Seattle Art News

First Thursday April 3, 2008

2008-04-02T23:57:00.000-07:00

ArtXchange Gallery - Extended final week of “Stitched, Woven, Sewn,” an exhibition featuring textiles from Laos, Peru, Thailand, Indonesia, and nomadic weaving tribes of Central Asia.

Benham Gallery - Continuing exhibit “Erotic Beauty,” featuring Paul Dahlquist, David Steinberg, Fiona Aboud, and Sean Newman. Exhibit runs through April 12, 2008.

Photograph by David Steinberg at Benham Gallery

Catherine Person Gallery - New exhibit “Strata” featuring richly layered ceramic sculpture and installation work by Hannah Alex-Glasser. April 3 - May 10, 2008

Corridor Gallery - Reception for “Hunting Season,” sculpture and mixed-media by Jody Joldersma. Joldersma creates sculpture and flat work in a wide variety of media. Her pieces are dark, yet whimsical visions of the internal lives of strange people and animals. April 3-26, 2008.

Jody Joldersma "Lester Tells Charlie his Dreams," Scratch Board, 2008

Foster/White - Paintings by “Darlene Cole.” Apr 3, 2008 - Apr 19, 2008.

Friesen Gallery - Reception for "What Does Compassion Look Like?" an exhibition and fundraiser for Seeds of Compassion featuring donated artwork by 40 regional artists. "What Does Compassion Look Like?" is a national campaign with gallery participants in multiple Seattle locations through April.

G. Gibson Gallery - “Unnatural History” featuring artwork by Nealy Blau and Justin Gibbens. April 3 - May 10.

Gallery4Culture - Opening reception for “Saturn’s Return” an exhibition of embroidered textiles by Seattle artist Allison Manch. The title refers to the astrological phenomenon that occurs nearly every thirty years in a person's life when said person undergoes a series of life altering changes and also a period of self reflection. Manch, nearing her thirtieth year, reflects upon her familial heritage through embroidered text and images on second-hand linens and handkerchiefs. Her family's move from New York to Arizona, and then Manch's subsequent move to Seattle, gave rise to a feeling of displacement and disconnection. Her study of photography influences the subject matter, be they cactus, hip-hop portraits, or Jewish folk tales, as Manch examines icons and relics of her past and future. April 3 - 25, 2008.

Works by Allison Manch in "Saturn's Return" at Gallery4Culture

Gallery 110 - “Members 1: New Gallery Artists.” Featuring works by: Alexandra Gjurasic, Joel Grossman, Robin Harlow, Holly Ives, Elissa Voland, Reilly Donovan, Susanne Kelly, Sara Zin, Li Turner, Jennifer Kemp, Ann Maki, and Amy Oates. April 3 - 26, 2008.

Gallery I|M|A - “John Franklin Koenig.” In collaboration with the Whatcom Museum’s exhibition of John Franklin Koenig, Home and Away, Gallery IMA proudly presents a retrospective of available works. John’s abstract paintings weave the story of his epic life onto canvas. While he spent much of his life living in Paris, the roots of his work are clearly Northwest - capturing the mystical qualities of the Puget Sound in his subtle use of color and forceful brushstrokes. April 3rd – 27th, 2008.

Garde Rail Gallery - “Lloyd Benjamin, Paul Cordes Wilm, Tim Hooper: Folk Pop!” Staying in the narrative and pragmatic tradition of the Southern Folk artists that came before them, this group of young artists portray their individual experiences and varying perspectives in a unique new style. Although the styles all vary, we find them harmonious, and fitting quite well into a new sub genre ‘Folk Pop.’ Through April 26, 2008.

Greg Kucera Gallery - Opening reception for new painting exhibition featuring “Jeffrey Simmons and Michael Knutson.” Through May 10, 2008.

Grover/Thurston Gallery - “Hybridizing Nature,” sculptural works by Margaret Ford. Through April 26, 2008.

James Harris Gallery - New gallery unveiling celebration marked by inaugural exhibition “Now and There,” a solo exhibition of Seattle based artist Margot Quan Knight. Culling from a diverse range of art historical precedents, Quan Knight unremittingly explores the transformative potential of photography. While Quan Knight draws on her experience at Fabrica, Benetton’s communication arts research center, she is also undeniably pushing well beyond the boundaries of a photograph’s ability to communicate an actual, fixed event in time. Also opening are four works by intramedia artist Gary Hill. For the last 35 years Hill has pushed the limits of our experience with his work making him one of the most important contemporary artists investigating an array of issues ranging from the physicality of language, synesthesia and perceptual conundrums to ontological space and viewer interactivity. Exhibition runs through May 10, 2008. The new gallery space is located at 312 2nd Ave. S.

Linda Hodges Gallery - “Glue” a group exhibition of artists working in collage. Curated by Daphne Minkoff, these artists have been chosen for their original take on an art form described as a quintessentially twenty-first century. Through April 26, 2008.

Pratt Gallery - The Pratt Gallery in the Tashiro Kaplan building presents “Small/Big,” an exhibition of metal sculpture from the Sculpture and Jewelry/Metalsmithing Studios at Pratt Fine Arts Center. April 3rd- April 25th, 2008.

Punch Gallery - Opening reception for “Animal Spell” featuring the work of Justin Gibbens + Amy Ross. Referencing early wildlife and botanical illustration, both artists demonstrate their own distinctive versions of a subversive natural history. April 3 – 27, 2008.

Composite of details from Birch with Birdshrooms by Amy Ross and Unicorn Moles by Justin Gibbens

Rock | DeMent - “Stephen Rock: Conversation with a Lake.” During the month of April, Stephen Rock will be showing select work inspired by a 2005 Morris Graves Foundation residency at The Lake in Northern California. Rock was given access to the property, studio and artist’s library of the late Morris Graves. During the stay he explored themes dealing with a retreat from technology and how that effects our world view, our relationship with nature and the change of pace when disengaged from a modern lifestyle.

Stephen Rock "6 Stages of Not Being Morris Graves, #6" watercolor on paper

Shift Collaborative Studio - Shift Collaborative Studio is proud to present “American Woman,” a new body of work by Jennifer Diamanti. American Woman is a series of mixed-media self portraits that are an organic and expressive narrative on Diamanti’s daily life as a woman, housewife, and stay-at-home mother, reflecting her struggle to retain a sense of self as an individual and artist. April 3 thru 26, 2008.

SOIL - “Soapland,” artwork by Issei Watanabe. A large castle suspended in an uncanny sort of innocence represents only the very surface of Soapland. The castle is composed of individual cast-ceramic bricks shaped as bars of soap, which then go on to rest upon various materials of an artificial nature. This exhibit compares the differences between how things appear at a surface level and the realities which often lie beneath. April 3-27, 2008.

Issei Watanabe, "Soapland" Christmas lights, silicone, plastic planter, mirror, tape, sheet metal, wax

Some Space Gallery - Exhibition featuring recent work by “Joey Bates.” Our faces are capable of creating over 20,000 expressions giving us a set of the most complex language tools out of all animals. For the past few years, Joey Bates has been focusing on how these expressions function as a language and how we read one another. His new paintings and drawings are a continuation of of the study with an added twist. Showing April 1st - 26th, 2008

Traver Gallery - New exhibition featuring painting by “Alan Fulle” and blown and carved glass and mixed media by “Hiroshi Yamano.” Through April 27, 2008.

Benham Gallery Vandalized

2008-03-31T22:32:00.000-07:00

Last week, Benham Gallery in downtown Seattle was vandalized. The current exhibition, "Erotic Beauty," a daring exhibit that includes photographs of transgender woman and gay men, has presumably been the target of a hate-crime.

Gallery owner Marita Holdaway says it best on a note placed on the broken window:

"We believe our window was smashed by a person who was challenged by the
content of this exhibition.

The subjects of these artworks have experienced enough of this kind of
cowardliness and violence.

We are happy to discuss our curatorial decisions with anyone who wishes to
talk with us instead of experiencing this kind of behavior.

Happy Easter!"

Show your support of Benham and the artists in the exhibition by visiting the gallery and viewing this exhibition during the remainder of its run! For more information, visit the Benham Gallery website.

This Week's Highlights: April 1 - April 6, 2008

2008-03-31T22:06:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, April 2

University of Washington - Aperture and the U of WA Library present “The Black Panthers: Making Sense of History,” photographs by Stephen Shames. During the height of the Civil Rights movement, from 1967 to 1973, photographer Stephen Shames had unprecedented access to the Black Panther Party through his close friendship with the Panthers and Bobby Seale in particular, and captured not only its public face-street demonstrations, protests, and militant armed posturing-but also unscripted behind-the-scenes moments, from private Party meetings held in its headquarters to Bobby Seale at work on his mayoral campaign in Oakland. Shames's work offers an uncommonly nuanced portrait of this dynamic social movement, during one of the most tumultuous periods in U.S. history. The exhibition will be on view through May 31st in the Odegaard Library at the U of WA.

Thursday, April 3

Pioneer Square First Thursday Artwalk - Full list of openings & events coming soon!

Friday, April 4

Northwest Film Forum - “Zidane” screening. Acclaimed contemporary artists and filmmakers Douglas Gordon (24 HOUR PSYCHO) and Philippe Parreno have taken a unusual approach in creating this film portrait of soccer superstar Zinédine Zidane. They focused seventeen synchronized 35mm and HD cameras (equipped with the most powerful zoom lenses ever made) solely on him for the entirety of a soccer match from the first kick of the ball to the final whistle. The result of this 360-degree, real-time portrait is a startling connection to the sensations, the psychology and the body of the athlete. The film's brilliant sound design captures the ebb and flow of the stadium crowd (one clue to the game's activity off-screen), and incorporates an original score by the band Mogwai that emphasizes the calm intensity of the player (and the sport.) “Zidane” will be showing at the Northwest Film Forum Friday - Sunday, April 4-6, at 7:15 and 9:15 pm. Sunday night screenings to be introduced by Henry Art Gallery Associate Curator Sara Krajewski. Tickets $5/NWFF and Henry Art Gallery members, $6/children and seniors, $8.50/general. Click here for tickets.

McLeod Residence - Opening reception for “Salvage” a site specific installation by Diana Falchuk that incorporates the gallery and lounge's signature wallpaper--and cake icing. Salvage opens with a reception April 4 from 5-9pm and will be exhibited through May 31. Also opening on April 4 is a skatedeck series curated by Kristen Rask of Schmancy and Kurt Barbee of 5280 Lasers; and Wildflowers, a series of digitally-altered Holga photographs by Jenene Chesbrough.

University of Washington - The Henry Art Gallery presents an artist lecture by “Josiah McElheny.” Josiah McElheny makes installations and discrete sculptures that explore crucial moments in the development of modernity, its visual and theoretical undercurrents. His interest in the history of modern science finds its fullest expression in The Last Scattering Surface, a vivid, tangible model of the Big Bang. In celebration of the exhibition’s opening, McElheny will discuss The Last Scattering Surface and the relationships between concepts such as history, fiction, and memory at play in his work. 7 pm in Kane Hall, Room 120. $8 Henry members / $12 General Admission / $10 Students and Seniors. Click here for tickets.

Photographic Center Northwest - “Crossing the Water” exhibition reception and book signing. Local artists, Claire Garoutte and Anneke Wambaugh, bring years of experience and research to this exhibition. Their evocative photographs not only draw the viewer into a world rarely witnessed by outsiders, they also offer viewers an unprecedented opportunity to better understand the diversity of Afro-Cuban religious traditions. This deeply affecting visual document encourages its audience to look beyond stereotypical depictions of a religious culture and a nation that have so often been misrepresented and misunderstood. Garoutte is Assistant Professor of Photography at Seattle University. Her work has appeared in exhibits in the United States and abroad. Wambaugh is an award-winning photographer and an independent scholar of African and Afro-Caribbean ritual art who has worked extensively in Haiti and Cuba. Reception 6-8 pm. Exhibition runs through April 29, 2008.

Saturday, April 5

Henry Art Gallery - “Josiah McElheny: The Last Scattering Surface” exhibition opens. Josiah McElheny has grafted a distinguished art career out of two far-flung strands of contemporary art practice: conceptual art and the studio glass movement. Deploying the most sophisticated and virtuoso glass-working techniques, he makes installations and discrete sculptures that explore crucial moments in the development of modernity, its visual and theoretical undercurrents. Since his celebrated An Historical Anecdote about Fashion, commissioned by the Henry Art Gallery in 1999, McElheny’s work has focused primarily on comparing art to the history of the 20th century. His interest in the history of modern science finds its fullest expression in The Last Scattering Surface. Working with astrophysicists at Ohio State University over several years, McElheny has created a vivid tangible model of the Big Bang, the explosion postulated to represent the beginnings of organic matter. Characteristically the form also quotes visual culture, specifically the gigantic chandeliers of New York’s arch-modern performance space, Lincoln Center. April 5 – July 13, 2008.

We're Back: This Week's Highlights

2008-03-25T20:38:00.001-07:00

Seattle Art News is back from vacation and ready for spring. Don't forget that the Gates of Paradise exhibition at SAM closes April 6!

This week's post features highlights from the many events happening this week. As always, check the full calendar for all events.

(Also - check out the left sidebar under Regional Arts Headlines (keep scrolling) for a new RSS feed of news, events, and updates from local galleries and museums. Let me know if someone has a blog that you want to see on this page. Enjoy!)

