ArtSEA: Nancy Guppy on why her show ‘Art Zone’ matters to Seattle - Anlık Haber

What is at stake when a city loses an established outlet for local arts coverage? During First Thursday Art Walk last week, one topic that kept coming up in conversation was the news that a beloved Seattle arts show is on the chopping block.

Released in late September, Mayor Harrell’s 2025-2026 budget proposal outlines drastic cuts to the city-run Seattle Channel — including the elimination of <a href=”https://www.seattlechannel.org/artZone”>Art Zone with Nancy Guppy</a>, a television program that has showcased Seattle artists of all genres for 15+ years.

<a href=”https://crosscut.com/artsea” target=”_blank”>ArtSEA: Notes on Northwest Culture</a> is a weekly arts newsletter from Cascade PBS.

Over that time, Art Zone has produced 952 video stories about artists: live music segments, gallery visits, peeks behind theatrical scenes and interviews that host and senior producer Nancy Guppy, an Almost Live alum, infuses with humor and insight.

And while the vibe is warm and laid-back, Art Zone is no slouch — the show has won nine Northwest Emmy Awards.

While we wait to hear what the Mayor’s final budget holds (Seattle City Council will hear public comment Oct. 16 and Nov. 12; adoption is expected Nov. 21), I spoke with Guppy about the possible loss of Art Zone. Full disclosure: I have appeared on Art Zone in years past, and Guppy is a friend.

This interview has been edited and condensed.

Nancy Guppy on a shoot at Art X Contemporary Gallery. Her show ‘Art Zone’ is slated to be cut in Mayor Harrell’s proposed budget. (Rosemary Garner)

BD: Why do you think arts coverage continues to be at risk in a wealthy city with so much art going on?

NG: Part of the reason is that art isn’t taken seriously. It should be considered and talked about at the same level of everything else happening in a city, next to stories about homelessness, stories about sports. But for some reason arts is treated like the goofy cousin.

That’s so true, despite the fact that arts and culture is a powerful economic driver for the city — and right now seems to be the big hope for getting people downtown again.

The cumulative effect of what all these [arts and cultural workers] are doing is why Seattle has any draw at all, for locals and tourists. So to underestimate the importance of what arts and culture means to the city is to have your head in the sand.

Let’s talk about the local arts ecosystem. Last spring, when I told people about my new show <a href=”https://www.cascadepbs.org/art-northwest”>Art by Northwest</a>, I often heard, “So you’re competing with Nancy Guppy now!” As if this town ain’t big enough for more than one arts program.

That’s ridiculous. The arts ecosystem only works when there are more voices talking about art. Arts reporting at Crosscut, The Seattle Times, The Stranger — the tide floats all boats. When there’s just one voice, no one hears it. We need many voices for people to pay attention.

People on social media have suggested that if Art Zone is cut from the budget, maybe you could “get a grant” or some other funding to sustain it. Does that seem likely?

In addition to the financial challenge of where would the money come from, there’s also the question of where would the show air? Commercial stations aren’t going to give money, let alone airtime, to a show about the local art scene. That kind of thing happened maybe 20 or so years ago. In the 1990s Lucy Mohl and Gregg Palmer had regular movie review segments on KING TV, during the evening news!

So what’s at stake if Art Zone disappears?

I’m not saying Art Zone is the be-all and end-all. And Art Zone doesn’t have to be me doing it. But to take away the voice of a local outlet telling authentic stories — when there are so few voices covering art — is a loss for artists and the city.

The cast of ‘Jubilee’ in rehearsal at Seattle Opera. (Sunny Martini)

Meanwhile, music hums around the Sound.

The <a href=”https://www.earshot.org/within-earshot-october2019/”>Within/Earshot Jazz Festival</a> is in full swing on Bainbridge Island, with performances, films and talks at the Bainbridge Island Museum of Art auditorium (through Oct. 29). At The Royal Room in Columbia City, Seattle Modern Orchestra kicks off its 15th season with <a href=”https://www.seattlemodernorchestra.org/concert/2024-2025-conductive-structures/”>Conductive Structures</a>, a mixed bill of music innovation including a world premiere by legendary local composer Wayne Horvitz — whose new piece Worst Planet Yet is in tribute to Sun Ra (Oct. 17).

