Sun July 20

Open Studio Project Closing

Dear Friends,

The open Studio Project/ Gallery 301 will be closing at the end of this month. For about 15 months I had use of an amazing space in the heart of historic Pioneer Square. I’m grateful to Storefronts Seattle for this opportunity. The first show was presented by Rulon Brown. His installation received great reviews and lead to many other opportunities including a show at Seattle Art Museum’s REMIX.
Thanks to Rulon Brown, Laura Castellanos, and Juan Alonso for sharing their talents. It was great to see large works by Laura and Juan on the walls of the gallery.
A special thanks goes to Juan Alonso who was instrumental in keeping the space lively while I traveled to and from Baltimore. Thanks again to these wonderful artist, and amazing people.
Our loss is your gain. Juan is having a sale. He needs to downsize for his new space. Feel free to stop by the space, or give him a call to set up an appointment.
Juan 206-390-4882

Thank you to those who supported my Souper Fundraiser. Your generosity is deeply appreciated. It was an amazing night with wonderful energy. Thank you to Max Billet for the yummy soup.

Today I’m performing for the Artscape festival in Baltimore as part of High Zero’s Worlds in Collusion. I’ll play solo cello at 3pm on the University of Baltimore Stage. This will be my first public performance in Baltimore. Looking forward…

Tuesday I’ll present a public lecture for the summer MFA program from 6-8 at the Lazarus Center Auditorium at the Grad Student Center at MICA.

I just got back from Liverpool and London…..
Lots to digest…..
Visited the Liverpool Biennial, The Tate, FACT and the International Slave Museum…

I went to Liverpool to learn about American history….

Lots to digest.
More Soon.

Stay Strong.

Paul

301 Occidental Avenue South
Seattle, WA 98104

Thu April 10

Souper Fundraiser – Paul Rucker Birthday Celebration

Dear friends, supporters, and family,

As many of you know I received a grant from Creative Capital in 2012 to develop Recapitulation. May 1, I’m asking you to come celebrate and be a part of this project by supporting it through a special fundraiser taking place at my storefronts gallery, Open Studio Project in Pioneer Square between 5-8.

There will be a special soup created by Maxime Bilet--coauthor of Modernist Cuisine that will be the centerpiece of this opportunity to break bread together. There will also be special live music performances by me and special musical guests, as well as a presentation of new sculpture work, and other works in progress for Recapitulation. There will also be some small limited edition prints of aluminum for sale as well as other merchandise.

A couple of years ago I bought several cans of limited edition Warhol Soup cans (actually 500+). I thought they were beautiful and I wanted to do something special with them. On the highest level of support you receive a complete set of all four cans, gourmet soup dinner, live music, and community. If you’re not able to make the event, I’ll be glad to mail the cans to you anywhere in the US. I also want to give anyone who wants to be a part of supporting Recapitulation, by using Paypal to send whatever amount you wish to contribute.

During this special evening, I’ll be making a couple of really exciting announcements.

I also want to take this time to thank you all for your support over the years, attending concerts and visual art shows. I hope you can be a part of this project by supporting the mounting of the most ambitious work I’ve ever created. I need your support and will be honored if you were a part of this endeavor.

Tickets are being sold through Brown Paper Tickets. There are “No Show” tickets as well for people who want to donate and receive a set of cans via mail (please provide address) or pick-up, as well as tickets for those who wish to receive nothing.

You can purchase tickets here: Souper Fundraiser - Tickets

Paypal email is: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Questions: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Non-fundraiser related questions: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Souper Fundraiser – Birthday Celebration
5-8pm
Open Studio Project
301 Occidental Avenue South (and Main)
Seattle, WA 98104

Wed February 05

New Year - Save the Date

Dear Friends,

Hope all are well, and settling into the New Year. As most of you know, I’m currently between Baltimore, and Seattle. The bicoastal experience has been great.  This Thursday I’m performing at 301 Occidental Avenue South (at Main) for First Thursday Art Walk in Seattle. Solo cello sets at 6pm and 7pm. Gallery will be open from 5-8. This month the Gallery is featuring BIGSTUFF: Large and older work by Juan Alonso.

