Virginia McKenzie kicked off the meeting, leading us in song with Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head that featured cameos from the Rotary Music Committee members with their umbrellas, and Jaime Mendez inspired us.
Our member Jon Scholes of the Downtown Seattle Association provided an update on the state of downtown, especially after the recent election. He said that “the recovery of downtown was on the ballot” and that there is now a new optimism based on the results. People often ask him, what they can to do help downtown recover, so one answer is to “show up” and attend events eat out, etc. He also asked any employers to let him know if your business is planning to reopen their downtown office so that it can be recognized. President Jimmy thanked the official “cheerleader in chief of downtown.”
Virginia McKenzie announced the launch of a new, issue-driven Rotary club, the Pacific Northwest Rotary Club on Sex Trafficking. Since our club is her new club’s official sponsor, she encouraged us to engage with them which could include taking part in one of their service projects.
Steven Shaw then introduced Deborah Lenk, the executive director of the Museum of Glass in Tacoma who gave an overview of this gem in our backyard and what it provides for the community and region, which was followed by her introduction to our main speaker, Preston Singletary.
Preston Singletary: Raven and the Box of Daylight, is the unique solo traveling exhibition on display at the Museum of Glass in Tacoma that tells the Tlingit origin story of Raven and his transformation of the world - bringing light to people via the stars, moon, and sun. Raven leads visitors on a journey through the transformation of darkness into light. Deborah announced that the next stop for the show will be at the National Museum of the American Indian at the Smithsonian for a year starting in January!
Preston, who has been trained by some of the best glassblowers in the world, gave us some insight into this exhibit and his work:
- It celebrates his heritage
- It creates an immersive experience for the attendee as it moves “from darkness to the light”
- It is set up in a specific way to get elements of his story and is enhanced with video production and music
Learn more via this short video: Preston Singletary: Raven and the Box of Daylight - YouTube
Three other interesting points about Preston:
- He has a band, Khu.e’ex’, which he described as a “music opus to his art.” Their fourth album will be released next Friday the 26th at the Nectar Lounge
- He and David Franklin were commissioned to produce La Diab Pish, a giant octopus sculpture outside the new Climate Pledge Arena, La Diab Pish - Climate Pledge Arena
- And his Weaver’s Welcome greets visitors at the remodeled Burke Museum, Weaver's Welcome | Burke Museum
John Steckler mentioned the upcoming in-person Holiday Party on December 15th which tickets need to be purchased in advance and our upcoming club election for our new club officers and board members. We will receive a ballot on the 24th which needs to be returned by December 7th with results announced the next day at our regular club meeting.
President Jimmy closed the meeting by mentioning his recent purchase of one of Preston’s pieces that he and his wife purchased in lieu of an anniversary trip they had planned and encouraged us to take the time to recognize “the many blessings in your life” as he recently did with his wife as they celebrated their recent anniversary.
