What a stunning show this has been. Represented at Slip Gallery in Belltown, Seattle for ‘you are not alone’ during April 2023 were 36 artists and their 45 total works, plus 9 reproduction prints for sale as merch. Most original pieces in the show were for sale, with 6 originals sold. All artworks in this show will be listed on our website for several months following the show. We are happy to arrange purchase at any time with the artist, provided the piece is still available. Send us an email or use the contact form to inquire.

The ‘you are not alone’ theme was chosen to remind folks, especially creative people in our community, that there are others who care for them and want to share in their experiences. It was inspired partly by 90.3 KEXP radio DJ John Richards's unofficial tagline “you are not alone.” The music KEXP plays and community they offer, especially from afar during the last several years, is a huge comfort to so many. With the goal in mind to create a similar atmosphere within the visual art community, we rendered the physical gallery space a “third place” away from work or home that artists and community members gathered for events and artmaking.

All included pieces have some sort of singular focus, telling stories and evoking feelings of alone-ness, heartbreak, healing, mental health struggles, or sadness. Together in physical space we experienced the pieces themselves supporting each other, responding to one another as a metaphor for human connection.

A look back at the month

Opening Event

We started off strong on Sunday April 2nd with a mid-day opening party. Artists, friends, and supporters gathered to view the art and experience speakers and performances.

Kristen Gianaris spoke about her piece “K-1 Visa: A Story of State-Sanctioned Loneliness”, sharing the story behind how she and her fiancé have been shuffled through the U.S. system for years waiting for their marriage visa. Claire Donaldson explained the fairytale inspiration behind her piece she completed throughout the month, “Fitcher’s Bird”, a story of a woman who saves herself from her captor.

Christiana Crabbe of the band Sprig! blew us away with an entertaining and quirky, yet soulful and inspiring maximalist performance which featured motion sensors, aerial silks, her dead grandmother’s hair scrunchies, an inexplicably dripping banana, and haunting vocals.

Gallery Hours

Many people had the chance to wander through Slip as gallery hours kicked off Wednesday thru Sunday each week. Visitors throughout the month chose their favorite pieces, read the stories behind each artwork, and enjoyed the peace of the light-filled gallery space.

A visitor looks at Amelia Shipman’s piece “Inner Guardian”. Also visible are “Background” by M San Miguel and “Soul Searcher” by Alex Sylvester.

Artist Claire Donaldson worked on and ultimately completed her piece “Fitcher’s Bird” throughout the month during open gallery hours.

Artist Networking Night

Artists gathered on the evening of April 7th to make connections, ask each other questions, and hear presentations. The event opened with Esther Loopstra, a visual artist and coach who teaches about creative flow and authenticity. She shared the experience of how her latest art series emerged from a very difficult time in her life.

Maddy Berkman, the manager of Magnuson Park Gallery who also does marketing for Shunpike, shared an overview of the programs these two organizations offer, plus her choice to attend Seattle University's arts leadership program and where her journey has taken her since, including having a show on the SPACE 101.1 FM Radio Station.

Claire Donaldson gave a talk entitled "Create or Consume" discussing her relationship to the world's brutal need for consumption of art over the celebration of its creation.

Through discussion questions after each presenter and mingling time before and after, it was fantastic to witness connections being formed between artists of all skill levels.

Artists in front of “Fitcher’s Bird” by Claire Donaldson in progress and “The Old Man’s Sea” by Sung I Chun.

Belltown Artwalk

The Belltown Artwalk was in full swing on Friday, April 14th. Second Fridays in Belltown have become a true party, and it was so cool to witness the community coming out to experience the artwork.

Folks mingled and listened to ethereal harp and vocal music from Sumvivus.

Courtney Martin with her piece “Reach/Held 2” (top) and “Bay Leaves 11” by Kati Simek (bottom).

Art Therapy Workshop

On a rainy April 20th evening artists gathered for an art therapy workshop, led by visual artist Alex Sylvester. Folks were led through a series of prompts and given time to create whatever came to mind in whichever medium felt right, then share the thinking behind their result. As an example, one of the prompts was:

It's 3AM. An official phone alert wakes you up. It says "DO NOT LOOK AT THE MOON". You have hundreds of notifications. Hundreds of random numbers are sending "It's a beautiful night tonight. Look outside."

An artist shows off the interpretive works she made during the workshop.

Artwork Sales

Alana Skye Crawley with her sold work “Different/Safe”.

Congratulations to those artists who sold original work and prints during this show! While sales are a secondary bonus of putting on a show like this that centers gatherings and education, we have to admit it's pretty darn cool seeing many of these pieces find their forever homes. Most of the work in 'you are not alone' is for sale, and we arrange that by negotiating with the artists to set the take-home price they'd like, then adding our 40% commission on top. (We handle payment of taxes and reporting.)

Our commission is the money that goes back into our programs, including creating grants for low-income artists and putting on more events like this. We also need donations to build up this fund, so please help us out by making a tax-deductible contribution.

Raili Jänese with her sold piece “Waiting to fit in. Green Raincoat” (right) and “A Quiet Place to Cry” by Izosceles (left).

M San Miguel with their sold work “Despair”. Also pictured is “When it hurts” by Nicole Edens.

Closing Event

Folks gathered one last time on April 29th for a ‘you are not alone’ show closing party. Artists Mariya Apostolova, Moon Pelton, Irene Wilde, and Anamika Venkatesh shared the stories behind their work, and the band Fruit Juice played us out with a set of their amazing new songs.

Fruit Juice performs during the closing event.

Thank You!

A huge thanks to Amy Tipton with Slip Gallery and Belltown Artwalk, KEXP for giving us free ad space, Seattle Times reporter Sarah-Mae McCullough for her article on the show, plus our sponsors Belltown Inn and Biscuit Bitch.

Putting on this show has been our biggest undertaking so far as an organization. Living Artists Collective has grown and learned by seeing artists and supporters come together to make connections over the whole month. We can’t overstate how wonderful the experience has been.

What’s next, and how do I get involved?

We look forward to a summer of diving into applying for grants and fundraising as a nonprofit organization. If you have the curiosity or desire to serve as a nonprofit board member, help us with fundraising and applying for grants, volunteering for events, or have other expertise to offer a new arts organization, please do reach out! It is because of the community that we have come this far, and it will be because of you that we grow even more.

Our next show will be at the Magnuson Park SPACE Gallery in September-October 2023 with the theme of supporting artists while they are alive. This will feature work by artists we have worked with in any capacity in the past. Stay tuned for future art calls and event announcements by following us on Instagram and signing up for our newsletter.

The best way you can support is by making a tax deductible donation to our newly 501c3 nonprofit organization. Thank YOU for supporting living artists in the Seattle area.

-The Living Artists Collective

‘you are not alone’ at Slip Gallery