Seattle Culture
Editor’s Note: Microsoft’s Jane Broom Davidson: ‘Coolest Job Ever’
Jane Broom Davidson has built a career giving away Microsoft’s money
Investors buy Microsoft stock to make money. Jane Broom Davidson get paid to give it away. As senior director of Microsoft Philanthropies, Broom Davidson oversees investments in affordable housing, human services, education, arts and culture, and workforce development. It’s no small job. The company donated $73.9 million across Washington state last year, behind only Amazon….
Most Influential, Politics: Debra Lekanoff
‘I just knew that it was always going to be in my walk in life to give back to communities.’
Debra Lekanoff is one of Seattle’s 25 most influential people reshaping our region. #mostinfluential Her tribal name comes first: Xixch’I See. That’s where Debra Lekanoff’s story starts. With her name, which is passed down through the women’s bloodlines in the matrilineal society of her Tlingit community. To invoke her tribal name before her English name…
Most Influential, Sports: Brian Robinson
He's been fighting to bring the NBA back to Seattle for 15 years. His work may soon finally pay off.
Brian Robinson is one of Seattle’s 25 most influential people reshaping our region. #mostinfluential Brian Robinson never wore a Sonics uniform. Former Sonics announcer Kevin Calabro never used his signature phrase “Good golly, Miss Molly” to describe Robinson’s crossover dribble, arcing jump shot or spin move. Yet you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone in Seattle…
Most Influential, Equity: Pearl Jam
The band’s charitable work is just as impressive as its musical output
Pearl Jam is among Seattle’s 25 most influential changemakers reshaping our region. #mostinfluential The Vitalogy Foundation, Pearl Jam’s charitable arm, has an organic approach to giving, with all band members supporting their chosen projects as well as collectively deciding which organizations and causes to fund. So, when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a woman’s right…
Most Influential, Arts: Tom Skerritt
Tom Skerritt remains more committed than ever to the creative economy in the Northwest
Tom Skerritt is one of Seattle’s 25 most influential people reshaping our region. #mostinfluential Fans were understandably disappointed to learn that Tom Skerritt wasn’t asked to reprise his role as Commander Mike “Viper” Metcalf in “Top Gun 2.” “You can’t beat Tom Skerritt with a gun,” wrote one fan on Twitter. Skerritt has said that…
The Pursuit of Nobility: Interview with Lenny Wilkens
One of Seattle’s greatest sports icons eyes return of NBA
On a recent edition of three-time Emmy-award winning sports TV talk show “Pardon The Interruption,” cohost Michael Wilbon heaped lavish praise on NBA legend and Seattle icon Lenny Wilkens in celebration of his 85th birthday. Wilbon noted that he’s a “basketball Hall of Famer three times over” [as a player, coach and assistant coach of…
Publisher’s Note: The True Seattle Influencers
Forget social media. These are the real heroes.
In-flu-ence /ˈinflo͝oəns/. The power or capacity of causing an effect in indirect or intangible ways. An emanation of spiritual or moral force. An ethereal fluid held to flow from the stars and to affect the actions of humans. With all the attention on “influencers” on social media, I think we’ve lost the true meaning of…
Every Car Has a Story: ‘I don’t own cars. They own me.’
Blake Siebe takes a most unusual approach to car collecting
There are two kinds of car collectors. The vast majority fit into a sort of “check box” mentality of acquiring cars anointed by others as collector worthy. In contrast, a rare category of car collectors, I might venture to say, are the true cognoscenti who discover vehicles that no one is yet appreciating. They relish in…
Editor’s Note: New Year, New Beginning
Why Seattle is the place to be
Seattle is a place where things happen. As we enter a year of new beginnings, this issue packs a double punch to prove it. There’s the magazine’s yearly list of Most Influential People, our annual spotlight on those doing inspirational, thought-provoking things to improve our communities. There’s Seattle Business magazine’s 33rd annual Best Companies To…
AIA Home: Goodbye 1970
Family fixes design flaws to bring midcentury home into modern era
“Treehouse” by Floisand Studio Architects returns to glory a Ralph D. Anderson home that had lost its compass. Nick and Rachel Lenington purchased the 1970 Mercer Island home in 2010, attracted to the quiet neighborhood because of its midcentury vibe, big, west-facing windows, and abundant wildlife. An advertised water view didn’t really pan out, but…
Seattle Artifacts: The Mystery of Chief Seattle’s Death Mask
Is it real? Where did it come from?
In different parts of the world, and throughout the course of history, death has been memorialized in a variety of different ways. One of the more intriguing was death masks. Typically, a wax or plaster cast was made of a deceased person’s face, which then served as a model for sculptors when creating statues and busts. …
The Burien Effect
Recognition for a creative economy
Burien has evolved quite a bit since it detached itself from King County rule and incorporated as its own city almost three decades ago. The downtown area has become a destination for Seattleites seeking a quaint, charming shopping experience, and the 52,000-resident city just southwest of Sea-Tac Airport has become a haven for homebuyers seeking…
Living: This Kitchen Really Cooks
Remodel preserves Victorian charm
Raised on an off-the-grid ranch in southern Oregon, Mandy Lozano took a don’t-fence-me-in approach to renovating her kitchen in Seattle’s Squire Park neighborhood. She sought to balance a respect for the 1900 Victorian’s heritage with a genetic predisposition toward creative license. “I don’t care for modern technology that much, and I don’t like fussy or…
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