The Clemyjontri Park playground fills a 2 acre site in Fairfax VA, and features four outdoor "rooms" surrounding a central carousel. Surely, Seattle can top Fairfax VA.
Nothing against Dale Chihuly, or museums in general, but I was deadly serious the other day when I proposed a kick-ass playground to replace the Seattle Center’s soon to be closed Fun Forest, instead of the lovely, respectable, and inevitably kid-unfriendly look-don’t-touch museum that appears to be the favorite of city planners. And I sure do hope that council members and civic leaders take my proposal seriously.
The Seattle Center has long been the number one family destination in a downtown that, let’s be honest, isn’t exactly family-friendly. There are no K-12 schools in downtown Seattle, no athletic fields or basketball courts or other youth-oriented amenities. And little in the way of playgrounds, kick-ass or otherwise.
And yet if we want to build the kind of downtown urban density necessary for our region to grow sustainably into the 21st century and beyond, then we’re going to have to do something to keep couples from moving out into the suburbs the minute they pop a bun in oven. And, well, replacing a virtually unique, downtown amusement park with a pay-to-view glass museum doesn’t exactly strike me as a move in the right direction.
A playground on the other hand — a really kick-ass playground — would not only provide a desperately needed family amenity, but would be entirely in keeping with the spirit and heritage of the Seattle Center, which from its very inception has always been a destination for families seeking diversion and amusement.
And don’t be so limited in the scope of your imagination to believe that a mere playground can’t be as much of a tourist attraction as a Chihuly museum. I’m not talking about a couple of jungle gyms and a seesaw here; think of it as a one-acre canvas for showcasing the inventiveness, creativity and yes, playfulness of our city… perhaps a gigantic, multi-level Rube Goldberg contraption filled with running, joyful children. I mean hell, if something as inherently boring as a library, for chrisakes, can be reimagined into an instant architectural landmark and cultural icon, then so can a playground. You know, a really, really kick-ass one.
Seattle’s civic leaders should stop trying to prove how grown-up we are by matching older, East Coast cities museum for stodgy museum. A) We’ll never do it; and B) being a grown-up is way overrated. Instead, let’s unleash the inner child in all of us and build something that no other downtown in America has: the most amazing, jaw-dropping, joy-inspiring, kick-ass public playground any child or adult has ever seen.
needs some big kid rides though…
otherwise its pretty cool.
Chihuly’s pieces of glass are really nice, but he already has his own glass temple in Tacoma and his pieces are strung up all over Seattle. He gets as much publicity now as the next 10 NW artists put together. Isn’t this enough exposure to one artist for any region?
Chihuly doesn’t even do his own work. His glass is cranked out by apprentices. I like to shop in the little glass factories in Mexico, where they don’t even try to create art. Most of their output is unremarkable but every now and again you can find a real beauty. That’s what Chihuly does, except that he destroys his imperfections.
This space should be re-created as a kids place where grown-ups feel welcome. With KOMO on one side and the Gates Foundation on the other, some part of the Center should be given over to fun.
I see a recurring theme today, ’cause that playground looks kinda, you know, gay.
I think this is a great idea. I’m even inclined to think it may carry the day.
Speaking of the Seattle Center, I used to be fascinated by the old “Plumber’s Nightmare” fountain. For those of you not familiar with it, it was a fountain made with all sorts of moving sprinkler heads that sprayed water in all directions. I was really sad when they removed it.
If the city goes with a big playground one area of it should be made “wet” with a fountain designed for kids (big and little) to play in.
Considering that the Seattle Children’s Theater, Seattle Children’s Museum, and Pacific Science Center are all on the Center grounds, how about asking them for some input into making a really fun and educational playground?
I’m totally with you on this one, Goldy, and if you push this even half as much as Lee pushes legal dope, you’ll be doing the city a service.
A free space for families and kids would deliver exactly the “fuck you” to the huckster class that they deserve. The Center needs it.
Chifooly
Goldy says, “And I sure do hope that council members and civic leaders take my proposal seriously.”
If they even know about it. Have you presented a proposal to the council? Have you talked to any civic leaders? It’s just a dream until you have a plan to make it come true. With a plan, you can take whatever first steps are necessary to turn your dream into reality.
I do like the idea.
“I mean hell, if something as inherently boring as a library, for chrisakes, can be reimagined into an instant architectural landmark and cultural icon”
Huh? The downtown Seattle Library? That piece of shit?
