News from the Festival

2011 Film Highlights

For the first time, the Festival will be showcasing an Erotic Short Film Exhibition, which will be playing at Fremont Studios throughout the entire event, in a modern, built-in movie theater! We are honored to be partnering with Three Dollar Bill Cinema, producers of The Seattle Lesbian and Gay Film Festival, to bring this spectacular offering to you.

Three Dollar Bill Cinema has curated two unique programs:

Speechless sets its sights on visual delights, where action speaks louder than words and safe words don’t apply.
Let’s Talk About Sex explores the language of loving, where there’s more than one way to say what you want and tell how you feel.

The programs will be screened at scheduled times throughout the three days and nights of the Festival. Peruse the screening schedule and plan to make time to see these beautiful pieces.

We highly encourage you to come during the daytime, as we’re sure these seats will be in high demand!

Featured films come from as far as Norway and Spain, and are produced by a fascinating mix of filmmakers. Learn more about their interesting stories and various backgrounds by reading the detailed filmmaker biographies.

Award winners from film festivals around the world can be seen in both programs, including two from the recent CineKink NYC festival: PISS (Best Comedy Short) and LOVE HOTEL: ROOM 33 (Honorable Best Mention). Travis Matthews’s I WANT YOUR LOVE was also recently awarded an Honorable Mention at the Berlin Porn Film Festival, and Kyle Henry’s FOURPLAY: SAN FRANCISCO was nominated for the prestigious Iris Prize, the most coveted and lucrative prize in the world for queer short films.

FOURPLAY: SAN FRANCISCO is the first in a four-part film featuring true tales of sexual intimacy. The next to be filmed and completed, FOURPLAY: TAMPA, has been accepted to the Cannes Film Festival and will be presented as a Directors Fortnight selection, a highly prestigious and coveted slot!

We’re also quite excited to show DIARY OF A PEEP SHOW GIRL, a look behind the scenes of Seattle’s own legendary Lusty Lady in downtown Seattle, which is now closed. If you never made it into this local landmark, this film is your chance to see it from the inside out (or relive your own memories and adventures there).

We wouldn’t be surprised if you wanted to watch these films again and again. Don’t miss them!

Performance Highlights

A diversity of performances are sure to captivate you this year. From the main stage show to ambient and satellite performances throughout Fremont Studios, you’ll be entertained, entranced, and thrilled all weekend long.

The main stage show, directed by performer, writer and theatrical director David Crellin aka Armitage Shanks, will feature a breathtaking list of amazing performers, including the Luminous Pariah, Ben de la Creme, Paris Original, ticktock dance, Evilyn Sin Claire, and more – creating a broad range of performance types including aerial, blues dance, pole dance, live music, performance art, satire, and more, on both Friday and Saturday nights at 10pm.

The sets of the main stage show will be an impressionistic metaphor of a Red Light District street scape, with lighting evoking the color and feeling of a neon world filled with sex and commerce. The show will be a sensual (and at times challenging) exploration of many of the things that Red Light Districts are: alluring, enticing, commodifying, and transformative.

Both evenings will feature roaming performers posed as buskers and street characters. You never know who you might run into on these sultry streets. Perhaps a fortune teller, street kid, or a musician or two, and we’re sure you’ll discover a few sexy surprises.

You’ll enjoy watching lovers dancing through the streets of the erotic, and irresistible performers posing in the peepshow windows of the Foundation for Sex Positive Culture’s tribute to Seattle’s late and great Lusty Lady, inviting you to come inside.

You won’t want to miss the “other” side of town, where dark alleys entice and revel subservient scenes. Satellite Alley will feature darker, boundary pushing, and even bloody performances, from bondage to artistic cutting. Ambient Performance Director Eva Luna has much in store for you this year!

And we expect you’ll want to come back Sunday afternoon to experience the thrill of the marching band Titanium Sporkestra, who will be heading from the Fremont Sunday Market to the Festival. Join us to celebrate our last day of festivities in the glowing Red Light District!

Literary Highlights

This year, our Literary Art Exhibition will feature 26 poems and 12 short stories. Accepted work came from poets across the nation and world, from as far away as France and Austria.

The Literary Art Exhibition will be presented in a lush and intimate boudoir setting, and will feature readings by many of Seattle’s hottest erotic spoken word artists, throughout all three days of the Festival. The evening hours will feature Dr. Sketchy’s art installation, where you can sketch live models while listening to spoken word!

