Founders

SuttonBeresCuller

Mini Mart City Park was conceived and founded by artist collective SuttonBeresCuller (SBC), a group of three Seattle based artists—John Sutton, Ben Beres, and Zac Culler—who have been working together for over twenty years as a cooperative entity rooted in a distinct, strictly collaborative. Over the past two decades, they have explored ways to engage viewers through sculpture, performance, public art and site-specific installation that often attract (sometimes unsuspecting) audiences to new readings of and approaches to political, social, cultural, and artistic issues

MMCP started as an idea about how we might remediate and repurpose derelict and contaminated properties into community assets through an arts and cultural lens. It quickly ballooned into an organization of it’s own with tremendous support from the local community and numerous arts and environmental organizations helping to make this vision a reality. Working closely with the Environmental Coalition of South Seattle, and with support from the Creative Capital Foundation and the King County Brownfields Program, SBC identified the site and began environmental assessment work in 2008. MMCP initially operated under the fiscal sponsorship of the Georgetown Community Council, and in 2013, after five years of environmental assessments and strategic planning SBC formed the non-profit Mini Mart City Park 501(c)3 to purchase the land and finalize plans for remediation and construction. We broke ground in July 2018, expect to finish construction in fall 2019 and will launch programing and open to the public soon thereafter.

For more information on SBC and other projects visit suttonberesculler.com

Board of Directors

John Sutton, Ben Beres and Zac Culler (SuttonBeresCuller) have served on the Board of MMCP since the project’s inception with a Steering Committee of community representatives. We have logged over 25,000 cumulative hours of volunteer labor on the project and aim for it to serve as an inspirational, practical and viable model for how this and similar sites with environmental issues can have a meaningful impact on their communities through direct action, volunteerism and engagement. We are distinctly aware of our privilege and position as cis, white, straight-presenting men creating a cultural center for the community, and as artists and allies, we actively seek to address our privilege candidly, and to open up space for other viewpoints and perspectives to be heard. Our aim is to create a space that is community-operated, functioning as a venue belonging to many diverse stakeholders within the community.

Jackie Mena is a community organizer working to democratize land, money, and resources through knowledge sharing, policy change, and community building. Over the years, she has worked in several capacities for local nonprofits and political campaigns, and currently serves as a Strategic Advisor for the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods. A resident of the Greater Duwamish area, Jackie is excited to serve on the board of Mini Mart City Park and lend her capacity to the stewardship and development of a local community asset and dynamic cultural space.

Seth Geiser

Seth Geiser is the Urban Design Manager for the Downtown Seattle Association. His work focuses on people-centered urban design, integrating cultural activation and installation art as methods for civic placemaking. In his work, he has developed pedestrian street and parklet pilots for Seattle's Department of Transportation, coordinated design lab events for The Happy City, and did a bunch of other odd jobs during the various recessions. He holds a Masters of Urban Planning and Masters of Public Administration from The University of Washington.

Staff

Executive Director

Emily Kelly is the Director of MadArt Studio, a contemporary art space in Seattle, Washington. With a background in arts administration and youth focused community-based arts education, Kelly is interested in the dynamic ways contemporary art can act as a catalyst for community development and social engagement. Prior to moving to Seattle, Kelly was a long-time resident of Austin, Texas, where she held leadership positions in a variety of arts organizations, ranging from alternative artist run spaces to The University of Texas Department of Art and Art History, Visual Arts Center. She holds an MA in Art Education with a specialized portfolio in Art and Cultural Management and Entrepreneurship from The University of Texas at Austin and a BS in Marketing and Fine Arts from the University of New Orleans.

Gallery and Program Manager

Alissa Dymally Williams is a new media artist from Washington D.C., currently based in Seattle. Anchoring photography as a focal point in her work, Williams moves into an interdisciplinary practice that culminates in video installation and site specific work. Her current work pushes against the archetype of the image by moving further into the abstract through varied methods of manipulation; keeping her relationship with composition and style close at hand. By way of concept, material and her own cultural consumption, Williams aims to transform the viewer’s perception of the image and upend the construct in which we consume it. Williams is a current board member and exhibitions and programs manager of Mini Mart City Park, an ongoing project by founders SuttonBeresCuller. Williams received her BFA from Cornish College of the Arts in 2023.

Education Program Manager

Born on the family farm in Kansas, Fedora, a fifth-generation farmer, has worked, traveled, and lived all over the USA. From working as a truck stop waitress to traveling tattoo photographer to art gallery owner, Fedora brings a wide range of skills and experience to Mini Mart City Park. She has been residing and growing food in Seattle since 2003 and has been a resident and active community member of the Duwamish Valley since 2012. In early 2016, Fedora made a career shift from art to managing urban farms/gardens, mentoring under-resourced youth, and developing environmental educational programs for Duwamish Valley youth. She offers a passion for interactive education, ecological restoration, fiber art, photography, and urban food forestry. Fedora is a Pisces who enjoys slow walks in the forest, rainbows, camping, puppies, and power tools.

Groundbreakers

goCstudio

ARCHITECTure + Design

Seattle based goCstudio is an innovative architecture and design studio founded in 2012 by Jon Gentry and Aimée O'Carroll. The studio’s work is driven by the unique opportunities and constraints of site specific projects, which evolve through close relationships with clients and craftsmen. With over two decades of experience on custom residential and commercial projects, conceptual work with artists, and furniture design, the work purposefully engages various scales with the same attitude and process. The studio strives for design excellence in every project and brings an internationally diverse background of experiences to each endeavor.

Mētis Construction, Inc

General Contractor

Mētis is a worker owned construction company committed to the cultivation of craft and a collaborative building process. It is one of the very few companies of its size that self performs all carpentry related scopes of work. Mētis is known for working closely with clients and architects to build beautiful spaces on tight timelines. The company’s conversion to worker ownership in 2016 has enabled it to attract and retain the exceptionally talented and dedicated staff that are essential to providing clients with an outstanding construction experience.

Scott Johnson

Helsell fetterman

Scott’s practice is focused on helping clients make fully-informed decisions regarding the purchase, development and remediation of contaminated property. He advises clients about the risks they may face as past, present, or future owners or operators of such property, guides them through the complexities of cleanup laws and regulations, and makes sure that parties responsible for the contamination assume their fair share of liability. Scott also assists clients to comply with other environmental and land use laws – from the Clean Water Act to SEPA to land segregation. In addition, he is a skilled real estate attorney who handles all phases of property acquisition and development and ensures that his clients’ rights as property owners are protected.

In providing legal services to his clients, Scott applies over 25 years of experience in advising high-level decision makers on a variety of legal and policy issues. His success stems from an ability to translate complex legal concepts into clear, usable information, and to offer his clients strategies for resolving difficult issues in a cost-effective manner. Scott is dedicated to his clients – attentive, responsible, and responsive. As a result, he builds long-lasting relationships with his clients so that he can provide legal services that are closely tailored to each client’s needs.

Prior to entering private practice, Scott was an attorney in the public sector. He was most recently with King County advising clients regarding real estate transactions, environmental law compliance, property management, public transportation issues, and a myriad of other subjects. He was an attorney with the Navajo Nation before joining the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office and began his career with the Washington Attorney General’s Office.

g-logics

Site Assessments • Remediation services • environmental compliance

G‑Logics provides environmental-consulting services to a broad range of clients, with projects located throughout the Pacific Northwest and Alaska. Their consultants are experienced and proficient hydrogeologists, engineers, environmental scientists, and construction managers. G-Logics has extensive experience with state and local governments throughout the region, and an in-depth understanding of the unique environmental and geological issues of the Pacific Northwest.