McLeod Residence Blog

Last Days at 2209 2nd Avenue

If you've enjoyed the neon work by Jeremy Bert at McLeod Residence, you should definitely check out his new exhibit, A to Z, at Gather in Columbia City. Jeremy has assembled a complete alphabet using cast off neon letters from old advertising signs. It's a stunning show in an amazing new exhibition space.

Jeremy's neon work in the McLeod lounge will continue to be on view until the end of the month. We are keeping regular gallery hours Thurs-Sat 12-6pm and regular lounge hours Tues-Sun 6pm-2am until October 31. So definitely stop by to see the animation installation by Brent Watanabe, paintings by Curtis Taylor, and photography by April Brimer. Do not miss Birds, Buffalos and Baldmans in the McLeod Room, which was guest curated by ten-year-old Joshua Lindenmayer, aka Jetpack McLeod. The exhibit features street artists Starhead Boy, Narboo, and Bald Man Watching.

We want to thank you for all the well wishes and support we have received since our announcement on October 6. Jen Graves wrote a very nice article about our first incarnation, and we have had nothing but kind words and helpful advice all around.

We hope you will spend some time enjoying the 2209 2nd Avenue space before it closes. There are some exciting events happening in our last days, so please stop in, bring your friends, have a drink, and spend some quality time with some wonderful art.

McLeod Residence's next steps

Dear Friends of McLeod Residence,

 

I have so many conflicting emotions right now as I write this. Sadly, I have some difficult news to deliver.  (Forgive me if I'm long-winded in this... it's an emotional topic for all of us and to top it all off I've just gotten MARRIED and have had to discover the latest twists in this tale from across the country even as I prepare to go on a long-planned honeymoon with no cancelation insurance.  Life is crazy that way sometimes.) 

 

The greatest blessing and curse of McLeod Residence has always been the building and space it exists in.  On the one hand, it's unlike any other space around, in a truly magnificent way. And yet on the other hand, it simply wasn't originally built to the specifications required to do the kinds of things we wanted to do.  Trying to reconcile the two has been a struggle from the very beginning. 

 

We've always tried to maintain a positive "one day at a time" attitude about this, and have managed to wiggle our way through some very fortunate milestones in our permitting and licensing situation... for example getting a liquor license and a temporary certificate of occupancy.  Everyone at the city has been EXTREMELY kind and helpful and would never shut us down if they didn't have to.  Nobody is really to blame, there is no big bad wolf in the city who is trying to hurt us. 

 

However, at this point, it looks like we've reached the end of our options, and will have to vacate our space and find a new tenant to take it over for us.  It breaks our hearts a thousand different ways to do this, but also feel like we can turn a difficult situation into one that makes us stronger.

 

We were hoping to be able to see our current exhibit, which just opened, to the end (Nov 22nd), but even that doesn't seem to be possible. Our last day open to the public will be Oct 31st.

 

The good news is that we are not interpreting this as failure, and neither are we quitting.  This is merely the continuation of a story arc, where the first season is ending and a new season will pick up in a while.

 

A few very important points:

• We need to find a new tenant for our space.  Our rent is pretty cheap by most standards.  It's a unique and beautiful historical space that another business could thrive in.  If you have ANY LEADS on possible interested parties, please have them contact us for more information (email us or call 206-441-3314), or our landlord directly (Scott Strachan at Bellevue Artisan Properties: 206-250-3427).
• We want members to feel good about their support. While we temporarily close down and regroup and look for a new space, membership benefits will of course be a bit less valuable.  If anyone feels that they need a refund of any sort on their membership, send me a note at bustermcleod@gmail.com and I'll come up with a schedule for refunds personally.  I may not be able to refund everyone immediately, but I want to do my best to make sure nobody feels decieved or cheated.
• Yes, we do plan to rise from the ashes and relocate, stronger than ever. We are already in the process of finding a new location... one that builds on the experience of what we've built so far while keeping the original spirit of McLeod.  Kindra and I are working on this already and have lots of interesting and very exciting ideas and options.  We don't yet have a timeline for this next iteration.  If you have any leads or ideas that you think might help us on this front, please send them to Kindra and I (kindrameyer@gmail.com, bustermcleod@gmail.com).

