This June 4 marked the first time in seven years that ’57 Biscayne didn’t hold our annual 100 under $100 show. However, we do have something special planned for September 3, which will be another opportunity to collect affordable art AND support voting rights in swing states across the US this fall.

The Movement Voter Project (MVP) raises funds nationwide to support the best and most promising grassroots organizations in key swing states, with a focus on youth and communities of color. MVP vets and supports hundreds of incredible groups that fight voter suppression, get out the vote, swing elections, win on issues, and organize in their communities.

We are holding our own fundraiser for MVP this September, with sneak previews opening online in August. Fifty artists have created a delightful 8″ x 8″ square of gorgeosity, just for this show, which we will hang as a live exhibit and post to an online gallery. If you are one of the first 50 people to donate at least $100 to MVP through a secure dedicated link, you get to choose a piece of art for your collection. The whole event will happen on the interwebs, with a live event pending Safe Start Washington restrictions.

The fun part: you pick the art you like, and you won’t know who the artist is until you claim it. Here is a list of the artists, to whet your appetite:

Aidan Sakakini
Ann Marie Schneider
Barbara Robertson
Chris Crites
Chris Rollins
Clare Johnson
Daniel Carrillo
Dara Solliday
Dawn Endean
Donna Graham
Elijah Pasco
Eric Eschenbach
Erin Shigaki
Esther Ervin
George Abeyta
Grego Ratchko
Henrietta’s Eye
Jane Richlovsky
Jed Dunkerly
Jeff Scott
Jody Joldersma
Johanna Christianson
Juan Alonso Rodriguez
Julie Kim
Kamla Kakaria
Kelly Lyles
Keven Furiya
Krisna Schumann
Lindsay Peyton
LinLin Mao
Liz Ewings
Magda Baker
Marita Dingus
Matthew Potter
MD Jenkins
Michelle Kumata
Misha Zadeh Graham
Molly Magai
Pat DeCaro
Paul Nunn
Ray Monde
Richard Graham
Rickie Wolfe
Romson Bustillo
Savina Mason
Shaun Doll
Siobhan McCloskey
Sue Springer
Suze Woolf
Thomas Schwoerer

Stay tuned for more details and sneak peeks! If you aren’t already on our mailing list, scroll to the bottom of the sidebar to sign up and get first dibs.

update: This space has been rented. To stay in the loop about future openings, please join our mailing list.

We are looking to add a new Biscaynito to the community.

Studio 209 is available for rent. This lovely space is 264 square feet, with a built-in loft and work area covering just under half of that. Windows face west onto First Avenue, with plenty of streaming afternoon sunlight (weather permitting) and gallery track lighting. Rent of $570 monthly covers utilities, wifi, and shared use of common areas, which include kitchenette, clean restrooms, and opportunities to help curate and show art in the hall and lobby. We have cooperatively-organized open houses twice a year. Spontaneous collaboration has been known to occur.

Leases are one year with a month-to-month default option after that.

The members of this community are serious about their art, professional, and supportive of other artists. We welcome all peoples and genders, and naturally expect anyone who joins us to do likewise.

Come see our revamped digs, visit long-time resident artists and meet a few new ones, and, of course, make holiday shopping fun and artful, with dozens of guests lining the halls with affordable lovely one-of-a-kind items for the people on your NICE list.

We’ll be here from 5-9, and of course it’s First Thursday, so you can also cruise the neighborhood offerings and even park for free.

Elsewhere in the Good Arts Building, are the opening reception for Ourtopia in the gallery inside Cherry Street Coffee House, and more art and artful menswear at H Bailey Boutique.

Updates on who’s showing and what they’re offering on the facebook event page.

Some time in the wee hours of Sunday, August 25, a water filter in a third-floor darkroom broke a seal and flooded our building, the Good Arts Building, all the way down to the basement. Miraculously, no art was harmed. Several studios were rendered temporarily unusable, but the majority of the damage occurred on the lower floors. (Our downstairs neighbors,  H.Bailey Boutique and Sew Generously Bespoke have reopened, and Bad Bishop Bar will be open soon after extensive repairs to their kitchen.) The artists of ’57 Biscayne have been plugging along with dehumidifiers buzzing, and every day it seems they cut a new hole in a wall or floor to dry things out. The silver lining is that we will get a bit of a decorative refresh once the insurance kicks in and we can replace the walls, carpet, and flooring which were removed.

