Founded in 1995, SOIL is a not-for-profit cooperative space established, supported and operated by local artists. SOIL exists as an alternative venue for artists to exhibit, develop, and advance their work, and is committed to exhibiting and celebrating art of diverse media and content. The cooperative has been in existence for eleven years and has been consistent in showing a different exhibition each month that opens on every first Thursday. It has received substantial local as well as national press attention.
How did SOIL begin?
The organization began in 1995 when a small number of local artists felt a need to exhibit challenging work. They banded together and had a number of exhibitions together in a variety of locations. The group really began to solidify when they found their first home in the now deceased Erickson building, at 82 University, across from the Seattle Art Museum. After a couple of years, SOIL moved to Pioneer Square and stayed for a year in a space beneath the Elliott Bay Book Company. That space proved too small, and they chose to move up to Capitol Hill. On Capital Hill they were at 1205 Pike for two years. This basement space was interesting, but ultimately rent became too much for the quality of space; and SOIL moved again to 1317 Pine Street. But then in 2004, we were invited by a non-profit arts development group to move into a new arts building in Pioneer Square called the Tashiro Kaplan Building. We couldn't pass up the amazing opportunity and so in June 2004, we moved into our current home in the TK Building at 112 3rd Avenue South.
