Performing Arts Center Eastside

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Handcrafted, Artist-Decorated Benches Featured at 2008 Candlelight Dinner & Bench Auction – Sitting Pretty for PACE

BELLEVUE, WA (June 25, 2008) – The Act One Guild for Performing Arts Center Eastside (PACE), announces a major new public art and fundraising project to benefit PACE. Sitting Pretty For PACE will showcase 43 handcrafted, artist-decorated benches that will be up for auction at the 2008 Candlelight Dinner & Bench Auction on Nov. 1, 2008 at the Hyatt Regency Bellevue.

After an extensive search and review process, 27 Northwest artists have been selected to use their creative skills to transform 29 large benches which are five feet long and 14 small benches which are three feet long into unique works of art. The benches are each handcrafted out of yellow cedar and iron by Rainchild Metal Works located on Camano Island, Wash.

According to Frances Taylor, Chair for the Bench Artist Search Committee, no specific theme was provided to the artists; rather the focus was on the broader topic of the performing arts. "Many of the benches feature musical instruments or dance performances, while others are more symbolic," she says. "We ended up with a very exciting and varied representation of performances."

This fall, the benches will be exhibited at the Bellevue Arts Museum Sept. 16th through Sept. 28th and on display in Lincoln Square and Bellevue Square during the month of October. The Bench designs are currently available for viewing online at www.actoneguild.org, along with more information about the upcoming 2008 Candlelight Dinner & Bench Auction – Sitting Pretty For PACE.

"This is an exciting new project created by The Act One Guild which is now in their fifth year of fundraising for PACE," says Suzanne Hutchinson, director of guilds. The Act One Guild is experienced in major projects featuring public art. The Guild presented the Bucks For PACE project in 2006 where 26 life-size fiberglass Bucks (deer) were hand painted by regional artists and auctioned at the Autumn Candlelight Dinner & Bucks For PACE Auction with great success. "This fantastic group of 44 women generously share their time and talent on behalf of PACE because they believe that there is a strong need for the addition of a 2,000-seat performing arts venue in Bellevue to serve Eastside audiences," says Hutchinson. "Act One Guild President Nancy Walker, and 2008 Candlelight Dinner & Bench Auction Co-Chairs Karen Dunn and Janis Wold have done a great job of leading this project effort. The goal is to raise $500,000 for PACE this year."

Bench Title, Artist Name:

  • The Cat and the Fiddle, by Wendy Agee
  • Moonlight Sonata, by Wendy Agee
  • Honeycomb, by Jean Behnke
  • Sound Waves, by Patti Bowman
  • The Court Jester, by Jeannie Burham
  • The Jester's Piano Bench, by Jeannie Burham
  • Fan Dance, by Jennifer Carroll
  • Grebe Bench, by Laura Corsiglia
  • Loon Bench, by Laura Corsiglia
  • Lucky Bench, by Rebecca DeVere
  • Lil' Lucky, by Rebecca DeVere
  • Invitation to Dance, by April Faires
  • Tatoosh, by April Faires
  • Willow Pattern Bench, by Petronella Fursman
  • Tuscan Reds, by Theresa Goesling
  • Tuscan Reds II by Theresa Goesling
  • Barking Bench, by Sarah Ingersoll
  • Swirl Bench, Steve Jensen
  • All the World's a Stage, by Thaddeus Jurczynski
  • Nature's Creeping and Crawling Creatures, by Cary Jurriaans
  • The Four Seasons, by Fred Lisaius
  • Big Test, by Kelly Lyles
  • I Forgot, by Kelly Lyles
  • ZZZZZ, by Kelly Lyles
  • Northwest Natives, by Kelly Lyles
  • A Charm That Matches, by Inna Peck
  • Spring Spin, by Inna Peck
  • Tea Time, by Inna Peck
  • Lush Garden, by Mariah Ruggles
  • Global Textiles, by Hannah Salia
  • The Night of the Muse, by Dianna Shyne
  • Spring, by Carol Skvorak
  • Summer, by Carol Skvorak
  • Autumn, by Carol Skvorak
  • Winter by Carol Skvorak
  • Intermission, by Amy Spassov
  • To Gnome Me is to Love Me, by Seeley Springman
  • Jester Reclining, by Ken Torres
  • East Meets West, by Teresa Tullio
  • East Meets West-Act Two, by Teresa Tullio
  • Musical Chair, by Janet Wold
  • Please Take Your Seat, by Janet Wold
  • Joy of Summer, by Carole Woosley

About Performing Arts Center Eastside:

Performing Arts Center Eastside will be a 2,000-seat premier regional center for the performing arts. Its mission is to enrich cultural life with a wide diversity of live entertainment, arts, and education. PACE will stimulate the arts region-wide; attract new audiences; heighten arts awareness and education; provide a performance home for select area arts organizations; and serve as a cultural center for the Eastside. PACE has several opportunities for volunteer involvement that include the Act One Guild, Act Two Guild, Ambassadors For PACE, and Parties For PACE. PACE will be located in downtown Bellevue on the corner of NE 10th Street and 106th Avenue NE. The Campaign For PACE has raised $31 million.