adjoining the laundry room. Countless clear plastic tubs are packed to bursting with colorful fabrics. Sparkly garments hang from hooks, as does a furry wolf head and…
2009 Spotlight Award: Ray Tagavilla
Actor Ray Tagavilla steals the show on small stages.
NAME: Ray TagavillaART FORM: TheaterWEB SITE: Look him up on Facebook.comNEXT UP: Tagavilla may perform at Capitol Hill’s Balagan Theatre in October; check balagantheatre.org Anyone who saw Washington Ensemble Theatre’s exquisite production of The Mistakes Madeline Made last February knows Ray Tagavilla—even if they don’t remember his name. The 31-year-old actor played Wilbur, the weird,…
2009 Spotlight Award: Karen Finneyfrock
Poet Karen Finneyfrock is queen of the spoken word.
NAME: Karen FinneyfrockART FORM: PoetryWEB SITE: finneyfrock.wordpress.comNEXT UP: Regular appearances with the Seattle Poetry Slam (seattlepoetryslam.org) at Spitfire downtown, 2219 Fourth Ave. Wednesdays, 8 p.m. $5 Anyone still unsure of exactly what spoken word poetry is should ask Karen Finneyfrock, the Seattle poet who, in 2006, was honored as a slam “Legend” at the National…
2009 Spotlight Award: Ellie Sandstrom
Dancer Ellie Sandstrom takes moving and shaking to the max.
NAME: Ellie SandstromART FORM: DanceWEB SITE: sandstrommovement.comNEXT UP: Performing with Locust and AMYO/Tiny Rage at Portland’s TBA Festival 9/3–9/13; see her Web site for additional appearances Watching Ellie Sandstrom dance is like watching a spider wrap a fresh kill in its web—it’s fascinating and a little frightening to witness something so precise, innate and powerful….
2009 Spotlight Award: Bao Tran
Filmmaker Bao Tran busts stereotypes on screen.
NAME: Bao tranART FORM: FilmWEB SITE: bookiethemovie.comNEXT UP: See Black Coffee on the big screen at Bumbershoot’s One Reel film festival 9/5–9/7; Also this month, watch Bookie online at bookiethemovie.com “I’m an old person in a young person’s body,” asserts local filmmaker Bao Tran. It’s a little hard to believe at first glance, given Tran’s…
2008 Spotlight Award: Zoe Scofield
Choreographer Zoe Scofield isn't afraid to dig in the dirt, creating imagery that connects with some
In the beginning, she was just in it for the tutu. As a young girl, choreographer Zoe Scofield coveted the scratchy pink skirt her older sister earned as a reward for completing a ballet class. She made it her mission to earn her own, and in the process learned she loved living in fantasy—even if…
2008 Spotlight Award: Lucia Neare
Lucia Neare’s theatrical wonders invite audiences into a beautiful, whimsical world.
If you were one of the estimated 10,000 people who happened to be near the Harbor Steps last May Day, you have already experienced one of artist Lucia Neare’s self-described “theatrical wonders.” The two-hour spectacle, Ooo-La-La, was inspired by the question, “What if we put love in the air in downtown Seattle, just for a few…
2008 Spotlight Award: Lynn Shelton
Seattle independent filmmaker Lynn Shelton finds that making a movie “in an upside-down way” lands h
“Do you consider yourself mumblecore?” The question was lobbed from the back of the Egyptian Theatre, over the heads of a full-house crowd, during the Q&A session at the 2008 Seattle International Film Festival premiere of Lynn Shelton’s feature film My Effortless Brilliance. From the stage, hand over her eyes to block the lights, the…
2008 Spotlight Award: Diem Chau
Diem Chau uses ordinary objects to create extraordinary art.
When Diem Chau wanders through thrift stores, she hears a cacophony of voices: A ceramic rice bowl whispers of family dinners, a porcelain teacup betrays shared confidences, a sturdy mug evokes memories of staying home sick and sipping Campbell’s soup. “I love more traditional techniques and mediums, but at some point I just found that…
2007 Spotlight Award Winners
Our picks for theater and arts top five arts talents of the year.
When it comes to big local art news, we all know it’s been Seattle Art Museum’s year. This past January the Olympic Sculpture Park opened, ushering in a brave new era of public art in Seattle. May marked the spring of SAM, so to speak, with the unveiling of the museum’s thoughtful downtown expansion. While…
Join The Must List
Sign up and get Seattle's best events delivered to your inbox every week.