Town Hall's community link Spider Kedelsky
"You never know what's going to happen next at Town Hall," Kedelsky says.
He also helps organize the "Short Stories Live!" series, Seattle's answer to National Public Radio's "Selected Shorts."
How he does it: He has a desk at Town Hall, but as his title would suggest, much of his work is done out in the community — in clubs, homes, libraries, restaurants or church basements. "I'm always looking for artists," Kedelsky says. "Whenever there is an opportunity to go and see new artists, I make it a point to go."
He also relies on a network of friends and colleagues who alert him to new discoveries. "What's most exciting is discovering something I didn't know about," he says.
How he got involved in the arts: Kedelsky was a dancer and choreographer for 25 years. For several years, his mentor was legendary dancer-choreographer Jack Cole, who is sometimes called "the father of jazz dance."
Around the country: He moved to Seattle in 1996. He had relatives in the area, and he was also drawn by the area's physical beauty and local arts scene. "There's a great deal of vigor and originality here," he says. "This area is phenomenally rich in the depth and range of its art."
Kedelsky grew up in New York. When he was 17, friends dropped him off at the beginning of the New Jersey turnpike, and he hitchhiked cross-country to Los Angeles. "I had a sign, and a week later I was in L.A.," he says. "In those days, people were a little more tolerant of hitchhikers."
During his adult life, he's lived in just about every corner of the United States, including, among other places, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., and Amherst, Mass.
Around the world: "I have been very interested in the non-Western world ever since I was a child," he says. His interest in other cultures has only increased with his travels.
In 1968, when he was 25, he passed several months in the Amazon rain forest in Brazil. Since then, he has also traveled to New Guinea, Israel, Australia, New Zealand, Mali, Fiji, Turkey, Trinidad and Samoa.
The "World In Seattle" program is aimed at showcasing the world cultures that are present in local communities. "Seattle is such a dynamic area with so many different cultures, skills and talents," he says.
Kedelsky also administers the Town Hall Community Fund, which provides discounted rental rates to community groups that need assistance. "Our goal is to make it so anyone of any background can feel comfortable either doing an event here or attending an event here," Kedelsky says. He adds that one of his goals is to provide opportunities to communities of color, and to small-to-medium-sized nonprofit community organizations.
How he got involved with Town Hall: Shortly after he moved to Seattle, a mutual friend introduced him to David Brewster (now Town Hall's executive director). They discussed their common interests, and a year or so later, Brewster asked Kedelsky to be part of Town Hall's advisory group. "I've been privileged to be a part of his great vision," Kedelsky says.
Kedelsky recalls the first event at Town Hall, "Seattle's Favorite Poems," featuring poet laureate Robert Pinsky in March 1999. They used rented platforms, brought in a sound system and did without house lights. They weren't sure it would be a success, Kedelsky says, but then 851 people showed up. "We thought to ourselves: 'We've got something here.' " Since then, they've added staff and made numerous improvements to the building.
"We've really built something very, very important in the community that we're extremely proud of, and we know that we're only at the beginning," Kedelsky says. "There are so many programs that we'd like to see come here."
Happy birthday: He turned 60 last month. About 70 attended the party, which was held at a friend's house. "Lots of my artist friends came and performed special 'Spider' material," he says. He was serenaded with specially composed birthday songs performed in Eritrean, Classical Ottoman Turkish and Guinian styles, among others.
"We danced until about 1 in the morning," he says.
"Spider"?: "I'm originally from Brooklyn, where every third guy is named Spider, or Duke ... or Rocky," he says, laughing. "There are many stories, actually. I usually give people three stories and let them choose ... I think it's best to leave it a mystery."
Jesse Tarbert: 206-464-2540 or jtarbert@seattletimes.com.