Wednesday, March 26

Seattle Art Museum - A Pivotal Perspectives lecture, “Lorenzo Ghiberti’s Art and Innovation.” In his essay for the Gates of Paradise catalogue, writer and Renaissance sculpture expert Andrew Butterfield addressed the innovation in Ghiberti’s magnificent baptistery doors. Hear Butterfield elaborate more about this topic in conversation with SAM’s chief conservator Nicholas Dorman. 7 pm in Plestcheeff Auditorium. Free and open to the public. Museum admission not required. Please call the SAM Box Office at 206.654.3121 to secure seating. SOLD OUT!

Thursday, March 27

Seattle Art Museum - "Illuminating the Gates of Paradise" lecture. How did the Gates of Paradise make their way from Florence to Seattle? Join Gary Radke, guest curator of The Gates of Paradise as he discusses how new life was brought to this Renaissance masterpiece. 7 pm in Plestcheeff Auditorium. Free with Museum Admission. To reserve your space, please call the SAM Box Office at 206.654.3121. Seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis and reservations are released ten minutes prior to start time.

Platform Gallery - “Kelly Mark: stupid love” Artist Reception. Toronto artist Kelly Mark, whose work was last seen in Seattle at the Henry Art Gallery in 2006, will be featured in a solo exhibition at Platform Gallery. Mark's video, drawings, installations and sculptures have centered on her awareness of time–its passing, wasting, marking, keeping–through the recording of repetitive tasks and ordinary unnoticed moments. In addition to sculptures and photographs, Mark will be exhibiting "REM" an installation featuring a video mashup consisting of 170 different sources taken from television. Reception 5-7 pm. Exhibit continues through May 3, 2008.

Northwest African American Museum - “Daniel Minter Artist Lecture.” Mr. Minter is the Washington Foundation Artist in Residence at the new Northwest African American Museum, which celebrated its grand opening earlier this month. Originally, from Ellaville, Georgia, Minter is a graduate of the Art Institute of Atlanta. Always attempting to weave the traditional with the contemporary, Minter’s work is often narrative, mingled with threads of Southern folklore and African spirituality. Mr. Minter will be displaying a number of his pieces at the Museum before and after the lecture. Talk begins at 6 pm, wine and cheese reception begins at 7 pm.

Painting by Washington Foundation Artist in Residence, Daniel Minter

Friday, March 28

Gallery IMA - “In The Name of Love: An installation in Gallery III by Carol Milne.” Opening and artist reception from 5-8 pm. Spread out upon white quartz sand, are 32 kiln & hot cast glass grenades, each differ in size and shape, with the tops removable by the pin. Carol explores the ideas and relations between grenades and gifts. These gifts are hot cast grenades with bullet-shaped interiors. Kiln cast bows adorn the tops. On the surface the grenade looks like a fancy gift box, colorful, beautiful, a delight to hold. But a closer look reveals the ominous undercurrents, the danger within. A gift has a giver and a receiver. It's usually given with good intentions, and received with joy. But are good intentions enough? When it's no longer welcome, is it still a gift?

Microsoft Art Collection - A screening of “Ellsworth Kelly: Fragments” directed by Edgar B. Howard and Tom Piper. Ellsworth Kelly’s work is abstracted forms of everyday sights, like the shadow cast by a tree, or the space between two buildings. Kelly uses bright color fields with highly defined edges to represent these subjects, often with one color per canvas. He is widely regarded as one of the most significant abstract painters, sculptors and printmakers still working today. Fragments follows Kelly as he visits Paris, where he spent much of his twenties, as well as detailing the installation of a pair of wall drawings that were commissioned for the United States Embassy in Beijing. The Film Series is held at Microsoft Redmond Campus Building 33 Conference Center. Click here for more information. 6-7:10 pm.

BLVD Gallery - “Residential” series performance by Foscil, Seattle's "Post Baroque Nu-Hop" ensemble. Foscils music is an amalgam of diverse influences touching on the atmospheric production of Wu Tangs RZA, the out-jazz of Miles, and the psychedelic meandering of Zappa. Each performance in the series features a different incarnation of the group. 8 pm.

Seattle Art News is on Vacation!

2008-03-18T21:34:00.000-07:00

Hello friends! As many of you have noticed, Seattle Art News is on a temporary vacation from weekly events posting. Much needed R&R is currently underway, as well as planning for an exciting FORMAT CHANGE coming up for this site in the next month.

The Seattle Art News calendar is still being updated, so check it out for all the dates you need to know, what's happening this weekend, and where the best art is right now.

I'll be back! Cheers, - Lois Lane

First Thursday March 6, 2008

2008-03-05T22:38:00.000-08:00

ArtXchange Gallery - "Stitched, Woven, Sewn," an exhibition of textiles from around the world. Fabrics from Laos, Peru, Thailand, tribes of Central Asia, and more are displayed in an interactive and touch-friendly exhibition including photos and stories to bring the fabrics to life for the viewer. Exhibition continues through March 28.

Benham Gallery - Opening reception for “Erotic Beauty,” featuring work by Paul Dahlquist, David Steinberg, Fiona Aboud, and Sean Newman. The artist reception is from 6-8 pm. Join Benham on Saturday, March 8th at 2 pm, for a gallery panel discussion and slide presentation with the artists. Exhibition continues through April 12.

Corridor Gallery - “Always Remember This Place” encaustic and mixed media by Janet Miller (AKA Planet Janet). Janet Miller is a frequent traveler and a collector. She collects tangible items that serve as markers of her intangible experiences, the stories, thoughts, and questions that arise along her journeys. These tangible items, such as maps, books, letters, and flyers, form the foundation on which she builds her work. The result is art that documents and promotes a continuing dialogue between self and others about the world around us. Reception 5-9 pm. March 6 - 30, 2008.

Janet Miller, “I Know that Everything Changes, but this Moment is Perfect”Encaustic, oil paint, graphite, and found objects

D'adamo/Woltz Gallery - Reception for paintings by Alla Goniodsky. "I started my career as a theatre artist and, to a large extent, this is the way I see life. The less obvious visions and impressions of events interest me the most... Multiple layers and different sequences of oil paints, pastels, inks and pencil in a single piece characterize my rather complicated painting techniques."

Foster/White - Join Foster/White for new exhibition featuring artwork by Alden Mason. Mar 6, 2008 - Mar 22, 2008.

Gallery4Culture - The opening of "Old Growth and Used Memories," an exhibition of new sculpture by Seattle artist Jason Wood. Reception 6-8 pm. March 6 - 28, 2008.

Gallery 110 - "The Grief Series,” a collection of acrylic paintings and collages by Pacific Northwest artist Dixie Parker-Fairbanks. Widow of renowned ceramicist Richard Fairbanks, Parker-Fairbanks created this body of work in the last decade in response to her husband’s tragic death in 1989. This exhibit will also include select major pieces by Richard, whose works have been exhibited internationally. March 5-29, 2008.

Gallery IMA - For the month of March, Gallery IMA is pleased to announce the opening of “Juxtapositions,” new mixed media works by Cory Peeke, and “Garden Virtue,” oil and charcoal paintings by John Paul Schafer. Cory Peeke’s latest series of collages and wall pieces juxtaposes appropriated images acquired from found photography, art historical masterworks, vintage illustration, and the Internet with one another to explore the physical manifestations of masculinity. In response to our ailing environment, John Paul Schafer’s inspiration for his ‘modern botanical studies’ came from an assortment of bones, pods, insects and plants gathered from the artist’s backyard, nearby parks and nature trails. Also on display is a site-specific installation in Gallery III, by Carol Milne. March 6 – 30, 2008.

John Paul Schafer, Silent, oil & charcoal on panel, 24"x24" inches.

Greg Kucera Gallery - "Burpee Garden Revisited," artwork by Alden Mason. March 6 - March 29, 2008. Opening 6-8 pm.

Grover/Thurston Gallery - An exhibition of acclaimed Seattle artist Fay Jones. Exhibition continues through March 29, 2008.

La Familia – Michelle Anderst exhibits “Drugs and Social Network,” the artists homage to the Seattle coffee shop scene. Anderst salutes Seattle's Independent Coffee Shop in her Installation work featuring two-dimensional pieces with a "three-dimensional" experience. The paintings come alive, making it feel as if a coffee shop has been cut-out of its typical setting to be placed inside the gallery. Every image in the show is a representation of those things found in actual coffee shops in Seattle, including All City Coffee and Espresso Vavace. Runs through March 31.

Pratt Gallery at Tashiro Kaplan - “Print Zero Studios 5th Print Exchange .” The exhibition features 291 5x7-inch prints from artists in 17 countries. Eight instructors from Pratt Fine Arts Center are included in the show: Kamla Kakaria, Rickie Wolfe, Abraham Mong, Lisa Hasegawa, Kim VanSomeren, Eric Chamberlain, Theresa Neinas, and Kerstin Graudins. These artists of varying backgrounds each bring a unique perspective on print and together comprise a wide variety of printmaking techniques. The exhibition runs March 6th-30th with the opening from 6-8pm.

Kamla Kakaria, Untitled, 2007, shellac plate print

Punch Gallery – “Safe and Sound.” Howard Barlow’s new body of work, Safe and Sound, is cold and unfriendly yet formal and safely non-objective with evidence of an obviously dangerous past. Borrowing from a hospital aesthetic, Barlow aims to bridge the gap between conceptions of stability and volatility. Utilizing institutional powder-coat colors, gun-barrel patina finishes, recycled bullet-lead solder, reconstructed broken window panes, wool yarn, abused steel, and actions such as knitting, hacking, shooting, shattering, and leading glass, this body of work explores the symbiotic relationships of danger and safety, vulnerability and protection. Reception 5-8 pm. Exhibit continues through March 30.

Seattle Art Museum – In addition to being free on First Thursdays, the Seattle Art Museum can be experienced in a new way with PDL's “Unauthorized Audio Tour” of the Seattle Art Museum’s permanent collection. There are twenty-two tracks in total, all approaching works within the museum and offering a great range of perspective, truth and humor. Their limited addition of 50 recordings quickly sold out, but during the First Thursday PDL will be loitering in the lobby of SAM from 5:00 till closing, offering portable audio devices for free, to all who care to see SAM's permanent collection in an all together different light. Look for the guys in the turquoise blazers with their initials embroidered on the front, looking awkward and suspect.

Shift Collaborative Studio – “A Brief Walk on the Edge” exhibiting welded steel sculptures and a light box installation by June Sekiguchi. Using pattern in a continuation of her conceptual ideas of cultural and personal identity, pattern is brought to its most elemental, workable form and fabrication techniques while still working toward conveying her interest in layering pattern in a new way that the medium allows. The work in the exhibition have a common characteristic in that they are sectional pieces that combine to form the larger piece and can be reconfigured in a variety of ways significantly altering the design. Sekiguchi will be reconfiguring the work during the opening reception as well as each week of the exhibition. Reception 5-8 pm. Exhibit continues through March 29.

June Sekiguchi, Detail of "Octogon," 2008

SOIL - Opening reception for “New Members Show 2008” featuring work by four of SOIL's newest additions: Nola Avienne, Vesna Pavlovic, Renée Rhodes and Adam Satushek. This diverse group of artists will add fresh new perspectives to the SOIL collective. New works in photography, installation, video, sculpture and drawing will be exhibited. Opening 6-9 pm. March 6–30, 2008.

Some Space Gallery - Showing March 3rd - 28th, “Fake Glass Buoys,” recent work by Banjamin Hanawalt. Using collage as a blueprint for his oil paintings, Benjamin Hanawalt's compositions of shapes, figures, color and, most recently, an endless array of buoys, provide viewers a sense of escape. The buoys, each unique in size, shape and color, and lovingly rendered in muted tones, offer a familiarity by which to return. Opening reception 6-9 pm.

Wall Space - New show, “Introspection", showcases photographer Susan Burnstine’s newest body of work, Between, as well as her award winning series, On Waking Dreams. Susan’s images compel us to look to the place where reality ends and dreams begin, where we look into ourselves to find who we are and who we want to be. Artist reception 6-8 pm. Exhibition continues through April 5.

This Week's Events: March 4 - March 8, 2008

2008-03-04T21:51:00.000-08:00

Tuesday, March 4

Trabant Coffee and Chai - The collage of Marty Gordon will be on display at Trabant Coffee and Chai (1309 NE 45th St. in the U District) starting on March 3. "...his messages are relevant to today, and seem to be pointing to a higher purpose, a bigger message.” - Julie Sadler from Collage Clearinghouse.

Marty Gordon, "Waffles from Heaven"

Wednesday, March 5

Cornish College of the Arts – Opening reception for “Mark-Makers: The 2008 Cornish Art Faculty Exhibition” featuring new and recent work by seventeen members of the Cornish Art Department faculty. Representing painting, photography, print, mixed media, video, and sculpture, the faculty provides students with a strong variety of artistic perspectives and technical expertise. Through vastly different themes, techniques, and approaches to the creative process, many connections amongst the work of these artists may be apparent after taking a look beneath an initial visual impression. Reception from 5-8 pm. Exhibition continues until April 4, 2008.

Seattle Art Museum – In the Pivotal Perspectives series: “Masterpieces of Roman Art in Seattle.” Join Carlos Picón, Curator of the Greek and Roman Department at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, as he discusses a wide range of Roman antiquities included in Roman Art from the Louvre, the landmark loan exhibition from the Louvre. Picon’s talk will also illustrate other antiquities in the collections of the Seattle Art Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. 7-8 pm. Free and open to the public. To reserve your space, please call the SAM Box Office at 206.654.3121.

Thursday, March 6

First Thursday Artwalk in Pioneer Square – This month has a 'dog-friendly' theme. Full list of openings will be posted on Wednesday!

