Project City
Resume:
A K Mimi Allin
*** * **** ** #*** Seattle WA ****3 abpxxj@r.postjobfree.com
B orn: 1967
W o rk/ Li ve: Seattle, WA
E d uca ti on
M .A. Poetry/Museum Studies, City College of New York, 2006 Summa Cum Laude
B .A. English Literature/Art History, University of Massachusetts, 1993 Cum Laude
P e rf orman ce & Ins ta lla ti ons
Lamplighter Inspired by The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint Exup ry. Constructed and pushed a 12'
lantern on wheel, with a spinning, illuminated planetoid, through six local art walks, invited public to paint
golden stars on the post in memory of someone who believed in them when they were young. Seattle,
October 2011
Tahoma Kora 65-day, 36-mile, solo, prostrating pilgrimage around Mount Rainier (Tahoma), questioning
how we participate in the sacred. Raised $5000 on Kickstarter, supporters provided daily mantras. Featured
in The Stranger and on The Michael MedVed Show . Rainier National Park, June-Sept 2011
Seaside Opera Lifeguard stand, felt waves, beach toys and record player with opera and carnival music.
Hourly performances 2-7PM. Spaceworks Tacoma, Tollefson Plaza, Tacoma, 16-20 August 2010
From Mongolia, with Love Handmade mini-yurt with hand -penned poetry scrolls, containing verse from
wandering poetry traditions (Homer, Issa, Basho, Sandburg, The Beats). Whidbey Island, WA, July 2010
The Pink Door Modern Dance Series. Seattle, July & March 2010
Walking in War & Peace Read this novel while walking back and forth on a 200' red runner in a 19th
century ball gown, invited the public to walk with me and hear a bit of the epic whole. Featured in The
Seattle Times. 4Culture, Occidental Park, Seattle, 13-21 July 2010
HAM: Hold, All Movement 2-month residency, studied Morse Code, became a Ham radio operator,
translated radio w aves into gestures, intensive studies of French singer Jacques Brel, constructed a floating
ship's hold in which I lived and gave public performances. Project: Space Available. Seattle, May 2010
No Swimming Recycled velvet poly-stuffing, Mozart, Handel, Elgar, listening station, shark fins set on
main landing of busy architecture firm to enforce the rituals of rising and refreshing. NBBJ Seattle
January 2010
The Blue Line Installed 1500' of blue painters tape through two floors of N BBJ Architecture & D esign
Firm ( around desks and columns, up stairs and walls, over bookcases), multi-day task of "writing the
architecture" on the tape from front door to rooftop deck. Seattle, January 2010
Poetry Columns Chalk poems on concrete columns in public stairwell at NBBJ Architecture & Design
Firm. Seattle, January 2010
Dear Architect Full-day performance using overhead projector and transparencies, writing letters from
the building to the architect at NBBJ Architecture & Design Firm, Seattle, February 2010
Blind Poet Full-day performance with "blind poet" shirt and dark glasses, writing the audio architecture at
NBBJ Architecture & Design Firm, Seattle, February 2010
A Twisted Poem Original poem twisted into hair using pipe cleaners, lines recited first randomly, then in
order. 12 Minutes Max, On the Boards. Seattle, 19-20 March 2010
Window Show: Theatre in Reverse 2 months of daily performances in a storefront window, blue velvet
curtain, red velvet theatre chair, review book, sat in window looking at the world as if it were the show,
displayed theatre reviews in window after each sitting. ACT Theatre, Seattle, October-December 2009
Night Fishing Rowboat, commercial fishing net, creating myth in a small, arid, fruit-growing town in
Eastern Washington, stretched net across Town Square in hopes of an overnight catch, the following day I
ladled out fish stew for all comers. LitFuse Poetry Festival, Tieton, WA, November 2009
Gold Sky & The Orange Tree Canopies (16 x 5 ) with head-holes, staked at 4' and 6 on the town green