This weekend, I will be doing a TEDx talk at TEDxBerkeley at UC Berkeley’s Zellerbach Hall on Saturday, February 8th.  The theme is “Rethink. Redefine. Recreate.” and I am speaking on Recapitulation, my Creative Capital Project.  If you live locally, the event is open to the public and you can buy tickets here: tedxberkeley2014.eventbrite.com  The code paul20 will save you 20% off general admission. You can also watch me on the free livestream at: http://www.tedxberkeley.org

I’m really excited that The Empathy Project will be featured at MICA Maryland Institute College of Art next month. I’ve invited students, faculty, staff, and the community to submit work related to their experiences with empathy.  This event will activate the space with conversations, performances, meditation, video, 2D, and 3D work. Events will take place every day from February 21 – March 16.

Proliferation is being shown at Haverford College in Philadelphia as part of Prison Obscura. The exhibit moves between intimate portrayals of life within the prison system to more expansive views of legal and spatial surveillance. January 21 – March 7.

I’m returning to the True False film festival in Columbia, Missouri. This festival is quite different because they invite musicians from all over to play prior to each film screening. February 27 – March 3.

I’ll be performing at the beautiful Doe Bay Resort in Olga, WA on May 2.

Last but not least, please SAVE THE DATE! May 1 in Seattle. I’m having a special event/announcement in Seattle. It will be a “Souper” event! Pun intended!

Many thanks for your support.
Have a great New Year!

Paul

Fri August 02

Upcoming Events

Dear Friends,

In addition to the shows listed, I’m really excited to announce some major opportunities taking place over the next few months. First up is a preview of work related to my Creative Capital Project at Gallery 4Culture this Thursday, August 1st. Recapitulation: Assassin Series - this body of work illuminates similarities between death by lynching and the flood of shootings in present day America. In sync with the extrajudicial quality of lynching, today’s shootings often go unprosecuted; or, if they go to trial, often end in dismissal of the accused.

In addition to the upcoming talk at the gallery, I’ll also be a guest speaker for Artist Trust’s EDGE Program in Port Townsend, WA; IdeaFestival in Louisville, KY; keynote speaker at the Seattle Race Conference at Seattle University; Arizona State University; as well as the Association of Independent Colleges of Arts and Design at Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA).

Upcoming performances include SAM Remix at the Olympic Sculpture Park and the Chapel Performance Space - both in Seattle.

This fall I’ll embark on a few new adventures: a two-day residency at Heritage University in Toppenish, WA; and a year-long residency at Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA). My title will be the Robert W. Deutsch Foundation Artist in Residence and Research Fellow at MICA. More information coming soon. During this residency, I’ll continue to curate my Open Studio Project and continue various projects in the region.

As I watch current events, I see that art is more crucial than ever. I’m really excited about Recapitulation: Assassin Series. I started working on the Assassin Series over a year and a half ago. I hope you can come out.

Your support means a great deal. Individuals and organizations - I appreciate each and every one of you.

With gratitude,

Paul

Thu July 11

Open Studio Project presents Interact

Dear Friends,

Open Studio Project presents Interact. Over the past several years I’ve created a series of pieces that encourage audience engagement through participation. These works utilize touch pads, laser beams, infrared beams, clay, scratch tickets, puzzles, watercolors, found objects, and more. Four of these pieces will be on view tomorrow as part of Interact: “Catalyst”, “Eleven Conversations”, “Puzzle Pieces”, and “Scratch Sound”.

Open Studio Project
301 South Occidental Avenue
Thursday, July 11
5pm-9pm
Open daily with unpredictable hours or by appointment.

I hope you can make it out.

Save the date for my August 1 opening at Gallery 4Culture.