We are thrilled to offer an exciting special feature for the first time: selected poets will choose a work of art from the visual art exhibition, and write a piece inspired by it. They will then conduct a daily “Poet’s Favorite” walking tour, where you can be led to each work of art and listen to the poem it inspired, read by the author.

Additionally, you’ll be able to take the work of our literary artists home with you! For the first time we’ll be featuring all selected poems and short stories in an anthology, which will be on display and for sale in the Festival Store and online.

Some of the featured writers have made waves in the erotic literature community.

The erotica of Jen Cross has appeared in over 30 anthologies and other publications, and she regularly performs at the National Queer Arts Festival and LitQuake’s LitCrawl.

David Jones has been a Festival favorite, performing his erotic poetry at the Festival in many previous years.

Jae Carlsson aka Vivien Lim is a local playwright of some renown, having presented work at the Balagan Theater.

Layla Tromble has been published in an interesting book called Spirit of Desire: Personal Explorations of Sacred Kink.

Maureen Betita has several books published and had some of her work placed in the Festival’s top 10 last year.

Ted D’Leyo had work on display at this year’s Detroit Dirty Show.

We hope you’ll come enjoy the work of these and many other enchanting writers during this year’s festivities, and take a copy of the anthology home with you!

Installation Highlights

There are so many ways for you to become part of the art this year, with 17 different installations spread throughout Fremont Studios. Visionary artists have created installations for you to come explore and enjoy, inviting you to engage with their work. Find yourself on the Queeriodic Table, join a sketching session of live performers at Dr. Sketchy’s, experience the thrill of the Electro-Bike, play a modern sexual selection game, and more.

We are proud to feature work from across the nation and world. The Inner Yoni is a very large piece coming all the way from Guatemala. Derek Gores is a Florida based artist receiving national attention for his impressive collages. He’ll be creating pieces live at the Festival: watch a video of him at Nude Nite! We are also excited to show the work of Jerry Vile, producer of Detroit’s Dirty Show.

Local artists Tiberio Simone and Matt Freedman of the La Figa Project are producing La Figa Cafe for the Red Light District, where they’ll be showcasing some of their printed works, recreating beautiful pieces on live models, adorning audience members with fresh food, feeding guests delectable chocolate treats, screening fun films, and more. Most exciting of all, they are launching their new book La Figa: Visions of Food and Form during the Festival! Copies will be on sale and the two will be doing signings throughout the weekend. View our schedule to learn more.

This year the Foundation for Sex Positive Culture, producer of the Festival, is creating a captivating photo salon and homage to Seattle’s late and great Lusty Lady. Ambient performers will be dancing in the windows, and all attendees are invited inside to pose for professional photographers in a sumptuous setting. Come visit the Lusty!

And in another homage to Seattle’s sexy history… local artist Allen Stein, creator of the Thrillhammer, is showcasing a new version called Thrillhammer Schmidtenstein with a replica penis of the legendary Jimi Hendrix. The Experience lives on!

There’s much for you to see this year. We hope you’ll come play all weekend long!

Visual Art Highlights

The Festival is proud to present a world-class visual art exhibition, featuring talented artists from around the world, showcasing a broad range of interests, through a spectacular array of media. We’re sure you’ll fall in love and want to take a piece (or two) home with you.

An International Exhibition

This year we are presenting the work of 173 visual artists from across the nation and world. We are excited to have 23 international artists and to feature work from 13 countries:

Australia
Brazil
Bulgaria
Canada
India
Israel
Mexico
New Zealand
Singapore
United Kingdom
United States
Uruguay

A Diversity of Art

The jury accepted a diversity of art forms, from photography to painting to drawing to mixed media. We’re quite excited to feature 27 pieces of sculpture—more than ever before—in glass, bronze, brick, metal, wood, and even legos! Some of the sculptures are interactive. Fetish diva MIDORI, a sex positive activist, educator and returning Festival artist, had two sculptures accepted by the jury.

We’re thrilled to show a few pieces of fully wearable art, and will have models showcasing this work during the event. “The Suit” is a beautiful piece of living artwork crafted of leather by GODFREY KNIGHT, who is traveling from England to attend the Festival. “Self Inflicted” is a corset by KIVA STUDIO of Oregon made of salvaged copper, rope, chain, and other miscellaneous metals, to be modeled on Friday evening.

