Come out to Burien on Saturday, January 29!! We are holding our opening ceremony for the Burien Interim Art Space. It will feature the amazing sculpture made by Dan Das Mann for the Burning Man Art Festival called "The Passage." You've got to come out and see this in Burien! Its amazing.

We've been working on this project and can't wait to open the park to the community. Show your support for a new and innovative idea, bringing art to an otherwise barren parking lot for a year.

Check this website out and then plan to come see this idea come to fruition on the 29th at 4p.m.

We'll have fire dancers, DJs, ART and much more.


www.interim-art-space.com/

SEE YOU THERE!!

Here is an article written about the project:

Burien/Interim Art Space

Ashley DeForest
December 18, 2008 9:35 AM

On January 24, Burien will unveil a project that transforms a vacant construction site into a public gathering place for community members of all ages. One of the first of its kind in the Country, the Burien/ Interim Art Space project is a year-long experiment to turn a block of Burien Town Square into a temporary sculptural garden where art and space are intrinsically re-envisioned.

The B/ IAS project has been many months in the making and has engaged a number of community partners including the Burien Arts Commission, Urban Partners, City of Burien, Ignition NW, GGLO , and 4Culture. The interim art space occupies Phase 2 of Burien Town Square, a project, like many others that was placed on hold due to the current economic climate.

Rather than suffer the stark void of a vacant site in the downtown core, Burien Arts Commission Board Members Kathy Justin and Dane Johnson approached property owner, Urban Partners, about using the site for an interim art space. Long-time supporter of the arts, Urban Partners was happy to donate their land for an ambitious project like B/ IAS. With this donation and the on-going support from City of Burien, Ignition NW, GGLO, and 4-Culture, Kathy and Dane moved forward with plans to transform the site into an interim art space.

With a little bit of vision, a languishing construction site has now become a community asset. The B/ IAS is an artist p-patch of sorts filled with handcrafted sculptures, ceramic flowers created by children from the nearby pottery school, and gardens planted by downtown apartment dwellers. At its physical center is the 30-foot tall piece called "The Passage," created by San Francisco artists Dan Das Mann and Karen Cusolito for the 2005 Burning Man Arts Festival. This dynamic sculpture of a mother and child exploring the world is to be complimented by a sculptural piling of torn-up asphalt and the fiery Synapses and Fire-Pod pieces. These initial sculptures, along with a growing number of pieces donated by local artists, will remain on the site throughout the project cycle and will form a backdrop for ad hoc community gatherings and planned events.

The project team recognizes Burien will not be the only city facing underutilized construction sites over the coming years. They hope the B/ IAS project will inspire others across the country to re-sculpt these sites into thriving art spaces, full of life, hope, and beauty. To give other communities a jump-start on the process, the team is sharing their collective experiences in a DIY manual, which will be available for review later this year.

In the meantime, you can get a first hand look at "The Passage" and dance with fire performers around the Fire-Pod at B/ IAS's grand opening celebration on January 24th starting at 3:00pm. Additional events and art pieces will be added throughout the project's one-year life cycle. For more information about the project and for details regarding art donations, please contact Kathy Justin with the Burien Arts Commission.