Food & Drink
View a Replica of The Great Northern Train Tunnel
A local artist re-creates Seattle’s historic Great Northern train tunnel
By Seattle Mag September 16, 2015
This article originally appeared in the October 2015 issue of Seattle magazine.
Bertha isn’t the only tunneler in town. Seattle artist Rick Araluce is known for his miniature-scale sculptures of haunting interior spaces as well as the giant-scale sets he creates for the Seattle Opera. Now he’s embarking on The Great Northern, a less than full-scale but still massive replica of the 111-year-old, 1-mile-long tunnel that still funnels trains beneath downtown Seattle.
Araluce, who was awarded a Guggenheim fellowship this year, will begin construction this month inside the windowed MadArt Studio in South Lake Union, in full view of passersby. “This particular train tunnel was, for its time, a technical and engineering feat,” Araluce says. “It was higher and wider than any tunnel before it and was completed in record time. As a piece of formal architecture, it has long fascinated me. It is a portal to the dark and mysterious unknown.”
Araluce’s version will nearly fill the studio, climbing to almost 22 feet high, and will include sound and lighting to give the impression that a train is always just around the bend. As for whether his tunnel project has inspired new sympathy for the Bertha engineers, Araluce says, “Creating something that has never quite been done before—with myriad challenges—is something I can relate to.” View the work in progress from early October through early January at MadArt Studio. Free. Times vary. 325 Westlake Ave. N, Suite 101; 206.623.1180; madartseattle.com.
Follow Us
Seattle Author Wins Pulitzer Prize
Tessa Hulls wins for Feeding Ghosts: A Graphic Memoir
Seattle author Tessa Hulls has added a Pulitzer Prize to her growing list of accolades for Feeding Ghosts: A Graphic Memoir. The 2025 Pulitzers were announced May 5. Feeding Ghosts won in the “Memoir or Autobiography” category. As Seattle magazine wrote in a profile of Hulls last year, Feeding Ghosts “braids together the narratives of…
These Cultural Landmarks Honor Seattle’s AANHPI Community
Here’s an overview of some notable spots and happenings
The first Asian American immigrants landed in Seattle in the 1860s, just a decade after the city’s founding in 1852. Seattle is plentiful with sites that tell crucial stories about Seattle’s Asian American community, whether you choose to learn about historic neighborhoods and buildings in the International District or browse sculptures and paintings at the…
Book Excerpt: Old White Man Writing
Seattle resident Joshua Gidding examines his own white privilege
In his book, Old White Man Writing, Seattle resident Joshua Gidding attempts to come to terms with his privilege. Gidding grapples with the rapidly changing cultural norms in 21st-century America while examining his own racial biases and prejudices. As Manhattan Book Review notes: “Old White Man Writing is an introspective deep dive into an eventful life…
Glacial Expressions
Local scientist and painter Jill Pelto spotlights climate change in a multi-artist show at Slip Gallery
The divide between the arts and sciences is long-fostered and well-documented. From elementary school onward, children are often singled out for their penchant for math or artistic ability and guided toward classes — and later careers — that align with their right or left brain tendencies. For Jill Pelto — a local climate scientist, painter,…