Henry Art Gallery – “Talk Demo on Sound Poetry and Conversation” featuring Steve McCaffery and Jeanne Heuving. Steve McCaffery is a poet, performance / intermedia artist and critic. He was a founding member of Toronto Research Group and the Four Horsemen sound-text ensemble. Briefly associated with Fluxus, he has two commissioned pieces in the Fluxus Collection of Francesco Conz. On Wednesday, March 5, McCaffery will be reading as part of the Subtext Reading Series at the Good Shepherd Center Chapel Performance Space. Join us for this subsequent conversation between McCaffery and UW Professor Jeanne Heuving, author of the cross genre works Incapacity and Transducer. 7 pm, Free.

Northwest Film Forum – “8th Annual ByDesign Opening Night.” This special annual series explores the intersection of graphic design and moving image, and celebrates multidisciplinary artists who push at the boundaries to create new techniques, styles and forms. On Thursday, ByDesign 08 kicks off with a blast! This free opening reception and audiovisual event features the latest video work by UK group Semiconductor and live video and sound performances of new work by digital artists Kamran Sadeghi (Son Of Rose) and Randy Jones (Caro) exploring the synchronization of colors, shapes and type with sound. 8 pm. ByDesign runs from March 6-13. Check here for a full list of events.

Vermillion – “Arcade Magazine Issue 26:03 Release Party.” Arcade Magazine has chosen Vermillion to unveil their latest issue, feature edited by Cara Rose DeFabio and touching on Fashion and Design. Join us this Thursday for wine, food and to see the newest issue. Also, art by Marianne Goldin as well as concepts from Graypants, Erin Kendig, Design Kompany, and Stacey Farrar. 5:30 – 7:30 pm.

Friday, March 7

Fremont First Friday

Photographic Center Northwest - “What's Not to Love?” featuring work by Rachel Herman, Molly Landreth & Jenny Riffle. Rachel Herman depicts how love bends but doesn't necessarily break. In her series, The Imp of Love, Herman photographs couples, who were once lovers but are now renegotiating their relationship in a new context. In Embodiment: A Portrait of Queer Life in America, Molly Landreth's photographs serve as an archive and a journey through a rapidly changing community and the lives of people who bravely offer new visions of what it means to be queer. In her series, The Space In Between, Jenny Riffle investigates the practice of empathy and the psychological spaces of people that surround her and are most dear to her. Artists reception from 6-8 pm. Exhibition runs through March 28, 2008.

Bellevue Arts Museum - Curator Walkthrough of “Material Terrain” with curator Stefano Catalani. 6:30-7:30 pm, Free.

Saturday, March 8

Ballard Second Saturday Artwalk

Bellevue Arts Museum – “Pratt Demonstrations: Marble Carving with Anthony Brigance Cook.” Explore the personal process of carving marble! Cook will show the stages of marble carving through visual representations and will demonstrate how to remove stone with hand chiseling and hand files. 1-3 pm, Free.

This Week's Events: Feb 25 - March 2, 2008

2008-02-26T17:29:00.000-08:00

Thursday, February 28

Pratt Fine Arts Center – Lecture by visiting artist “Vaughn Bell,” who works in multi-media, video, and public art. She teaches the workshop Book as Art, Art with Books as part of Pratt’s Diverse Disciplines department in March. Lecture, free, at 6:30 pm in the Pratt Studios. Bell’s work will be on display in the Hallway Gallery from February 11- March 10.

Lawrimore Project – Opening reception for “Charles LaBelle - Polis/Persona: Selected Video and Projected Works 1993-2007.” Polis/Persona presents a selection of videos and slide-projection works from 1993 to 2007 which involve the direct engagement between the artist and the urban environment. Blurring the boundaries between documentary forms, performance, endurance art, and Hollywood fictions, LaBelle’s work ultimately investigates the relationship between our subjective notions of self and the space of the city. Reception 5-8 pm. Exhibit continues through April 12, 2008.

Videos and slide projection work by Charles LaBelle opening at Lawrimore Project

Howard House – “Gretchen Bennett: Hello” opens in the Front Gallery at Howard House. In her latest body of work, Gretchen Bennett continues her process of collecting and gathering found materials. No longer tracing the geographical iconography of the Northwest, she widens her focus to include an in-depth look at the pop-culture iconography of the area through drawings of the band Nirvana and its lead singer Kurt Cobain. Also opening, “Supernature,” curated by Gretchen Bennett and featuring artwork by Saul Chernick, Andrew Guenther, Matthew Day Jackson, Alexander Kantarovsky, Robert de Saint Phalle, Suzanne Walters, and Aaron Williams. Supernature examines the notion of the perfect landscape, but instead of presenting an idealized or romanticized view of the natural world, the artists allow for the possibility that the perfect landscape can be found in hybrid and abandoned settings. Opening reception 6-8 pm. Artist/Curator's Talk: Saturday, March 1, 12 Noon. Exhibit continues through April 12, 2008.

Friday, February 29

Henry Art Gallery – New exhibition, “Kader Attia: New Work” opens, presenting installations and new video works by the French-Algerian artist, his first large-scale, solo exhibition in the U.S. Attia will be in residence at the Henry Art Gallery for one month to produce new work for the exhibition. The central installation, Rocher Carré, based on a composition Attia has in the past painted directly on walls, realizes a sculpture of this subject for the first time. Attia plans to create numerous shapes out of ordinary materials, filling the space with “emptiness.” The formal beauty of his installations provokes a psychological proximity that helps visitors explore the relationship between volume and emptiness, dream and reality, wealth and poverty, power and weakness. The opening celebration begins at 8 pm. Members free, $6 students, $10 general. The exhibition continues until May 25, 2008.

Kader Attia. Holy Land. 2007. Courtesy of the artist, 1st Biennale of the Canary Islands, and Andrehn-Schiptjenko (Stockholm)

Artist Trust – “Latino Artists Networking Event.” Artist Trust announces a series of artist networking events to be held in our fabulous Artists' Assets Area (AAA) in Seattle. The events will bring artists together, introduce them to the many resources available in the AAA and provide information on services available through Artist Trust's Information Services, Professional Development and Grant Programs. The themes of the Networking Events are meant to be a starting point for conversations and interactions that lead to introductions, possible collaborations and in general – networking! Latino Artists of Washington State are encouraged to participate in this networking event. Come meet other Latino artists practicing in Washington State. Free, 6-9 pm. Contact migue@artisttrust.org for more information.

BLVD Gallery - "Residential,” a music performance series featuring Seattle's "Post Baroque Nu-Hop" ensemble FOSCIL. Each monthly performance features a new incarnation of the group- February features special guest Witnica. Foscils music is an amalgam of diverse influences touching on the atmospheric production of Wu Tangs RZA, the out-jazz of Miles, and the psychedelic meandering of Zappa. Doors open at 8pm.

Saturday, March 1

Tacoma Art Museum – New exhibition “A Couple of Ways of Doing Something,” features fifteen of Chuck Close’s delicately intimate daguerreotypes (including striking enlargements) of leading contemporary artists, paired with Bob Holman’s witty and beautifully typeset poems. As individual portraits, each daguerreotype offers an immensely revealing study of the subject, extending the hyperrealist tradition of portraiture for which Close is renowned.The exhibition includes examples of his other works, taken from each daguerreotype, in a variety of challenging photographic media, including tapestries and photogravures. The result is a transfixing group portrait of Close’s influential and highly creative circle of friends and colleagues.The exhibition is on view March 1 through June 15, 2008.

Gallery 6311 - Painter Mike Leavitt will unofficially close his "Myscapes" show this Saturday, March 1 from 11am-5pm. Leavitt will be at-work sculpting & painting all day, sitting the gallery as a closing event. This is a chance to see the process of Leavitt's hand-made action figures and more. Gallery 6311 is in Ballard at 6311 24th NW, Seattle, WA 98107.

"Myscapes' by Mike Levitt, closing March 5 at Gallery 6311

This Week’s Events: Feb 18 – Feb 24, 2008

2008-02-19T21:26:00.000-08:00

Thursday, February 21

Seattle Art Museum - Opening day for new exhibition, “Roman Art from the Louvre,” an extraordinary selection of ancient art from Paris’s famed Musée du Louvre, which portrays nearly 300 years of imperial Roman life and history. The exhibition includes approximately 180 pieces, many that have never before traveled to the United States, from one of the richest collections of ancient Roman art in the world. February 21–May 11, 2008.

Gage Academy of Art – In the Artist's Tool Kit discussion series, “Craig's Strategic List,” featuring Mr. Craig Kosak, outlining four strategies emerging artists can use to get their careers off the ground, from finding the appropriate market to signing with the right gallery. 12:30-2 pm, in the Geo Studio, Room 304, Third Floor. Free and open to the public.

Open Satellite – Opening reception for “Nearer to Thee,” an exhibition by Open Satellite artist in residence Hilary Wilder. Brooklyn, New York and Richmond, Virginia based artist Hilary Wilder investigates painting as a construction of reality and a structure of knowledge. Through the lens of landscape, which serves as a dynamic metaphor for human experience, Wilder introduces narratives and compositions that are held in tension between fact and fiction, order and disorder, stability and chaos, and the real and ideal. For her residency at Open Satellite, Wilder has created an ambitious painting installation that is site-specific in her consideration of the space of the gallery, which provides a structural framework for her dramatic canvases. In the context of the Pacific Northwest, Wilder’s thematic concerns offer a contemporary dialogue about landscapes and identity as well as a critique of place, history, and the environment. Opening reception 6-9 pm. Exhibition Dates: February 21 – April 5, 2008.

Hilary Wilder, In Progress, opening at Open Satellite

Frye Art Museum – “Reframing the Nineteenth Century: Collecting Art at the Frye.” Charles and Emma Frye amassed an impressive collection of nineteenth and twentieth-century art, one which in many ways challenged prevailing canons of aesthetic taste during the late Victorian era. This lecture, led by Susan P. Casteras, department of art history, University of Washington, places the Fryes' often bold purchases and vision in a larger context of collecting by American patrons, especially that of Horace Henry, exploring how their choices embraced diverse styles and attitudes. 6:30 pm, free and open to the public.

Tacoma Art Walk – From 5-8 pm, galleries, museums, and participating locations hold special events and activities.

Tacoma Art Museum – During the Tacoma Artwalk, “Exquisite Corpse” beginning at 6:30 pm. Invented by surrealist artists in 1925, “exquisite corpse” is a participatory art experiment that explores ideas of chance, fragments, collage, and forms that emerge out of chaos. Artist Shannon Eakins will lead this interactive group-drawing activity. Programming and museum admission from 10 am – 8 pm are free as part of FREE Third Thursday.

Upper Queen Anne Artwalk - From 6-8 pm, rain or shine.

Art/Not Terminal Gallery – “Figure Drawing Session.” Every 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Thursday, Art/Not Terminal hosts Boys R Us, a group figure drawing session featuring male models. Coffee, tea, cookies, music, conversation, and art creation from 6:30-9:30 pm. $8 for participants.

Friday, February 22

Seattle Art Museum – “A Roman Holiday: Public Opening Weekend” for new exhibition Roman Art from the Louvre. From Feb 22 – Feb 24, SAM hosts a great roster of events throughout the entire building. Friday’s events include a guided tour at 6:30 pm and a lecture on ‘The Three Faces of Rome: Ancient, Christian, and Opera’ at 7 pm. Check here for a full schedule of events. Free with Museum Admission.

Northwest Film Forum – Northwest Film Forum and the Henry Art Gallery present “The Cool School.” Filmmaker Morgan Neville explores the emergence and impact of the beat-era LA art scene, focusing on its catalyst: Walter Hopps's and Ed Kienholz's Ferus gallery, a simple space with grand ambitions. Ferus hosted Andy Warhol's first gallery show (his 32 Campbell's Soup Cans did not debut in New York!) and Marcel Duchamp's first retrospective. The Cool School's collage of period footage, and interviews with Ed Ruscha, John Baldessari, Walter Hopps, Dennis Hopper, and Frank Gehry create a vivid picture of this inspiring scene that ultimately established the importance of West Coast art. Showing February 22 – 28, at 7:15 pm and 9:15 pm each night. On opening night, February 22, enjoy a special introduction and post-screening conversation with Regina Hackett, Seattle Post-Intelligencer Visual Arts Critic. $5 NWFF and Henry Art Gallery Members / $6 Seniors & Children / $8.50 General. For tickets call 800.838.3006 or visit brownpapertickets.com.

Saturday, February 23

Seattle Art Museum – “A Roman Holiday: Public Opening Weekend” for new exhibition Roman Art from the Louvre. From Feb 22 – Feb 24, SAM hosts a great roster of events throughout the entire building. Saturday from 10 am – 3 pm is Family Day: Rome the World, a day of hands-on art activities and events. Free with Museum Admission.

Museum of Glass – Opening day for new exhibition “Lino Tagliapietra in Retrospect: A Modern Renaissance in Italian Glass.” Widely regarded as one of the most significant artists in the modern studio glass movement, there has never been a retrospective look at Lino Tagliapietra’s art and career in its entirety. This exhibition will represent not only pivotal and renowned series of artistic work covering a period of approximately thirty years, but also designs made for industry and private objects that have never been exhibited. February 23 - August 24, 2008.

G. Gibson Gallery – Artist reception and artist talk for “Laura McPhee: River of No Return.” 3 pm.

Laura McPhee, Igloo Built from Downloaded Plans, Park Creek, Custer County, Idaho, March 2005

Henry Art Gallery – “Hilary Wilder Artist Lecture.” Current Open Satellite artist Hilary Wilder's practice investigates painting, as a structure of knowledge and a construction of reality. Working directly on the wall and inserting canvases into complex systems, her dynamic works critique painting as a mode of representation, specifically questioning the concept of the romantic, picturesque, and sublime within the landscape tradition. Her compositions are held in tension between ideas of order and disorder, stability and chaos, and the real and ideal. 4 pm, Free.

