Choosing an Awesome Seattle grantee can be tough. But every winning project elicits the same reaction in the trustees: “Woah, that’s awesome!” Our September grantee, the Graffiti Defense Coalition (GDC) Street Art Sticker Vending Machine, is no exception, and we’re tremendously excited to see it develop a loyal following on the streets of Seattle.
The “nomadic” sticker Machine will hop from neighborhood art walks to galleries and events around Seattle. By distributing its unique street art stickers the Machine will spread the GDC’s message about public art and street art, and be self-sustaining while subsidizing the GDC’s other street art education efforts.
The GDC’s Golda Hall is collaborating with a diverse array of local artists to ensure the Machine is always stocked with awesome sticker designs for the Machine. When each limited run of stickers is distributed, new designs will be created for the machine, so it will continue to contribute to the vibrancy of Seattle street art. The Machine will become the physical and online persona of the GDC to invite everyone to interact with, contribute to, and promote street art.
Other projects that the GDC is developing which the Machine will promote and support include a curriculum for youth to better understand the difference between vandalism and street art. For the group’s largest effort yet, GDC’s Stunning Seattle is a large scale mural event coming in 2013, joining local property owners and local/international mural artists to beautify the empty walls in Seattle. Awesome Seattle is proud to help kick off these exciting, innovative projects with our grant.
If you’re as excited as we are to spread public art in Seattle – and get some sweet stickers – check out the GDC’s website, Facebook, or Twitter!