Recent Press:
City Arts magazine: “An Unreasonable Man”
Seattle Weekly: “The Weekly Wire: The Week’s Recommended Events” (6/14-18/2013)

Many thanks for your support.

Best,
Paul

Thu June 06

New Gallery Opening -  The Open Studio Project: A Place to Explore Possibilities & Challenge

Dear friends,

Please come to the opening of my new gallery space. The Open Studio Project will be an exercise in exploring, trying, presenting, and leaning into the sharp edges. I’ll have this space for the next several months through the help of Storefronts Seattle. Through OSP , I’ll present visual art, music, video, interactive sound and video installations, and site-specific work.  I also look forward to other projects that may be thought of by you, me, or anyone else that dances differently.

I’m excited to have my good friend and past collaborator Rulon Brown present a new interactive installation entitled RESTLESS. In addition to the installation, he will debut his new jewelry designs and present nightly performances starting June 6 at 5:30 pm, First interactive performance w/ repeat shows every half-hour till 8:30 pm. The shows continue 6 pm nightly through June 16.

You may remember Rulon; he is the leader of the band I toured Nicaragua with earlier this year. I will play a special matinee concert, 2pm, Saturday, June 15 with Rulon, Jeff Busch, & Bill Horist. We will play Rulon’s music that we toured in Nicaragua.

I’m really excited about this space, and all the possibilities. I hope you will join us!

Many Thanks,

Paul

Location:

Paul Rucker’s Open Studio Project

301 Occidental Ave S, Seattle, WA 98104

Sun March 10

Visual Art and Performances

Hope all are well.

I’ve just finished a tour in Nicaragua with my friend’s band. Rulon Brown brought me along with Jeff Busch, and Bill Horist. This was the last concert as part of the Nicaraguan International Jazz Festival. I had a fantastic time, and I look forward to returning sometime again in the near future.

After returning from Nicaragua, I will have a series of performances and visual art shows.

As part of my residency at the University of Puget Sound, I have just presented a new work this week. The Race & Pedagogy Initiative presented "American Voices: Invisibility, Art, and Educational Justice". Over the course of two days this week, I presented this new work five times in schools and in a prison. This piece addresses the school-to-prison pipeline.

Shortly after these performances, I will be performing at the True False Film Festival in Columbia, Missouri. This festival is quite different because they invite musicians from all over the world to play prior to each film screening.

I'm excitedly looking forward to my first solo visual art show at Catherine Clark Gallery in San Francisco. If you happen to be in the Bay Area, I hope you can make it out. The show will be running from March 2nd – April 20th. Unfortunately I will miss the opening reception due to other tour dates, but I will be in attendance for a closing event on April 20th.

My latest completed public art project is a sculpture at People's Park in Tacoma, WA and is currently on view. During a two-year residency in Tacoma, I worked with a diverse group of young people discussing and writing about human rights. I incorporated these writings in this new sculptural work. An image of the final project is attached.

The three benches at People’s Park are installed in a triangular configuration (two of which are pictured). When I created the design, I hoped that the writings would promote conversation about human rights. I've been told this has already started. A public celebration will take place in the park in May.

Best wishes,
Paul

Thu October 11

Conductive Garboil

Dear Friends,

I’ll be a featured speaker/artist at the Race, Education, and Criminal Justice Conference at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, WA (see below for details).

I’m currently at Headlands Center for the Arts for a residency. It’s beautiful, and I feel very fortunate to be here. I’m developing my Creative Capital project, Recapitulation. Previews of some of this work will take place early next year.

I just received the Conductive Garboil Grant, which Su Job created before her untimely death in 2008. A special thank you to her for her vision and generosity. This grant is awarded to artists that, “demonstrate a profound ability to challenge the limits of conductive creative discourse and its effects on our society, pushing the creative act beyond the accepted limits, definitions, or purposes of art while engaging audiences outside the aesthetic industrial complex.” I’ll be recognized for this award at Artist Trust’s 2012 Awards Party, November 1st.