Sunday, February 24

Seattle Art Museum – “A Roman Holiday: Public Opening Weekend” for new exhibition Roman Art from the Louvre. From Feb 22 – Feb 24, SAM hosts a great roster of events throughout the entire building. On Sunday at 2 pm, come hear the story only the curators could tell about the history and society of ancient Rome as reflected in the Louvre collection in “The History of Society: The Story of Ancient Rome.” Free with Museum Admission.

Frye Art Museum – “Comic Book Style on Film.” Many talented film directors have approximated the comic-book style in movies, including Jean Luc Godard’s Alphaville (1965), Richard Lester’s Superman II (1980), and Warren Beatty’s Dick Tracy (1990). Now, digital technology has made it possible to dazzlingly replicate the frames of a comic, notably in the Frank Miller adaptations Sin City (2005) and 300 (2006). Robert Horton ponders the value of this aesthetic and decides when it works . . .and when it doesn’t. Audience discussion with film clips. 2 pm, free and open to the public.

This Week(end)s Events: Feb 14 - Feb 16, 2008

2008-02-13T23:58:00.000-08:00

Apologies for the lateness this week, but better late than never. Happy Valentine's Day!

Thursday, February 14

Gage Academy of Art - ArtTalk Series lecture, “The Epic Narrative,” with Bo Bartlett. Gage Artistic Director, Gary Faigin, facilitates a monthly group discussion about the work of contemporary figurative artists. Bartlett is a contemporary master of the most challenging of all traditions: the life-sized figurative narrative. Faigin and Bartlett discuss the underlying symbolic and spiritual underpinnings of his dramatic scenes, as well as compositional and color decisions. 12:30-2 pm, free and open to the public. (The lecture will be held in the Geo Studio, Room 304, Third Floor.)

James Harris Gallery – Opening reception for “Message in a Bottle,” a group exhibition bringing together a wide range of mediums – including sculpture, photography, painting and installation –focusing on how artists transform the expected visual utility of an object to multiple pictorial possibilities. These are artists who inherently investigate the origins of their subjects, creating fictive spaces and new relationships by placing disparate or unusual objects together in dynamic ways. Reception 6-8 pm. Exhibition continues through March 18, 2008.

Helga Steppan, See Through Series, 2004, exhibiting at James Harris Gallery

Greg Kucera Gallery – Opening of new exhibition featuring recent paintings by “Anne Appleby.” Reception 6-8 pm. Exhibit continues through March 29, 2008. "Saturday After" artist talk: February 16, 12:00 pm.

West Seattle Junction Art Walk – Galleries and participating businesses open from 6pm - 8pm. For information and maps visit Hotwire Coffeehouse, 4410 California SW, Seattle, which will be featuring multi-media works by collage artist "Sarah Gordon."

Twilight Artist Collective – In the new TwAC West Seattle gallery, “Because Diamonds Aren’t Really A Girl’s Best Friend...ART IS!” a Valentine’s Day event. Looking for a creative way to show your Valentine he or she is “one-of-a-kind”? Give them gifts “like no other” from local TwACkers including paintings, sculpture, jewelry, warm knit hats and scarves, and limited edition t-shirts from artist Eric Osborne. Osborne is also the February featured artist and is exhibiting a new body of work. 6-9 pm.

Friday, February 15

Platform Gallery – Artist reception for “Fall Together / Fall Apart” new work by Melissa Pokorny, sculptor and Associate Professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Using the strategies of still life composition and tableau vivant painting, Pokorny's work explores the arbitrary, the inappropriate, and the accidental while evoking a wry sense of melancholy. 5-7 pm. Exhibition continues through March 22, 2008.

Work by Melissa Pokorny, opening at Platform Gallery

Gage Academy of Art – In the Rosen Gallery, “Face Forward: Gage Annual Self-Portrait Competition.” Past and current Gage students put their best face forward for this self-portrait competition and exhibit. 7-9 pm. Debuting in the Steele Gallery, “Face Backward: Gary Faigin.” In conjunction with the self-portrait competition, this special exhibition features 25 years of self portraits by Gage cofounder and artistic director Gary Faigin. 6-8 pm. Also, don’t miss “Big Heads: Cardboard Constructions,” with artist Scott Fife discussing his sculpture portraiture - intricate work that he creates with simple tools such as X-acto knives, masking tape, glue and a screwgun. 7 pm. All events are free and open to the public.

First Thursday: February 6, 2008

2008-02-06T23:38:00.000-08:00

ArtXchange - "ArtXchange Showcase 2008," featuring a group exhibition by gallery artists. The showcase includes 2-D and 3-D work from national and international artists, including works by local artist June Sekiguchi and new works in lacquer by Vietnamese artist Bui Cong Khanh.

"Twelve Times Mandala," June Sekiguchi, acrylic on scrollcut hardboard, @ ArtXchange

Benham Gallery - “Stone” featuring photography by Bruce Barnbaum. This exhibition will explore Barnbaum’s entire history and fascination for rocks, stones and the formations they create whether natural or man made. February 6th through March 1st, 2008. Artist Talk: Saturday Feb. 9th 2–4 pm.

Corridor Gallery – “I.E.D.” In this series of photographs, Charles Holzhey applies his distinct brand of absurdist humor to the phenomenon of the Improvised Explosive Device. His provocative objects evoke thoughts on consumer culture and war, and the ever present human capacity for tragically ridiculous behavior. Through March 1, 2008.

D'adamo/Woltz Gallery – Opening reception for “Emerging Artist Exhibition,” new work from local emerging artists. Through February 29, 2008.

Foster/White – Opening at Foster/White in Pioneer Square, "Blackboard Retrospective," works by Bratsa Bonifacho. Through Feb 23, 2008.

Gallery 110 - “Passione: Infinite e Eterno,” work by Curt Labitzke, a studio art instructor at the University of Washington. Meet the artist: Saturday, February 23, 3:30-5 pm. Through February 29, 2008.

Gallery I|M|A – Reception for new exhibition “Western Landscape meets Italian Tradition,” featuring works by David Berridge and Sandro Negri. This exhibition places two distinctly different artists together, but with one purpose, to capture Western Landscape and Italian Traditions. Using vibrant colors and strokes, both artists aim to reproduce the rich feeling of home, from gradual rolling country hills of the West to working peasants in the fields of Northern Italy. Through March 2nd, 2008.

Grover/Thurston Gallery - New exhibition featuring works by "Inez Storer." Continues through March 1, 2008.

La Familia - Jason Stauffer exhibits "Purpose," a humorous look at social assumptions & expectations. A show in two parts, Jason Stauffer's February solo exhibit consists of over thirty sculptures and photographs that depict the duel purpose of objects and people out of place but still finding Purpose. The exhibition is divided into two sets of works; one explores the purpose of humanity's use of objects and the other, the purpose of humanity as an object. The second part of the show is entitled "Waiters" a photographic series conceived while Stauffer was doing seasonal work at a resort lodge in Alaska.

"Dragonfish," Jason Stauffer, at La Familia

Lisa Harris Gallery – “Daydreams and Nightmares,” new paintings and monotypes by Royal Nebeker. Exhibition continues through March 1, 2008.

Platform Gallery - “Eric Eley: Prospect Fields.” One of the dictionary definitions of the word prospect is a “broad view or a place affording such a view.” For his first solo show at Platform Gallery, Eric Eley has created a living drawing that becomes a field for a view. Seeing an opportunity to go beyond simply placing discrete objects in the white box of the gallery, Eley has created an environment that puts the viewer literally inside the sculptural object by delineating the space within the entire gallery. With no way to see the work in profile or from afar, one is instead given the opportunity to powerfully experience space as a three dimensional drawing. Exhibition ends soon: February 9, 2008.

Pratt Gallery - Pratt Fine Arts Center opens an exhibit of artwork by six instructors from the school’s drawing and painting department. The exhibit at Pratt Gallery at Tashiro Kaplan Studios will show different techniques, themes, and media used by these artists and will run February 7 through 24th.

Michael Ottersen, “Oblique Ice Index,” 2004 (left) & Perri Lynch, from the “Precisely Known Completely Lost” series, 2003 (right) @ Pratt Gallery

Project Project – Open to the public one night only, “Collection/Infection” featuring sculpture by Jamey Braden and film by Portland artist Amber Smith. These artists make work about a burdensome instinct to collect, if only to keep and hoard to be able to look at small discarded objects in ways reserved for "bigger and better" things. Smith's main piece climaxes in a wall of burning marshmallows, Braden's sculptures are ruptured (and infected?) cloth structure-paintings and arranged (literal) garbage. Project Project is in the 619 Artist Lofts, 4th floor, 619 Western Ave.

"Ruptured Painting," Jamey Braden 2007

Punch Gallery – Opening reception for a new exhibition featuring works by Jen Erickson, “Sad Math.” Jen Erickson uses her interest in physics, mathematics, identity and the visualization of information systems as a point of departure for her paintings. Exhibition continues through March 2, 2008.

Rock | DeMent – “As I See and Say,” featuring block prints, paintings & poetry by Bob Rock. Influenced by social, political and theological issues of the mid 20th century, artist Bob Rock’s work reflects a time when questions were being asked of church, state and of personal liberties. This show includes block prints and poetry from a 1965 handprinted letterpress portfolio that provides an intimate portrait of the artist and his expressionist works. Also in this exhibit are larger wood cuts, paintings and other pieces from the artist’s estate. Through March 5, 2008.

Shift Studio – “Amanda Mae vs. The Frye Art Museum.” Concept artist Amanda Mae exhibits mimetic recreations of works from the Frye Art Museum's permanent collection. Also opening “Dry Friction:” Jo Marie Jensen presents a mixed media sound installation that uses physical friction between solid objects to correspond to social interaction.

SOIL – “Simultaneity: Entanglement,” by Eunsu Kang, Joel Kollin, and Juan Pampin. Entanglement draws a symbolic acoustic line between two distant locations, SOIL and 911 Media Arts Center in Seattle. A hyper-directional sound beam linearizes the acoustics of the two galleries creating the illusion of a single, infinite line of sound into which both sites get trapped. Through March 1, 2008.

Juan Pampin, Eunsu Kang, Joel S Kollin, “Entanglement” Telematic sound installation, Variable size installation in two spaces

Some Space Gallery – “Beach Structure” new work by David W. Simpson. Simpson’s current work is in ever-changing, two-dimensional reiterations of a single structure made from driftwood found near his home. Exposing its shadows to photo-sensitive paper and screens, an array of progressive cyanotypes and serigraphs emerge, referencing vivid images of his youth and embodying the different directions any one life may take. Through February 29, 2008.

Wall Space – New work by photographer “Mark Vercammen” who documents and explores people with his camera, studying behavior and lifestyle of both friends and strangers. Wall Space is exhibiting Vercammen’s new works, from his continuing story on the male form. The work moves beyond straight photography, encompassing other mediums and textures to create soft sensual experiences of form.

William Traver Gallery – Reception for new exhibition featuring works by internationally renowned glass artist “Lino Tagliapietra.” March 30, 2008.

This Week’s Events: Feb 4 – Feb 10, 2008

2008-02-05T12:55:00.001-08:00

Thursday, February 7

Pioneer Square First Thursday Artwalk – full list of openings coming tomorrow! Or check the Seattle Art News Calendar if you just can’t wait.

Microsoft Art Collection - “David Maisel Artist Lecture.” David Maisel’s large-scale photographs depict landscapes that have undergone radical transformations. Many of Maisel’s aerial images rely on minerals that are exposed through mining or water reclamation to provide the color scheme, as chemical elements glow brightly within the composition. He states, “[My] images have as their subject matter the undoing of the natural world by wide-scaled human activity in the landscape. Our efforts have eradicated the natural order.” His Oblivion series, on view in the Microsoft Conference Center, are images of Los Angeles that are reminiscent of satellite or surveillance photos. 6-7 pm. Free and open to the public. Check website for further information and RSVP.

Henry Art Gallery – “Art Dialogue with Sandra Kroupa.” In conjunction with the exhibition Dawn Cerny: We're all going to die (except for you)., Sandra Kroupa, Book Arts and Rare Book Curator, UW Libraries Special Collections, will discuss late nineteenth-century mourning rituals and customs. Kroupa is a scholar and collector of objects and ephemera related to these distinct and fascinating traditions. 7 pm. Free.

Friday, February 8

Fetherston Gallery – Opening reception for works by “Joe Shlichta.” 5-7 pm. Exhibition continues through March 8, 2008.

BLVD Gallery – Opening of "Trade Bloc: A group show of Global Ambitions," a show that aims to present the global flavor of the urban art milieu. What are the benefits of a truly Global art market? What are the effects of the internet on artists ability to gain recognition without the participation of the traditional channels of media exposure? BLVD has assembled a group of great artists from Asia, North America, South America, and Europe whose work we illustrates this new borderless world in which we live. 6-10 pm. Show continues through March 8, 2008.

Roq La Rue - "A Cabinet of Natural Curiosities," a group show of works relating to animals by Roq La Rue artists. "The way we relate to the other creatures living on the planet relates directly to the way we view ourselves. This show, while leaning more towards the fanciful rather than the political, offers up a wunderkammer like display of creatures..." Artists include: Femke Hiemstra, Travis Louie, Brian Despain, Amy Sol, Lisa Petrucci, Chris Ryniak, Chet Zar, Kozydan, Junko Mizumo, Liz McGrath, Kukula, Laura Plansker, Mark Frauenfelder, Christian Vanminnen, Mark Gleason, Nathan Ota, Catalina Estrada, Sarah Joncas, Kamala Dolphin-Kingsley, John Brophy, Anthony Pontius, Jeremy Bennet, Jim Woodring, Heiko Muller, and Javier S. Ortega. 6-9 pm. Exhibit continues through March 1, 2008.

