Liberty Bank Building: when worlds converge

My art planets must be aligned this weekend: two pieces of Seattle history are converging, and I’ve made art inspired by both!

When the Liberty Bank Building apartments open for Saturday afternoon’s grand opening party, you’ll get the chance to see the collage portraits I made of the bank’s founders. Those pieces are permanently installed in the Residents’ Lounge… and I just found out Miriam Pratt will be one of the people living here!

We met a few months ago at the exhibit opening of “Living the Dream, Dreaming the Life” which honored Miriam’s father Edwin Pratt. This year marks the 50th anniversary of his assassination., and honors his civil rights activism. At Shoreline City Hall, you can see artwork inspired by images from the Pratt family archives (now held by the Black Heritage Society of Washington) .

In a Seattle Medium interview , Miriam said her new home at Liberty Bank is just a few blocks away from where her parents lived before they moved to Shoreline. Talk about coming full-circle… this move sounds positively cinematic in its resolution.

Come help her (and us artists) celebrate!

Liberty Bank Building: be the first in the door

Remember field trip days when you were a kid? That break from the norm to go on an adventure?

Curator Esther Ervin (wearing hat) leads Redmond,WA students on a Liberty Bank Bldg art tour. Credit: Jackie Peterson

You can recapture that feeling at the grand opening of the Liberty Bank Building apartments — it’s only 22 days away! Details:

The event is free, kid-friendly, and open to the public, so I’m planning on arriving early. I may have said this before, but it bears repeating: unless a resident invites you to visit at a later date, this is your last and only chance to see the art in person. Mark your calendars!