In the same building where software engineers labor in front of computers to write code and build products, artists are poised in front of easels, painting portraits and landscapes. On Amazon’s Seattle headquarters campus, it’s an emerging picture of what a thriving and diverse tech hub could look like.
Gage Academy of Art has moved from a 100-year-old building in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood to Amazon’s 5-year-old re:Invent tower in South Lake Union, bringing a colorful and quirky aesthetic to the base of a modern, 37-story office skyscraper.
In a tour this week, GeekWire got a look at the touches Gage is applying to the 14,000-square-foot location, spread over two floors at 2107 Westlake Ave. Seattle architecture firm NBBJ built out the space with flexible classroom designs, art studios, a street-level vestibule-turned-gallery, and communal student spaces to promote collaboration.
Amazon is providing Gage with more than $7.5 million in rent assistance over the next 10 years, and the company offset a significant portion of the cost of construction and space improvement.
In a neighborhood of towering glass office and residential buildings, Amazon’s nearby Spheres, and a variety of newer retail and restaurant spaces, Gage is clearly attempting to bring its artistic flavor to re:Invent. Paint-splattered easels and tables are everywhere, paintings are hung and propped against walls, numerous finishes are in plywood or corrugated plastic.
“It feels like home,” said Kathleen Allen, executive director at Gage. “I think it counters some of that shiny corporateness of the neighborhood.”
It’s a neighborhood — with some 50,000 Amazon employees — that’s she’s delighted to have landed in, and she credits the tech giant for having the vision to take a chance on Gage. The utilization of the space is in line with ongoing efforts by the city and various organizations and corporate entities to revitalize downtown Seattle after the pandemic, such as through Mayor Bruce Harrell’s Downtown Activation Plan.
“I hope we’re kind of a proof of concept,” Allen said. “I think this could definitely serve as a model for other tech companies, thinking about ways that they can use the assets that they have, the real estate that they have, and build community by bringing arts organizations into the neighborhood. It becomes a win-win.”
When the move was announced last fall, Amazon’s John Schoettler, vice president of Global Real Estate and Facilities, said, “Creating space for the arts is vital for fostering a thriving downtown.” And Gage co-founder Gary Faigin said, “Unlimited possibilities will emerge by being a part of downtown on a bustling city corner,” adding that the school he started in 1989 with Pamela Beylea was “finally becoming a true big-city art school.”
In one classroom space this week, where students were still unpacking art supplies and arranging furniture, student Ester Ohman was reminiscing about the “rustic feeling” of Gage’s prior location. Being in the heart of Amazonia feels a bit different.
“I was walking and I turned the corner and there’s these massive skyscrapers and I was thinking, ‘Skyscrapers are cool, too.'” Ohman said. “I think the space has a lot of potential, and I think it’s cool to be more connected. In that old spot no one really knew where Gage was or what it was.”
About 100 to 120 students a day cycle through Gage programs in drawing, painting, and sculpture. There are a couple dozen employees and working artists spread across instruction and support staff.
Gage’s relationship with Amazon is not new. The school has been part of the Amazon Expressions program, providing art classes to Amazon employees, since 2019.
“This, hopefully, will be an extension,” Allen said. “Not only can you take classes in your workplace, you can walk around the corner and have a whole art school right here.”
Keep scrolling for more images from GeekWire’s tour:
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