We’ll be showing “Our Common Thread”, a 15-foot-long piece by DAVID PETERMAN featuring many local Festival enthusiasts. How many people will you recognize?

For the first time we will have an original work of art by acclaimed artist CAROLYN WELTMAN. She has art in the Tom of Finland Collection in Los Angeles, CA and in the Kinsey Institute in Bloomington, IN.

We are also delighted to feature the work of PAUL DALHQUIST, a returning Festival artist, who is currently in his 80′s and has been taking photographs since he was eight years old.

Many amazing artists and pieces of work have been accepted this year… there will be much for you to enjoy!

Big Volunteer Meeting! 4/23

Mark your calendars and join us for our annual Big Volunteer Meeting, Saturday, April 23. Come meet the Festival organizers, learn about how the Festival is run, and hear some of the exciting things we have in store. We’ll be holding our popular art handling workshop, a useful social media workshop, and more!

This is an important and required meeting for anyone volunteering for the Festival.

If you aren’t already signed up to volunteer, this is your chance to become involved in Seattle’s sexiest event. We’ve got lots of opportunities! Come find the right job(s) for you, and sign up for a volunteer shift (or two).

Mingle with volunteers, artists and performers… and join the fun of putting on this event.

Doors open at 12:30pm, and the meeting runs from 1-3pm, in the Main Space of the Center for Sex Positive Culture.

Peruse our list of volunteer opportunities here and get signed up ahead of time! For more information, email volunteer@seattleerotic.org.

Call for Store Merchandise

The extremely popular Festival Store is a museum-quality shop that features thousands of works of erotica selected to meet every budget and taste. The Store includes prints, small works, jewelry, cards, oddities, books, DVDs, collectibles, and more.

The Store provides a venue for the sale of reproductions of original works of art featured in the exhibition, increasing exposure and monetary benefits for participating artists. It also features the work of artists that are not showcased in the exhibition. All accepted artists have their work featured during the three day event to thousands of attendees.

The Call for Store Merchandise is open March 12 – April 17. There is no submission fee to apply. All artists 18+ are encouraged to submit images of their work for consideration. Submissions must be made online at SeattleErotic.org.

Summary of the Submission Process

The submission process is quick and easy. If you have trouble, contact info@SeattleErotic.org.

If you have not already registered

You will need to create an account with your email and password, by clicking the button that says Register.
The next step is to provide your artist information. This includes your legal name, contact information and delivery/return arrangements for your work.
The last step is submitting descriptions of your work for consideration by clicking “Submit to Store.”

If you have already registered

You will need to log in.
The next step is to update your artist information, adding your delivery/return arrangements for your work.
The last step is submitting descriptions of your work for consideration by clicking “Submit to Store.”