I’ve received a few other awards this year, including an Individual Artists Projects grant from 4Culture. I’ll use this grant to create a new body of work, Assassins, which will be featured in Gallery 4Culture.

My TEDx Tacoma talk from earlier this year can be seen here.

If you happen to be in the Bay Area, Headlands Center for the Arts is having a free open house October 28th from 12pm-5pm.

Stay well,
Paul

Sat February 18

Shows/Performances/News/Projects

Dear Friends,

Hope all are well. I’m really excited about the new year. I was recently awarded a grant from Creative Capital for a new work entitled Recapitulation. Recapitulation is an installation demonstrating the parallels between slavery and the contemporary prison industrial complex through animation, digital stills, sculpture, original music compositions, interactive sound and video. I’m honored that my project has been chosen for funding. I also recently received an AiR Award from the Headlands Center for the Arts in California.

Current visual art shows include my piece Four Score at the Tacoma Art Museums as part of the 10th Northwest Biennial. Proliferation is on view in Tulsa, Oklahoma at the Living Arts Gallery. The show, entitled EYE 4 EYE, present works addressing capital punishment.

Upcoming performances include Hollow Earth Radio’s Magma Festival, SAM’s ReMix, and a concert from curator Steve Peters commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic. In addition to performing for this week’s Artist Trust auction and an upcoming performance for students at Dimmitt Middle School, I’m also looking forward to returning to perform for the Stafford Creek Corrections Center’s Black Celebration event. I will also be performing at a TEDx talk in Tacoma this spring.  As part of the Biennial in Tacoma, I’ll be offering a musical performance sometime over the next few months. I’ll keep you posted.

This spring I’ll be in residence at the Boys and Girls club in Tacoma, WA continuing to work on the Human Rights Legacy project, and collaborating with the multi-talented Tilson and Hollis Wong-Wear. I’ll work with students on music and spoken word. A short documentary film will be competed for this project as well as the installation of interactive glass benches in Tacoma’s People’s Park.

Finally, a partial from Convenient Truth from Four Score is on the cover of the most recent Grantmakers in the Arts reader. (Winter 2012)

Again, I’m really excited about this year. I really appreciate your support. About 5 years ago I started a work entitled Project 12. For a full year I presented one new visual art show each month, as well as performing 40 concerts. More than 331 days of visual art was presented that year. It was an endurance exercise to play catch-up on doing something I truly love doing. This year, and over the next few, I look at embracing new genres and new mediums. I really appreciate your support of my explorations.

I hope to see you sooner than later.

Many Thanks,
Paul

Thu September 01

Bumbershoot/Scratch Sound/Fall Events

Dear Friends,

Hope all are well. This weekend is Bumbershoot 2011, Seattle’s Music & Arts Festival. I was commissioned to create the fine arts poster for the festival this year. I also wrote a short three-movement composition to accompany the graphic score. Sustenance consists of contrasting parts titled Nourishment, Endurance, and Strength.

Next week I’m continuing with my series of interactive performances by presenting Scratch Sound as part of the show Game Theory at Cornish College of the Arts. Scratch Sound is an interactive performance utilizing custom-made scratch tickets that determine the mood of the improviser. A performance of Scratch Sound will take place October 14th in the Cornish Gallery.

I’m working on a public art project in Tacoma, WA that focuses on the human rights legacy of the region. I’ll be in residence at Hilltop Artist at Jason Lee Middle School, working on a piece for People’s Park. This school is amazing, and I’m honored to be working with the students and staff. In October, I’ll be back in the Bay Area working with We Players on Alcatraz. I’ll also be in residence at Head Royce School in Oakland for a couple of days performing and visiting with classes.

In addition to these events, I’m participating in Authorship, an experimental series of events at The Project Room on Capitol Hill here in Seattle. I’ll also be performing in Tacoma for the Fall Free For All arts festival.

I hope to see you sooner than later.

Many Thanks,
Paul