Day Five 2016

Today, we ventured a little beyond Seattle to check out the Tacoma art scene.  We arrived at Anthem Coffee and Tea on Pacific just in time to get iced lattes, smoothies, and tea to go.  Coffees in hand, we crossed the Bridge of Glass and descended the Grand Staircase to enter the Tacoma Museum of Glass.  When we arrived at the glass museum, we were greeted by our docent who guided us into the Hot Shop where we watched live glass blowing.  Emily noted how the voyeur aspect of the audience turns it into a sort of theater; Mollie was busy looking up the melting points of glass, steel, and aluminum; and I was trying to figure out how to describe the experience in words--proof that you can take teachers out of the school, but you can't take the school out of the teachers.  We then toured the museum, examining various pieces by Dale Chihuly and other famous artists who specialize in glass blowing (most of whom attended Chihuly's Pilchuck Glass School, which is North of Seattle).  Two favorite exhibits were the Every Soil Bears Not Everything exhibition by Joey Kirkpatrick and Flora C. Mace, which focused on nature and the empty vessel, and the #bethecurator exhibition, where viewers vote for and comment on pieces and the artist who earns the most votes will receive a Visiting Artist Residency in 2017.  For more information on the glass museum, to watch live feed from the hot shop, or to read more about the various exhibits, follow this link: http://museumofglass.org/.

After a lovely lunch at Choripan Café in the Museum of Glass, we meandered back across the Bridge of Glass, admiring the Seaform Crystal Towers and the Venetian Wall, as well as the Tacoma skyline, along the way.  We ended the day at the Tacoma Art Museum where we saw more of Chihuly's work and other exhibits including: The Art of John Mix Stanley, The Mia McEldowney Jewelry Collection, and Richard Rhodes' Stone Wave.  On our way out the door, we were complimented on how well behaved and respectful the Overlake students were--no surprise to any of us teachers, but a good reminder of how fortunate we are to work at such an amazing school and to teach such amazing kids.  It was a great finish to a fantastic week of memorable arts experiences.

Day Four 2016

That time when you pinch yourself and ask, is this real?  That was today.  We began our day with coffee at the group favorite of the local coffee shops, Local Color, a hot spot in Pike's Place that's café meets art gallery meets hipster.  Owners Sidney and Frank treated us to Mighty O mini donuts which were gone in about 3 seconds flat.  Fully caffeinated, we headed out to the market to practice our photography skills, sample market delicacies such as roasted nuts and tea, shop the vendors for handcrafted jewelry, locally sourced produce, and crocheted hats, and take in the breathtaking views of the Sound.  We lunched at one of the market viewpoints.  And, as we noshed on Beecher's grilled cheese, fish 'n chips from Jack's Fish Spot, hum bao from Mee Sum Pastry, Greek yogurt from Elleno's, freshly baked vegan muffins and cookies from Cinnamon Works, and ripe raspberries from Frank's Quality Produce, we took in just how beautiful Seattle is.  The ferries ambled in and out of the terminal, the seagulls swooped across the sky, and the sun was literally blinding; it was a moment where the group collectively agreed how lucky we are to live in this place--truly, a pinch me moment.  Reluctantly, we packed up and headed across town to the ACT.  Deciding we were too early for the show and not quite ready to leave the beautiful weather, we scooted up to the Jim Ellis Freeway Park (truly, one of Seattle's hidden city gems) to bask in the sunshine just a little bit longer.  Three escalator rides and twenty minutes later, we arrived at the ACT where we saw Stephen Sondheim's Assassins, which tells the story of American history's most famous presidential assassins including John Wilkes Booth, Lee Harvey Oswald, Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme, and John Hinckley.  The actors came out, quite literally, guns blazing, and delivered a memorable opening scene which the Seattle Times calls "an opportune jolt [as] a sneering carnival barker hands out guns like cotton candy to some unhinged-looking people" (Seattle Times 3.8.16).  The music and lyrics were a mix of marches, folksy ballads, and grandiose show tunes.  Sara Jane Moore (not to be confused with the Overlake student) stole the show with her performance as Kendra Kassebaum.  When we walked out into the brilliant sunshine after the show, it felt like we'd hit the climax of our project week plot diagram.  But, there's no falling action, only another act to follow tomorrow as we head out for yet another day of amazing arts experiences.  A special shout out to Bill Neil and the transportation team for, quite literally, giving us curbside VIP service.  It was a fabulous fourth day!