for activation, printed with lines of poetry by Mansfield, Hopkins, Marvell, Frost and Graves. LitFuse
Poetry Festival, Tieton, WA, November 2009
Silence Life-size pods made of (1) chicken wire with grape vines, (2) spiral-cut styrofoam pulled into an
igloo, (3) rattan woven with grass and lavender, audience invited to sit inside and hold a moment of silence
and search for one true thought, crafted hundreds of one-thought medallions using polyshrink and a toaster
oven so people could take their thought home with them. Seattle, Bumbershoot, August 2009
5 Strokes from Art Criticism to Poetry Set up in front of vacant gallery, asked the public 5 questions,
participants used ink to respond, in gestures, on pages of art criticism, as an alternative to traditional,
critical modes, simpler responses such as letting go and sensing were requested, the gestures were
then taken up by 6 poets in the galleries at SAM and turned into poems, poets explained their means
of approach, but did not read their poems. SAM Word, Seattle Art Museum, August 2009
Herding Eggs Full-day, ambient performance with eggs. Herded 40 fresh eggs 1000' across a farm, eggs
carried depictions of all the homes I have known. At 8am on the following morning, on the shores of the
Stillaguamish, the eggs that survived were cooked into a 40- acre omelet. All were welcomed to breakfast
with the artist. Smoke Farm, Lo-Fi Performance Festival, WA, Saturday 22 August 2009.
Better Reception 20 rabbit ear antennas, radios and walkie- talkies placed in park with provocative
questions and exercises. Instigating dialog about who gets "good reception" in our society and who remains
on the fringe. artSparks, Westlake Park, Seattle, July 2009
Sight/Seeing Five poets see special exhibit Target Practice for blind composer/musician, Andrew
Stauffer, who responds with an original composition 2 weeks later, 12 poets then listen to the live concert
and respond again in verse. SAM Word, Seattle Art Museum July 2009
Following Junk Filled a wooden rowboat with gold-wrapped candies, set boat on wheels, hung 40 junk-
puppets on flexible rods off stern. Along with puppeteer, Mylinda Sneed, and musician, Frank Junk playing
his homemade Junkophones, I pulled the boat through Westlake Park and invited children s authors to
write the story that was unfolding. artSparks, Westlake, Seattle, June 2009
Cricket A celebration of summer, 3 mini- trampolines, 3 jumping poets, 300 cricket poems, 300 metal
clickers. artSparks, Westlake Park, Seattle, June 2009
The Lenin Poems Established poetry contest to solicit poems in commemoration of the Fremont Lenin
Statue in Seattle. Produced 100 chapbooks with 20 selected poems and publicly poured those over the
statue on 4 July 2009, bronzed the winning poem and installed it at the site on July 2010.
The Onion Years 12 hollow ceramic onions placed around Lake Union. Write something that made or
makes you cry tears of joy or sadness and place it in the onion. Onions collected one month later, broken
atop hill at Gasworks Park in a public ritual to release the community s tears. Seattle, March-April 2009
Seven Poets Breathing on a Glass Seven poets in a 5-minute poetry-performance with a long pane of
glass and lipstick. Seattle Public Library, January 2009
Poetry Polar Bear Club Poets in bikinis, suits inscribed with original poems, reciting poems before
plunging into the icy water in wintertime. Featured on King 5 and in The Seattle Times and C ity Arts .
Seattle, 2008, 2009
Is It ART or Is It POWDERED Sugar? 40 pounds of sugar, metal kitchen sifter, sifted a trail of powdered
sugar from the Chief Joseph Fountain near Seattle Center down First Avenue to Pioneer Square, 1.5 miles
away, distributed an Art Walk Enhancing Tool (a mail- in sheet with feedback prompts for viewing art).