The popular <a href=”https://www.fremontabbey.org/events/cathedrals/”>Abbey Arts Cathedral Concerts</a> series presents two indie-pop artists in the awesome acoustics of St. Mark’s Cathedral this month: pianist/singer/songwriter Vienna Teng (Oct. 12) and Australian singer/songwriter Ry X (Oct. 17). (Lying on the floor and vibing-out encouraged.) At Seattle Symphony, <a href=”https://www.seattlesymphony.org/en/concerttickets/calendar/2024-2025/24sub4″>Mozart is on the menu</a>, including his “Jupiter” Symphony (Oct. 17 and 19; probably don’t lie on the floor).

And to give us a glimpse of Seattle Opera’s bold new production, here’s Cascade PBS copy chief — and seasoned opera writer — Gavin Borchert:

Staging works like Jeanine Tesori’s Blue, Daniel Schnyder’s Charlie Parker’s Yardbird and Sheila Silver’s A Thousand Splendid Suns, Seattle Opera has in recent years expanded our notion of who opera can be about. Now, with the world premiere of <a href=”https://www.seattleopera.org/performances-events/jubilee/”>Jubilee</a> (Oct. 12 – 26), the organization is also expanding our notion of what opera is.

Blue librettist Tazewell Thompson has compiled over 40 spirituals (vocal arrangements by Dianne Adams McDowell) to help tell the true story of the Fisk Jubilee Singers of Fisk University, an HBCU in Nashville. Soon after the Civil War, the group began to travel the world — from small Southern towns to Buckingham Palace — to share the African American musical legacy, offering the singers’ personal tales through the songs of their ancestors. The FJS is to this day an active performing ensemble.

Among the three dozen songs included in Jubilee are the foundation stones of the gospel repertory: “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot,” “Deep River,” “Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen.” And among the 13-member cast of Black singers: Bellingham’s Ibidunni Ojikutu, who unforgettably debuted at Seattle Opera in 2011 in the 90-second role of the Strawberry Woman in Porgy and Bess. Kellen Gray conducts. — G.B.

Payal Capadia’s ‘All We Imagine as Light’ won the 2024 Grand Prix Award at Cannes and is screening at the Tasveer Film Festival. (Petit Chaos)

We’ll end with current film festivals, just a few more of the many arts happenings this month — a rich and rewarding list that proves we surely need more arts coverage in this city, not less.

The 19th <a href=”https://tasveerfestival.org/”>Tasveer Film Festival</a> (Oct. 15 – 20) showcases South Asian cinema and features 110 films in 22 languages. New this year is the Tasveer Film Market, aimed at increasing film industry attention toward voices from the South Asian diaspora.

The <a href=”https://threedollarbillcinema.org/sqff-2024″>Seattle Queer Film Festival</a> returns (in person, Oct. 10 – 13; streaming Oct. 14 – 20), with 80 films underscoring this year’s theme of “Q-thartic,” aka, “feeling, healing, and everything in between that comes with our community.”

And up north: Bellingham’s Pickford Film Center is currently rocking <a href=”https://www.pickfordfilmcenter.org/doctober/”>Doctober</a> (through Oct. 27), a fun run of recent documentaries; and the 10th annual, tiny but mighty <a href=”https://www.oifilmfest.org/”>Orcas Island Film Festival</a> (Oct. 16 – 20) promises a powerhouse 35-pack of impressive new films, screened amid the unparalleled beauty of the San Juan Islands.

This issue of ArtSEA is made possible in part thanks to support from the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture.

Topics: <a href=”https://www.cascadepbs.org/arts” hreflang=”en”>Arts</a>, <a href=”https://www.cascadepbs.org/artsea” hreflang=”en”>ArtSEA</a>, <a href=”https://www.cascadepbs.org/features” hreflang=”en”>Features</a>, <a href=”https://www.cascadepbs.org/seattle-asian-american-film-festival” hreflang=”en”>Seattle Asian American Film Festival</a>, <a href=”https://www.cascadepbs.org/things-do” hreflang=”en”>Things to do</a>

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