Femke Hiemstra "Mr Macabre" acrylic on mixed media, at Roq La Rue

Form/Space Atelier – Opening reception for “A Place to Call Your Own,” new large scale paintings by Ryan MolenKamp charting his unique report on cartographic influences, the growth of familiar places, and familiar interconnections. 6-8 pm. Exhibit continues through March 2, 2008.

McLeod Residence – McLeod Residence is pleased to collaborate with two different curators for its February exhibits. “Encausticated,” curated by Megan Woo, is a showcase of artists working with encaustic paintings and mixed-media works. “The Possibility” is a photography exhibit by Shoot for Change and is organized by local youth mentoring program Community for Youth. Sales of the photography will benefit Community for Youth. In addition, Cait Willis will show her roller derby paintings. All exhibitions will open Friday, February 8, from 6-9pm and run through March 29, 2008. The opening will feature a performance by local musician Levi Fuller at 8pm.

Kamla Kakaria, "Marigold," 2007, Photo by Richard Nicol - part of Encausticated at McLeod Residence

Microsoft Art Collection – In the Film Series, a screening of “Edward Burtynsky: Manufactured Landscapes.” One of the predominant themes in Edward Burtynsky’s work is how nature is transformed by industry. He aims to provide a contemporary view of what he calls “the great ages of man,” depicting exploited mining sites, recycling yards, and rock quarries. Manufactured Landscapes, a documentary by award-winning director Jennifer Baichwal, follows Burtynsky as he chronicles China’s modern industrial revolution. 6-7:30 pm at the Microsoft Redmond Campus. Free and open to the public. Check website for further information and RSVP.

Saturday, February 9

Tacoma Art Museum – “Art with Heart.” Create a unique artwork for someone special in time for Valentine’s Day. Local artist Chris Sharp will teach a range of printmaking techniques and guide participants in making works of art with heart. Cost is $25 for members and $35 for non-members. Price includes admission for one child age eight and older with one adult companion. All supplies are provided. Pre-register for this program via email at education@TacomaArtMuseum.org or by phone at 253.272.4258 x3030. Session One: 10:30 am–12 pm (for children age eight and older with an adult companion). Session Two: 2–4:30 pm (for adults aged eighteen and older)

Benham Gallery – “Bruce Barnbaum Gallery Talk” from 2-4 pm. Join photographer Bruce Barnbaum for a discussion coinciding with his new exhibit "Stone" at Benham Gallery.

Artist Trust – “Artist Trust 21st Annual Benefit Auction” at Seattle Center Fisher Pavilion. Join over 700 artists, arts enthusiasts and community leaders to "Party like an Art Star." The goal is to raise more funds than ever before to provide direct funding to individual artists of Washington State. This Artist Trust event promises not only to benefit artists with the proceeds raised, but also to be an exciting, fast-paced evening with live and silent auctions, cocktails, dinner, dancing, and entertainment provided by some of the Northwest´s most talented performers. Featuring: Silent and Live auction of over 200 artists, Specialty cocktails and a festive buffet, Live auction with KING 5 Evening Magazine´s John Curley, Performances by Artist Trust grant recipients, and Music by Billy Joe and The Dusty 45s! Click here for tickets and further information or call 206/467-8734 x18.

Henry Art Gallery – “Architect’s Lecture: Kazuyo Sejima of SANAA.” In conjunction with the Henry’s SANAA exhibition, architect Kazuyo Sejima will present a lecture highlighting her firm’s design process. The lecture will provide a rare opportunity to hear about a unique body of work that challenges the boundaries separating architecture and art. To read more about the Henry’s related exhibition, visit http://www.henryart.org/ex/sanaa.html. 5 pm - $10 Henry members / $15 General Admission / $12 Students and Seniors. This lecture will be held at Roethke Auditorium in Kane Hall, University of Washington Campus. For tickets call Brown Paper Tickets 1-800-838-3006, or visit www.brownpapertickets.com.

Ballard Second Saturday Artwalk - Galleries and businesses open from 6-10 pm, including:

* Gallery 6311 - Mike Leavitt's "Myscapes" landscape painting show. Local artist Mike Leavitt is reviving Seattle's boring conceptual art and landscaping painting. Known for his wedding cake topper and "Art Army" figurines, Leavitt's new small-scale landscapes are another curio oddity. Tiny painted scenes are cramped into the odd-sized surfaces of guitar picks, bowling pins, windshield scrapers, copper pennies, and other objects. 6-10 pm. February 9 – March 5, 2008.

* OKOK Gallery - Opening new exhibition "In Effect," featuring new works and site specific installations from Jen Stark & Diem Chau. 6-10 pm. February 9th - March 4th.

* BLVD Project Room at Triple – The first installation in a new series, presented by BLVD Gallery, "Arterial Lines" by Nhon Nguyen, a Seattle based artist who is using the opportunity to create a mural that reflect on his experiences living in Osaka Japan over the past 3 years. The BLVD Gallery Project Room is a collaborative effort between BLVD Gallery and Triple, a new boutique in the Ballard neighborhood on Historic Ballard Ave. The goal of "The Project Room" is to create a small venue for emerging artists to develop and expand on concepts through site specific installations.

This Week's Events: Jan 28 – Feb 3, 200

2008-01-28T17:28:00.000-08:00

Thursday, January 31

Western Bridge – “Multiplex,” Western Bridge's winter exhibition is an anthology of work in projected video and video installation from the first half of this decade. Work in the exhibition includes Isaac Julien's three-channel cowboy romance "The Long Road to Mazatlan," Takeshi Murata's painterly decomposition of a campy film in "Monster Movie," Jennifer Steinkamp's wall-projected installation "Formation G" and Dara Friedman's hypnotic loop of kids jumping into the ocean from a Miami Beach pier, "Government Cut Freestyle." Single channel projected videos by Miguel Angel Rios and Suara Welitoff, two video pranks by Christopher Chiappa and Jack Daws, and a photograph by Lynne Cohen round out the exhibition. Continuing through March 29, 2008.

Gage Academy of Art – “Nordic Art: More Than Munch.” The arts are thriving in Scandinavia today, with painting, printmaking, textiles, drawing, sculpture and installation being created everywhere. Join artist Margaret Davidson as she shows you the landscape and traditions of Scandinavia, and see how they are both fascinatingly old, and constantly refreshed and refigured in the art of today. 12:30pm – 1:30 pm. Free and open to the public.

Frye Art Museum – “Countercurrents in the Seattle Art World of 1900–1930” with Martha Kingsbury, emeritus professor, Department of Art History, University of Washington. When Charles and Emma Frye and Horace C. Henry were forming their collections, the art world of Seattle was small and tentative. While the Fryes and Henry collected an established and unequivocally esteemed form of art—easel paintings in oil—the art world around them included new, adventuresome, and radical components. This lecture explores some of these countercurrents: Seattle collectors with goals very different from theirs; artworks sharing little or nothing with oil paintings; and artists whose practices and lifestyles seemed to defy the values that the Frye and Henry collections embodied. 7 pm. Free and open to the public.

Friday, February 1

Fremont First Friday Artwalk – Galleries and participating businesses open from 6-9 pm.

Twilight Artist Collective – February exhibit featuring paintings by Angelina Villalobos aka 179 opens today in TWaC’s Pike Place Market locaiton. Exhibit continues through Feb 29, 2008.

Photographic Center Northwest – “Snowbound & The Last Iceberg: Photographs by Lisa M. Robinson and Camille Seaman.” Opening reception for an amazing new show featuring two artists who photograph snow and ice. For five winters, the young American photographer Lisa M. Robinson made photographs in the snow. Snowbound depicts landscapes in which everyday objects-alienated and sunken in snow – civilize the natural surroundings. The Last Iceberg, a series by Camille Seaman chronicles a handful of the many thousands of icebergs that are currently headed to their end. Seaman approaches the images of icebergs as portraits of individuals, much like family photos of her ancestors. Reception 6-9 pm. A lecture with Robinson & Seaman begins at 6:30 pm in the PCNW Auditorium. $5 suggested donation.

Saturday, February 2

Frye Art Museum – Lecture on “R. Crumb’s Underground” with Robin Held, Frye chief curator and director of exhibitions and collections. Join in a conversation with Robin Held as she leads a gallery tour through the forty-year retrospective of comics and sketchbook drawings by the quintessential underground artist Robert Crumb. 2 pm. Free and open to the public.

Pop Tots – “The Alphabet Show,” featuring 26 artists making kid-friendly art representing each letter of the alphabet. Food, wine, and artwork by Sara Barbetta, Josh Bloch, Debi Boyette, Craig Campbell, Sam Doyle, Anthony Edwards, Colin English, Kelly English, Eric Gillyard, Marty Gordon, Therese Gordon, Jamie Holmes, Angie Lazzar, Andre Lee, Kati Von Lehman, Joey Lloyd, Beth Maycumber, Russell Maycumber, Tricia Patterson, Maggie Schneider, Tiare So'osemea, Joey Veltkamp, Michael Williams and Melissa Woods. 4-6 pm. Pop Tots is located at 6405 Roosevelt Avenue, Seattle, WA 98115.

Sunday, February 3

Tacoma Art Museum – “Threads that Bind Community” free festival honoring Black History Month. The Threads that Bind Community festival is from noon to 5 pm at Tacoma Art Museum and offers FREE admission to all visitors. Spoken word, gospel music, and dance performances, as well a scavenger hunt and a community quilt, will be among the many special festival activities. Women of the Pacific Northwest African American Quilters will piece together squares for the community quilt throughout the day and will talk with visitors in the galleries about their work in Threads that Bind. Local artist Ellen Ito will help visitors create paper quilt squares in the Open Art Studio. Storytelling by Links Youth, the student group of The Links, Incorporated, Tacoma Chapter, will take place in the Art Resource Center. Check here for a full schedule of events.

This Week's Events: Jan 21 - Jan 27, 2007

2008-01-22T20:54:00.000-08:00

From underground comics, to Renaissance masterpieces, to cutting edge contemporary art, Seattle's museums have something for everyone this weekend.

Wednesday, January 23

Henry Art Gallery – “Art Dialogue: Postulating the Possibilities of Practice.” Join Guest Curator Ken Oshima and Seattle architect George Suyama in the East Gallery for an informal conversation about the Henry's SANAA exhibition and their experiences working in both the United States and Japan. Saké Nomi will host a sake tasting in the Henry's Baci Café following the conversation. 7 pm. Free, but space is limited, reservations required. Call 206-221-3244 or e-mail rsvp@henryart.org. Update: This event is full to capacity and reservations are no longer available.

Thursday, January 24

Gage Academy of Art – Another monthly installment in the informative and fun Artist's Tool Kit Series, “Art Biz Basics,” featuring the gallery owner of Howard House, speaking about his professional expectations when reviewing artists for gallery exhibition. 12:30 – 2 pm, in the Geo Studio, Room 304. Free and open to the public.

Friday, January 25

The Teacup – “Drink Me, Eat Me” artist reception. ArtXchange gallery presents encaustic photo paintings by Seattle artist Liv Browning, on display at the Teacup on Queen Anne through Valentine’s Day. Join them for the artist reception, snacks, and a good cup of tea at the Teacup from 6-8 pm. The Teacup is located at 2207 Queen Anne Ave N Seattle, WA 98109.

Blue Bottle and Heart, encaustic photo paintings, editions of 20, by Liv Browning

Seattle Art Museum – A special film screening of “Pilchuck Founders Totem Pole,” a production of Pilchuck Glass School. . Students and artists from around the world collaborated to create a totem pole that represents the school’s founders: artist Dale Chihuly and patrons John Hauberg and Anne Gould Hauberg. Noted glass artist Preston Singletary, who directed fabrication and installation of glass elements in the Pilchuck totem pole, will answer questions after the screening. 7-8 pm in the Nordstrom Lecture Hall. Free with Museum Admission. To reserve your space, call the SAM Box Office at 206.654.3121.

Saturday, January 26

Frye Art Museum – New exhibition “R. Crumb’s Underground” opens today. “R. Crumb, a pioneer of underground “comix” and founder of Zap Comix, has been key to the dramatic transformation of comic books into an adult literary form. Cultural critic and lifelong student of human nature, Crumb tackles in his art issues and obsessions that bubble beneath society’s surface: sex, drugs, race, violence, and government repression." The community opening celebration will last January 26 and 27. At 2 pm on the 26th, ‘comix’ historian Patrick Rosenkranz presents “Robert Crumb and the Underground Comix Revolution.” For this lecture, Rosenkranz discusses how Crumb and his Zap Comix colleagues came to be the spark that lit the comix revolution of the 1960s and passed the torch on to generations of cartoonists who followed their bold lead. Free and open to the public.

Henry Art Gallery – The Henry opens two exciting new exhibitions this weekend: “Dawn Cerny: We’re all going to die (except for you)” and “Jean-Luc Mylayne.” Dawn Cerny’s elaborate narrative installations of small drawings and works on paper contemplate present day social and political issues by focusing on parallel moments in history. Studying the Henry’s collection, Cerny has selected Victorian-era mourning garments and 19th-century landscape paintings to be installed alongside her own work. Cerny will be working in the open studio format during the run of the exhibition. One gallery will be outfitted as a combination of waiting room, library, and studio space. For more than thirty years Jean-Luc Mylayne has explored the intimate bond between subject and photographer through a non-traditional approach that combines exacting conception, visionary inventiveness, and infinite patience. Mylayne eschews telephoto lenses; he spends days and even weeks in the field with the birds, allowing them to become acclimated to his presence and thereby achieving a proximity and intimacy with his subjects that is unprecedented in traditional wild-life photography. Both exhibitions run through April 27, 2008.

