Thursday, March 31, 2016
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!
Wednesday, March 30, 2016
Day Three 2016
The Art of Portraiture and Pasta
Today was a full day in sunny Seattle--full of sunshine and arts experiences! We began our day at Caffe Ladro where we sipped house crafted chai, Venetians (mochas with orange zest), and various other espresso drinks, all handcrafted by Christian's son--a reminder that our Overlake world is very small indeed! We then wandered over to the Seattle Art Museum where we were treated to a tour of Kehinde Wiley: A New Republic, a touring exhibit from the Brooklyn Museum. One of the SAM docent educators taught us that Kehinde Wiley selects people from the streets of Brooklyn to be his subjects, painting them with a likeness to famous portraits. Their poses are based on historical paintings of society women by Jacques-Louis David, Thomas Gainsborough, and John Singer Sargent, among others, and all have strikingly vivid backgrounds that look like ornate wallpaper. The dresses featured on the models are handmade by Riccardo Tisci of Givenchy, who was specifically commissioned by Kehinde Wiley for this series of paintings. The resulting paintings in An Economy of Grace are a celebration of black women and culture. Here is a link to a video on the making of An Economy of Grace:
http://www.pbs.org/video/2365311240/
After touring the SAM, we headed to the food court at Westlake where we ran into the Athletics and Community group--again, small world-- as we sampled teriyaki, chow mein, falafel, French fries, and, of course, Auntie Anne's Pretzels. While our morning fed our souls, our afternoon fed our stomachs, and we followed lunch with a Tom Douglas cooking class at the Hot Stove Society in the Andra Hotel. Chef Bridgette Charters taught us how to make fettuccini pasta from scratch which we tossed with a lovely alfredo sauce seasoned with lemon zest, parsley, and parmesan. During our cooking class, we learned the efficient way to slice an onion using the squaring method, the importance of adding salt to pasta water, and the technique of twirling pasta with tongs for proper plating. As we walked out into the brilliant sunshine and beautiful nearly 70 degree March weather, our bellies, hearts, and minds were full from our day of arts experiences.
Today was a full day in sunny Seattle--full of sunshine and arts experiences! We began our day at Caffe Ladro where we sipped house crafted chai, Venetians (mochas with orange zest), and various other espresso drinks, all handcrafted by Christian's son--a reminder that our Overlake world is very small indeed! We then wandered over to the Seattle Art Museum where we were treated to a tour of Kehinde Wiley: A New Republic, a touring exhibit from the Brooklyn Museum. One of the SAM docent educators taught us that Kehinde Wiley selects people from the streets of Brooklyn to be his subjects, painting them with a likeness to famous portraits. Their poses are based on historical paintings of society women by Jacques-Louis David, Thomas Gainsborough, and John Singer Sargent, among others, and all have strikingly vivid backgrounds that look like ornate wallpaper. The dresses featured on the models are handmade by Riccardo Tisci of Givenchy, who was specifically commissioned by Kehinde Wiley for this series of paintings. The resulting paintings in An Economy of Grace are a celebration of black women and culture. Here is a link to a video on the making of An Economy of Grace:
http://www.pbs.org/video/2365311240/
After touring the SAM, we headed to the food court at Westlake where we ran into the Athletics and Community group--again, small world-- as we sampled teriyaki, chow mein, falafel, French fries, and, of course, Auntie Anne's Pretzels. While our morning fed our souls, our afternoon fed our stomachs, and we followed lunch with a Tom Douglas cooking class at the Hot Stove Society in the Andra Hotel. Chef Bridgette Charters taught us how to make fettuccini pasta from scratch which we tossed with a lovely alfredo sauce seasoned with lemon zest, parsley, and parmesan. During our cooking class, we learned the efficient way to slice an onion using the squaring method, the importance of adding salt to pasta water, and the technique of twirling pasta with tongs for proper plating. As we walked out into the brilliant sunshine and beautiful nearly 70 degree March weather, our bellies, hearts, and minds were full from our day of arts experiences.
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