Taproot Uncorked celebrates Heroic Wines and an extraordinary post-fire year

Celebratory fundraiser takes place on October 22, one year after arson

SEATTLE – September 28, 2010 – One year after the arson that severely damaged—and threatened to destroy—Taproot Theatre Company’s Greenwood playhouse, the theatre hosts Taproot Uncorked, a fundraising event celebrating its extraordinary post-fire year and looking ahead to the future. On October 22, Taproot Theatre and Greenwood’s Vineyard Wine Shop team up at The Upper Crust’s Greenwood Square for a night of pairing heroic wines and Taproot’s heroic year.

Given the challenges, and ultimately victories, of the past year, the theme of heroic wines seemed appropriate. “By heroic wines, I mean wines which are victorious in their endeavor to survive all odds,” says Vineyard Wine Shop owner Patrick Anderson. “With each passing year the vine’s roots grow deeper and deeper into the soils, and with this comes the wisdom of age and experience.”

The fire in the early hours of October 23, 2009, destroyed the Eleanor Roosevelt Building—which Taproot leased to four businesses—and resulted in such extensive smoke and water damage to the theatre that Taproot was forced to shut its doors for three months and relocate performances. Having weathered multiple recessions in its nearly 35 years, Taproot’s leadership had learned to persevere through the ups and downs of time, but a fire was something no one ever thought would happen.

“It hit as a shock, but throughout that morning I just kept thinking, ‘We have to get through this. We have audiences to serve, a neighborhood we’re committed to,” said Taproot’s co-founder and producing artistic director, Scott Nolte. “The way the Greater Seattle arts community, the Greenwood-Phinney neighborhood, and so many other friends rallied around us gave me hope that we would get through this and come out even stronger than before.”

Taproot Theatre officially reopened its doors on January 29, 2010, for opening night of The Great Divorce, C.S. Lewis’ allegory adapted by George Drance and New York’s Magis Theatre. The production played to sold-out houses and broke all attendance records in the theatre’s nearly-35-year history. In addition, the 2010 season went on to bring in Taproot’s highest number of subscribers ever.

The evening’s festivities run from 6 to 8 p.m. and include tasting and learning about heroic wines with wine expert Patrick Anderson, hearty hors d’oeuvres from The Upper Crust, plus time to visit with some of Taproot’s most deeply rooted artists who will be pouring the wines. Taproot Uncorked takes place at The Upper Crust Catering’s Greenwood Square, located at 8420 Greenwood Avenue North. Seating is limited, and early registration is encouraged. Tickets cost $45 and are available online at www.taprootuncorked.com.

Taproot Uncorked is made possible through generous partnerships with The Vineyard Wine Shop and The Upper Crust Catering.



ABOUT TAPROOT THEATRE COMPANY
Taproot Theatre Company is a professional, non-profit theatre company with a multi-faceted production program. Founded in 1976, Taproot Theatre serves the Pacific Northwest with Mainstage Productions, Touring Productions and Acting Studio. Taproot exists to create theatre that explores the beauty and questions of life while bringing hope to our search for meaning. Taproot Theatre Company is a member of Theatre Communications Group (TCG), Theatre Puget Sound (TPS), and the Greenwood-Phinney Chamber of Commerce.

Support for Taproot Theatre’s 2010 Mainstage season is generously provided by The Charles Simonyi Fund for Arts and Sciences, The Seattle Foundation, 4Culture, ArtsFund, PONCHO and Nesholm Family Foundation.

Art Up Greenwood-Phinney: Friday, Sept 10th from 6-9pm

Art on the Ridge: 8005 Greenwood Ave N
Featuring Premier Artist Cameron Kim and her wonderfully talented oil painting students! They will also have many other wonderful artists, live music by Jeremy Sewer, and refreshments. It will be a great night for the family! Artists present.


Assemble Gallery & Studio: 7406 Greenwood Ave N
Check out Seattle Times write-up on Boo Davis!
“Dare to Be Square” Seattle designer, illustrator, and the founder of Quiltsrÿche quilt studio, Boo Davis will release and sign copies of her brand new quilting book, Dare to Be Square, as well as show a variety of handmade quilts. Be there or..be square? Artist present.




Avanti Art & Design: 7317 Greenwood Ave N
September brings Avanti's very 1st solo show in their gallery space! Jerry Gay is a Pulitzer Prize winning photojournalist who traveled over 50,000 miles & through every state to capture a vision & understanding of a reality that we are all looking to see & wanting to believe in. His prize-winning photograph will be available at the reception as a signed/numbered lithograph. Part of the proceeds will assist the NW Burn Foundation. Artist present.




Balderdash Books & Art: 8536 Greenwood Ave N
Featuring the urban contemporary artwork of John Lodholz. Artist present.


*Bleacher’s Pub: 8118 Greenwood Ave N
Stop in for a discounted appetizer or entrée during the monthly art walk.




Artwork by Redd Walitzki (above)

Bherd Studios Gallery (Greenwood Collective)
8537 Greenwood Ave N, Suite 1
“You’re So Vain” (you probably think this art is about you). Seattle artists Kate Protage and Chris Sheridan team up to curate their 2nd show at Bherd Studios Gallery in September. “You’re So Vain” looks at more than 10 different artists’ interpretations of portraiture in the modern art world, and how their technical, stylistic and symbolic choices reflect the “truths” of their subjects. Includes the art of: Daniel Carrillo, Jonathan Collis, Chris Crites, Troy Gua, Lucien Knuteson, Wyatt Landis, Mary McIntyre, John Osgood, Brian Thies, Joey Veltkamp, Redd Walitzki, Daniel John Williams.