In the meantime, a few artists are moving on (for unrelated reasons), and we will have some space available in November. Studios 212 and 312 are both interior spaces; 312 has natural light in the form of a gigantic, gorgeous skylight. Each studio has an occupant looking for a studiomate. Both spaces had been in the path of the flood; they are awaiting some restoration work which should be completed by November if not sooner; both available for occupancy November 1.

312 is occupied by a tidy painter who is looking for one studio mate to take the half of the space with the skylight. The entire room is 735 square feet; the share for rent is approximately half, or 367 square feet, for $800/month. The studio has decent heat/AC. If you wanted to install ventilation, the infrastructure is there, but non-toxic or low-tox media are preferred. Contact Anastasia (mailtogres@gmail.com) to see the space and have a chat to see if it’s right for you both.

212 has been occupied by only two tenants since ’57 Biscayne started in 2011. It was in the path of the recent deluge, causing the current tenant to pile his many belongings in a heap, consequently there are no decent photos of it. It’s 405 square feet, and an artist who works in water-based media is looking to share it with another like-minded and low-toxicity person. The share for rent is approximately 200 square feet for $355. The space has a big window facing the hall and high ceilings. A drop ceiling was removed in 2011, so there’s exposed ducting and a sort of industrial vibe. It is awaiting minor restoration and some lighting upgrades; it too will be available November 1.  Contact Clare if you are interested. (clare_e_johnson@yahoo.com)

Note: ’57 Biscayne is dog-friendly in general, but the two people looking to share 212 and 312 require their spaces to be pet-free.

But wait, there’s more! Another space, in its entirety, will be available December 1. The lovely 313 makes an excellent photo studio, but it could also be a fantastic print shop, painting studio, wood shop, or perhaps a share of some sort since it has two rooms plus an L-shaped nook. It’s another skylit studio, plus an interior room with a door and plumbing. It also venting to the outside and a 220-volt plug. And incredibly high ceilings. It is 635 square feet and rents for $1400/month. You can contact the proprietrix directly about this one.

All rents include utilities. Leases are usually one year with a month-to-month default option after that. The shared common areas include a kitchenette and break areas; modern clean bathrooms; and spacious hallways which are available for tenant use for hanging art, events, installations, etc. We have cooperatively-organized open houses twice a year. Spontaneous collaboration has been known to occur.

The members of this community are both serious about their art and supportive of other artists. We welcome all peoples and genders, and naturally expect anyone who joins us to do likewise.

With an architecture background and an education from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Richard Graham began his painting career later in life. Only upon retiring eight years ago did Graham start painting. “I don’t have any real art training, but as an architect, I was involved in arts a lot.” As a designer and colorist, Richard has always had a feel for 2D works. “I was designing a restaurant for a friend who had some crappy artwork on the walls and I thought, ‘I could probably do something better than that’ ”, and so began his painting career within a Miami garage.

Born in Philly and raised in New Jersey, Graham has bounced from city to city, most recently settling in Portland before relocating to Seattle just a year and a half ago. Ages ago when he had his eye on Seattle, the downtown area wasn’t yet liveable. Graham acknowledges how Seattle has really come into its own over the past ten years. He came for the hustle and bustle and stays for the music and art scene.

Although once settled in a now defunct studio under the I5 bridge, ‘57 Biscayne was too good of a counter offer for Graham to pass up. The location in Pioneer Square brings exposure to his work and is closer to that city energy he craves. What sets ‘57 Biscayne apart from the rest is truly its founder, Jane Richlovsky.

“Studios tend to be that way; they’re all kind of bottled up unless you force us to gather around, which Jane is good at making us do. I always leave my door open, I want people to walk in.” Richard is still in the process of getting to know the community, but so far greatly appreciates talking with fellow abstract artists in the building.

When I identify rigidity and structure contrasting loose twirls within his work, Richard counters: “I don’t do architectural pieces. I think that happens in the arts, you try to get away from what you’re familiar with. That’s the great thing about panting; for the first time, I didn’t have to please anybody but me.”

As far as technique, Richard treats acrylics almost like watercolor. By thinning the paint down, he pours the mixture around the canvas, letting gravity take its course. When he paints, Graham oscillates between working on canvases on the wall, up on an easel, or on the table; depending on the day. Inspired by Jackson Pollock, Graham believes that each drip of paint was Pollock’s soul coming out in art form. “That’s the trick with painting, you willingly give up all control; that’s so free. You let the paint do its thing.”

We paw through canvases as if digging through crates of vinyl records. Richard points out one of his very first paintings, hanging on the wall behind the stacks. “I haven’t progressed much!”, he laughs, pointing out the shape of a face among the organic pushing and pulling of paint in various forms of liquidity.

