Columbia City Gallery is pleased to announce a dedication celebration for Riding the Number 7, a new mural on the outside of the Gallery building, on Saturday, September 30, 5-6 pm.

The mural is based on Gallery artist Tina Albro’s original print of the Number 7 bus. She collaborated with Gallery artist Jayashree Krishnan, who created portraits of notable Rainier Valley residents as passengers on the bus. Some of the faces included are Aki Kurose, Ruth Woo, Fred Hutchinson, Claude Forward, Jean Veldwyk, John O’Brien, Bob Santos, Fujitaro Kubota, and Lou, Suzy and Mondo Banchero. Learn more about the people on the bus HERE.

Tina Albro has lived and worked in the Rainier Valley her whole life. As a child she rode the Number 7 bus from the “end of the line” on Prentice Street in Rainier Beach, to Rose Street (the hairdresser), Columbia City (for the butcher, office supplies, bank, and library), or downtown. Last year, Albro was awarded an Arts Revitalization Grant from the Columbia Hillman Arts & Cultural District, funded by the City of Seattle Office of Arts and Culture, to create the mural honoring this iconic bus route.

Albro says, “My design and intent are to portray both the diverse citizens of the Rainier Valley community and the iconic Columbia City bus route that it serves in south Seattle. Each window of the bus contains a portrait of people who have invested their time and energy into making Columbia City and Rainier Valley a better place for all; some of the faces are well-known and some not.”

The celebration coincides with an artists’ reception for two new exhibits at the Gallery: Creation Story, which features Skokomish artists Denise Emerson and Hailey Brown, and member exhibit, Visions.

For more information about the mural, contact: Tina Garrick Albro, 206-679-8274    

For more information about Arts Revitalization Grants or Columbia Hillman Arts & Cultural District, contact: Kathy Fowells, 206-760-4286

For more information about Columbia City Gallery, contact: Kari Karsten, 206-760-9843