Remembering Donnie Chin

credit Dean Wong

 

Remembering Donnie Chin, unsung hero, the CID’s guardian angel. We miss you Donnie.
This Saturday, July 23rd, is the 7th anniversary of Donnie Chin’s murder.

Remembering Donnie Chin, as he receives the Bob Santos Leadership in Sustainability Award


The 46th Annual Pig Roast happening TODAY!

The 46th Annual Pig Roast is happening TODAY at 6 PM!  

InterIm CDA’s 46th Annual Pig Roast will be hosted at the Danny Woo Garden! The Pig Roast allows us to connect with each other through storytelling and in-person connection. Bring your family and friends, all are welcome! 


10th Annual A&NH/PI Candidate Forum

Get your votes ready as we have a Primary election coming up soon! We will be having our 10th Annual A&NH/PI Candidate Forum happening on July 20th, 5-7pm featuring the 37th Legislative and 9th Congressional District Candidates that will represent our A&NH/PI Community. The deadline to vote by ballot and online is by July 25th. Click on this link to register now: bit.ly/anhpiforum


NCAPACD calls for volunteers

The National Coalition for Asian Pacific American Community Development (NCAPACD) is seeking volunteers for their 2022 Seattle convention on July 11-13! The NCAPACD helps AAPI communities all over the country by publishing research that highlights issues within low-income AAPI communities, advancing national policy agenda which promotes social justice, and providing education and training. If you would like to volunteer or attend this convention, check out the links below:

 

National CAPACD 2022 Building CAPACD Convention – National CAPACD


CALL FOR ARTISTS | REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS

CALL FOR ARTISTS | REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS

South Jackson Street Under I-5 Community Art Wall Project

The South Jackson Street Wall Project will develop a community-based, meaningful, aesthetically imaginative, high- quality public art mural that spans 8th Ave and 10th Ave S. along S. Jackson Street, underneath the I-5 freeway.

Project Description:

InterIm Community Development Association and the I-5 Art Wall Steering Committee invite artists to submit qualifications to help the Chinatown-International District develop an integrated conceptual art plan on the retaining wall along the north side of S. Jackson Street underneath the I-5 Freeway. The art piece will be installed on a concrete retaining wall divided into 42 “panels” with steel beams. We will want the selected applicant to work with residents, youth, community members, and the artist selection committee to develop a community-based theme that will be utilized to create the public art piece. The artist will also develop the process in which we will select up to five other artists to work on this project. This project can potentially extend and connect to a larger project as part of the activation and beautification of the I-5 underpass at Jackson St and 8th/10th Avenue South.

 

Project Background:

Creating artwork on the South Jackson Street wall was part of the recommendations that came from a conceptual plan for the area underneath the I-5 freeway completed in 2021. The Friends of I-5 Freeway decided to move forward with this project after discussing this in late 2021.

 

Eligibility & Selection Criteria:

We are seeking a person or team who meets the following qualifications:

  • Demonstrated experience with public
  • Aesthetic excellence in the design and execution of completed
  • Ability to design, fabricate, install and/or oversee the fabrication and installation of commissioned work.
  • Consider the physical constraints of the site, installation permitting requirements, and resistance to vandalism.
  • Ability to apply a racial justice lens and an understanding of the cultural and historical context of the Chinatown-International District (Japantown and Little Saigon) to the process and final product.
  • Engage the community at least in the conceptual phase of the
  • Ability to organize and work with other artists
  • Ability to work with an existing steering committee comprised of community

Project Budget:

The selected applicant(s) will receive $5,000 to work with the community on developing a community-based art theme, working with community stakeholders, developing an artist selection process, and working with the other selected artists in creating the design and installing our South Jackson Street art project. The selected artist will have a $10,000 budget for the other artists involved in the project and an additional $7,000 for material expenditures.

 

Project Timeline:

Phase 1 – Artist Search

August 5: Deadline for submission of artist qualifications

August 12: Steering Committee selects 2-3 finalists

August 17-19: Finalists present concepts/fabrication models/panels to Steering Committee for review

August 21: Final artist selected via evaluation rubric; artists notified with the committee and public feedback

Phase 2 – Design Development: September

Phase 3 – Implementation: October – December

Phase 4 – Unveiling/Opening Celebration: January 2023

 

Historical context:

The I-5 freeway is part of a larger American story – surbanization, the cold war, the lobbying powers of the automobile, concrete, and rubber industries, the destruction of inner-city transportation systems, and urban renewal. Throughout that history, freeways were designed to link urban centers throughout the US; however, communities of color mainly shouldered the brunt of these capital projects, as these projects often created, for the most part, unintended negative impacts on these communities.

