What does an artist "drawing board" look like?

People keep “going back to the drawing board”… where is this legendary place, anyway?

It was in Washington Hall this week, and on this drawing board were the first sketches of an upcoming art project/ apartment building in Seattle’s Central District. Curator Bill Gaylord went over the initial plans for 12th Avenue and Yesler Way. You might know the location as the old Seattle Curtain Manufacturing Company; some of its remaining fabrics will go into textile art created by the Pacific Northwest African American Quilters.

Civic arts leader Vivian Phillips then introduced the rest of the artist team: Marita Dingus, Juan Alonso-Rodriguez, June Sekiguchi, Romson Regarde Bustillo, Jite Agbro, Jonathan Clarren, Jeffery Veregge, Lawrence Pitre and me.

It’s super-early days for this two-year project. It still needs lots of input from the neighbors so it doesn’t end up just another big box of gentrified property. But I joined this project because I hope the building becomes responsive part of the historic neighborhood, like the Liberty Bank Building. Maybe that’s a high bar, but I think it’s possible.