Protage and Sheridan have chosen to display a wide range of styles and genres in “You’re So Vain,” with work ranging from urban contemporary to pop surrealism to classical, and everything in between. Artists address a variety of different thematic concepts behind modern portraiture—humor, vanity, morality, spirituality and social commentary to name a few—and reveal the fact that portraiture is not bound to a single, tightly defined space in contemporary art. It is everywhere, and can mean many things.


*Carmelita’s: 7314 Greenwood Ave N
$5 Happy Hour Menu All Night!

The Chocolate Shoe Box: 7410 Greenwood Ave N
Liz Josias, nature landscape photographer. Artist present.

Couth Buzzard Books: 8310 Greenwood Ave N
Paintings, Photography & Sculpture by Stacy Schonhardt, Roger Willsie, TV-TommyVision, Terry Thomas, Sylvia Stout, Joseph Sturm & Ann Burglund.

*Emma Jeans: 8554 ½ Greenwood Ave N
Offering 30% - 50% off every art walk!

Francine Seders Gallery: 6701 Greenwood Ave N
Featuring Norman Lundin in the main gallery and Fred Birchman in the upstairs gallery. Lundin : paintings on canvas, landscapes and interiors and Birchman : drawings.

Janet Klinger Photography: 6120 Phinney Ave N
Featuring Seattle & Puget Sound photographers and videographers.

Kouzina: 8403 Greenwood Ave N
Monthly rotating artwork by a local artist.

*Gaspare Ristorante and Bar: 6705 Greenwood Ave N
3- Course Italian Meal for $22.00 and Fresh Mint Mojitos and Bellinis $5 each all night during the artwalk.

Makeda Coffee: 153 N 78th Street
(between N. 1st Ave & N. Greenwood Ave.)
Artwork by Kim Cross. Acrylic paint on canvas and henna fundraiser for Pakistan. Artist present.

Naked City Taphouse: 8564 Greenwood Ave N
Large format paintings by Ryan Henry Ward. Artist present.

Neptune Coffee: 8415 Greenwood Ave N
Monthly rotating artwork.

Oliver’s Twist: 6822 Greenwood Ave N
Rotating contemporary artwork by Seattle artists.

Palermo Art Gallery: (Greenwood Collective)
8537 Greenwood Ave N, Suite 1
Urban contemporary art by Yvonne Palermo and visiting artist Nick Beery. Artists present.

The Park Pub: 6114 Phinney Ave N
Rotating local artists.

Phinney Neighborhood Assoc: 6532 Phinney Ave N
“Noticing Infrastructure” featuring art by Suze Woolf. Artist present.




Rockwell Realty: 8315 Greenwood Ave N
La Familia Gallery artist Angela Scott creates nature inspired work including sculpted birds and complexly layered oil paintings. Artist present.



Space: A Design Build Collective: 7200 Greenwood Ave N
Featuring new artwork by Susan Massey and live music, with jazz and blues inspired roots duo by The Honeyville Rascals. Artists present.




Strut: 7511 Greenwood Ave N
Still life photographs with Seattle’s wild birds by Betty Udesen. Artists present.




Tasty: 7513 Greenwood Ave N
“Dreams & Visions” Tasty is thrilled to be showing new works by artists Don DeLeva and Dara Harvey. Don works in an intuitive style using “free flowing ideas that crystallize over time into image”. He starts by painting a texture into the primer and adds lines or shapes that he’s visualized in his head. Reading between the abstract lines, he brings out imagery using elements of traditional painting. He says “paintings can take anywhere from 2 weeks to 4 months to complete. In some cases, I paint over works that I have finished. If it’s in my studio, it’s fair game!”

In her own words, Dara’s art is “largely a process of inspired scribbling, deliberate interpretations of bizarre mark making and intuition of form to create deconstructed characters that are then stitched back together, often in ambiguous or fanciful environments.” She takes pride in transforming and reinventing her own art, exploring creative options and not limiting herself to one kind of media. Artists Present.


Two Birds Tattoo: 7408 Greenwood Ave N
“Morbid Anatomy” ghastly shadowboxes featuring archaic medical tools, vials, and more by Anita Arora.


*The Olive & Grape: 8516 Greenwood Ave N
(Formerly “Olive You”)
Official Opening! Plus Olive oil tasting.




Urban Light Studios (Greenwood Collective)
8537 Greenwood Ave N, Suite 1
Featuring the Bureau of Drawers and their first-ever collaborative gallery show called COMBO. THE FORCES OF GOOD... For one night only during the Greenwood-Phinney Art Walk, the Bureau will represent the forces of good and righteousness at Urban Light Studios. Artists present.

Wayward Coffeehouse: 8570 Greenwood Ave N
Rotating artwork by local artists. Live music from 8-10pm. Artists present.

Write To Move at Phinney Center: 6532 Phinney Ave N
7pm Life Drawing for Writers, $5 drop-in fee. Artist Present



* Venues offering Art Walk Specials