What to Do about the Fun Forest?
Dipping my toe somewhat outside of education (but related to kids), I wanted to ask you readers what you thought should happen to the Fun Forest and the area around it. As you may be aware, there is outside funding for a Chihuly Glass Museum to be placed there.
I personally am against this idea as (1) I don't think his work is really art for the ages (2) EMP is already an expensive museum at Seattle Center and do we need another one (3) there is a glass museum in Tacoma already and (4) we need the green space.
What I (and some others) are putting forth, for at least some of the space, is an adventure playground. These playgrounds take different forms. I have seen some in Europe that have these enormous sturdy rope climbing areas, others have imaginative play and others have ziplines.
I sent an e-mail to the City Council on this issue and I had found some good examples so I thought I would pass them onto you as food for thought. I think having open spaces in downtown would be great for both natives and tourists.
Central Park has several wonderful aspects to it but one that would tie in with the loss of the Fun Forest is their Adventure Playground.
Examples of Adventure playgrounds:
Great Britain
Germany
Massachusetts
Montana
From Mental Floss, a list of the 10 best from Japan to Sweden to Germany to Dubai. One of special note is in Fairfax County, Virginia and was built so that children with disabilities can play side by side with those without.
I personally am against this idea as (1) I don't think his work is really art for the ages (2) EMP is already an expensive museum at Seattle Center and do we need another one (3) there is a glass museum in Tacoma already and (4) we need the green space.
What I (and some others) are putting forth, for at least some of the space, is an adventure playground. These playgrounds take different forms. I have seen some in Europe that have these enormous sturdy rope climbing areas, others have imaginative play and others have ziplines.
I sent an e-mail to the City Council on this issue and I had found some good examples so I thought I would pass them onto you as food for thought. I think having open spaces in downtown would be great for both natives and tourists.
Central Park has several wonderful aspects to it but one that would tie in with the loss of the Fun Forest is their Adventure Playground.
Examples of Adventure playgrounds:
Great Britain
Germany
Massachusetts
Montana
From Mental Floss, a list of the 10 best from Japan to Sweden to Germany to Dubai. One of special note is in Fairfax County, Virginia and was built so that children with disabilities can play side by side with those without.
Comments
A glass museum would appeal mainly to adults, and a playground would only appeal to very young children.
We have Wild Waves, but it's very expensive (about $29 per person) and it's in Federal Way, with very limited public transportation options for our teens or families without cars.
Keep the Fun Forest!
I like the one at the zoo- but it is very small- for little kids- but same idea.
Climbing trees is something that I really enjoyed while growing up in the suburbs, but there are fewer trees in the city- it would be wonderful to have that experience offered.
Nobody I know wants another expensive exhibit at the Seattle Center ( including artists)- we need more public space.
From the Stranger
Over the past year, the company that operates the Space Needle has been quietly working with Seattle Center to develop plans for a private, 44,550-square-foot Dale Chihuly glass museum to be placed where the skeletal remains of the Fun Forest amusement park now reside. The Space Needle and Chihuly are pushing hard for this project; they even hired two PR firms and one lobbying group to foist it on the public. But the public overwhelmingly dislikes the idea.
We know this because, during a long process that concluded in 2008, city planners held roughly 60 public meetings to determine what Seattle residents wanted from Seattle Center. What they wanted, overwhelmingly, was more open green space. Seattle Center is public land, and so planners created a Seattle Center Master Plan that called for the former Fun Forest to be replaced with an open lawn—accessible to everyone.
Also on the dreaming ideas, not necessarily for Seattle Center, but something Seattle is devoid of, would be a year round ice rink. A real one. A wave pool would be cool too.
SPIFF has designed a park of this type for Seward Park that breaks ground this month. http://www.cityofseattle.net/parks/projects/seward/playground.htm
Where do I sign up to work for this!
Obvioulsly not what they'd put in at the Seattle Cneter. I like that idea of a playground where all kids including with disabilities could play together.
I want that area to be open green space, with high-flying structures to keep off the rain. Trees, grass, maybe an herb garden or children's fun garden with some rides and kid-friendly areas for them to play and frolic.
Don't we have enough places to see Chihuly glass?
Chihuly Museum? No! While it's very artistic, and some is quite beuatiful, Chihuly glass is also somewhat market oriented - it's not like he makes very piece himself, there is a large market in Chihuly glass; we don't need a flagship store at the foot of the Space Needle.
WV was offered a similar deal but paston it, and WV knows best.
By the way, it's been mentioned elsewhere that the glass in the museum will be for sale. Is that true? If so, to me it is not really a museum, and has no business on public land or getting public subsidy at all.
As far as your adventure playground goes, I'm not sure what the difference is between the ones you listed and the playground at St. Edwards Park in Kenmore or Grasslawn Park in Redmond. They are FABULOUS! Anything like those would be great! Here are some photos if you've never been...
OK, not really, and I actually like Chihuly art a lot more than that. I think his work will actually will survive through the ages.
Where can we find the scoop about the planning for this "museum"? And, why is it flying? Are they offering cash up front that will look good for budget lines?
I think one issue for Seattle Center is that it serves a dual purpose -- it's both a place for us, the residents, and for tourists. Tourists look for destinations, and open space, playgrounds, etc. don't satisfy that need. They also generate revenue, and we want it to be free.
I'd like a lot of other things over a closed museum, especially if it were going to be called the Chihuly museum (rather than an art glass museum), but most of these don't generate revenue. An ice skating, rink, though, seems like it would have possibilities. Oddly, I think such a structure could be integrated with a glass museum, if someone wanted to do it. And, it could generate revenue
The Science Center and the Childrens Museum are great- but the Science Center is not engaging enough to visit often ( often has commercial tie ins which are unappealing), the Childrens Museum is also for pretty little kids- we need something for older kids/young adults besides video game parlors.
If we really want to target families in Seattle that is.
We have lots of galleries around town, an Art Museum just a few blocks away from the center & another on Capitol hill- if we wanted to have some sort of place addressing creativity, how about getting to watch real artists create?
It could have different monthly themes- glass blowing one month with classes- welding sculpture another ( they teach it at least one local high school), potters, etc.
I think it would be ok to have some things for sale- they also could have tie ins with local exhibits-
Howabout showing us some of the magic behind the stage sets and costuming for the Ballet & Childrens theatre?
Show us real people- so kids can get an idea of how to get involved- spark their interest.
We have many other renowned artists in this area- look at the Tsutakawa legacy for example ( start at the mural), Gerry/George are at least as deserving of a museum as Chihuly.
If we don't want to use any money on an ongoing basis then a simple park area would be my next choice -- with cool a playground if possible.
If we're going to be renting out the space to private interests then I vote for Fun Forest. Lower the damn rent and let the kiddie rides continue! My kids absolutely *love* those beat up old rides. I can't stand the idea of replacing them with a dreadful for profit "museum". Argh!