Jean-Luc Mylayne. No 186, January February 2004. C-print. Image courtesy of the Henry, the artist and Barbara Gladstone Gallery, New York.

Seattle Art Museum – An amazing gift to Seattle art lovers, “The Gates of Paradise: Lorenzo Ghiberti's Renaissance Masterpiece” opens. Michelangelo is credited with dubbing them “the gates of paradise,” and sixteenth-century artist and writer Giorgio Vasari called them “the finest masterpiece ever created, either in ancient or modern times.” Three stunning panels from Lorenzo Ghiberti’s Gates of Paradise, one of the most celebrated works of the Italian Renaissance, will be on view at SAM Downtown. This exhibition marks the first time that the gilded bronze panels have traveled to the United States since their creation over 550 years ago. The Gates of Paradise exhibition will present the three panels within the context of their 25 years of restoration, nearly as long as it took Ghiberti to create the work.

Blue Star Café – “Seattle Art Party.” Art Parties Seattle will be hosting a gathering of artists and art lovers for art viewing, socializing, drinks and food. Exhibiting artists include Marty Gordon, Sharon Wilfong, Kay Keilson KEO, Mark Eaton, Doug Keith, Quata Cody, Robin Jordan, and Ron Kenny. 6-10 pm. The Blue Star Café is located at 4512 Stone Way N., Seattle 98103.

OKOK Gallery – The gallery presents Seattle musician “Nick Dewitt” for the final performance in a three part series of sound-based artwork. Dewitt will accompany Spring and Summer from Vivaldi’s Four Seasons with a monster drum kit adorned in a rococo baroque costume. This ambitious and outrageous performance will be a fitting finale to a month that celebrates sound’s varied potentials and possibilities. 7-9 pm.

Sunday, January 27

Seattle Art Museum – “Feldman and the Artists,” a Pivotal Perspectives series event. Join music scholars Alex Ross, Kyle Gann, Jonathan Bernard and Elena Dubinets for a discussion of the contributions to contemporary culture made by the iconoclastic composer Morton Feldman. Presented by the Seattle Chamber Players and the Seattle Art Museum, this forum will be followed by performances in the Third Floor galleries. 10am – 1pm. Free with Museum Admission. Reservations required. Please call the SAM Box Office at 206.654.3121.

Frye Art Museum – The community opening celebration for the Frye's newest exhibition, "R. Crumb's Underground," continues with a screening of “Crumb,” Terry Zwigoff’s fascinating 1994 documentary profile of comix artist Robert Crumb. Crumb’s life is examined without flinching, as the mysteriously jovial artist recalls his difficult childhood—and his family members reveal a troubling portrait of widespread damage. The riveting Crumb is about art, but it is also a nightmarish vision of an American family. 2 pm. Free and open to the public.

This Week's Events: Jan 14 - Jan 20, 2008

2008-01-15T20:41:00.000-08:00

Wednesday, January 16

The Hideout – “Vital 5 Review” release party. The new edition of the Hideout’s zine. “Alcohol fueled editorial, drawings and other random thoughts, all made on location… And surprisingly, it is quite good.” Decide for yourself. Evening/nightish, free, 21+.

Thursday, January 17

Bellevue Arts Museum – Opening day of “Material Terrain: A Sculptural Exploration of Landscape and Place” a traveling exhibition that features contemporary works by eleven artists who employ diverse materials and techniques to address the uneasy balance between the natural and constructed environment. Twenty-three, large-scale, mixed-media works will be on indoor and outdoor display throughout the Museum. Exhibition continues through May 4, 2008.

Tacoma Art Museum – “Renoir as Printmaker: The Complete Works” exhibition opens. Tacoma Art Museum presents a comprehensive collection of French impressionist painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir’s etchings and lithographs created during the last three decades of his life. Drawn from a local private collection, this body of work constitutes Renoir's entire known graphic works. Exhibition continues through June 29, 2008. The public opening happens tonight from 5-8 (during the Tacoma Artwalk) during which the museum is free.

The Hedreen Gallery – New videos from Matt McCormick’s “future so bright” series. Relentlessly blurring the line between documentary, installation and experimental film, McCormick has poetically captured the spirit of the American West in his latest body of work. McCormick gained critical attention for his film The Subconcious Art of Graffitti Removal, which was named one of the best films of 2002 by Artforum and The Village Voice. The “future so bright series” is “an ode to a falling empire, a swan song to what was, as well as a love song to what could still be.” Opening reception 5-8 pm. Exhibition continues through March 29, 2008.

Matt McCormick, detail from "future so bright: western edge"

Tacoma Artwalk - Participating galleries and business open 5-8 pm. In addition, admission to the Museum of Glass is free during the artwalk, and admission to the Tacoma Art Museum and Washington State History Museum is free all day.

Friday, January 18

Suyama Space – Opening reception for “Seeps of Winter: Installation by John Grade.” Seattle sculptor John Grade will create a site-specific installation inspired by an imagined view from the bottom of a bog stretched across the ceiling of Suyama Space, an installation gallery located at 2324 2nd Avenue in Seattle, Washington. Seeps of Winter is cast in interlocking sections of cast paper pulp, glassine and cellulose, a mixture that creates a thin, puckered and drooping skin spanning the exhibition space. The natural light emitted from the gallery skylights dimly filters through large pores in the membrane, releasing a subtle luminosity. Opening reception 5-7 pm. The exhibition will continue through April 18, 2008. Grade will present an artist talk at the gallery on Saturday, January 19 at 12 noon.

"Seeps of Winter," 2008, detail (in progress), cast paper pulp, glassine and cellulose, 10 x 50 x 30, photograph by Maria Grade

Seattle Art Museum – “World Maps: SAM's Think Tank and Beyond with Hirokazu Kosaka.” The Creatively Speaking lecture series presents SAM Think-Tank artist in residence Hirokazu Kosaka. How would you map the world you inhabit? This is the question printmaker Hirokazu Kosaka’s Mappa Mundi asks as he creates woodblock prints in response to maps made by Seattle residents. Discover how this project has unfolded over the last four months in the SAM Think Tank, as well as out and about in Seattle. 7-8 pm. Free with Museum Admission. To reserve your space, please call the SAM Box Office at 206.654.3121.

Saturday, January 19

Bellevue Arts Museum – “Textile Printing Demomstration.” Join Cameron Anne Mason, Textiles instructor at the Pratt Fine Arts Center, as she demonstrates ways of using thickened dye on fabric to create multi-layered and textured art cloth. Cameron will show how to stamp, stencil, and silkscreen fabric using low-tech tools. Learn simple techniques for silk-screening without the expense and effort of creating photo emulsion screens. 1-3 pm, Free to the public.

Henry Art Gallery – “Integrating Life and Art: Tea Ceremony Demonstration.” The Urasenke Foundation will present a Japanese Tea Ceremony demonstration in the Henry’s Turrell Skyspace (Light Reign); afterwards, participants can enjoy a tea service in the Henry’s Baci Café. Saturday January 19, 2008, 2 to 3:30 PM. (Seatings at 2, 2:30, and 3 PM). Space is limited, reservations required, call 206-616.9694. Suggested donation: $10 General / $5 Henry Members / $5 Students and Seniors

Seattle Art Museum – “Mappa Mundi Workshop with Hirokazu Kosaka.” Loosely translated, mappa mundi means charting worlds. Go back in time and create a map describing special places where you spent your childhood. Your hand-drawn maps will become part of the Mappa Mundi project on display in the Think Tank. No drawing experience needed. This is an intergenerational workshop. Noon – 2 pm. Free to the public, registration is recommended. Contact 206.654.3209 or CommunityAffairs@SeattleArtMuseum.org.

Sunday, January 20

Frye Art Museum – “West Germany’s Big Three: Herzog, Wenders, and Fassbinder.” Three names are inextricably linked with the flowering of West German cinema in the 1970s: Werner Herzog (Aguirre, the Wrath of God, 1972), Wim Wenders (Wings of Desire, 1987), and the short-lived but astonishingly productive R. W. Fassbinder (The Marriage of Maria Braun, 1979). Robert Horton compares the journeys of these gifted filmmakers against the context of German film history. Audience discussion with film clips. 2 pm, free to the public.

Twilight Artist Collective Celebrates 3 Years

2008-01-13T21:33:00.001-08:00

Last night, the Twilight Artist Collective lit up West Seattle with a fun, fabulous party celebrating their third year anniversary. TwAC was founded in 2005 by local artists Erin Crawford, Mary Enslow and Cheryl Robinson, who dreamt of providing the venue for artists to share inspiration and to build a sustainable artist community.

Three years later, TwAC has succeeded in building a colorful, high energy collective of artists whose work range from painting to sculpture to fiber and everywhere in between. What truly makes them special is their unpretentious demeanor and tireless dedication to creating retail opportunities for local artists. They maintain their original storefront in Pike Place Market, exhibit art in coffeeshops and cocktail lounges all over town, and have recently opened a new second location on the west side.

Last night's celebration packed their colorful West Seattle storefront. Champagne flowed and cupcakes were eaten while viewers enjoyed music, live painting demonstrations, and TwAC's wide range of locally made goods from paintings to handbags to paper goods and much more.

Happy anniversary and congratulations Twilight Artist Collective!

This Week's Events: Jan 7 - Jan 13, 2008

2008-01-08T23:26:00.000-08:00

Can you believe how many amazing openings/events are happening simultaneously on Thursday? Good luck choosing, but rain or more rain, this is definitely the week to shake off the post-holiday slump and get out of the house.

Wednesday, January 9

OKOK Gallery - "Sound and Vision" will debut three compositions from the inaugural Environmental Aesthetics Satsop Residency founded by Gabe Bacon and Paul Schrag Wednesday. The three artists awarded the first annual Satsop Residency include Seattle artist Yann Novak, Olympia quartet Problems, and Olympia artist Myello. The artists were granted access to an abandoned Nuclear Cooling Tower in Elma Washington where they were invited to sonically interpret this epic industrial monument. Each composition will be accompanied by a photograph that will be projected on the back wall of the gallery. 7-9 pm.

Thursday, January 10

University of Washington – “University Art Institute Keynote Lecture by Robert Storr.” Robert Storr is an internationally renowned curator, critic, academic, and artist. Storr held the position of contemporary curator at the MOMA for years and is currently Dean of the Yale School of Art and was director of the 2007 Venice Biennale. In conjunction with the closing of “Kim Jones: A Retrospective” at the Henry Art Gallery, Storr will speak on Jones and his work's inclusion in the 2007 Venice Biennale and at Site Santa Fe in 2004. 7 pm in the Roethke Auditorium in Kane Hall, University of Washington Campus. Tickets ($15 General Admission, $10 Henry Members, $12 Students/Seniors) are available online at Brown Paper Tickets.

SAM Gallery – Opening reception for two new shows, “In Focus: Centrum/London” and “Autobiography.” The first exhibition highlights a local residency program at Centrum, in Fort Worden State Park near Port Townsend, and specifically the January residency of six U.K.-based artists whose work explores space/place/site. The second exhibition features a group of artists who explore their own identity, heritage, and/or artistic history in their artwork. Featured artists include Willie Bonner, Diem Chau, Pamm O. Hanson, Lezlie Jane, Judith Kindler, Layne Kleinart, Hugo Ludeña, Allan Packer and Amy Sollins. Reception runs from 5-7 pm. The SAM Gallery is located in the Seattle Tower Building.

G. Gibson Gallery – Reception for two new shows, “Berenice Abbott: New York” and “Doug Keyes: Becoming Language.” Doug Keyes' recent work, Collective Memory-Routes and Areas / Becoming Language, are multiple exposure photographs that document travel along a route or within a specific area in an attempt to record what the eye doesn't see but the mind retains. These large-scale luminous color photographs reveal (or conceal) an entire experience in a single image. Berenice Abbott was an influential photographer of the early 20th century, well known for her images of New York in the 1930s. Reception 5-8 pm. Both shows continue until February 16, 2008.

James Harris Gallery – Opening reception for “Hinterland,” an exhibition of paintings by Portland artist Adam Sorensen. Employing numerous sources in his compositions – which range from Surrealism to The Hudson River School to Japanese Anime – Sorensen explores the contemporary landscape in a way that captures how ecological circumstances have displaced traditional ways of imagining and relating to the natural world. Also opening in the James Harris Project Space is a small selection from Claire Cowie’s latest body of work. 6-8 pm. Show runs through February 9, 2008.

Adam Sorenson, "Grove and Hazard," opening at James Harris Gallery

Platform Gallery – For his new show “Prospect Fields,” artist Eric Eley has created a living drawing that becomes a field for a view. Seeing an opportunity to go beyond simply placing discrete objects in the white box of the gallery, Eley has created an environment that puts the viewer literally inside the sculptural object by delineating the space within the entire gallery. With no way to see the work in profile or from afar, one is instead given the opportunity to powerfully experience space as a three dimensional drawing. Opening 5-8 pm. Exhibition continues through February 9, 2008.

Lawrimore Project – “The Prom - A Semi-Formal Survey of Semi-Formal Painting.” Lawrimore Project is pleased to present the second of a three-part series devoted to contemporary painting strategies. Curated by gallery manager, Alex Ohge, THE PROM... is a pure celebration of the medium and could easily have been subtitled, "paintings for painters and the people who love them." This semi-formal survey brings together a group of artists from around the country all completely devoted to the process of painting and all exploring the semi-formal terrain where representation meets painting for painting's sake. Opening reception 5-8 pm. Exhibition runs January 11th - February 23rd.

