CoCA Presents a Slice of  Four Decades of Seattle’s Art History

Center on Contemporary Art Presents a Slice of 

Four Decades of Seattle’s Art History in the CoCA Digital Archives

SEATTLE January 16, 2018 – Center on Contemporary Art (CoCA) is delighted to introduce the CoCA Digital Archives (CDA), the public portal to the history of one of the Pacific Northwest’s longest-running and most colorful arts organizations. The CDA presents over 30 exhibitions curated from the CoCA Archives Project, the physical collection of materials spanning the organization’s four-decade history. Featured exhibits include James Turrell’s inaugural 1982 “Four Lights Installation,” the infamous 1990 Survival Research Laboratories performance, and the ground-breaking 2013 “Ceci N’est Pas Une Pipe: Flameworking on the Brink of Legalization.”

 Boxes of postcards, videotapes, documents and ephemera were rediscovered in 2013 when the Henry Art Gallery approached CoCA for information for Turrell’s retrospective. In 2015, with grant funding from 4Culture’s Heritage Program, archivists began the process of assessment, preservation, cataloging and digitization under the leadership of Archives Project Director, Anna R Hurwitz. “Given the number of times CoCA moved around Seattle since 1981, it’s a miracle that this collection exists,” said Hurwitz. “Through the CoCA Digital Archives, we increase global visibility for our region’s rich cultural heritage; this provides further support for our artists and curators.”

 “CoCA is one of the very few arts organizations to meet the rigorous standards for the Heritage program which include research methodology, preservation and presentation, but most importantly, the significance to King County’s history,” said Charlie Rathbun, 4Culture Arts Program Director. “This is an important acknowledgement for the individuals who have dedicated their energies to sustaining this organization through 36 years.”

 CoCA is committed to preserving the physical collection, which consists of over 4000 slides, 500 print articles, 125 exhibition posters and so much more.The CDA, designed by consulting archivist, Rachel Kopel, MLIS, is the modest beginning of what CoCA hopes to develop into a robust resource for researchers, students, teachers, artists, curators, the general public and area visitors.

 Visit the CDA at www.cocaarchives.weebly.com. Please contact [email protected] with anecdotes, corrections, and photo captions or to volunteer.

 Sincere thanks goes to a broad range of community stakeholders including 4Culture, the CoCA Board and Executive Director, Nichole DeMent, alongside a team of archivists, historians, interns, volunteers and University of Washington iSchool Masters students. Financial support for this project is gratefully accepted; contact [email protected] for donation or sponsorship information. Please visit www.cocaseattle.org for current programming.

CoCA serves the Pacific Northwest as a catalyst and forum for the advancement, development, and understanding of Contemporary Art.