First Thursday Art Walk, Seattle, December 2008
Alice In Your Pocket Read entire text of Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll (3 hours) to ambient
public in Fremont Peak Pocket Park, provided tea and biscuits. Thanksgiving morning, November 2008
Spoon River 50 pairs of poetry shoes decorated with lines from Spoon River by Edgar Lee Masters, 125
metal spoons, yellow ginkgo leaves. LitFuse Festival, T ieton, WA, November 2008
Poets Getting Over Themselves 15 poets on speedway at Green Lake for 2 hours saying I Love You to
passersby, co-curated with Aaron Silverberg. September 2008
K iss, after Byars Set up in empty lot beside Cugini Caf, nailed blank canvas to wall along with a basket
of lipsticks, a mirror and a box of tissues, invited people to kiss the canvas in an effort to "paint it red."
Ballard Art Walk, September 2008
Performance Art (with You) Rain jackets fitted with a dozens of pockets, each filled with a unique
performance prompt, invited people to wear, explore and perform. Greenwood Art Walk, July 2008
Dance of the Flaneur Outdoor gallery of hand-lettered, decorated poetry umbrellas commemorating the 1-
year anniversary of the end of my performance piece Poetess at Green Lake. Seattle, July 2008
The Perfect Circle 50 labyrinth cut into grass with hand-shears, small wooden table with sumi-e
materials, instructions on how to make a perfect circle, clothesline for hanging perfect circles, interviewed
public about their ideas on Home, Green Lake, July 2007
Running Poets of Green Lake 100 pink t-shirts screened with Running Poets of Green Lake logo, each
with a unique poem ironed onto the back, poems provided by 100 living, local poets, runners were given a
t-shirt if they agreed to put it on and run once around the lake. Seattle, May 2007
Burning a Hole Through the Seattle Freeze with Poetry 3 00-pound block of ice, blowtorch, Robert Frost
poem "Fire and Ice," hole melted through ice, poem recited to listeners on the other side. Seattle, April
2007
Acceptance & Rejection White pedestals labeled Acceptance and Rejection, each holding a silver platter,
one with 100 homemade fortune cookies with tiny rejection letters inside and one with 50 ripe apples.
Burning Word Poetry Festival, Green Bank Farm, Whidbey Island, WA, April 2008
Practicing Rituals Full room installation with self-guided ritual stations: Threshold, Fear, T ightrope,
Stooping Basin, Cocoon, The Nail of the North, Bridge, Poetry Chair, Ritual Box and The Atelier. Event
culminated in a feast of bread, leek soup, champagne and red velvet cake. Studio-Current, Seattle WA,
Spring 2008
Nostalgia: The Poetess at Green Lake Sundays 9-5 at a wooden desk in the green space at a public park.
Public journal resides at h ttp://thepoetessatgreenlake.blogspot.com. Featured on Evening Magazine, The
Seattle Channel, KIRO s Ron & Don Show and twice in The Seattle Times, Sundays 2006-2007
Soviet Poetry Original poetry collage over modern art masterpieces from Russia, edited into slide show
with live percussion by Greg Stare. Soho20 Chelsea, New York City, May 2005
C u ra ti on & Produ ction
Studies in Everything A migrating, quarterly, public performance event, 5-12 hours in length, where
invited artists were asked to form a temporary community and to present studies on a theme.
Partial funding by 4Culture.
Studies in Occu(py)(pation) West Lake Center & City Hall, December 2011
Studies in Memory Juanita Bay Park, Kirkland, October 2010
Studies in Studies in Forgiveness Aurora Avenue, Seattle, July 2010
Studies in Monk, Mompou & Melancholy The Fremont Abbey, Seattle, April 2010
Studies White Counterbalance Park, Seattle, January 2010
An Impasse of Poets Mass poetry maneuver with 100 poets draped over The Grand Staircase and scores
enacted in the Porcelain Room, the Italian Room and on the escalators. Seattle Art Museum, June 2009
Untitled [Intersection] Monthly art series showcasing poets and performance artists. Phinney Gallery,
Seattle, 2007 2010
Aerating the Atrium Looped poetry and digital art projection for constant projection on 5-story atrium
wall in the main college library, creative material provided by students. Cohen Library, City College of
New York, December 5-9, 2005
The City Within Recorded and produced full-length poetry CD, gala CD release party at Soho20 in
Chelsea in partnership with NYC literary magazine One Three Eight . CUNY, 2005
C ity X-Posed Reading Series Founded and curated a monthly reading series (poetry, fiction, mixed-
media) showcasing emerging artists from City College CUNY. Soho20 Chelsea, New York, 2003 2006
Creative Time Production Intern: Organized dancers for Kim Sooja performance in Times Square.
