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Dear Friend of Futurewise,
Futurewise is hosting a First Friday event that I am excited to share with you. It's called BLUEPRINT Exhibition. Please join us for art, refreshments and conversation with our Urban Strategies Director Sara Nikolic whose work on the Blueprint for Transit Oriented Communitiesproject was a big part of why Futurewise was named organization of the yearby the Municipal League of King Co. This exhibition brings together the work of Washington artists and planners around the theme of transit oriented communities. Two exhibits will take place side by side in the lobby and gallery of Downtown Spokane’s Saranac Building.
Reception with free refreshments
5 - 9pm - April 2 - Saranac Building - 25 W. Main Ave.
The Saranac lobbywill feature a traveling urban planning exhibit titled “Blueprint for Transit Oriented Communities.” It is an action plan for promoting neighborhoods that give people greater access to housing, jobs, shopping, and recreation without relying on a personal vehicle. Created by GGLO, Futurewise, and the Transportation Choices Coalition the purpose of the Blueprint is to provide guidance and inspiration for community at large, and also to serve as an advocacy manual for new legislation that will promote exemplary transit oriented communities in cities throughout Washington State.
The Saranac gallerywill showcase the works of 12 contemporary artists responding to themes of “transit” and our “built environment.” Their raw vision of the ever changing urban landscape will inspire us to rethink our perceptions of the space around us. Participating artists Nickolus Meisel, Jen Erickson, Jeremy Mangan, Roger Ralston, Nancy Hathaway, Rimas K. Simaitis, Quill Hyde, Jenny Hyde, Rajah Bose, Gabriel Brown, Lance Sinnema, and Susan Jane Hall are all Washington based and affiliated with the Saranac Art Projects Cooperative.
Timeline:
April: Show on display all month
April 2: 5-9pm Opening reception in conjunction with the Transcendence Project and First Friday
April 5: at 9a.m. Mayor’s Proclamation “Traffic Awareness and Pedestrian Safety Week”
April 17: Spokane’s Earth Day celebration on Main Street in front of gallery
Saranac Art Projects Hours Thurs 12-5, Fri 12-8, Sat 12-5
Artist's perspective:
“April’s Blueprint exhibition is an exciting opportunity to recognize the cross-section between art and urban planning. Urban planning can be very inspiring for artists… an artist gets to fully imagine a comprehensive design for a gallery space, but an urban planner gets to take on a whole city! The same basic design principles and challenges apply to both situations. How will people best flow through the space? What will keep them active or relaxed? What will make them want to stay or even bring a friend?” -Saranac Art Projects’ member Gabriel Brown
Background:
The Blueprint program is anchored by a comprehensive publication, "Transit-Oriented Communities: A Blueprint for Washington State,"co-authored by Futurewise, Transportation Choices Coalition and integrated design firm, GGLO. The publication presents an image-rich vision of TOC, provides research linking TOC patterns to numerous social and environmental benefits, analyzes station areas in the state, and lays out policy actions from the local to federal level to encourage more TOC patterns. Alan Grainger, founding principal of GGLO, said, "Our transit networks will ultimately catalyze new development in station areas. People will choose these places to live, work and play-but only if they are places that people love. For this to happen, visionary planning and design must go hand-in-hand with smart policies and attention to the unique qualities of each community."
I look forward to seeing you at our First Friday reception and encourage you to spread the word. Please contact me if you would like me to send you an electronic version of our flyer or press release.
Thanks for all that you do,
Kitty
Thanks to our generous Blueprint Exhibition Sponsors Smith-Barbieri and the Community Building Foundation!
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