Chelsea Legend Doris Chase, 1923-2008

The Chelsea community was saddened by the recent passing of one of its legends: artist, sculptor, and filmmaker Doris Chase.  Doris moved into the Chelsea in 1972, after raising a family and divorcing her husband, and lived here for 30 years, though she split her time between  New York and her native Seattle.  Doris is most famous for her abstract sculptures, especially her nesting ovals and arches, including two large public works in Seattle : the 15-foot “Changing Form” at Kerry Park overlooking the city, and the 17-foot “Moon Gates” at Seattle Center.  
     Though perhaps her most famous film is 1985’s “By Herself: Table for One,” starring Geraldine Page, Doris is undoubtedly most well know around the Chelsea for her film “The Chelsea,” from the early 90s, when free spirits still roamed these halls.  Doris was the subject of a book, “Doris Chase, Artist in Motion: From Painting and Sculpture to Video Art,” by art historian Patricia Failing.  
   Doris died of a combination of Alzheimer’s and a series of strokes, though she reportedly kept her good humor until the end.  She is survived by two sons and their families.  The hearts of the members of the Chelsea community, her other family, go out to them.