With funds from a Seattle Department of Neighborhoods grant, Sand Point Arts and Cultural Exchange (SPACE) and teaching artist Angela Larsen worked through a series of summer Saturdays with 11 teens from Solid Ground Housing to transform the boarded up windows of Building 18 into the cheerful and welcoming artworks now greeting park visitors.
The project goals were to beautify the vacant building on the main street of the park, and give the youth a chance to become familiar with different areas of the park and its buildings. “We wanted to make sure that kids living in the Solid Ground Housing of the park know they have the entire park as their community, not just the housing area where they live. We worked in several areas of Building 30 to produce the artworks and the kids enjoyed the chance to experience parts of the park unfamiliar to them, like the Officers Club and Workshop,” says Julianna Ross, Executive Director of the non-profit arts organization.
SPACE had requested the artist and kids work with a nature theme so Larsen and the participants began the project with a walk in the park observing hues, texture and shape. From this, Larsen created a achievable motif inspired by Scandinavian pattern and design. The panels were installed by the Seattle Conservation Corps, with Seattle Parks and Recreation and Lowe
