In 2018, Olisa Enrico and I were selected as Tukwila’s first two artists in residence. My focus was on the Duwamish River. We were given a small budget for creating public programming and artwork, and served as part time city employees for a year. We were welcomed and supported as we tried to build relationships, learn, and navigate this small, incredibly diverse city along the river. Here’s some of what I did with my budget and time.

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Confluence Tukwila: Rivers / Presentations by Paulina Lopez, De’Sean Quinn, Emma Sanchez, Sophorn Sim, James Rasmussen (Duwamish) and Ken Workman (Duwamish) at Tukwila’s Sullivan Center. Confluence Tukwila is a storytelling event series presented by Action Tukwila, a community group; I curated and emceed this edition. Video: Jeff Encke

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Nature Storytelling was a series of 3 public outdoor storytelling workshops, each led by a prominent local storyteller and focused on a different storytelling tradition.
Paul Che Oke Ten Wagner (Saanich), storyteller and musician
Black Stax, musicians and lyricists
Kathleen Flenniken, poet

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Welcome the Water brought the community together to honor of the water, the Duwamish River, the salmon, and the change of the seasons. Artists included Roldy Aguero Ablao, Roquin-Jon Quichocho Siongco, Adria Garcia, and Chelsea Hendrickson. 

Photos by Bruce Clayton Tom

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Hello River Mural
We made this mural on the riverside trail at the Tukwila Community Center! I worked with young folks at the community center to design and paint the mural of a river winding through the seasons. 
Here’s a picture of it from the air, as part of a Seattle Met photo essay by David Ryder.