Submission Guidelines

Artists wishing to sell items through the Festival Store must make their submissions between March 12 – April 17, 2011. The submission deadline is the night of Sunday, April 17, 2011 at midnight (PST). Be sure to have all of your information entered on time and correctly as you will not be able to access the system after that date. Earlier submissions are HIGHLY recommended for artists who will be shipping their work
For all Store art sold during or as a direct result of the Festival, the Festival receives a 40% commission fee.
Accepted artists must be at least 18 years old by May 20, 2011.
Any models depicted in art must be 18 years old or older. All accepted artists who use models in photographs are required to submit a Models Age Certification form, available here. The completed form must be sent with the artist’s delivery of work for the Festival. The Festival will keep this information on file to comply with United Sates Code, Title 18, Section 2257.
Artists may only submit finished art of their own creation.
Unfinished art or “works in progress” will not be considered.
Art previously displayed at the Festival may be considered for the Festival Store.
Artists are approved on the merit of their work as a whole; each individual item need not be submitted for approval; a representative sampling is acceptable.
Three images are typically sufficient, and we will contact you if additional images of your art are required.
Images must be submitted in JPEG format, no smaller than 500k and no larger than 5MB in size (in pixels, the optimum resolution would be at least 1000 pixels on the longest side. This is typically about 1MB in size.)
Accepted artists are encouraged to provide display units for their work. Any small items such as postcards/cards or jewelry should, if possible, be accompanied by an appropriate display. A limited number of displays are available; priority on these will be given to artists from out of state.
Work will be displayed on a space available basis. Effort will be made to display everything supplied, however if a large quantity is delivered by a single artist and space limitations become an issue, some items may be used as back-stock and made available for sale as space becomes available. The Festival reserves the right to refuse or limit items displayed to quantities of 50 pieces/items per artist.
All merchandise must arrive ready for display with price stickers attached. Prints should have a backing and be in plastic sleeves, cards should be in sleeves, etc. Proper presentation is the responsibility of the artist. Damage occurring due to customer handling will not be the Festival’s responsibility.
Pre-printed price stickers will be provided to the artist. The stickers will include the control number and price. If the price stickers are not attached, the item will not be displayed for sale. All prices are to remain unchanged upon delivery with no bartering or price changes on items in the store inventory. Prior to May 22, 2011, 8:00 p.m., items may be removed from inventory by purchase only.
Staffing and Security: The Festival staff will set up and run the store. Note: Artists, this a great opportunity for you to volunteer. People enjoy meeting the creator of the pieces they are purchasing. You can also help to provide increased security for your work. Every effort will be made to provide the highest security possible; however, the Festival will not be responsible for any losses due to theft. By submitting merchandise for sale in the retail store, the artist agrees to hold the Festival, the Festival Store, the store management, and Foundation for Sex Positive Culture harmless.
Shipping and Delivery: Shipped inventory must be received by Saturday, April 30 – Saturday, May 14. Alternatively, artists have the option of hand delivering their Store items on Sunday, May 15. Store items must be clearly packaged and labeled “Attn: SEAF Festival Store”. Shipping and delivery instructions will be provided to artists who will have inventory in the store.
Pick-up: Artists must pick up any unsold merchandise on Sunday, May 22, 2011, between 6:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. For return shipping, artists must provide a return shipping label with FedEx or UPS. Inventory left without arrangements after this date may become the property of the Festival, at the Festival’s discretion.

Additional Information

For any questions please contact info@SeattleErotic.org.

Announcing Our 2011 Theme: Red Light District

This year, the Seattle Erotic Art Festival invites you to explore the RED LIGHT DISTRICT, an immersive experience of visual art, film, performances, literary art, interactive installations, after parties, workshops, and a museum-quality Festival Store. Thousands of visitors will enjoy three days of events at the ninth annual Festival, May 20-22.

“We’ve never done anything like this before,” says Festival Director Clayton Hibbert. “This year, the Festival will be taking our audience to thrilling new places, figuratively and literally. Come explore the Red Light District with us.”

Fremont Studios, the Festival’s new venue, is well-equipped to professionally showcase the arts. It features ample space for an extensive visual art gallery and large Festival Store, a modern, 50-seat movie theater for an Erotic Short Film Exhibition, a built-in stage for performances, and more.

[blockquote align="right"]We’ve never done anything like this before[/blockquote]

“The new venue will showcase the amazing work of our artists in a completely new way. There’s no question that this location is another step forward for the Festival, enabling us to continue to expand our offerings. When we open the doors this year, thousands and thousands of excited patrons will be transported into a lush environment, lovingly designed for the appreciation of erotic art in all its forms,” says Hibbert. “We can’t wait to invite you inside. We are confident you’ll be thrilled.”

The Festival is offering a sneak peek into the Red Light District on Saturday, April 2 at a kick-off event: the Red Hot Launch Party. Featuring a nonstop lineup of Seattle DJs, hand-picked performances, early-bird no-fee tickets to the Festival itself, and more, the Launch Party runs from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. at the Cirque Event Center at 121 Taylor Ave. Last year’s Launch Party SOLD OUT, so purchase your advance tickets now! General admission tickets to the Festival go on sale at the Launch Party, April 2.

The luxurious Velvet Experience is already on sale, offering admission to the Festival all weekend long with an array of special features, plus entry pre-opening on Thursday night, and two passes to the Launch Party. Velvet Experiences are extremely limited.

Call for Volunteers

Want to join the fun of putting on Seattle’s sexiest event? Volunteer and help us bring the Festival to life. Each year this event is put on entirely by volunteer effort, so whether you take on a small shift during the Festival, or a more significant role during the year, you make a real difference.Save the date for our Big Volunteer Meeting, Saturday, April 23! Sign up for a shift by contacting us, and then come to the meeting and meet everybody… or if you can’t decide what to help with, attend the meeting, learn more, and sign up in person.

