Storefronts Seattle

What’s it like to be an Amazon artist in residence? Amazon is issuing a call for artists to apply to its artist-in-residence program. What's it like working in a glass studio at Amazon HQ, and how do artists grapple with working, not just for a corporation but a company that...

Storefronts SLU artist + installation spotlight: Paula Rebsom, "Security Blanket"
📷: champensminger.com

Artist Statement: "My art practice is interdisciplinary and includes site-specific installations both indoors and out, large- and small scale, along with a more direct sculptural practice. Materials include wood, fabric, cardboard, and paper mache. I also utilize motion sensor and infrared cameras for some of my outdoor site-specific projects. In all of my work I am interested in using humor as a vehicle to grapple with realities I’d rather ignore. Sadness, loss, natural disasters, devastation and destruction of wildlife habitat are ever-present realities in our lives, and I frequently use the visual language of the façade as a way to both conceal and reveal these challenging aspects of our life and culture. Additionally, in today’s climate of political uncertainty and divisiveness, it sometimes feels as if there is nowhere left to hide or seek shelter.

I have sewn extensively as a hobby and business for many years but it wasn’t until recently that I began incorporating it into my artwork. I was excited to discover that quilts are a very versatile material to work with, capable of taking many shapes and forms. Quilts, like the wooden façade, have two sides to them, allowing them to provide different experiences depending upon which side you encounter first. They also have the ability to be soft and flexible, warm and inviting, in ways more rigid materials are not as capable of. It seems obvious now, although it wasn’t when I made my first quilt earlier this year, that I can use the visual language of the quilt as a representation of comfort, warmth, and protection in this uncertain time."

Where to find: https://storefrontsseattle.com/2019/06/25/eight-new-storefronts-in-south-lake-union/