ArtSEA: The downtown Seattle art collection hiding in plain sight

Fruitsuper was responsible for one large wall next to the escalators, a grouping of 23 artworks called All Along. “The pitch was a family portrait wall at home, going up the stairs from baby to high school to marriage,” Corn explained. But instead of a literal timeline of local art, “I saw it as a past/present/future of Pacific Northwest creatives,” she said, “with artists in different stages of their careers.”

Included in All Along’s lively mix is a quilt from Joey Veltkamp’s ferry series, a glass sculpture by Fumi Amano and a deconstructed canvas by Ko Kirk Yamahira. See also Dan Friday’s bulbous “Watcher Totem,” which presented a new challenge for the Lummi glass artist, who rarely does wall-mounted work. 

Another challenge Corn noted: “The grab zone,” she said, laughing. “The 3D pieces had to be mounted in such a way that people can’t reach out and touch them.” 

I did not attempt to touch the art, however I was the nutty person taking repeat trips up and down the escalator to see all the pieces. But no one seemed to mind. The building is still seeking retail and office tenants, so for the moment you can pretend the whole chic setting is your own expertly designed workspace.

When I was there just a few people were using the many public seating areas — one person on a laptop under RYAN! Feddersen’s lovely 2023 triptych Biologic Ethos, a graphic take on native plant species; and a small cluster of folks eating Jimmy John’s sandwiches near a 12-foot by 17-foot installation by Dale Chihuly.

A couple of the Cedar Hall pieces were commissioned for USBC’s original opening collection in 1989 (then curated by Margery Aronson), including the Chihuly and a massive sculpture by another superstar of glass, William Morris. The latter, “Artifact Series #14: Offering,” resembles the rib cage of a giant creature with a human skeleton inside it. It’s (so far) the only piece on the third floor and definitely worth heading up to see it shine.

The rest of the works on view were curated by Cortney Lederer of CNL Projects in Chicago, and include some locally made stunners: John Grade’s “Coming Soon: Swell,” an enormous hanging version of microscopic marine organisms; several glowing cut-paper works by Barbara Earl Thomas; large abstract pieces by Moses Sun and Etsuko Ichikawa — the list goes on!

The new Seattle Convention Center has a killer array of local art too, but you can only see it if you’re attending a convention. So I left Cedar Hall feeling excited about this approach to making art accessible, and eager to share this under-the-radar art collection with summer visitors.