We have a variety of different openings, including:

Marketing Assistants*
Videographer*
Docents*
Archivist
Security
Box Office
Promotional Team (distribute postcards)
Concierge (includes greeters)
On-site IT (help with networking, a/v, and misc technical needs)
Lecture Hall Manager and Technical Assistant
Coat Check
Pollsters
Art Lighting Assistant
Painters (for art walls, pre-Festival)
Driver (van or truck for pick up and deliveries)
Parking Attendants
Cocktail Servers/Bussers (licensed)
Green Room Assistance (includes dressing room attendant and hair/makeup artist)
General Assistance (odd and ends)
Clean Up
Set Up (includes art handling/installation, carpenters for wall installation)
Strike/Tear-Down (includes heavy lifters, art handlers, packers/inventory managers)

*Note that these positions have specific requirements, so please provide a detailed list of your qualifications if interested in these roles.

If something piques your interest, please contact us with your qualifications. Let’s find something great to do together.

And if you’re wondering why you would want to volunteer…

Putting on the Festival is a group effort – and a great time! You’ll be surrounded by creative people and great stories. You’ll be more inspired and have more fun than any other volunteer opportunity you’ve ever had. Besides, we can’t do this alone – and what fun would that be anyway? We want you, and those things you do so well.

Plus, volunteers get some special perks in appreciation!

We hope you’ll join us and help make the Festival better than ever before.

Want to be an event photographer?

If you are interested in photographing the event without the restrictions of our 2012 Camera Policy, please contact us about becoming part of our small team of official event photographers.

If you are with the press and would like permission to cover the event with cameras or video, please contact us with your request.

Photo/Video Pass Requirements

All photo/video pass holders shall be considered volunteers of the Festival. One exception is major media outlets such as, but not limited to, local newspapers, websites, and television stations. Specific status of pass holders is at the sole discretion of the Seattle Erotic Art Festival Marketing Director and the Event Photography Manager.

Seattle Erotic Art Festival and the Foundation for Sex Positive Culture will have an implicit right to use any of the photos taken by volunteer photo pass holders for publicity and marketing purposes. All photo use will be properly attributed. The Seattle Erotic Art Festival will not sell the images collected from volunteer photo pass holders. The photo pass holder retains all other rights to the images.

All volunteer photo pass holders will be required to share all of their unedited photo files with the Event Photography Manager prior to leaving the event for the evening. Separate arrangements can be made if the volunteer pass holder is shooting analog film or video.

Photo/Video Pass Selection

Photographers will be selected by the Event Photography Manager based on a portfolio review. If you’re interested in photographing the event without these restrictions, please contact us about becoming part of our small team of official event photographers.

All video passes will be reviewed by the Seattle Erotic Art Festival Marketing Director prior to being granted. Video passes will require a specific contract with the Seattle Erotic Art Festival regarding use of the footage.

Photo/Video Pass Application

If you’re interested in being one of our official volunteer photographers, please send an e-mail to photography@seattleerotic.org containing:

Name
Cell phone number
Sample files or link to online gallery (preferred)

We are looking for a mix of photographers this year. Everyone is encouraged to apply.

This event is volunteer driven. Please be patient with the selection process.

Photo Pass Benefits

Unlike the regular Festival attendees, photo pass holders will be allowed to:

Use flash photography (except for main stage performances)
Use SLRs (cameras with removable lenses)
Use tripods or monopods
Use video on HDSLR’s
Photograph the art
Have access to some backstage areas

In addition to those privileges, the photo pass holders will also receive these benefits:

Free admission to the Festival for the days that you will be shooting
Invitation to the volunteer appreciation party after the event
Your photos viewed by thousands when they are posted on the Festival’s official website (credited with your name)

Other info

There will not be any secure storage on site. Please plan to carry all of your equipment with you at all times. The Festival is not responsible for lost or stolen gear.

Use of special lighting gear by photo or video pass holders may be allowed at the discretion of the Seattle Erotic Art Festival.

Professional video recording equipment is only permitted for video pass holders.

Please note that the Seattle Erotic Art Festival is not a public event. Commercial sale of photos may require model releases. Neither the Seattle Erotic Art Festival nor the Foundation for Sex Positive Culture is responsible for obtaining or providing required releases.

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