On Wednesday, November 30th, the Bridges Center hosted a discussion with University of Washington and Juliette Aristides Atelier alumni and prominent local artist, Grace Athena Flott.

Flott is a figurative realist painter and arts educator. She is a former union organizer and was the 2012 recipient of the Harry Bridge's Center for Labor Studies' Gundlach Scholarship in Labor Studies. She is a 2022 Hope Corps grant recipient with the City of Seattle Office of Arts & Culture for a collaborative portrait project of her community: burn survivors. Her paintings have been recognized nationally including by Southwest Arts Magazine for First Place in Artistic Excellence. Major exhibitions include Figurativas 2021 at the Museum of Modern European Art (MEAM), Barcelona, Spain; Shades of Blue at Equity Gallery, NYC, NY, 2021; and recurring exhibitions at Maryhill Museum of Art, Goldendale, WA, 2019, 2020, 2021. Her work has appeared in Fine Art Connoisseur, The Artist’s Magazine, Realism Today, Seattle Refined, and Real Change. Her first solo exhibition Exposure Therapy was held in May 2022 with Figure|Ground Gallery in Seattle, WA. She has been an artist-in-residence at The Hive and her work is held in public and private collections internationally. 

Flott's work often explores her relationship to her body, the gaze, and the social realities and constructs that impact us. As a burn survivor, she is passionate about depicting other burn survivors and examining the power of the body and returning the gaze that is directed at her and others. According to a recent report from the Puget Sound Regional Council, many artists, especially young artists, are considering other types of employment due to low wages, lack of access to services such as child care and healthcare, and an ever-increasing cost of living. Flott continues to learn about the dynamics of operating as an independent contractor and negotiating for herself and the larger community of fine artists in Seattle and beyond. Flott spoke with the Harry Bridges Center's Research Coordinator, Rachel Erstad, about art as a public good and a public need. As a former union organizer, an artist, and a worker, Flott also discusses labor issues impacting her and other artists, and what she envisions for our region's art scene in the future.

The recording of the conversation is linked here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GbNm_CYn2cI). Please reach out to Flott through her website (https://www.graceathenaflott.com/) with any questions.