Seat’s Taken was created by local artist Padyn Humble and co-curated with Erin Langley. It will be free and held at Free Cycles on August 4th, the First Friday of the month. The events start at 7. Live music provided by Charlie Apple of PartyGoers, Fantasy Suite, and Wilma Laverne Miner. There will be live performance, choreographed by Logan Prichard and Hannah Dahl, as well as work from local artists: Erin Langley, Joshua Masias, John Christenson, Megan Escene, Jordan Chesnut, Jon Green, Daphne Sweet, Nick Kakavas, Christina Harrelson, Lena Olson, and Padyn Humble.


Statement:
We consider chairs, if we consider them at all, as physical objects. A chair's innate purpose is so tied to its functionality that both are only noticeable once its structure becomes somehow compromised. A wobbly leg or a broken spring remind the sitter of their body as a burden to be carried. A well-worn chair can incite comfort or familiarity, whereas an uncomfortable seat can highlight our body's own deficiencies. Beyond function, the chair is a symbolically substantial object. An empty chair highlights the absence of a person. A broken chair can connote trauma or loss. The leader of the meeting is a chair. Chair is the French word for flesh.

This selection of work is a collection of artists' responses to the chair; its functionality, its symbolic presence, and its sculptural potential. As a prompt, each artist was instructed to select an inspiring chair, and was given freedom of medium. By creating Seat’s Taken, the goal was to expand the idea of what a gallery or art event can be while creating a community of conversation and gathering.