As Seattle art lovers know, the cooler temperatures and earlier sunsets don't stop the arts. In fact, autumn often presents more opportunities to see and experience the arts in a variety of different, unexpected settings as art spaces become fewer and farther between.
Enter: Possibilities Expo II. On Oct. 10 and 11, the expo is taking over the Georgetown Steam Plant for its second annual event, serving up two days of music, poetry, light art, and rocking out. The affair is put on by Seattle-based band Student Nurse, a three-piece new wave/punk outfit — Helena Rogers, James Lord, and Eric Muhs — that first formed back in 1978, disbanded in 1984, and then reunited over the past few years.
Their deep connection to Seattle's music scene is reflected in the lineup: Legendary music producer and musician Steve Fisk, rapper and 2016 Stranger Genius Award nominee Silas Blak, photographer and musician Sue Ann Harkey, video artist Leo Mayberry, the Northwest Experimental Guitar Orchestra, and more are all slated to perform over the two-day fest, which also features light art by Rob Angus. And, befitting the eclectic mix of performers, the Georgetown Steam Plant provides the necessary vibes: industrial, a bit off the beaten path, and a remnant of Seattle long past.
"Well, there are these amazing spaces. You would think in a big industrial building, they would all be sort of very echoey, but that turns out not to be exactly the case," said Muhs of Student Nurse. "The steam plant is full of enormous, 100-year-old machinery. Some of these turbines sit upright and are three and a half stories tall. It is just the kind of space that most people never see or experience or inhabit, and it's right next to Boeing Field."
In the past several years, Georgetown Steam Plant has emerged as an exciting, historical, and quirky venue for arts and events in the South End. The building opened in 1907, first powered by oil and then by coal. Its initial use was to generate electricity for a train car that went from Tacoma to Everett and for 30 miles of streetcar track in Seattle, with some power extending into the nearby neighborhood. But just a few years after it opened, the area switched to hydropowered electricity, and the steam plant mainly served as an auxiliary power source for decades until its official decommission in 1977.
Over the intervening years, there has been a groundswell of effort to maintain and keep the Steam Plant open for historical purposes. It's been designated a National Historic Landmark, a Seattle Landmark, and a Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark, owing to its two giant Curtis Vertical Steam Turbogenerators produced by General Electric in the early 20th century. In 2014, owners Seattle City Light opened the plant to visitors for monthly guided tours and, in 2021, leased out the space for the next 60 years to the Georgetown Steam Plant Community Development Authority, a nonprofit dedicated to preserving the history of the space and integrating it into the local community through dynamic, inclusive programming.
"The goal over these 60 years is to activate the space and bring it closer to something that is reflective of the community," said Khalil Griffith, the Steam Plant's community engagement coordinator, in a recent interview. "We use it for SHTEAM: science, history, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics."
Which means you can find different types of events happening in the space. Everything from a cool, spooky screening of the vampire film Blade in its giant turbine room, to a five-hour durational dance performance by Alice Gosti's MALACARNE troupe, to a circus replete with shadow puppets, dance, and live animation. In addition to planned events, every second Saturday, the Steam Plant hosts an open house where visitors can take guided, historical tours through the space. To its stewards, having a place where the community can learn about Seattle and also integrate their creativity into the space is important.
"It's important, especially now at this point in time, thinking about the sociopolitical climate. We need art, we need science, we need history, we need all of these things now more than ever. With it being a community-powered and organized space, so many people have poured their energy and time and effort into it," said Griffith. "It really does stand as a testament of what's possible."
As for Possibilities Expo II, it's making great use of the 20,000-square-foot space. Rather than having just one stage and swapping out the performers, the audience will move to see each performance: from the Turbine Room to the Ash Room to the Boiler Room. Be warned: Dress warmly because there's no insulation inside the plant. But perhaps all the exciting music and art on display will keep everyone warm.
"I think you'll see and hear music that expresses freedom and a creative spirit, which I think is very important to the music traditions in the Northwest," said Muhs. "It'll be highly original."