Please spread the word and help us find a new tenant. We fully believe that McLeod Residence has been a positive force our little corner of the universe, and as little positive forces go, there is no reason to simply let it fade away.  Changes will only make us stronger and more sure of the original vision... to create a home for extraordinary living through art, technology, and collaboration.

 

Thank you for being a part of the first part of this experiment.  We will be keeping regular gallery and lounge hours, as well as scheduled events, until October 31.

 

If you have any questions, feel free to contact us. We will definitely keep you informed of the story as it unfolds and let you know when a new space has been found.  I know it is very sad to leave such a well-loved space, but let's make the most of it in the last month that we have it.

 

Thank you so much for being wonderful, and thank you for supporting McLeod Residence.  Truly.

 

Sincerely,

Buster*

*Posted by Lele on behalf of Buster. Please feel free to re-post.

New exhibit opens at McLeod Residence on Friday 10/3!

Opening reception: Friday, October 3, 5-9pm

A mix of media, from high-tech computer programming to low-tech street art, makes its way to McLeod Residence in October with four new exhibits.

An animation installation by Brent Watanabe, paintings by Curtis Taylor, and photography by April Brimer open on Friday, October 3 with a reception from 5-9pm.

The McLeod Room will be guest curated by ten-year-old Joshua Lindenmayer, aka Jetpack McLeod, with an exhibit called Birds, Buffalos and Baldmans, featuring street artists Starhead Boy, Narboo, and Bald Man Watching. Birds, Buffalos and Baldmans will have a separate afternoon reception on Saturday, October 11 at 2pm.

Press Release: New Show!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Maggie Santolla McLeod, Press Relations
maggie.santolla@gmail.com

Lele McLeod, Gallery
lelemcleod@gmail.com
206-441-3314

Mixed Media Matters
High Tech and Low Tech Converge at McLeod Residence

Seattle, WA--September 11, 2008--A mix of media, from high-tech computer programming to low-tech street art, makes its way to McLeod next month in four new exhibits. An animation installation by Brent Watanabe, paintings by Curtis Taylor, photography by April Brimer and an urban art installation by a variety of street artists open on Friday, October 3 with a reception from 5-9pm. The exhibits will be up until November 22.

Brent Watanabe will create an environment in the Conservatory that is a cross between a large, ever changing drawing, a runaway video game on the fritz, and an experimental animation, complete with surround sound. Stack:Heap:Loop consists of an animation portraying a mother duck pulled in an endless trek through a desolate man-made environment, her head trailing behind on a distorted/elongated neck, ducklings falling from her mouth. In the corner of the room a nest of ducklings face the wall, visible only by their reflection in a mirror.

The installation is controlled by multiple networked computers, with each element interdependent on the other: the mother duck communicates with the landscape, which communicates with the nest of birds across the room, which communicates with the soundscape. See a sample of the animation here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qo26fn5I4C0&fmt=6.

Brent is a local artist who programs computer applications to connect the gap between his interests in drawing, audio and video, mixing high tech tools with low-tech techniques. He works primarily in video and animation, and will have an artists residency at Jack Straw New Media Gallery in 2009.

The Parlor will house Curtis Taylor's Chinese Factory Paintings, 26 eight-inch-square photorealistic oil paintings, each of a different anonymous factory. The factories were documented in snap-shot form during a trip in 2003.

According to Taylor, "the Chinese factory is an engine of creation and change. Whether it produces consumer electronics, toys, pharmaceuticals, clothing, low-cost weapons---anything desired by a global marketplace---they each transform the life and political economy of the planet." His paintings are a distributable homage to the power of these buildings.

Curtis Taylor is a filmmaker living in Seattle Washington. From 1996 to 2006 he operated Vodvil, a film-and-performance storefront that made original narratives in opera and ballet. He has written, designed and directed shows which have premiered at Vodvil, Northwest Film Forum, Film Brigade of Chicago, Toronto Film Festival, SXSW, Center on Contemporary Art and On the Boards.

