What did it take for 13 artists to get access to a working cement plant in their own city?

The Duwamish Artist Residency is an artist residency created in 2012 by Sue Danielson and I. Each year we spend 8 intense days with 12 other artists exploring and learning about the Duwamish River. We chose the Duwamish River for its economic and environmental importance, and for its visual and social diversity.

My role: Co-founder of the Duwamish Artist Residency, Organizer

Collaborators:

• Lafarge Cement Plant

• Sue Danielson: Co-founder of Duwamish Artist Residency, Organizer

• Juliet Shen: Book Design

• John Boylan: Moderator

• The Duwamish River Residency Artists
  

CHALLENGE:

In 2016 after four years on the river, where we primarily interacted with people involved in the cleanup, tribal members, topographers, biologists, we knew to really understand the river we needed to meet and interact with people in the heavy industry.

Collaborators: Lafarge, a cement factory, hosted the Duwamish Artist Residency for a week. As artists we seldom interact with heavy industry. The industry along the Duwamish has played a crucial role in developing our region’s economy for over a century, yet we knew so little about them. We spent time observing and learning about the incredible creative thinking that is going on at Lafarge. They, like everyone else, are responding to the changing landscape of our city.

OUTCOME: Panel discussion and public art show at the cement plant.

We returned six months later to facilitate a panel discussion between the Duwamish Residency Artists and Lafarge employees. We published a book of artwork created during our residency and organized an on-site art show that included our work and Lafarge employees' artwork. We invited employees, industry leaders, artists, writers, curators, environmentalists, tribal members, and bureaucrats to join us in a panel discussion.

Even though the Duwamish is Seattle’s only river, it’s not easy to get acquainted. Public access to the water is limited; parks are few and far between.

We needed to convince all parties involved, both the artists who are part of the residency, and the management at Lafarge, that letting us work in their facility was a good idea.

Building relationships takes time. Trust and respect must be earned.

It took about six months of meetings, phone calls and site visits before Lafarge agreed to let us work in their facility. We agreed to follow all the rules, and to attend safety trainings.

James spent an entire week with us. He patiently explained their manufacturing process to us, filled us in on the history of the facility, and explained how they are adapting to new environmental rules.

An unlikely panel discussion

Six months after our residency, we coordinated a panel discussion at Lafarge.

The purpose was to facilitate a dialogue between the Duwamish Residency Artists and Lafarge employees and share our experience with a wider audience. During our residency, the employees watched us from afar, mostly shaking their heads. We got a taste of what it means to work in heavy industry. It was time to talk about our experience by focusing on personal experiences and common ideas.

We had both artists and employees from Lafarge on our panel and invited industry leaders, artists, writers, curators, environmentalists, tribal members and bureaucrats to attend.

Employees were required by management to attend the exhibit and panel discussion for the first 30 minutes but were allowed to leave after that. Most of the employees stayed for the full 2 hour discussion.

Some of the artwork created during our residency at Lafarge: