D I S C O V E R:
The Virtual Art of Skawennati
The University of Washington’s School of Art History + Art + Design is kicking off their 2021 Critical Issues Lecture Series this week with Montreal-based artist Skawenatti. Best known for virtual works that involve futuristic digital worlds, films, and avatars with an Indigenous twist, Skawenatti outfits her characters in traditional clothing such as ribbon shirts and helps others connect to their own heritage through virtual landscapes. “My work is about imagining Indigenous people in the future,” Skawenatti says. “We need to imagine the future of our nations, because we have been relegated to the past for far too long.”
Born in Kahnawà:ke Mohawk Territory, Skawennati holds a BFA from Concordia University in Montreal, where she currently resides. She is Co-Director of Aboriginal Territories in Cyberspace (AbTeC), a research-creation network.Her work has been widely presented in both group exhibitions and solo shows and is included in public and private collections, such as the National Gallery of Canada and the Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal. She’s also the recent recipient of a 2020 Smithsonian Artist Research Fellowship. Other upcoming artists participating in the lecture series include Sung Tieu, Soil Thornton, and Eva Barto among many others. The UW Critical Issues lectures will take place every Friday afternoon, and are open to the public. Registration is available here.
T R Y:
A Banh Mi-Po Boy Hybrid at Communion
After four years in the making, chef Kristi Brown has opened the much-anticipated Communion, a Seattle Soul restaurant located in the Central District. A joint venture between Chef Brown and her son Damon Bomar, Communion is the pair's first brick & mortar restaurant. Brown’s creative cuisine blends traditional Southern food with Asian and Ethiopian influences to create unique dishes in her own signature style, like a Fried Oyster Mushroom Po’Mi, a Banh Mi-Po’ Boy mash-up, and the delicious crispy fried catfish sushi that’s served with a tangy watermelon hot sauce.
Communion is open for take-out, and also has a market that offers quick, grab & go options, including classics from TBGC! (Chef Brown’s catering company) like Black-Eyed Pea Hummus, Roasted Collard Green Dip, and seasonal sandwiches. Communion will reopen after the holidays on January 20, and will be open for takeout five days a week, from Wednesday through Sunday. Check out the deliciously inventive menu here.
A T T E N D:
An MLK Day Panel or March
In honor of Martin Luther King Day, United Way of King County is hosting a virtual panel discussion with Edgar Villanueva (Decolonizing Wealth), Gordon McHenry, Jr. (CEO of United Way King County), Zamzam Mohamed (CEO of Voices of Tomorrow), and Andrea Caupain Sanderson (CEO of Byrd Barr Place) on how philanthropy can help achieve greater racial equity on January 21 at 6pm. The event is free, and people who wish to attend may register in advance here.
United Way also encourages everyone to attend or stream the annual MLK Day March that starts at Garfield High School. This will be the 39th year that the Seattle MLK Jr. Organizing Coalition has led the march, and its dedication to promote the messages and work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is as important as ever. The Seattle MLK, Jr. Organizing Coalition is an all-volunteer organization composed of dozens of grassroots, labor, business, communities of color, and progressive community organizations and volunteers from throughout the Puget Sound region. Annually, since 1982, these groups have come together to organize our community's largest tribute to the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The rally starts at 11am, and the march will begin at noon. Details on the MLK Jr. march are available here.