Saturday 28th January marked the closing reception for a Star Wars exhibit, “These Are The Droids Your Looking For”, at Ltd. Art Gallery in Seattle, run by James Monosmith, formerly of Acme Archives Limited, and also a screening of Hughes the Force. I had the pleasure of being invited down by the movie’s producer, Ruark Dreher, and after an all-too-close encounter with a Seattle sidewalk(!), met up with both James and Ruark, as well as Hughes the Force‘s writer and director, J.C. Reifenberg and two of its stars, Taylor Treadwell (Leia) and Nathaniel Weiss (Simon).
Located on E Pike Street, the gallery proved to be a pleasant intimate setting for the screening, and it was especially nice considering the fine pieces of art that were on display, from the likes of reknowned Star Wars artists Brian Rood, Christian Waggoner, William Silvers, Jerry Vanderstelt and Mike Kungl, as well as a number of pieces that were included in Star Wars Art: Visions a few years ago, and many more besides. I won’t reveal which was my favourite piece from the show, but if money were no object, I could certainly see myself becoming more of an art lover! Also dotted around the gallery were a number of high-end collectibles from such licensees as Sideshow, Gentle Giant and eFX, giving everyone who came plenty of ways to part with their hard-earned money!
The combination of the screening and the exhibit proved to be enough of an incentive to bring out a good crowd, and several members of the 501st/Rebel Legion/Mando Mercs were also out in force (excuse the pun!) to pose for photographs and also keep everyone in order. Fortunately, as someone with the Force as his ally, I was able to convince the weak-minded fools that I was not the Jedi they were looking for! The attendees were treated to wine, beer and munchies to keep their hands and mouths busy whilst they perused the artwork, and Ruark, J.C., Nate and Taylor mingled with the guests, stopping for photographs and a bit of ribald banter. With the event being posted on Facebook, it was also an opportunity to meet up friends new and old, bumping into the likes of Gus Lopez among other people.
When it came time for the screening, the lights went down and everyone huddled behind the projector. After a few technical hitches (they told me they’d fixed it! I trusted them!) and some imperial entanglements that resulted in a loss of sound, we were back to high school and invited to Hughes the Force! The movie was certainly well received, with the audience laughing in all of the right places, and it was met with rapturous applause when James Arnold Taylor, still clothed in his Jedi robes, dismissed everyone to signal the end of the film.
With the lights back on, Ruark & co. took a few questions, after which, with the crowds slowly dispersing, J.C. took the opportunity to record a couple of videos with Nate and Taylor. With a nearly 200 km journey back home ahead of me, I sadly had to leave earlier than I would have liked, but I was certainly glad to have made the effort to go and wouldn’t hesitate to do the same thing again.
I want to say a big thank you to Ruark for inviting me down to such a great event, and also for being such a wonderful host along with J.C., Nate and Taylor, and not forgetting James for opening up his gallery for the screening.