Catherine Person Gallery – “The Black & White Show.” A mixed media survey in glorious black & white featuring recent work by Colleen Hayward, Davis Freeman, *Eric Elliott, Lynne Saad, Nola Avienne, Seth D'Ambrosia & Teresa Redden. Reception 6-8 pm. Exhibition continues through February 9.

Howard House – “Ken Fandell: Old Pictures” presents four new photographic diptychs and a 10 minute animated video in which the artist continues his explorations into the disorienting psychological effects of meetings between quotidian existence and drama, mystery, and grandeur. “Ken Kelly: Future Perfect” presents a new body of work which focuses on the referential possibilities of simple grid patterns. Reception for both exhibitions 6-8 pm. Show continues through February 23, 2008. (An Artist Talk will be held Saturday, Jan 12, at 12 Noon.)

West Seattle Junction Art Walk – Galleries and many participating businesses hold openings and events from 6-9 pm, rain or shine (probably rain).

* Hotwire Coffeehouse West - The unofficial starting point of the West Seattle Junction Artwalk will be featuring collage works by local artist Marty Gordon, sponsored by Twilight Artist Collective. (4410 California SW, Seattle).

Marty Gordon, "The Ladies Who Launch," 5x7" collage

Friday, January 11

Suite 100 Gallery – “Left Behind,” a new show featuring over 10 artists that captures various aspects of what being left behind entails, interpreted by each artist with personal experiences coloring his or her work. Opening night features live painting and music. 6-10 pm. Show runs through February 1, 2008.

Form/Space Atelier – Opening reception and lecture for “Scant Plush,” new paintings by Jessica Hachmeister. Jessica Hachmeister is drawn toward large and dramatic abstract painting, developing a style based on dominant shapes and interconnecting lines. Hachmeister distributes these marks across multiple canvases to create a balanced landscape of form and space. 6-8 pm. Exhibit duration: January 11-February 3.

Saturday, January 12

Twilight Artist Collective – “Twilight Artist Collective Celebration: 3 Ladies + 3 Years + New Location.” Twilight Artist Collective is turning 3, celebrating the opening of their second location (what an accomplishment!) and throwing a big party to toast their vision of creating a sustainable, thriving artist community of more than 100 artists. How can you turn down complimentary brew, bubbly, and baby-cakes provided by the Elysian Brewery, Cupcake Royale, and Cascade Trade, and live music by DJ Sean Majors of The Lost Boys. ALSO featuring artwork by many Twilight Artist Collective artists and Live painting by Justin Hillgrove, Eric Osborne, and OneSevenNine. 6-10 pm, at Twilight Artist Collective, (4306 SW Alaska Street.)

3 Ladies + 3 Years = Twilight Artist Collective

Ballard Second Saturday Artwalk – Galleries and participating businesses open from 6-9 pm. Maps are available at most locations. Openings include:

* Secret Garden Bookshop – “Marty Gordon,” featuring humorous collage-work by prolific local artist Marty Gordon. 6-9 pm.

* Re/Max Mutual Realty – Andrew L. Parker with RE/MAX Mutual Realty Seattle is a regular participant in the Ballard Artwalk and this month they present photography by local artist Thomas Krueger. After viewing the show, stop by the separate opening to meet the artist at the Forum Center, Cascade Board Room. Snacks & wine will be served.

Photograph by Thomas Krueger, on display at Re/Max in Ballard

* OKOK Gallery - The Gallery will be presenting a second show of the first installment of "Sound and Vision." 7-9 pm. (See above for more details.)

Sunday, January 13

Francine Seders Gallery – Opening reception for “Robert C. Jones: Paintings, Drawings, and Prints. Reception from 2-4 pm. Exhibition continues through February 17, 2008.

First Thursday: Jan 3, 2008

2008-01-03T10:42:00.000-08:00

Sorry everybody! No time for a full list of openings this month. But check the Seattle Art News calendar here for info on many of the openings happening tonight: George Brandt and Molly Norris at Gallery 110, "My Phone Tells Me to Do Bad Things" by Ries Niemi at Punch Gallery, "Even the ID is Anxious" at Luxcollective Gallery (in the Prudential Building on Alaskan Way) and much more.

Have fun!

This Week's Events: Jan 1 - Jan 6, 2008

2008-01-01T20:36:00.000-08:00

Happy 2008 everybody! Seattle Art News is back from holiday hiatus and looking forward to a great year. On that note, remember to keep the local art news, tips, reactions and suggestions coming my way. I do try to incorporate as many reader suggestions as I can into the site, as well as updating the weekly calendar with all your events and openings. Thanks for reading!

Thursday, January 3

Pioneer Square First Thursday Artwalk – Full list of openings coming tomorrow!

Henry Art Gallery – “Zoe Strauss Artist Talk,” at the Henry Art Gallery. Open Satellite in Bellevue presents the first Northwest solo exhibition of Philadelphia-based photographer and installation artist Zoe Strauss. Focusing her camera on the gritty neighborhoods of her hometown, Strauss creates tough, emotional portraits of the residents and architecture populating the streets of South Philadelphia, Kensington, and other working class areas. Her images, each considered part of a larger series begun in 2000, are ferocious studies of the American inner city. Strauss discusses her work at the Henry Art Gallery at 7 pm. Free and open to the public.

Friday, January 4

Fremont First Friday Artwalk - Galleries and participating businesses are open from 6-9 pm, rain or shine.

Northwest Film Forum – “All My Love,” plays twice daily at 7 and 9 pm from January 4 – January 10. Seattle filmmaker/composer Brian Short has created a bold, original first feature that weaves skies, landforms, structures and textures into "visual music." All My Love features impressionistic photography from three distinctive parts of the globe: the deserts of the American Southwest, the Mongolian Gobi, and the urban landscape of modern Berlin with an evocative ambient/electronic score. The result is a hypnotic journey through light, movement and form that is at once global in its scope and deeply personal in its vision. This unique Seattle creation won the prize for best feature at the 2007 Local Sightings Film Festival. Tickets: $5 - NWFF members, $6 - children & seniors, $8.50 – general. Buy them here.

Vermillion – “First Friday at Vermillion,” featuring music by Selector Angel Eyes. Vermillion celebrates their continuing group show “Gathering” with refreshments, live music, and meet the artist opportunities. 6-9 pm. Show runs through the end of January.

McLeod Residence - McLeod Residence celebrates its "First Anniversary" with an exhibit featuring three artists who work with traditional subjects in nontraditional ways. The anniversary party and exhibit opening will feature a special musical performance by Cynthia Norton, an artist exploring the boundaries between domestic crafts and new media, to coincide with the opening of her video quilt installation Apple Suckling Tree. Also showing during January is an interactive textile grid by USA Fellow Maggie Orth and a stereoscopic photography installation by Ingrid Schultz. The one-year anniversary party and performance of Apple Suckling Tree takes place on Friday, January 4, 2008, from 6-9 pm. The exhibits run through February 2, 2008.

Seattle Art Museum - Karl Krogstad Film Premiere “The Perfect Show.” Seattle’s celebrated independent filmmaker, Karl Krogstad, presents six new short films. Krogstad, host of the Seattle Channel’s The American Avant Garde, only unveils new personal works every three years. This screening, “The Perfect Show,” promises to be a visually and thematically stimulating treat; Krogstad calls it “the most unusual grab bag of my cinematic career.” This 90-minute program will include his introductions to the films and answers to audience questions. First showing at 7 pm and second showing at 9 pm. Tickets sold at the door: $8 – members, $10 – nonmembers.

Saturday, January 5

Seattle Asian Art Museum - Free First Saturday event “Sapporo Yuki Matsuri: Sapporo Snow Festival.” Watch an artist at work making an ice sculpture, walk the galleries and create your own sculpture with teaching artist Janet Fagan Smith. 11 am – 2 pm, free and open to the public.

This Week’s Events: Dec 10 – Dec 16, 2007

2007-12-10T19:54:00.000-08:00

Tuesday, December 11

Tacoma Art Museum – “The Arts and the Economy.” Stephanie Stebich, Director of Tacoma Art Museum, and Amy McBride, Arts Administrator for the City of Tacoma, discuss the many ways arts and culture positively impact the local economy, both in terms of employment and tourism. Senior (65+) admission on Second Tuesdays is reduced to $3.25.

Wednesday, December 12

Northwest Film Forum – As part of a retrospective of the work of Portuguese director Pedro Costa, the NW Film Forum presents the Seattle premiere of “Colossal Youth.” Costa does away with conventional boundaries between fiction and documentary, masterfully shooting non-actors who share the drug problems and dire straits of the "characters" they play. “Colossal Youth” was acclaimed by many critics as the best film of 2006. Film begins at 9:15 pm.

Thursday, December 13

Seattle Art Museum – “Looking at Africans Looking at Europeans from the 17th to the 19th Century,” a Pivotal Perspectives conversation featuring Professor Fémi Táíwò of Seattle University's Philosophy and Global African Studies Program. Japan Envisions the West portrays how Japanese art from the 16th to the 19th century reflects Western influence. This conversation will explore an African perspective on “Western” influence by examining artistic representations–visual, musical and verbal—and the modes of governance, religions, architecture, and philosophical traditions. 7-8 pm. Free with Museum Admission. To reserve your space, please call the SAM Box Office at 206.654.3121.

West Seattle Junction Art Walk – Galleries and participating businesses open from 6-9 pm. For information and maps visit Hotwire Coffeehouse, 4410 California SW, or click here. Openings include:

* Hotwire Coffeehouse – Twilight Artist Collective presents “Historic Pike Place Market in Living 3-D,” anaglyphic photographs by Dean Walch. 6-9 pm.

3-D photographs by Dean Walch at Hotwire Online Coffehouse, West Seattle

* Twilight in the Junction – The Twilight Artist Collective opens their second location in West Seattle, Twilight at the Junction, with a new show featuring Kim McCarthy, Brad Strain, and Justin Hillgrove. Cupcakes and beer were also promised. 6-9 pm.

Friday, December 14

BLVD Gallery - "Good v. Evil: A Group Show" featuring work by some of the Northwests finest illustrators. As much a sociological experiment as an artshow, artists were asked to make two pieces representing Good and Evil. BLVD will be filled with some of the most humorous, original, and truly fine examples of the burgeoning community of illustrators here in the NW. 6-10 pm.

Roq La Rue - SHAG "Motorino" new paintings and prints. Reception from 6-10 pm.

Form/Space Atelier – “FringeShift: Oil Paintings By Shawn Foote,” with opening reception lecture By Zhi Lin at 7 pm. Foote obtains inspiration from exploring nature. Moving shapes appear naturally in his work. Foote's paintings incredibly combine physics research and the Fringeshift philosophy he has invented to synthesize his scholarly inquiries.

Frye Art Museum – “Friday at the Frye: Wrapped in Hugs.” Friday at the Frye brings together an array of artistic disciplines in creative, exploratory, and engaging ways. For an enhanced social experience, the Museum is open 10 am to 10 pm, with extended café and store hours, plus a cash bar and activities beginning at 7 pm. Activities include a Crafter’s Studio with fun holiday projects, “Critics Wrap 2007,” an evening of festive and feisty film talk and “An Artist’s Guide to Hug,” with artist Alex Schweder sharing his insight of Piccinini's work and posing questions of how the world we design mirrors our collective fantasies about who we are and who we would like to be. Check the Frye website for schedule and times. All activities and admission are free.

Northwest Film Forum – “A Clockwork Reduction Live” Live Filmmaking in Parts, A Conceptual Project By Seattle School. A live restaging of Andy Warhol’s 1965 film “Vinyl,” as interpreted by a large group of talented directors, performers and others. The restaging will be filmed and turned into a movie at the same time. In theater A, the "Sound Stage," the audience will witness film production in action, video cameras capture 6 directors directing 6 factory-esque models cum actors. In theater B, the "Focus Group" the audience interjects in the creative process. There is a projection of the actors in theater A and composers improvise and perform a live score as they watch. And from the lobby, the "Screening Room," the audience can imbibe, deconstruct, and opine about the entire process. The finished video and audio from both theaters are projected onto a translucent screen. The audience can move around freely throughout the whole facility to see different constrained perspectives of the whole filmmaking process - a very weird, Rube Goldberg version of the filmmaking process. 9 pm (8 pm doors), Fri 14 & Sat 15. $15 general / $12 NWFF members.

Find out what this is about at the Northwest Film Forum this weekend.

Saturday, December 15

Northwest Film Forum – Last night of “A Clockwork Reduction Live” Live Filmmaking in Parts, A Conceptual Project By Seattle School. 9 pm (8 pm doors), Fri 14 & Sat 15. $15 general / $12 NWFF members.

Gallery 1412 – “Apostrophe,” a monthly series presenting three solo artists in one hour. Without theme or intermission, a dancer, musician and poet present their work, posing questions about the compositional frame (page, body, breath, instrument, floor, room) and how it shapes imagination and space. This month Apostrophe features Jürg Koch (dance), Robert Mittenthal (poetry) and Robert Pedersen (music). 8 pm. $5-15 sliding scale.

Sunday, December 16

Tacoma Art Museum – “Snowbound,” a new TAM winter tradition. Snowbound. Visitors will have the opportunity to create and decorate paper snowflakes, snow-globes and holiday cookies. The central focus of Snowbound is local artist Alex Schweder’s installation, “Melting Instructions.” The series of installations on the front plaza and in the center courtyard incorporates ice, snow, video projections, lights, and furniture in his installations. The works are meant to evoke the meaning of winter, explore the function of buildings as shelter, and create spaces that change in form and function as winter’s chill melts away. The Melting Instructions installation in the courtyard will then be on view throughout the holiday season for several weeks after the Snowbound event. The plaza installation is on view only until it melts. 12-5 pm. Visitors pay two for one admission on December 16 for Snowbound, with regular adult admission at $7.50 and senior/student/military admission at $6.50.