Portraits of Curiosity, a series of photographs by April Brimer, will hang in the McLeod Residence Foyer. The photographs tell a story in magical realism, with characters that are strong, adventurous, curious and sometimes mischievous. April creates portraits that are open-ended, inviting the viewer to speculate on the setting and motivation.

April Brimer has been taking photographs for over ten years. A former Seattle resident, she currently lives in Santa Barbara, CA, where she is pursuing fine art digital photography.

The McLeod Room will be guest curated by ten-year-old Joshua Lindenmayer, aka Jetpack McLeod, with an exhibit called Birds, Buffalos and Baldmans, featuring street artists Starhead Boy, Narboo, and Bald Man Watching. The artists will paint their exhibit directly on the McLeod Room walls. Birds, Buffalos and Baldmans will have a separate afternoon reception on Saturday, October 11 at 2pm.

* * *

McLeod Residence is a home for extraordinary living through art, technology and collaboration. In addition to the lounge that boasts a full bar, McLeod Residence's gallery space features exhibitions that rotate every two months and acts as a venue for events such as readings, musical performances, films, and parties. Proprietors Buster McLeod and Lele McLeod founded McLeod Residence in 2006. McLeod Residence gallery hours are Thursday-Saturday, noon-6pm. The Lounge is open Tuesday-Sunday, 6pm-2am, with happy hour Tuesday-Friday from 6-8pm. For more information, contact McLeod Residence at 206-441-3314 or visit www.mcleodresidence.com.

Allison Kudla installation at McLeod Residence

Like Diana Falchuk's cake icing installation, Allison Kudla's Decorative Growth Pattern mimics the McLeod Residence signature wallpaper -- this time with living plant matter. The closet installation is currently on view during both gallery hours (Thursday-Saturday 12pm-6pm) and lounge hours (Tuesday-Sunday 6pm-2am) and will be up through September 27.

At the opening on Friday night, the piece was thoroughly enjoyed; however, many were reluctant to believe that laser cut tobacco leaves will actually grow. Explains Kudla: "Although this process has been successfully done for decades in biology classes by punching a leaf disc from a leaf and giving it the correct ratio of hormones to incite new leaf growth, this is the first time it is being realized in a more complexly cut form." (More)

Yesterday, she sent us a time-lapse video of the original experiment:

Circles are punched from a leaf and produce new shoots at the discs' perimeters due to the chemical ratio of auxins to cytokinins which are present in the agar that the leaf cuttings are sitting atop.

As we saw at the opening, the piece is lovely, but the most exciting aspect of it is yet to come: growth! Be sure to visit Allison Kudla's installation often to view its spectacular changes.

Also currently on view and not to be missed:

What.Why Seattle Design, on exhibit through August 15

Robert Zverina's Picture of the Decade in the Parlor: 11 years, 572 pictures

24 Hours of a Life: Robert Zverina Short Films Sofa Cinema in the Conservatory

Jason Huntley's Breakfast in Neverland in the Foyer

Wildflowers by Jenene Chesbrough in the McLeod Room

Celebrity portraits by Jeff Bender in the South Room

The Neon Lounge by Jeremy Bert and Jen Elek

Interactive McLeod Mirrors by The Barbarian Group in the Water Closets

New exhibit opens Friday 8/1!

Opening reception: Friday, August 1st, 5-9pm

Local artists explore a variety of themes and materials as a method to make meaning during August and September at McLeod Residence.

Robert Zverina emphasizes the importance of everyday artifacts with a collection of photographs and one to thirty second films titled memory (w)hole; Allison Kudla mimics manufactured patterns in living plant matter for Decorative Growth Pattern; and a group of local furniture and lighting designers display their wares in What.Why Seattle Design.

The exhibits open on August 1, 2008, with a reception from 5-9pm and will be up through September 27. Robert Zverina will spin 45s on a self-contained 1960s tube amp record player during the reception.

McLeod Residence on CW Channel 11!

