Seattle Erotic Art Festival

For the last four years the Seattle Sex Positive Community Center has produced the Seattle Erotic Art Festival. I've had the privilege to be the Festival Director for all four years. This year is going to be an amazing event. If you're from the greater Seattle area, it's not to be missed. If you're not from around here, make plans to visit next year.

Here's all the information you need to attend this week's event.

Allena

Seattle Erotic Art Festival 2006

The fourth annual Seattle Erotic Art Festival—held at Consolidated Works (500 Boren Ave. North) in Seattle on March 24-26, 2006—will display an expansive exhibition of contemporary fine art that celebrates the diversity of human sexual expression and the incredible creativity with which artists approach the subject of erotica. The jury and curators selected work based on quality of execution, originality of subject and depth of emotion from over 1,200 pieces submitted by 400 artists from around the world.

Doors open on Friday, March 24 at noon; Deities of the Eros Costume Gala starts at 8pm. The Festival’s many other offerings include a VIP reception, Saturday's live auction, installations, performance art (choreographed by Little Red Studio, a gallery store for small works and prints, in addition to opportunities to attend films, lectures, workshops and readings. Patrons will be able to meet the artists including special guest Charles Gatewood, “the family photographer of America's erotic underground.”

Festival Curator, Pet Silvia, co-proprietor of the high profile New York gallery Art@Large, presents work by artists: H.R. Giger, John John Jesse, Annie Sprinkle, Elizabeth Stephens, Barbara Nitke, Carolyn Weltman, Michael Manning, John Santerineross, Michele Serchuk, SEAF Award Winner Boris Starosta, Seattle’s own Rik Garrett and more.

SEAF 2006 is proud to feature the works of SEAF Award Winners: Hypnox, kenji signani, Andrew Caldwell, Arice, and Jim Duvall as well as local artists Demi Raven, Rebecca Raven, Ellen Forney, krysztof nemeth, Randy Wood, Christian French, Derek Nobbs, and many others.

Last year, SEAF attracted over 4,000 attendees and received significant media attention. Most importantly, a large portion of the exhibition and auction art at SEAF was sold (values ranged from $100 to $7,000). The sales of prints and small works in the Festival Store were also impressive.

SEAF was founded in 2002 by Seattle's Sex Positive Community Center (SPCC) to promote freedom of sexuality, speech and creativity through the erotic expression of fine art.

Tables and seats are still available for Saturday's live auction. Selected works will be auctioned off by the esteemed auctioneer, Laura Michalek. Food will be supplied by Hot Dish Catering (formally Feeding Frenzy). You can obtain tickets to the auction at Brown Paper Ticket.

We'd like to thank our sponsors: Art at Large, Obsidian Security, Vine St. Storage, Babeland, The Stranger, Utilikilts, The Seattle Sinner, Amadeo Design, Exotic Underground, Seattle Gay News and JUXTAPOZ magazine.

Additional festival information can be found at our website, http://www.SeattleErotic.org

Tickets can be purchased through http://www.BrownPaperTickets.com.

THIS EVENT IS OPEN ONLY TO THOSE 18 YEARS OF AGE AND OLDER

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The Blahs

I have so much to do and I just don't have any impetus to do anything today. I just wasted a couple hours watching the movie Nightwatch. A Russian Vampyre Horror movie with subtitles and the weirdest most convoluted plot I've ever seen. It was unintentionally funny. We laughed so much that the guy in front of us glared at us a few times. I love the Russian language so that part was great and there was this really cool big yellow truck that they used to get around in that was very sexy (Have I told you about my heavy machinery and big rig fetish?)

Overall, though, the movie was horrible. However, it was an excuse to spend time with one of my best friends, Porgie (he calls me Bess, I call him Porgie….you figure that out). He's one of those people who when they call, if I can I drop what I'm doing and do whatever with him. He called today at 1:11 to see if I wanted to see the "film" Nightwatch with him at 1:45. Of course I said yes. Oh, a film is any movie with subtitles. Anyway, Nightwatch is the first of a trilogy and while we both thought the movie was really bad, we'll go see the other two, just to see if the Lights beat the Darks.

Porgie, by the way, is one of my best friends and if he wasn't gay would probably be one of my partners. We are celebrating our March birthdays next week. He's a Pisces and I'm and Aries and we've been friends since I owned my café in 1995. He and I used to sit outside the café and rate guys. 1-10. Sometimes we were really bad and would play "Studs or Scuds". Remember the Scud missiles of the first Gulf War, well, if someone looked good they'd get a Stud, but sometimes as they got closer we'd realize they were a Scud, since they didn't really hit the mark. I know, not very cool, but silly and fun and we never said anything where anyone else would hear us. Rude but not insensitive.

So, that's what I do when I have the blahs…go to bad movies, waste time playing stupid games like Invadazoid (some Invader type game I got off Comcast.net) and wait for my Daddy, Jim to show up. We're going to a play and then maybe to the Spot and maybe, if I'm lucky he'll beat the Blah's right out of me.

I'll get my work done tomorrow; if I get rid of the Blahs.

Daddy just walked in the door. Yea!!!

Allena

Kissing and Touching

I had an opportunity the other day to be part of a kissing booth at a Kinky Carnival held at The School of One. What an amazing experience. Last year I was part of the kissing booth and I had quite a bit of fun, but nothing really profound happened. Well, this time was different.

I had the opportunity to kiss a few people who seemed to be totally touched and moved by the experience of kissing me. What an odd occurrence. I had chosen to be fully present while kissing each individual and giving it 150%. To see if that would make a difference in how my experience in the booth went. Well, believe me, it worked. I actually had someone in tears after a kiss. Another looked at me with a touch of wonder in his eyes and thanked me for kissing him. It was obvious that something had happened that was not intended. I had tapped into something primal and moving.

Now, I imagine that the men and women I kissed, for the most part, got turned on or aroused in some way, because I'm a great kisser and a pretty sexy old broad, if I don't say so myself. However, this was different than getting turned on. This was deeper, more at the core of what kissing and touch are all about. This was about intimacy not sexuality, per say.

It amazes me to think that something as simple as a kiss can have such a profound affect on a person. That even something simpler as a touch, caress, a cuddle can mean the difference between a life fully lived and one of just existence. This explains the popularity of Cuddle Parties (or Snuggle Parties as they are called in some parts of the country). An opportunity for people to just touch; non-sexual, non-threatening and totally life affirming.

I have to keep reminding myself that others aren't as blessed as I am. Not only do I have a poly family that nourishes me, I have others in my life who also feed my soul. I have an incredible bio family, a huge and wonderful chosen family, a beautiful home and a fabulous and rich life.

The experiences I've had over the last few weeks, the kissing booth, going to Southplains Leatherfest, enjoying the company of my boy, my close friends, my bio brothers and just living a full and rich life only serve to remind me that part of my calling in this world is to make the type of life I have accessible to others. A huge blessing and an even huger responsibility.

Here's to kissing and touching (of the physical kind) and to touching others and truly making a difference in this world.

Allena