Artists who visited Seattle City Light’s historic Georgetown Steam Plant as part of the Duwamish Residency will show some of the works they created at the North Seattle Community College from Oct. 1 to 25. Artists who visited Seattle City Light’s historic Georgetown Steam Plant as part of the Duwamish Residency will show some of the works they created at the North Seattle Community College from Oct. 1 to 25.
Most of the artists are scheduled to attend the exhibition’s opening from 1 to 3 p.m. and 5 to 8 p.m. Oct. 1.
The gallery — 9600 College Way N — is on the first floor of the Instruction Building at the southeast corner.
Some of the art created by participants in the Duwamish Residency. Photo courtesy of Sue Danielson.
Participating artists are Ethan Bickel, Chris Crites, Sue Danielson, Linda Davidson, Jessica Dodge, Emily Gherard, Robert Hardgrave, David Kane, Steve MacFarlane, Gene Gentry McMahon, Fiona McGuigan, and Juliet Shen.
Additionally, Sue Danielson, one of the organizers of the Duwamish Residency, will give a presentation on the project Oct. 8 at 4 p.m. in the North Seattle Community College Theater. She will be joined by Gene Gentry McMahon, who will speak about her long history working on the Duwamish River as an artist and activist.
Artist Gene Gentry McMahon works outside the Georgetown Steam Plant during the 2013 Duwamish Residency.
Eleven artists spent eight days drawing inspiration from the Duwamish River during the residency, including the steam plant.
The Duwamish has been a key location for Seattle City Light for decades.
The Georgetown Steam Plant, a National and City of Seattle Historic Landmark, stands today as a reminder of the era of electrification of America’s cities and a time when industry was first attracted to Seattle by its inexpensive hydroelectric power and electric trolley car system. Built in 1906-1907 by the Seattle Electric Company on 18 acres of land along the Duwamish River, the plant was once at the center of the bustling residential and industrial activity in the rapidly growing Georgetown neighborhood of Seattle.
In 1951, the City of Seattle Department of Lighting – today’s Seattle City Light – purchased the plant and operated it on a limited basis until the 1970s.
Modern operations for City Light continue nearby at the Duwamish Substation. Built in 1955, the substation accepts 230,000 volt electricity from transmission lines and provides 26,000 volt electricity into the distribution system that delivers electricity to our customers’ homes and businesses.
Seattle City Light also is an active participant in cleanup efforts along the Lower Duwamish River. The utility is working with the Environmental Protection Agency, Seattle Public Utilities, Boeing, the Port of Seattle, and King County to address contamination from the river’s commercial and industrial past. The five mile stretch of the Lower Duwamish was classified as a Superfund cleanup site in 2001.