ABOUT INSCAPE

 

Inscape is Seattle’s former INS Building redefined by Culture, Arts, Preservation and Engagement.

Definition

Inscape: noun [ in’ska¯p’]
The essential, distinctive, and revelatory quality of a person, place or object; the distinctive, dynamic design that constitutes individual identity, especially as expressed in artistic work.

Inscape: verb [ in’ska¯p’]
To bring together the unique, essential qualities of many individuals to form a cohesive, distinct community.

Inscape: building [ in’ska¯p’]
A collaboration of creative people and organizations, brought together by a vision of artistic and cultural expression in all disciplines, to form a community that expresses its essential nature through culture, arts, preservation and engagement.

 

Mission

Inscape pays respect to the history of the former INS Building and the people who made that history, the incredible structure and its bipolar spirit, the triumphs of those who became citizens and the tribulations of those who did not, the joys and the sorrows that manifested the unique nature of this edifice. Inscape creates a forum for possibilities; a collaboration with artists and artisans, creative individuals and organizations, the neighborhood and the city, to build a mutually supportive alliance that engages the Greater Seattle community in the experience of art and the celebration of culture. Inscape reinvigorates the building and the neighborhood, bringing new life to the district with a renewed spirit created by the investment of the entire community in culture, arts, preservation and engagement.

 

Voices of the Immigration Station—72 Years of History on 5 Floors

A partnership between the Wing and Inscape Arts

A permanent installation on immigration in Seattle tells the story of the people and the process of immigration through the building that was the United States Immigration Station & Assay Office. Signs throughout the building mark significant locations and feature images of the sites before the building was transformed from detention center to creative community. In addition, four artists have contributed pieces that shed light on immigration in various, fascinating ways: a graphic novel, a sound installation, silkscreen prints and encaustic paintings.

Effect

With upwards of 125 tenants in 77,000 square feet of historic space, Inscape is the largest arts and culture enclave in Seattle. Small, creative businesses, individuals and non profit organizations with a focus in arts and culture use the space to facilitate and fabricate artistic work as well as design, build, and present creative and cultural endeavors. Artists and artisans of all disciplines are working throughout the building, bringing each individual’s dynamic energy to the space and collaborating to manifest a community born of creativity and steeped in a rich cultural history. Work spaces range in size from a few hundred square feet up to a few thousand, with an indeterminate amount of variation based on the configurations in place as well as the redesign of some spaces for the specific needs of tenants. We continue to bring as many unique disciplines into the building as possible, including performance art and theatre, music and dance, sculpture, painting and photography, architecture and design, digital media and a wide variety of other mediums of creative expression. With a collective of such magnitude and interest, we engage the greater community with performances, exhibitions, events and open houses, inviting the public to come and experience the arts in the place where they are made.

Address

815 Seattle Boulevard South
Seattle WA 98134

Email

inscape@urbanworklofts.com