David Franklin

Weaver’s Welcome at the Burke Museum

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How Weaver’s Welcome came to be…

Weaver’s Welcome                                             photo by Myrna Keliher

Finding inspiration at the Burke Museum

The Burke Museum holds a very special place for indigenous people in the Northwest.  It is a must see for anyone interested in the study of the history of the region.  It has long been the home of some of the best minds in Anthropology in the Northwest.  The Burke Museum has been home to such noted experts as Bill Holm, Robin Wright and now Katie-Bunn Marcuse.   The Museum at the University of Washington has long been recognized as the place to find out about just about anything about this region.

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Cultural House of Cards on Seattle’s “The Stranger”

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The Cultural House of Cards on the Cover of Seattle's The Stranger
David Franklin’s Cultural House of Cards on the Cover of Seattle’s free weekly newspaper, The Stranger, for the week of Jan 11-17 2017.

This house of cards symbolizes the fragile cultural structure we build together in our societies, and the beauty within each part of it.

Ever since my wife and I moved to Seattle in 1993 there has only been one source for truly comprehensive coverage of local music and arts, that has been The Stranger, Seattle’s best free weekly paper.  If you are looking for an event, no matter how obscure it’s in The Stranger.   The Stranger has an independent minded perspective  on anything and everything important happening in the city and the world, with a true sense of grit and intelligence.  It’s this creative viewpoint that has always made it the final word in Seattle’s vibrant culture.

The digital version of this week’s Stranger can be seen here.

This is such an honor because of the feeling of acceptance in my local arts community it provides, something that has not always come easy for me.

This piece, The Cultural House of Cards,  sits within the high barbed wire fence of The Green Hill School in Chehalis, WA, but it has refused to stay imprisoned.  WIth a feeling of it having a life of it’s own this project has gained the attention of Hi Fructose Magazine, Montreal’s Mural Festival and now The Stranger.  Its themes are very appropriate to the times we live in and the challenges before us a s a diverse society.

Cultural House of with daughters.
Sitting in the Cultural House of cards with my daughters prior to painting.
The Cultural House of Cards
With my helpers Scott Wipff and Brian Perry after the installation

 

My wife Joanne, my kids, Mike Sweney, The Green Hill School, Kurt Nordquist, Brian Perry, Scott Wipff, Jonathan Areola, and Western Graphics all had important roles in making this Washington State Arts Commission happen.

Thanks to everyone that has enjoyed this project and seen the importance of the message about all of us contained within it,

David