Assisted in installation of Os Gemeos Graffiti Wall at Coney Island. Assisted in de-stallation of Pip
Houshiary s Breath in Battery Park. NYC, 2005
Center for Book Arts Print Shop Intern and T.A. NYC, 2004.
International Poetry Reading B i-annual reading series of poetry in languages. International House, New
York, 2003 2004
R esi denci es
Song of Tent City Self-designed, 3-month poetry residency at Tent City 3, a city-sanctioned homeless
encampment in Seattle. Featured in Real Change and C ity Arts Magazine.
Project archive: songoftentcity.blogspot.com Seattle, December 2010 - February 2011
Hermit Seeks Hermitage Self-designed hermitage, live/work on Dow Mountain in handmade yurt.
Hoodsport, WA, April 2011
HAM: Hold, All Movement Converted radio waves into gestures, installed a floating ship's hold complete
with crow s nest, berth, gimbaled stove, teapot and communications station (shortwave, VHF and HAM),
learned Morse Code, earned Ham radio license, ate ham sandwiches daily. Project archive:
http://www.projectspaceavailable.com/blog. Project: Space Available. Seattle, April- May 2010
Adopt-a-Poet D esigned and fulfilled the nation s 1st Corporate Poetry Residency. Worked daily as a poet,
writing and creating performance- installations at a global architecture & design firm, NBBJ Seattle.
Project archives at h ttp://corporate-poet.blogspot.com. Seattle, January- March 2010
Artist- in-Residence Studio- Current. Seattle, 2008, 2009, 2010
S ol o E xhibi ti on s
2011 "Song of Tent City," Tether Gallery Seattle, WA
G roup E xhi bi ti on s
2008 "The Gorilla Is Dead," The 4710 Foundry, Seattle, WA
2005 " Postcards from New York," S mall Works Invitational Exhibit, Soho20 Chelsea, NYC
T eac hin g
Core Faculty, LitFuse Festival, T ieton, WA Fall 2010
Facilitator, Mixed-Discipline Session, The Field, Seattle, 2009, 2010, 2011
Instructor, The Ritual Room, LitFuse Festival, T ieton, W A 2009
Instructor, The Easy Road to Poetry, Edmonds Community College, Edmonds, June 2009
Instructor, The Poetry Playground, Fremont Abbey, Seattle, weekly Spring 2009
Instructor, Am I An Endangered Species? Urban Wilderness Project, Pritchard Beach, January 2009
Guest Instructor, Can Poetry Change Your Behavior? Summit School, Lake City, November 2008
Co-Facilitator, Mostly Performers, The Field, Peer-review, Seattle, Fall 2008
Instructor, Guerilla Poetry I & II, LitFuse Festival, T ieton, WA 2008
Presenter, Inquiries For An Artist Who Doesn t Paint or Draw, Bumbershoot, Seattle 2008
Teaching Assistant, One Reel s Living Sculpture, Seattle Center Arts Academy, Seattle 2006
Speaker, Poetry, Women & The Mountain, Presentation, Mt. Rainier Education Symposium 2005
Speaker, Museion: Text Art in Dialog, Symposium Presentation, NYU Civic Dialog & Museums 2005
Poetry Judge, Spring Poetry Festival, New York High School Poetry Contest 2004
Poetry Teacher, Mott Hall, NYC 2003-2004
Poetry Teacher, I.S. 52, NYC 2003-2004
Adult Literacy Tutor, St. John's Literacy Program, Seattle 2002
Secondary School Teacher, U . S. Peace Corps, Ropczyze, Poland 1994 1996
Environmental English Camp Director/Instructor, Camp Crunch, Zakopane, Poland 1995
Adult Literacy Tutor, Quincy Community School, Boston1994
A wa r ds
C ityArtist Grant (Seattle Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs): L amplighter, 2011
