Glenn Rudolph
May 1, 2009 – September 21, 2009

SEATTLE, May 2009 – Striking black and white photographs by Glenn Rudolph that explore the vanishing Milwaukee Railroad Line near Snoqualmie Pass are on view at the Sorrento Hotel through September 21, 2009.  The debut of this show marks the start of biannual art installations at the iconic hotel.

This exhibition includes 14 works from Rudolph’s personal collection, made from 1983 – 1991. “I once thought that railroads were forever. Watching a transcontinental line evaporate was a strange experience.  A part of our infrastructure being sold for scrap is an interesting historical footnote.” Rudolph recently stated about the work. The Milwaukee Railroad Line opened a Northwest extension in 1909, the year the Sorrento Hotel was completed. The line was closed in the late 1970’s and was acquired by the state of Washington. It is currently used as a recreational trail.

Artist to discuss his work with Roy McMakin on  June 8
For 30 years Seattle-based photographer Glenn Rudolph has documented the Pacific Northwest and its changing landscapes, its communities and its people.  The photographs are being shown in the Fireside Room and Hunt Club Bar and Restaurant. The artist will discuss his work on June 8th as part of the Fireside Chat series with show curator, artist Roy McMakin.  

Marisa C. Sánchez, Assistant Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at the Seattle Art Museum, stated: “Glenn has a deep and intimate relationship to the landscape of the Northwest. In 1958, as a young teenager, his family moved to Mercer Island from Los Angeles. His history in this place not only informs his practice, but lends his work a sensitivity gained only over time and through personal, experience. Since 1986, he has photographed the abandoned and repurposed Milwaukee railway lines that were once a sign of progress and now reveal a much more somber history. What intrigues me about this body of work is Glenn’s repeated engagement with this subject matter over thirty years time, making evident his enduring romance with these landscapes that are memorialized in his absorbing views of them.“

“The Sorrento Hotel is a part of the fabric of this city. The origin of Glenn Rudolph’s photographs was the early years of the hotel, a time of growth and excitement in Seattle. In those days guests were invited to gather around the fireplace – it was a real hotel home.” stated the Sorrento’s Barbara Malone. “We want to continue that tradition. By hosting regular installations and events we will be a destination for conversations on art, music and culture.”
 
About Glenn Rudolph (American, born 1946)
A graduate of the University of Washington’s School of Art, Rudolph has exhibited his work in the United States and Canada and in Northwest exhibitions since the late 1970’s including the Seattle, Bellevue, Portland and Tacoma Art Museums.