Artist of the Week
The Jack Straw Artist of the Week Podcast highlights work created through the Artist Residency Programs at Jack Straw Cultural Center.-
Greg Kramer - Heat Check
“Heat Check” is the title track from Greg Kramer‘s upcoming full length album. The song features members of the Seattle based bands True Loves, Polyrhythmics, and High Pulp. Greg’s music is a blend of hip-hop, soul, jazz and pop, featuring layered trombones and tight arrangements. Greg’s album was mixed at Jack Straw Cultural Center by Daniel Guenther through the Jack Straw Artist Support Program.
-
Zambuko Marimba Ensemble - Ngoma
Zambuko African American Marimba Ensemble recently produced their debut CD, Bridges: The Legacy Continues, through the Jack Straw Artist Support Program. The first track, “Ngoma,” is a traditional celebration song from the coastal region of Kenya. It was introduced to Zambuko by Anita Achien Mwamba and Khalfani Mwamba.
-
Hannah Simmons and Leah Crosby: Field Guides — In Transit
Jack Straw artists Hannah Simmons and Leah Crosby have launched their project Field Guides – In Transit, a site-specific audio piece designed for the Link Light Rail, produced in part through the Jack Straw Artist Support Program.
-
Shin Yu Pai - Ten Thousand Things
Jack Straw artist Shin Yu Pai has launched the fourth season of her award-winning podcast Ten Thousand Things, produced in part through the Jack Straw Artist Support Program. This week we’re sharing an excerpt from the first episode, which you can hear in full on Apple Podcasts or any other podcast platform.
When Yowei Shaw was laid off from her job, it felt less like a career shift and more like a breakup — one that unraveled her sense of identity and purpose. In this episode, Yowei and host Shin Yu Pai explore the emotional toll of job loss and the rituals we invent to heal – from fried chicken to gold trophies. Along the way, they chart a path through grief toward reinvention, while exploring the power of reclaiming your story.
-
Athr New Media Gallery Podcast
Jack Straw artist Athr talks with Carlos Nieto about her Jack Straw New Media Gallery installation D Butterfly Efekt.
-
Star Gondola - Anthem
Jack Straw resident artists Star Gondola have released “Anthem,” the first single from their Artist Support Program project. You can watch the video on YouTube, and follow them on social media, Bandcamp, or streaming services to hear future releases.
-
Richard Gibbons - Prairie
Richard Gibbons was a fiction and non-fiction writer and storyteller based in Seattle. He produced Prairie through the 2001 Artist Support Program as the soundtrack to an epic poem and video piece representing a personal narrative of his grandfather’s childhood on the Illinois frontier (1855-1868).
-
Anna Homler - Reverie
Anna Homler’s Reverie, created through her 2007 Artist Support Program residency and produced by Steve Peters, is available at last via Right Brain Records. The title track features Lori Goldston on cello and Bill Horist on guitar.
-
Perri Lynch Howard - Ocean Avenue
Perri Lynch Howard’s “Ocean Avenue,” produced during her Jack Straw Artist Support Program residency, is an immersive audiovisual experience that transports viewers into the tranquil heart of our oceans. Through a mesmerizing blend of underwater soundscapes and captivating visuals, this work invites audiences to witness the profound beauty and fragility of marine ecosystems.
By juxtaposing the serene sounds of whale song with marine noise pollution caused by human activities, “Ocean Avenue” aims to raise awareness about the detrimental impact of noise pollution on marine life, from whales and dolphins to countless other species that rely on sound for communication, navigation, and survival.
Originally debuted at the Santa Fe Art Institute, and opening May 17th at the New Bedford Whaling Museum, “Ocean Avenue” offers a powerful and evocative exploration of our planet’s underwater realm.
-
Mako Kikuchi - In Shadows 陰で
In Shadows, produced in part through the Jack Straw Artist Support Program, is a multi-generational collaborative composition between composer Mako Kikuchi and the Omoide Project, a collective of Seattle-based writers whose work remembers and preserves the wartime experiences and legacies of Japanese America. The creation of this album began in remembrance of the 80th anniversary of the signing of Executive Order 9066 on February 19, 1942 by Franklin D. Roosevelt. While not explicitly naming the Japanese community, this order authorized the forced removal of all individuals deemed a threat to national security. In total, over 125,000 individuals of Japanese ancestry were incarcerated, approximately two-thirds of whom were American citizens. Kikuchi and the Omoide writers bring the sounds, memories, and emotions of this experience into the present. In Shadows bears witness to the deep trauma that resides in those who experienced and those who are descended from this incarceration.