Sprout Grant: Song of Tent City, 2011
4 Culture Grant: S tudies in Everything, 2010
4 Culture Grant: Walking in War & Peace, July 2010
C ityArtist Grant (Seattle Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs): Adopt-A-Poet, 2009
Fred McKay Grant (Fremont Arts Council): Following Junk, 2009
Seattle Poet Populist Nominee (Washington Poets Association), 2008
International House Scholarship, New York 2004
P o etry P u blica ti on s
Teeny Tiny, Summer 2011
SLUG: Food Haiku, August 2009
DaveJarecki.com, 5 poems, November 2008
T he Seattle Times, Front Page, February 2007
One Three Eight, Winter 2005, Spring 2006, Winter 2007
How2, Summer 2006
T he Argotist, Spring 2006
Ibbetson Street Review, Spring 2006, Summer 2006
Starfish, Spring 2006
Urban Spaghetti, Spring 2006
Crab Creek Review, Spring 2006, Fall 2004, Spring 2003
La Petite Zine, Spring 2005
Snow Monkey, Issue #17, Fall 2005
Poetry in Performance, 2004
Promethean, 2004
P u blica ti on s
DaveJarecki.com, Interview Series, Telephone Interview, November 2008
American Book Review, Review of Spinoza Doesn t Come Here Any More by Collette Inez, August 2005
P o etry R ea din gs
Poets & Writers with Dobbie Norris, Seattle Mobile Espresso, October 2011
Plop! Reading Series, Seattle March 2010
S LUG: Food Haiku, Jewelbox Theater, Seattle August 2009
Parkplace Reading, Featured Poet, Parkplace Books, Kirkland, March 2009
Soul Food Poetry Night, Featured Poet, Soul Food Books, March 2009
Poet Populist Inauguration, Seattle Central Library, January 2009
Poet Populist Reading, Youngstown Cultural Center, November 2008
LitFuse, Guerilla Group The Poetry Generator, Harvest Hall, Tieton, November 2008
It s About Time Reading Series, Featured Poet, Ballard Public Library, Seattle, July 2008
Giant Squid Reading, Cephalopod Appreciation Society, McLeod Residence, Seattle, December 2007
Literary Night, Featured Poet, Edmonds Community College, December 2007
Earshot Reading Series, Featured Poet, NYC, December 2005
Ludlow Artists Series, Lower East Side, NYC, December 2005
C ity X-Posed Reading Series, Featured Reader, Soho20 Gallery, Chelsea, NYC, May 2005
The City Within, Featured Reader on Poetry CD, City College, CUNY, March 2005
Plant Bar Reading Series, Featured Reader, Lower East Side, NYC, May 2004
Salon Night, Featured Poet, International House, NYC, February 2004
W rite-Club Reading Series, Featured Reader, 11th Street Bar, Lower East Side, NYC, 2004
Salon Night, Featured Reader, International House, NYC, November 2003
Bibliography
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Sam Kettering, "Building Community by Hitting a Wall", The Spectator, Seattle University, April 27th,
2011, p. 14
Dawn Quinn, "Impressions from Eighth Annual Juried Exhibition". The Tacoma Weekly, September 24,
2010
Dave R Davison, "A Quartet of Evocatively Murky Painters". The Tacoma Weekly, November 4, 2009
Corey Blaustein, "ArcheTEXTURES Puts Tuscany in Planar Perspective". The Spectator, Seattle University,
November 19, 2008, p. 11
Kaser, Aren. "If a Tree Falls." Seattle University Newsletter, June 19, 2007, vol. 1, no.4
Flappan, Dave. "Mural by DePaul graduate Lauds Latino Culture." DePaulia, March 13, 1998, p.1, p.3
Ludwig, Howard. "Cultural Center Mural Continues to Develop." DePaulia, April 4, 1996,p.1, p.8
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