Over 15 years ago, in the midst of a global financial crisis that saw buildings vacated across the country, a “gonzo” interactive art exhibit was born. Half sport, half mixed-material sculpture making, a warehouse on the corner of E Madison Street and 10th Avenue, just outside the confines of our university campus, would be the first to host this eclectic project.
The alcohol-infused spectacle? Smash Putt. Here, mini golf melded with the vision of local Seattle artists from various disciplines to create a stunningly unique display. Each hole is its own thematic creation where the goal isn’t to win, but rather to investigate and play with the artistic piece before you—sometimes even to the point of breaking it (an accepted externality of the business).
Over the next decade, Smash Putt became a staple of the Seattle art scene under creator Jeremy Franklin-Ross and the collective effort of others. Flitting from venue to venue for a few months out of the year, constantly changing out old holes for new ones while retaining the classics—a sort of golf-ball-gatling-gun, where the goal is simply firing your ball at objects that make a loud noise, has been a feature at every Smash Putt iteration since.
Unfortunately, Smash Putt in its first form came to an end in 2017 following what seemed to be general fatigue and a desire to move on to new creative enterprises. Former attendees mourned.
But an idea as good as Smash Putt will always be the perfect candidate for a revitalization effort.
Eight years later, the ephemeral production is back under new management. Nick Ferderer, the founder and creative director of Base Camp Studios 2, in what was formerly Bergman Luggage’s Belltown location, has been hosting Smash Putt in his studio space since mid-February.
Ferderer got inspired to do Smash Putt after talking to an artist from Base Camp’s first gallery show at the Bergman location.
“The neon guy, he’s like, dude, you should do Smash Putt. I was like, what’s Smash Putt? And he’s like, it’s miniature golf on acid. I was like, say no more,” Ferderer said.
Despite the long hiatus, the chaotic yet highly collaborative nature of Smash Putt is still flourishing. 39 artists have collaborated across the 11 current holes.
“[We would] propose a hole with the guidance being like, what’s the craziest, kookiest thing that you can think of? And then the kookiest ones, you’re like, yeah, let’s go,” Ferderer explained.
He wasn’t kidding, there is a diverse range of artistic expression represented at Smash Putt. Some holes have impressive techy rigs with virtual golf balls and lasers, while another features realistic penises jutting out from a line of bathroom stall doors, each furnished with a glory hole. You finish by putt-ing your ball into a toilet full of fake feces.
Smash Putt’s university ties don’t start and end with its beginnings in a Lark-adjacent warehouse.
One of the standout pieces, “Floor is Lava,” was created by Base Camp Operations Director Paul Nunn, a former Seattle U Master of Fine Arts (MFA) graduate. Nunn explained that his primary motivation for the piece was to provide a space for golfers to climb and have fun, harkening back to elementary school playground days.
The hole features a three-story wooden structure that must be climbed in order to place your ball onto an intricate metal ramp system that eventually dispenses onto the green. Be careful not to touch the ground when going to putt your ball in; it’s lava.
The Smash Putt team also features some current Seattle U scholars. Madi Stephens and Danielle Librera have both been working on the Smash Putt project as interns while attending Seattle U’s MFA program for art leadership.
Stephens has helped to develop Smash Putt’s brand identity, as well as curate special event nights. Her favorite thing to work on was creating a run of poster ads with sexual innuendos revolving around the “smash” in Smash Putt. One of her favorites was “it’s not cheating if it’s smashing,” others were too explicit for this article. All were effective attention grabbers.
Librera has been helping the Base Camp team by copywriting while also reaching out to media contacts to promote the event. Having lived in Belltown for the last fourteen years, Librera said Base Camp’s second location was a welcome surprise for a community devastated by the pandemic, and a motivator to intern with them.
Once inside the operation, her gratitude for what was being created there only grew.
“I’ve seen interactive exhibits before and participated in them, but not one at this level… they’re actually, like, inviting you to beat the hell out of this art. I think it’s kind of ballsy of the artists to welcome that,” Librera said.
It’s precisely this kind of vulnerability that lets Smash Putt be a space for rich artistic creation, and a fun consumer product. If you find yourself looking for a night out that you won’t forget anytime soon, head to Smash Putt—but don’t wait too long, just like the Smashers of the 2010s, the run-time is unspecified and certainly temporary.
