2013-01-27



There are few better places for artists, designers, musicians and other creative minds to be than in Capitol Hill’s Pike/Pine Corridor, according to a new national ranking.

Pike/Pine was named one of the "Top 12 ArtPlaces" in the country, citing it as a neighborhood “where the arts are central to creating places where people—residents and visitors—want to be.” Friday, dignitaries and city officials came to the neighborhood to celebrate the announcement with an event at 12th Ave's Velocity Dance and a tour of some of the area's most important arts destinations.

The 12 communities were chosen for successfully combining art, artists and venues for creativity and expression with independent businesses, retail shops and restaurants, and a walkable lifestyle to make vibrant neighborhoods, according to ArtPlace, described as "a collaboration of leading national and regional foundations, banks, and federal agencies."

“Capitol Hill isn’t just a great neighborhood for the arts, it’s a great neighborhood because of the arts,” said Randy Engstrom, the city's director of office of arts and cultural affairs.

Capitol Hill’s rankings included:

3% - Percentage of Workers in Creative Occupation

29 – Number of Arts-Related Non-Profit Organizations

35 – Number of Arts-Related Businesses

89% - Percentage of Independent Businesses

511 – Number of Indicator Businesses

97 – Walkability Score

Highlighted locations included:

Velocity Dance Center

The Oddfellows building

Vermillion Art Gallery

Vino Verite wine bar

Hugo House

Artist Trust

Cornish College for the Arts

Elliot Bay Book Company

Café Vita

Moe Bar

World Famous

Century Ballroom

12th Avenue Arts Project

The Seattle Bike-In

Northwest Film Forum

Purveyors of Fine Magic Mural

Northwest Film Forum

“I think what’s really extraordinary about Capitol Hill is that we actually are fostering artists as the innovators and entrepreneurs that they are,” says Tonya Lockyer, the executive director at Velocity. "This isn’t a place where you dress up to experience the arts. In Capitol Hill you interact with the arts.”

The other winners include:

Brooklyn, NY / The intersection of Downtown, Fort Greene, Gowanus, Park Slope and Prospect Heights
Dallas, TX / The Dallas Arts District, with parts of Deep Ellum and Exposition Park
Los Angeles, CA / Central Hollywood
Miami Beach, FL / South Beach
Milwaukee, WI / The Third Ward
New York, NY / Manhattan Valley
Oakland, CA / Downtown, including Chinatown, Old Oakland and Jack London Square
Philadelphia, PA / Old City
Portland, OR / The Pearl District and a portion of Downtown
San Francisco, CA / The Mission District
Washington, DC / The intersection of Adams Morgan, U Street, and Dupont Circle

ONN/OF 'light festival'
A reminder that an event combining art installations, performances and a few surprises continues Sunday in the old BMW facility near Harvard and E Pine. More on the ONN/OF festival here:

Where: The Old BMW Dealership

715 East Pine Street

Seattle, WA 98101

Saturday, January 26th 5pm - midnight : $10 all day (21+)

Sunday, January 27th 11am - 10pm : All Ages Free admission until 7pm / $8 after 7pm (21+)

ARTISTS

PDL, Tivon Rice, Nick Bartoletti, Nat Evans & John Teske, Graham Downing, MKNZ & Ross Laing, Erin Elyse Burns, Britta Johnson, JD Banke, Taylor Pinton, Nko, Max Kraushaar, Izzie Klingels, Julie Alpert, Lindsey Apodaca, DK Pan, Nicholas Nyland, Baso Fibonacci, Eric Aguilar, Angelina, Anthony Sonnenberg, Klara Glosova, Erin Frost, Xhurch and more!

WORKSHOPS

Laura Cassidy & Ria Leigh, Kate Ryan, Izzie Klingels

PERFORMANCE

Plankton Wat, Airport, Ononos, Midday Veil, Lori Goldston & Jessika Kenney Queen Shmooquan, Sgt. Rigsby and His Amazing Silhouettes

2013 Schedule

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