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City of Faces at the Angel Morgan P-Patch

City of Faces by George Lee

Our Angel Morgan P-Patch will be hosting an art exhibition featuring birdhouses created from the faces of local youth. The exhibition, titled City of Faces, was created by George Lee in an effort to build community and deter youth violence in the everyday streets of South Seattle.

The exhibition opens with a party Sunday, May 15th from 3-6pm and will be on display through October 15.

Inspired by two close calls with gun violence near his home, George Lee set out to create a project that would change the narrative of his neighborhood. During the creation process, thirty youth learned about local birds and their nesting needs, and chose one bird for which to make a birdhouse. They then went through the brave task of having their faces cast in clay.

The finished project features a child’s face as the front of the birdhouse and their mouth as the bird entrance. The 30 seed-like ceramic birdhouses have been hung from organically curving posts of red cedar at the Angel Morgan P-Patch. The piece is “an exploration of refuge/home, fertility/life/youth, and the interconnection between human and non-human life,” states George Lee.

Lee is a Seattle-based artist specializing in site-specific sculpture and social practice art. City of Faces is a partnership with Somali Family Safety Task Force, Rainier Beach Community Center, Aki Kurose Middle School and Rainier Avenue Church. The project was funded by the Seattle Office of Arts and Culture.

Join us for the opening this Sunday May 15th from 3-6pm. There will be food, light refreshments, and raw materials from the creation process will be on display. Participating youth and their families will also be in attendance.

The Angel Morgan P-Patch Community Garden is located at 42nd Avenue S and S Morgan Street.

You can learn more about the project at George Lee’s website.