Member Preview: Thursday, September 13, 6pm-12am
Opening Reception: Friday, September 14, 6pm-9pm

McLeod Residence Goes Back to School
Books, Breakfast Cereal and Rock and Roll Make Up The More You Know

Seattle, WA--August 23, 2007--The More You Know, the latest exhibit at Belltown’s McLeod Residence, takes us back to a time when sugar-laden cereal was palatable, encyclopedias had yet to be usurped by Google, our favorite bands were our whole identity and celebrity PSAs really meant something. Featuring work by Jeff Bender, Jason Huntley and Jeffrey Sarmiento, The More You Know opens with a reception on Friday, September 14, from 6-9pm. The exhibits will be on display until November 3.

A nod to fall and back-to-school times, The More You Know features icons of our teenage years with a twist--historical texts and images encased in a thick layer of glass, fallen celebrities portrayed in breakfast cereal, and photographs of popular musicians in unexpected contexts.

The South Room will feature seven celebrity portraits by Jeff Bender, mounted on the McLeod Residence lightboxes. Jeff has been a professional photographer for 17 years and has lived in L.A. since 1990. He began his career with the intention of being a fashion photographer but a passion for music and live shows led him to the music industry, which he discovered was a perfect fit. Many of his photos show an intimate side to the celebrities we are so used to viewing in posed perfection---a reflective moment during the shooting of Paris Hilton’s music video, or No Doubt goofing off with silly balloons. Jeff's photographs will also hang in the foyer.

Jason Huntley’s Breakfast in Neverland, a portrait of Michael Jackson created entirely with breakfast cereal glued to a foam-core base, will hang in the McLeod Room. Jason studied at the Art Institute of Seattle and Austin Community College in Austin, Texas. He works with a variety of materials and is interested in exploring the marriage of subject matter to medium.  The idea to create a portrait made of children’s cereal sat in his head for over a decade before he came upon the perfect subject---Michael Jackson’s mug shot. The Stranger put Breakfast in Neverland on the cover the week of his trial, February 17th, 2005, but the piece gains new depth when one views each carefully-placed marshmallow and cereal bits in person.

Jeffrey Sarmiento’s Encyclopædia will be displayed in the Conservatory and the Parlor. Currently a Research Councils UK Academic Fellow in Glass at the University of Sunderland in Sunderland, England, Jeffrey has also been an instructor and studio coordinator at Pilchuck Glass School. His series is composed of photographic images of heritage, family history and his Filipino identity trapped inside of layers of fused glass.  He intentionally seeks to create his work far from home in order to create his dreamy pieces in new contexts. Jeffrey's work conveys the poignancy of life in a real, thought-provoking way and his innovative techniques create a surprisingly powerful nostalgic effect through. A catalog for Encyclopædia is available. Encyclopædia will close October 27.

The Lounge features McLeod Residence’s ongoing installation of neon work by Jeremy Bert and Jen Elek and furniture by Gary Andolina and James Reinhardt. The Water Closets will continue to house the Barbarian Group’s McLeod Mirror Series 1: See Yourself In Others.

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McLeod Residence, located at 2209 Second Avenue in Seattle, Washington, is a home for extraordinary living through art, technology and collaboration. Proprietors Buster McLeod and Lele McLeod founded McLeod Residence in 2006. McLeod Residence is open Tuesday-Saturday from 10 am to 6 pm. For more information, contact McLeod Residence at 206-441-3314 or visit www.mcleodresidence.com