It’s that time again, time to take to the sidewalks and celebrate some new work in the Storefronts Seattle program.

Tomorrow night, Thursday January 3 (First Thursday! The First First Thursday of the Mayan Sixth Katun!) we’ll be loitering on the sidewalks in front of two new installations in Chinatown. Please come down and join us for some sparkling cider, some cheese and fruit, and a chance to meet the artists.

At 505 5^th Avenue South, we’ll celebrate Eva Isaksen’s new installation, consisting of hundreds and hundreds of hand-printed sheets of paper, hung in subtle patterns across almost 30 linear feet of display space. Each sheet is almost completely hidden by each subsequent sheet, hinting at content that is elusively unavailable.

Eva will be adjusting the display over the course of the next six months, reacting to the changing light in the area and working to keep the piece lively and reactive.

Just across Fifth South from Eva’s installation, in the lobby of the old Publix Hotel at 504 5^th Avenue South, a quartet of young artists (Danielle Comeaux, Yael Nov, Joana Stillwell, and Ilysia Van Deren) have recently installed their newest collaborative work, Hullaballoon.

The four spent nearly a year collecting deflated balloons, and have stitched them together, Frankensteining together two giant motley curtains of color. The pieces, building on the subtle sadness of a deflated balloon, actually bring a vibrant splash of brightness and color to the dark defunct lobby of the old Publix.

At both sites, we’ll be hosting little receptions right on the sidewalk for passers-by. The artists will be present to discuss their work and receive the public. The receptions will be from 5 pm through 7 pm.