Throw your voice into local dialogue
Project will put residents’ letters to Spokane in lights
A new community arts project wants to put your words up in lights.
Spokane Throw invites residents to write a letter to their city. In 25 words or less, how would you finish a letter beginning, “Dear Spokane”?
Submissions will be accepted until Sept. 26. Then 10 of Spokane’s leading visual artists and poets will review the submissions. Each artist will interpret their letters of choice as inspiration for creating a stencil filter for a large light projection in downtown Spokane during the month of October.
The first light, featuring a call out for the project, was recently installed. The results can be seen every evening after sunset on the Columbia Bank building on West Riverside Avenue.
Austin Stiegemeier, program manager at Spokane Arts, said the project “will be a pairing of images and words, but the focus is on the words.”
A smattering of submissions has already trickled in, including one from God. “Dear Spokane, It’s not you. It’s them. The meek shall inherit the earth. – God”
Another writer penned, “Dear Spokane, I don’t want to embarrass you, but… You have a marmot Problem. – Boyd.”
Stiegemeier is hoping for a variety of responses, which can be signed or anonymous. “Spokane Throw encourages freedom of speech and cultural expression in public spaces. It’s going to help instill a sense of pride of place in our city.”
He’s also hoping for sponsors to join the bandwagon and provide funds for lights and filters or offer additional space to show the results of Spokane Throw. “Ideally, we’d like five locations in Spokane,” he said.
Those interested can donate to the program through the Crowdswell link on the Spokane Throw website.
The project is open to people of all ages. Ink Art Space, located next to the Bartlett on the 200 block of West Sprague Avenue, will host a free letter writing workshop for young people from 3:30 to 5 p.m. on Sept. 26. Kids who want to submit their letters can do so on that day.
Organizers are excited about creating accessible spaces for free speech.
“Empowerment comes from people having a voice,” said Stiegemeier. “I hope this is empowering for people.”