At times, contemporary art can occupy an awkward spot. It may be common for art neophytes to say, “I could make that,” or for classicists to view art solely as old and beautiful. Or perhaps spaces veer toward cool displays that play into the Instagram of it all; visitors prioritize getting just the right shot and sharing it on social media, but gloss over the artists’ meaning and inspiration behind the pieces.
Cannonball Arts, the region’s newest contemporary arts center in the heart of downtown Seattle, acknowledges the inevitable reality of how technology and society converge to form an audience’s stance toward contemporary art. Cannonball feels like a rallying—an encouragement. The equivalent of putting your arm around someone and walking them along, rather than teaching from a podium.
“We understand that contemporary art can feel exclusive, intimidating, and foreign to many people. It is our mission to make art more accessible, less scary, and a part of our daily lives,” says Greg Lundgren, co-founder and creative director of New Rising Sun.
Opening Cannonball as a new space showcasing contemporary art was a partnered venture between New Rising Sun and the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe. Together, they took over the old Bed Bath & Beyond store, a 66,000-square-foot space that sat vacant at 3rd Ave. and Virginia.
The symbolism of a local contemporary arts center taking on a husk of capitalism and brick and mortar retail is a parallel that shows up in the work of Brent Watanabe, whose “ride-xhibit” Monster repurposes a 1980s monster truck from a state fair and leads people through a funhouse ride while wearing VR headsets, clanking along a real track.
“My work deals a lot with very American consumer culture, the way that we treat nature and animals…” he told KUOW News. “I really wanted to continue to explore those themes and run people through those ideas where they experience, rather than read about it, or look at it so in a way you’re the animal being chopped up, you’re going through that graveyard of consumer products.”
It’s not a surprise that the Bed Bath & Beyond store acted as a headstone in a consumer graveyard—a huge retail space that required a large staff, with items that shoppers easily could purchase online. So, the community needed some ingenuity to repurpose the space and its potential. The concrete, tile and fluorescent lighting served as a shell to house a new vision where people can be inspired by art, roller skate with their friends, dance to DJ sets and watch immersive art performances.
Cannonball’s exhibits demonstrate a belief that there are thousands of artists who would benefit from a platform and a community to push them to believe in and develop their art. For example, their Mirror Mirror piece challenges visitors to take a photo in their full-body mirror camera. Patrons vote on which of 12 finalists they like the best by placing a token in front of the photo displays; the winner receives $500. The exhibit combines everything that is true of contemporary society: a bit of performance, artistry, competition, incentive and crowd-sourced opinion.
In funding Cannonball Arts, the Muckleshoot Tribe is founder and collaborator for the initiative that now occupies the building that sits upon their ancestral lands. One exciting project is a Tribe-led live canoe carving program honoring ten thousand-plus years of dugout canoe carving practice and craft. A 12-by-36-foot platform will host regional tribes and Indigenous craftspeople to bring a canoe to life from tree to sea.
“This partnership reflects our deep commitment to community, creativity, and supporting Native artists and storytellers,” said Donny Stevenson of the Muckleshoot Tribal Council. “Cannonball Arts brings together tradition and innovation, and we are proud to help shape a future where Indigenous art and voices are visible, vibrant, and valued in the region’s cultural landscape.”
The tension between a capitalistic drive to make money and the de-valued role of the artist in society is particularly strong in a city like Seattle. It may be true that there are fewer and fewer people who choose “artist” as a profession in this city, but it doesn’t mean that the talent is not there. With ventures like Cannonball, there is a hope and an avenue for artists to sell their work—works of art are displayed with their prices, much like that of a gallery, rather than a museum. New VR simulations and murals will take the place the work of Brent Watanabe and Soo Hong in future iterations of the space.
Painter and muralist Soo Hong’s piece Dreamtopolis takes up a large mural wall in the entry space. Its juxtaposition of detailed natural imagery and stark white space with bold lines resembles a dream’s habit of floating between different storylines and through unconscious sleep states.
“This project was born from a collective of dreamers with a shared vision. Dreamtropolis emerged as an idea to reflect a cityscape as something organic and alive, something that is being built and floating at the same time,” says Hong.
On the tension between art and the economy, Hong says, “It’s very tough for artists to survive.” This reality results in a kind of planting and harvest rhythm, an efficient reserve of energies that may be more well known to people who have lived off the land. “When I have more money, I stock my materials so I have them when there’s no income. What I learned from hardship of economy is that it’s always flexible. You can always downsize when you can. I became more minimal.”
On her journey in becoming an artist, Hong said, “Becoming an artist wasn’t something I planned. I started as a UX designer and illustrator, and gradually became involved in street art in Seoul, as well as painting.”
This theme of an individual’s dream depending on the collective inspires Hong, as she shares this quote from Yoko Ono: “A dream you dream alone is only a dream. A dream you dream together is reality.”
Cannonball Arts saw its inaugural opening event in mid-August. Learn more about its exhibits and programming at cannonballarts.com.