@3
The Glass Museum in Tacoma isn’t a Chihuly museum, but it does have a bunch of his stuff outside. The Tacoma Art Museum also has his stuff on permanent display and the Swiss Tavern has a bunch of his stuff behind its bar. So yeah, it’s been done.
I like the play ground idea.
I too grew up going to the Center on a nearly weekly basis. Without something truly frivolous, I am concerned the various ‘make learning fun’ options that will remain will begin a sad decline regarding kids and families with kids. I’m not a Seattle resident, but I am a Science Center annual pass holder.
I agree with Goldy on the sentiment. But I don’t think there needs to be a dichotomy between art and kid friendly fun. I suspect this is an unfortunate byproduct of the Disneyification of child imagination. It can be more interesting than that.
The best art could and should be playful. Sculpture enjoyed for its commentary as well as it playfulness and touch-ability. As a kid I think the shapes and textures of the Gehry Architecture would be interesting visually. I know growing up I would have been fascinated by the EMP, given how different it is from everything else. But we should extend it. Art as playground. A kid friendly sculpture garden/playground. It could perhaps be the most avant garde approach.
True artists are childlike in their ability to wonder. So why not? I imagine someone like David Byrne would know how to tackle this design problem.
The glass museum proposal has the aroma of a tax scam about it. Patrons pay to much for Chihuly works in the ’80’s and 90’s. The stuff becomes less popular and less valuable after 2000. What to do? Set up a museum, make donations of art they don’t want any more and can’t sell for anything like what they paid for it and take a deduction on their federal income taxes. Works for them, at least that is what it looks like to me.
rat @ 13:
BINGO!!
Here’s a place with big kid rides in Seattle:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I-5_Colonnade
http://evergreenmtb.org/wiki/i....._Colonnade
Time for an initiative?
I agree with Goldy – this needs to happen. We need a kid-centered Seattle Center repelcement for the fun forest.
Now, how do we introduce and flesh out this proposal?
Something against Dale Chihuly:
dood is massively overexposed. He doesn’t need another museum or book or dvd made about him. At least make it a glass museum for unknown artists. Dale Chihuly is starting to resemble the Thomas Kinkade of glass.
“Dale Chihuly is starting to resemble the Thomas Kinkade of glass.”
Someone else on another thread made that comparison and I tend to agree.
@19…make that two.
Another vote for a place families can come and have fun and not have to put out a bundle of cash. I am increasingly alarmed at the incentives that have been given to profit-making organizations (and some so-called non-profits) that cost a bundle to visit. It might be interesting to check out the political contributions and find out who received contributions from the Space Needle Corporation and its owners.
Like the comments from the public on KUOW this morning, the Seattle Center is becoming more and more an elitist establishment. If the Citizens of Seattle own it, it should come to a vote as to what to do with it. I am OPPOSED to any more public space in this state going to a pirate look-alike “glass artist” that one will have to pay money to see the works of (like that collection will ever rotate…I gotta’ say if you’v seen one Chihully, then seen them all). WHO has such a large collection of this fragile abstract shit that they need a building a few feet from some other Collector’s collectionS of over-priced SHIT (Rick and roll ephemera and SciFi ephemera)..
Wake the fuck up folks, this is all about having an OWNED collection of shit, in a house we build or sell land to, to privately build on…to let some elitist scum build a storage unit on to supporting THE storage of other folks overpriced Toys… AND we lose more and more public space in a beautiful CITY owned area. Remember when they wanted to tear out the fountain to run light rail/monorail through the center?
Something against Dale Chihuly:
Uh sorry Dale. You’ve done well enough for yourself.
Everybody: REJECT the use of public open space for a pay per view monument to this man’s bloated ego.
CLEMYJONTRI, is named for the four children of the donor of the land. Her goal was to create a fun learning environment., G.E.Fielder & Associates designed the park, and the playground. The playground is designed to tap into childrens abilities, it reached beyond ADA requirements to those children with Autisim, Downs, and other physical social challenges. CLEMYJONTRI, is an orderly education playground where children are meant to feel comfortable with those things they know, but challenged to reach out beyond their comfort level to learn something new and different. There are nurmerous repetivie learning situation, where colors are presented in a rainbow, color wheel and then uprights of a shade sheltor. There is also a wheel chair accessible helicopter poised to take off if there is a crash on the wheel chair dragstrip. It is about learning in a fun atmosphere, it is about having a goal and reaching that goal…so that you can have another and know that you can succeed.
We would love to work with you community.
Grace Fielder President G.E.Fielder& Associates, Chartered
fielder@gefielder.com
1-410-423-6318 Ext 1
They also have gotten between 100,000 and 200,000 visitors annually