When the subject of cost came up, Richard explains, “People love that they can buy a huge painting for $300, $500.” However, galleries have encouraged him to up prices near $3,000. “I think the art market is so distorted by ‘high art’ to collectors who aren’t necessarily interested in art, but are interested in investments. It’s like buying stock, it’s crazy!” He believes local people who like art shouldn’t have to spend thousands of dollars on it.

“I’m painting for myself. I’m painting for me. And I don’t really care if anyone else likes it or not.”

For a great conversation on music or the state of the world, you can find Richard in his studio, with the door always open.

All good things must come to an end, so you might as well have a party, right?

Our sixth annual 100 under $100 and the Sweet Suite 300 show will end with a closing party on Wednesday, July 17, from 5-7 PM. This has been our most successful show yet, but there are still lots and lots of tempting goodies on the wall.

We’re having the party on a Wednesday so we can be joined by our arts colleagues and other neighbors who are always busy tending their own stores on First Thursdays, but everyone is welcome! Many of the artists in the show will be there, and several of the studios open as well. Refreshments will be served and affordable art wrapped up on the spot to go!

As I enter the room, I immediately notice how pristine Molly Ray’s studio is; there are pressed white lab coats hanging by the door and alphabetized vials of aromatic elixirs lined neatly into rows.

“The space seemed meant for me. I don’t know if there’s another studio with a sink, dishwasher, and room for a fridge.” Upon moving in last November, Ray acknowledges how flawless the course of moving in became. The timing was ideal, the space was perfect, the price was good, and it “just felt right.” Knowing the history of the third floor, I start to recognize this studio was once a kitchen for a corporate office. However, Molly loves its intact character. “It has these delicious imperfections”, she says, as she gestures delightedly toward the flooring and exposed brick.

Not only does she have everything she needs within her studio, but she maintains kinship among fellow artists along the floor. Molly describes a sense of safety and camaraderie despite such differing disciplines of art. “Nobody bugs you, but you feel comfortable enough to say; ‘Hey, I’m expecting a package. Do you mind looking out for it?’”

Ray has always been into fragrance; she even grew up traveling to Europe with her mother and appreciating the culture around perfumery. For Europeans, she says, “It’s not a question of ‘Do you wear perfume?’ it’s ‘What do you wear?’ and ‘Which is your favorite?'” Everyone has a connection to fragrance. For example, vanilla, cedar, and so forth can all be connected to scent memory. Upon smelling such scents, one has the ability to unlock synapses into a really powerful experience.

“Perfumery is the perfect mix of art and science.”

In addition to bringing personalization and detail into her craft, Ray also focuses on the environmental sustainability of the industry. However, she warns consumers to beware of “greenwashing”, i.e., when a company over-emphasizes their environmental efforts as a marketing tactic. “I try not to lead with that, I want you to love my stuff FIRST and then I can say, oh by the way…” She believes it’s not only important to have a sexy brand, but have a tight sustainability commitment to boot.

Her studio has also allowed a space for mentoring and educational workshops. With the help of an apprentice and an intern, Molly approaches her work with a holistic team. Despite only being in the fragrance industry about three and a half years, she prides herself in her craft and has limitless possibilities before her.

“I really try to make art in what I’m doing. I want someone to see themselves in a fragrance.”

With her excess materials, Ray donates to local women’s shelter, Mary’s Place. She recognizes how fragrance can restore a sense of dignity and is a luxury item that is otherwise forgotten among donations.

If you’re looking for an intimate, customized fragrance experience, Molly welcomes visitors and students alike. I recommend you keep an eye on this artist as I expect she’ll continue to push the boundaries of where fragrance can take you. I’ll give you a hint: there might be wine!

Last month Seattle Growth Podcast host Jeffrey D. Shulman chatted with ’57 Biscayne proprietrix Jane Richlovsky about how people find and build community in a changing city. There are two interviews in the episode; the first one is about New Tech Northwest, a community-building project of techies, which contains some ideas that people in the arts could benefit from, but if you want to skip to the ’57 Biscayne part, it starts at 33:44.

Jane was a guest on the show a few years ago, too, along with Good Arts partners Ali Ghambari and Greg Smith. They described how they came together from very different perspectives to create the wonder that is the Good Arts Building (and preserve the wonder that is ’57 Biscayne). Jeff had interviewed them separately and used the interview with Greg in one episode about real estate. He was about to scrap the rest, when the 2016 election happened. He felt like he really, really needed a heart-warming story of people setting aside their differences to work together to do good in the world—that’s us!—so he produced a Very Special Episode out of the outtakes.