The creation of the I-5 freeway cleaved the International District in half, displacing 100’s housing units. The highway also created, what many would consider, an ugly concrete barrier between the eastern and western parts of the neighborhood. In addition, the emissions produced by automobiles have created poor air quality for the community, leading to many health maladies for the community’s residents. In comparison, when the I-90 freeway was built, the State and Federal governments mitigated the project by making a tunnel and park for the Mercer Island residents.

In 1997, the International District utilized public stadium mitigation funds to design and paint the I-5 freeway columns. The community used input from the nascent Little Saigon community to alternate the painting from red to a combination of yellow and red. The project developed from the need to improve the pedestrian circulation between Chinatown/Japantown in the ID and Little Saigon. In addition, the project served as a gateway between the two communities.

The Friends of I-5 has been created to improve the areas underneath the I-5 freeway. We are planning to repaint the Jackson Street columns this year. In addition, we have developed this Request For Qualifications soliciting proposals to create a mural on the Jackson Street retaining wall.

 

How to Apply:

This is a request for qualifications. No specific proposals for artwork will be accepted at this time. Applications must include all of the following for consideration:

  • Artist’s statement of interest, considering the cultural and historical context of the site (1 page)
  • Resume(s) of artist(s)
  • Three professional references
  • Submit digital materials as a pdf attachment via email or provide a link to the website or portfolio
  • Self-addressed stamped envelope for return of materials (if sending physical materials)
  • 5 to 10 images with a max size of 2MB 72dpi. Up to 2 of 10 work samples may be video work, edited to 2:00 max, in Quicktime format or available on YouTube or Please label your images by name and number in the following format: LastName_01, LastName_02, etc.

 

Email Qualifications to: tim@interimcda.org

Subject: South Jackson Street/I-5 Art Wall Application Mail Qualifications to:

InterIm CDA c/o Thomas Im

P.O. Box 3363

Seattle, WA 98114

www.interimicda.org

 

Deadline: August 5, 2022 at 5:00 pm


Request for Bids

Painting Services – Request for Bids

Location: Underneath I-5 freeway on Jackson Street between 8th Avenue and 10th Avenue.

Project: Restoring/repainting twenty-two 25’-30’ Freeway Columns. Work will include replicating the three different artistic images of the columns. Anti-graffiti coating applied to the lower part of the pillars.

Bids will include labor, material, rental equipment, permitting, and any other associated costs.

Please send bids Tom Im – tim@interimcda.org – by June 24, 2022


Save the Date! InterIm CDA 46th Annual Pig Roast

Save the Date! 

InterIm CDA is hosting its 46th Annual Pig Roast in person! It will be hosted in the Danny Woo Garden, and it will take place on July 15 – 16. Make sure to mark the dates on your calendars!  


Just Economy

On June 13th and 14th our Advocacy and Policy Program Manager, Derek Lum, will be attending the Just Economy Conference. The Just Economy Conference is the premier gathering of people who want to create opportunities for people, and communities, to build wealth in an equitable manner. Conference attendees represent the National Community Reinvestment Coalition and its grassroots members. Attendee’s come from organizations that are working toward a more just and inclusive economy. These can include government, nonprofits, CDA’s, CDFI’s, unions, amongst others. Some topics covered include the racial wealth gap, affordable housing, small business survival, development, displacement, and more.


A Different Mirror: Community Building & Resilience in Seattle’s Chinatown-International District

Chinatown-International District is (CID) one of Seattle’s last remaining cultural gems and holds
so much more than what meets the eye. Our community is filled with residents from around the
world, diverse businesses, and members who deeply care about and help create the
neighborhoods unique past, present, and future. The CID’s rich legacy bursts with potential and
continues to fight to exist as a healthy community with cultural dignity.
 
Continuing the legacy of Bob Santos, Interim CDA will produce a mini-doc series to honor our
rich history and uplift and advocate for the communitys presence to inspire, inform and guide the
future of the neighborhood.

Watch our first episode here: A Different Mirror: Kau Kau BBQ

 


News

We loved seeing this story in the Seattle Times today.  InterIm CDA fully support the Friends of Inscape in their journey towards preserving the INS building as a space that is permanently affordable to artists in the Chinatown-International District. The CID faces profound and unprecedented issues of gentrification and displacement fueled by the City’s growth and redevelopment. We welcome Friends of Inscape to the movement for a CID where working class people, small family-owned businesses, and community organizations can all thrive.