Press Release: A Matter of Meaning

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Maggie Santolla McLeod, Press Relations
maggie.santolla@gmail.com

Lele McLeod, Gallery
lelemcleod@gmail.com
206-441-3314

A Matter of Meaning
Local Artists Explore Memory, Matter and Materials at McLeod Residence

Seattle, WA--July 10, 2008—Local artists explore a variety of themes and materials as a method to make meaning during August and September at McLeod Residence. Robert Zverina emphasizes the importance of everyday artifacts a with a collection of photographs and one to 30 second films titled memory (w)hole; Allison Kudla mimics manufactured patterns in living plant matter for Decorative Growth Pattern; and a group of local furniture and lighting designers display their wares in What.Why Seattle Design. The exhibits open on August 1, 2008, with a reception from 5-9pm and will be up through September 27. Robert Zverina will spin 45s on a self-contained 1960s tube amp record player during the reception.

Robert Zverina's memory (w)hole explores the importance of tangible artifacts in an increasingly digital age where information has become more ephemeral and history can be revised with just a few keystrokes. In George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four, history is constantly being rewritten, with the old versions being tossed into the "memory hole"--an incinerator. memory (w)hole is a play on words that implies we inhabit a space between total recall and utter amnesia. Where one falls on that spectrum is a conscious choice. Robert's obsession with documenting life's everyday details through video, writing, and photography puts him firmly towards one end.

Robert will turn the McLeod Residence Conservatory into a small theater, showing his short films shot on a digital pocket camera. Robert carries his camera wherever he goes and shoots films daily that are anywhere from one to 30 seconds in length. He then select the best clips, annotates them with descriptive keywords and logs the date, location, and subject of each micro-documentary in a process he's dubbed AUTOBIOANTHROPOLOGRAPHY, a combination of autobiography and anthropology. His hope is that these vignettes combined with objective data will give future folklorists a useful glimpse into a subjective history of the early 21st century.

In the adjacent parlor, Robert will exhibit photographic prints and various artifacts.

Born 1969 in Liberty, New York to recently-emigrated Czech political refugees, Seattle resident Robert Zverina is an interdisciplinary artist who maintains an ongoing web documentary called Picture of the Day. More information can be found at www.zverina.com/i.

Allison Kudla will create an installation for the Lions closet. Decorative Growth Pattern is made of living plant matter that takes on the form of a man-made decorative pattern and explores a territory where human constructions are present in the genetic formations of living systems. Leaves are shaped by a digital image and suspended in square tiled petri dishes that contain necessary nutrients to keep the plants alive. Viewers will witness subtle changes in color and texture over the duration of the exhibit. 

Allison Kudla is currently a Ph.D. Candidate at the University of Washington's Center for Digital Arts and Experimental Media (DXARTS). She holds a BFA from the School of The Art Institute of Chicago (2002) and is interested in using technology in her art to gain greater perspectives on the system in which we exist.

The foyer will feature What.Why Seattle Design, a juried collection of home furnishings from local designers. What.Why is a quarterly forum for Seattle-area designers to receive exposure and feedback  for their work. The selections include furniture from Ladies & Gentlemen Studio, furniture and light fixtures from Graypants and Iacoli  & McAllister, and bags and clothing by Meet Me Here. What.Why Seattle Design is a limited engagement and will only be on exhibit from August 1 to August 15.

* * *

McLeod Residence is a home for extraordinary living through art, technology and collaboration. In addition to the lounge that boasts a full bar, McLeod Residence's gallery space features exhibitions that rotate every two months and acts as a venue for events such as readings, musical performances, films, and parties. Proprietors Buster McLeod and Lele McLeod founded McLeod Residence in 2006. McLeod Residence gallery hours are Thursday-Saturday, noon-6pm. The Lounge is open Tuesday-Sunday, 6pm-2am, with happy hour Tuesday-Friday from 6-8pm. For more information, contact McLeod Residence at 206-441-3314 or visit www.mcleodresidence.com.

New exhibit at McLeod Residence opening this Friday!

We have a new exhibit opening Friday! Please join us.

Opening reception: Friday, June 6th, 5-9pm
Performance by Flexions at 8pm

Jamey Braden, Seattle
Daily Manual of Thanks, 2008
Watercolor and ink on paper
18" x 24"

Two local artists with unique takes on language and stories will exhibit their work at McLeod Residence during June and July. Hugo Solís translates an Edgar Allen Poe story into an experimental multi-media installation, and Jamey Braden dissects the meaning of the words "thank you" with drawings, paintings and found objects. Both exhibits open with a reception from 5-9pm on Friday, June 6, 2008 and will be exhibited until July 26. The opening reception will also feature a performance by Flexions, an experimental music/performance art group.

