Arts & Culture, Seattle Design Community
Local Art
It’s time for the First Thursday Art Walk again! Does seeing all the local art is get you inspired to create some yourself? Wonderful! Lucky for us Seattle dwellers, this town has a ton of great resources to help you out along the way. Check out a few of them here, curated by David Litzler.
March 3, 2015
First Thursday Art Walk is happening this week. We encourage you all to go out and support the local artists in our neighborhoods around Seattle. While wandering through the many studios in Georgetown, the International District, Pioneer Square, Belltown, Ballard, etc. you might just get inspired to create some artwork yourself. Here are some wonderful local resources that you should know about to help you along the way:
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Interested in glassblowing, metalsmithing, printmaking, stonecarving, or wordworking? Pratt is your one-stop-shop for classes in all of these mediums and many more. I confess that I am biased towards Pratt as I have taken well over a dozen classes there since 2011. Classes are open to beginners and seasoned professionals alike so don’t be shy, jump right on in! I had no prior experience in any of the beginning classes I have taken there. Pratt is located in Seattle’s Central District. Be sure to attend their spring open house on March 28 for demonstrations in all of their class studios!
Clockwise, Starting From Left: Bronze pour during the Pratt biannual open house, guests attending the annual fine art auction, glass artist in the hot shop.
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I’ve been following this school on Facebook for a while and wish I could muster the courage to take a class here... the examples of student work are outstanding and, honestly, a bit intimidating! Gage is geared towards training in drawing, painting, and sculpture. While classes are available for all levels of ability, I get the impression that many of the students at Gage are BFA and MFA grads pursuing continuing education throughout their professional careers. Gage Academy is located in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood.
Clockwise, Starting From Left: Exterior of Gage Academy, painting student work, sculptor in action.
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This is the place to go to learn about ceramics! I haven’t taken any classes here yet, but I hope to do so eventually. Like the previous two schools, Pottery Northwest also offers classes for all skill levels. And once you’ve started practicing on your own, check out the amazing Seattle Pottery Supply for all of your project needs. You don’t need to be an experienced ceramicist to shop this store; I’ve purchased a variety of raw materials and tools for use in my glass projects there. Pottery Northwest is located at Seattle Center north of Belltown and Seattle Pottery Supply is located in the SODO district.
Clockwise, Starting From Left: Exterior of Pottery Northwest, student work, vessels being fired in a clamshell raku kiln.
Now that you know about these amazing, local, non-profit art schools, it’s time to enroll in some classes. Perhaps I’ll see you in one!