Press release: Hugo Solís and Jamey Braden

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Maggie Santolla McLeod, Press Relations
maggie.santolla@gmail.com

Lele McLeod, Gallery
lelemcleod@gmail.com
206-441-3314

Heartfelt Thanks and Tell-Tale Hearts
Two Artists Experiment with Words and Stories at McLeod Residence

Seattle, WA--May 12, 2008--Two local artists with unique takes on language and stories will exhibit their work at McLeod Residence during June and July. Hugo Solís translates an Edgar Allen Poe story into an experimental multi-media installation, and Jamey Braden dissects the meaning of the words "thank you" with drawings, paintings and found objects. Both exhibits open with a reception from 5-9pm on Friday, June 6, 2008 and will be exhibited until July 26. The opening reception will also feature a performance by Flexions, an experimental music/performance art group.

Hugo Solís's Tell-Tale Piano (more information here: http://hugosolis.net/Tell-Tale_Piano) is an interactive installation based on Poe's story The Tell-Tale Heart. The piece uses an old piano that has been electronically and mechanically altered to represent the story sonically. When visitors sit on the chair atop the installation, a 17-minute-long musical composition is triggered. The dismembered instrument comes alive, and the visitor is able to experience the instrument "beating" beneath them, much like the narrator in The Tell-Tale Heart is haunted by a disembodied heart beating beneath his floorboards.

The music piece was composed with layers at different tempos as homage to the American- Mexican composer Conlon Nancarrow, who renewed the meaning of player pianos with his set of studies.

Hugo Solís is a Ph.D student at University of Washington's Center for Digital Arts and Experimental Media. His main interests are musical structure of improvised music, human computer musical interaction, and audiovisual systems. Currently he works on the development of sonic and visual extensions for acoustic pianos and also plays with the Juum duet. He holds a DEA of Computer Sciences and Digital Communication from the Pompeu Fabra Univeristy, and a Masters degree in Media Arts and Sciences from the MIT Media Laboratory at the Opera of the Future group, where he developed IMPI an audiovisual system for improvisatory music and contributed to the Toy Symphony project. His interests in technology and improvisatory music inspired him to found the NICROM Trio, an interdisciplinary ensemble of electro-acoustic improvisatory music with action painting. His work ix-.-.hel was selected in the Transitio_mx 05.

Taxonomy of Thanks by Jamey Braden is a collection of images and objects that illustrate, consider, question, and state "thanks." Paintings of familiar plastic thank-you bags become anthropomorphic when they share their thoughts on thank yous. Actual plastic shopping bags are displayed alongside the paintings as artifacts or specimens, highlighting the rich diversity of a commonly used, discarded, and overlooked object.

What to be thankful for and what not to be thankful for is also addressed. In these drawings, "thank you" no longer exists as an auto-response to familiar and repetitive gesture, it becomes a language in its own two words, one laced with nuance and deeper meaning.

Beyond simple classification, personal experience and introspection broaden this body of work into a taxonomy of confusion, favorites, social norms and value systems. Jamey's intent with Taxonomy of Thanks is to dissect the meaning and feeling of thankfulness.

Jamey Braden makes drawings with words and images because she needs to let her internal narrator "air out."  She sometimes works in the third dimension, finding things and forming them into clumps with the feeling and hope that these culled materials were always meant to be together like long-lost siblings.

* * *

McLeod Residence is a home for extraordinary living through art, technology and collaboration. In addition to the lounge that boasts a full bar, McLeod Residence's gallery space features exhibitions that rotate every two months and acts as a venue for events such as readings, musical performances, films, and parties. Proprietors Buster McLeod and Lele McLeod founded McLeod Residence in 2006. McLeod Residence gallery hours are Thursday-Saturday, noon to 6pm. The Lounge is open Tuesday-Sunday, 6pm - 2am. For more information, contact McLeod Residence at 206-441-3314 or visit www.mcleodresidence.com.