Northwest Film Forum – “Clockwork Reduction Special Screening.” Presenting the films made on Dec 14 and 15, the participants will also talk over it in a live DVD commentary. 7 pm. Sunday screening FREE for stub keepers from Fri or Sat - all others standard admission of $15 general / $12 NWFF members.

First Thursday - December 6, 2007

2007-12-04T21:34:00.000-08:00

This First Thursday will be a great one for those people brave enough to face the weather! Good luck to all galleries who will be skipping the rain to spend the week at the Aqua Art Miami art fair.

ArtXchange Gallery – Continuing exhibition “Unpredictable Arrivals,” featuring paintings by Donald Cole, inspired by the colors, patterns, languages, and textures of Asia. Show continues until December 29.

Donald Cole, "Rocana (The Space of Light)," 2007, showing at ArtXchange

Benham Gallery – “New Work by David Fokos and Steven Meyers,” two of Benham Gallery’s favorite artists. Fokos’s large format Zen landscapes are not supposed to remind you of a specific location but rather to transport you to a place of tranquility and balance and Meyers has added created landscapes to the x-ray images he is so well known for. Exhibit continues through December 24.

D'adamo/Woltz Gallery – “Juried Photography Exhibit” from December 6 – December 31, 2007.

Foster/White – Opening reception for the “Holiday Small Works Show.” Through December 29.

G. Gibson Gallery – “Ron Van Dongen & Popco Bakkers: Two Artists from Warmond, The Netherlands.” In the tradition of what is Dutch, G. Gibson is showing 2 artists from Warmond, the Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. Popco Bakkers still lives there and Ron van Dongen, who currently lives in Portland, Oregon, wanted to bring Popco's work to the states. Exhibit continues until January 5, 2008.

Gallery4Culture - Opening reception for "Boundaries of Vacancy," new sculpture and an installation by Seattle artist “Shawn Patrick Landis.” In a new room-sized installation, Landis defines the negative space around objects while simultaneously revealing the shape of air. Through December 28.

Gallery 110 - Works by elusive and eccentric artist T. Michael Gardiner and made-to-order reproductions of original works David Kane. Encaustics by Patricia Seggebruch in the loft space.

T. Michael Gardiner, "A Dubious Situation," opening at Gallery 100

Gallery I|M|A – “Annual Group Exhibition,” displaying a unique collection of small works by almost thirty of the gallery’s represented artists. Featuring a broad range of original paintings, glass, ceramic, and sculptural works created by local northwest, national and international artists. Also featuring sculptural kinetic works using books, thread and wire by the gallery’s newest artist, Casey Curran. Through December 30, 2007.

Gallery OK - Opening reception for "The Forgotten Works Challenge" 7th Annual challenge event.

Greg Kucera Gallery - Continuing exhibition "Minidoka on My Mind." In a group of 30 paintings, Roger Shimomura explores his family's internment during World War II, including some works suggesting his personal memories. The show's title refers to Camp Minidoka in Hunt, Idaho where he and his family were detained from the spring of 1942 until the summer of 1944. Exhibition closes December 22.

Grover/Thurston Gallery - Opening reception for mixed-media paintings by John Randall Nelson.

Howard House - Continuing shows “Cat Clifford: Fall” and “Jenny Heishman: Complexions” through January 5.

Cat Clifford, "Home" Installation View, 56 ink on paper & projector, currently at Howard House

James Harris Gallery - Continuing exhibition featuring photographs by "Bing Wright." The show will combine two distinct bodies of work that each gracefully captures the artist's interest in the history of the medium. Through December 21.

Linda Hodges Gallery - Continuing exhibition featuring one of the Northwest's most popular and highly respected painters, Gaylen Hansen. Fantastic in subject and formal in style, Hansen's talent blazes ever more brightly in the 8th decade of his life. Hansen is the currently the subject of a thirty-year retrospective traveling exhibition, titled "Gaylen Hansen: Three Decades of Paintings," organized by Washington State University Curator Chris Bruce and exhibiting at the Seattle Art Museum. Gallery exhibition continues through December 29.

Lisa Harris Gallery - Landscape photography by Peter de Lory. Through December 29.

Patricia Rovzar Gallery - "15th Annual Group Exhibition" featuring new works by all the gallery's artists. Through January 10, 2008.

Platform Gallery – “In Between Days: Photographs by Kevin O'Connell and Adam Satushek.” While the photographs that make up Platform's exhibition "In Between Days" are by two artists with very different experiences and perspectives, the "landscapes" observed by these artists go far in telling us about what happens around us when we aren't necessarily looking—in the in between moments. Show closes December 29.

Pratt Gallery – The Pratt Gallery in the Tashiro Kaplan Building features Pratt jewelry artists and members of the Washington State Enamelists partnering to display a wide variety of work. The show focuses on enamels and the community of artists working in this medium. Through December 29.

Punch Gallery – Opening reception for the Punch + SOIL International Juried Exhibition “A bell is a cup until it is struck.” Two fantastic galleries team-up to present the work of 16 artists from across the US and beyond. Nearly 1000 entries were submitted from more than 300 artists. Juried by Eric Fredericksen, director of Western Bridge, this exhibition includes a focused assemblage of photography, video, sculpture, ink on paper, cough drop labels and other mixed media. Themes include spills, spots, piles, trash, smoke, mirrors, bread, sunsets, Jesus, trees, motor homes, and a poodle. Through December 30.

Florian Japp, “Skadi,” color photograph, part of Punch + SOIL’s International Juried Exhibition

Shift Collaborative Studio - While continuing to exhibit "Shift4," works by new gallery members, a "Small Works Exhibition" opens, featuring works by many gallery artists.

SOIL – The Punch + SOIL International Juried Exhibition “A bell is a cup until it is struck.” Two fantastic galleries team-up to present the work of 16 artists from across the US and beyond. Nearly 1000 entries were submitted from more than 300 artists. Juried by Eric Fredericksen, director of Western Bridge, this exhibition includes a focused assemblage of photography, video, sculpture, ink on paper, cough drop labels and other mixed media. Themes include spills, spots, piles, trash, smoke, mirrors, bread, sunsets, Jesus, trees, motor homes, and a poodle. Through December 30.

Some Space Gallery – “Float, Flitter, Fade: New Work by Noah Overby.” Inspired by the Japanese concept of wabi-sabi, Noah constructs poetic images from cloud forms, floral images and decorative patterns. These paintings use a simple, pared down visual vocabulary to explore themes of tranquility and impermanence. Showing December 3rd - 28th, 2007.

Noah Overby, “Pink Lotus,” acrylic and collage on canvas, opening at Some Space Gallery

Wall Space - "Home for the Holidays," an eclectic collection of images from a cross-section of photographers portraying the spirit of the holiday season. Through December 23.

William Traver Gallery - Works in glass by "Nadege Desgenetez" and "Richard Royal." Through February 3, 2008.

This Week's Events: Dec 3 - Dec 9, 2007

2007-12-03T22:30:00.000-08:00

Thursday, December 6

Frye Art Museum – “The Visual Science Fictions of Patricia Piccinini,” featuring Janelle S. Taylor, associate professor, Department of Anthropology, University of Washington This lecture explores how Patricia Piccinini’s visual artworks participate in and creatively reconfigure the literary tradition of science fiction, from Mary Shelley’s early-nineteenth-century masterpiece Frankenstein to more recent work by authors such as Octavia Butler and Kazuo Ishiguro. 6:30 pm. Free.

Seattle Art Museum – “Challenges and Choices: Te Fenua ‘Enata (the Marquesas Islands),” part of the Pivotal Perspectives series. Dr. Carol Ivory, professor of fine arts at Washington State University, discusses her nearly fifteen years of research in the archipelago—exploring the range and variety of art forms being made today in the Marquesas, placing them within their historical context, and examining the choices, both economic and aesthetic, that Marquesan artists make as they engage the contemporary world. 7-8 pm. Members $5, Nonmembers $10, Student/Seniors $7. To reserve your space call the SAM Box Office at 206.654.3121.

First Thursday Pioneer Square Artwalk - full list of openings and events coming soon!

Friday, December 7

Fremont First Friday Artwalk - Galleries and participating businesses open 6-9, rain or shine.

McLeod Residence – Opening reception for “Giant Squid.” New York artist Cassandra Nguyen creates giant fabric squid from a variety of materials. Members of Seattle's Cephalopod Appreciation Society will be on hand at the opening reception to help disseminate facts and enthusiasm about the elusive giant squid, and will facilitate live drawing, squid poetry, and other activities to help creatively further our understanding. Also: “squid snacks and inky cocktails.” 6-9 pm. Runs through December 29.

Vermillion - "Gathering,” a group art show featuring local and national artists benefiting Northwest Harvest. A holiday show featuring an eclectic group of local and national artists gathering together for a common cause, visitors are also encouraged to bring pre-prepared shelf ready food items, such as canned goods, to benefit Northwest Harvest. A portion of all gallery sales will also be donated. 6-9 pm. Show runs through January 30, 2008.

Pratt Fine Arts Center – “Holiday Art Sale” Opening Night Celebration. Eat, drink, be merry and shop for unique holiday gifts by local artists in glass, jewelry, painting and sculpture. $20 admission for the opening celebration. The Holiday Art Sale runs through December 16.

Seattle Art Museum – “Hip Hop Masquerades: The Art of Iona Rozeal Brown.” Iona Rozeal Brown’s images of “blinged-out” geishas and gangsters are a decidedly contemporary take on 19th century ukiyo-e prints from Japan such as those on view in the current SAM exhibition Japan Envisions the West. Discover Brown’s own artistic interaction between the East and West. 7-8 pm. Free with Museum Admission. To reserve your space call the SAM Box Office at 206.654.3121.

Saturday, December 8

911 Media Arts Center – “Dorkbot: People Doing Strange Things with Electricity” Opening Reception. Dorkbot-sea is the Seattle-based spin-off of dorkbot-nyc, a monthly meeting of artists of all stripes, designers, engineers, students and other interested parties who are involved in the creation of electronic art in the broadest sense of the term. “Strange Things” is a juried show of about 15-30 pieces. Installations may very in length of time, from one night only to the full month, and may vary in size, ranging from small wall images to full room installations. 7 pm - 2 am. $10 - 21 and over. Exhibition continues through January 11, 2008.

Ballard Second Saturday Artwalk - Check out galleries and great local art from 6-9 pm. Including openings at:

* OKOK Gallery - Continuing exhibition "Exact Change" features paintings and installation by Grant Barnhart.

* Sev Shoon Arts Center – “Students Month,” featuring prints in many different media by Sev Shoon Students. 6-9 pm.

* Wonderful Union Gallery - “Memphis,” a photographic investigation of the Southern city by LA-based artist Jeff Gros. 6-10 pm. The Wonderful Union Gallery is located at 2221 NW 56th St. Suite 201, 1/2 Block West of the Ballard Library. Show continues through February 2, 2008.

Sunday, December 9

Western Bridge – “The NEXT STEP: a 911 Media Arts Center Fundraising Event.” An evening of awards, fine cuisine, and experiential entertainment to raise funds for the next evolution of 911 Media Arts. Featuring the Anne Focke Award, awarded to Richard Andrews of The Henry Gallery. Find out how to buy tickets, sponsor a table, and the background of the event here. Doors open at 6 pm.

This Week's Events: Nov 27 - Dec 2, 2007

2007-11-26T21:31:00.000-08:00

Tuesday, November 27

Henry Art Gallery – “Open Floor,” a monthly laboratory of ideas for local artists, musicians, performers, and filmmakers. Open Floor encourages experimentation and discussion across disciplines. Contact openfloor@henryart.org for more information. 6-8 pm, Free.

Wednesday, November 28

Gallery 110 - "Cheer Holiday Exhibit and Sale." For a limited time, Gallery 110 presents a show of work by member artists priced to sell for the holidays. 'Festive reception' 6-8 pm. Exhibit continues until December 1.

Seattle Art Museum - “On Icons and Objects: A Conversation with Jim Dine.” From Happenings to Pop Art, drawings to monumental sculpture, the work of Jim Dine traverses many eras and categories, but certain central themes persist. Join Jim Dine and Michael Darling, SAM's Jon & Mary Shirley Curator of Modern & Contemporary Art, for a conversation about the twists and turns of Dine’s fascinating and influential career. This lecture is presented in memory of former docent Elizabeth Hambleton. 7-8 pm. Free and open to the public. To reserve your space call the SAM Box Office at 206.654.3121.

Thursday, November 29

Frye Art Museum – “Yvonne Twining Humber: Reflections on the Artist on the Centenary of Her Birth.” Arts consultant Claudia Bach shares a personal perspective on painter Yvonne Twining Humber and examines how Humber responded to the circumstances and challenges of an artistic and personal life that was shaped by historical and social forces of the twentieth century. 7 pm. Free and open to the public.

Henry Art Gallery – Opening conversation and reception for Henry’s newest exhibition “Kazuyo Sejima + Ryue Nishizawa / SANAA.” Join Guest Curator Ken Tadashi Oshima with Sam Chermayeff and Lucy Styles of SANAA Studio for a conversation about SANAA’s recent projects – including the new New Museum of Contemporary Art, other recent projects, and an overview of this pioneering firm’s visionary work in architecture and design. Conversation begins at 7:30. Free and open to the public.

Friday, November 30

Henry Art Gallery – New exhibition “Kazuyo Sejima + Ryue Nishizawa / SANAA” open for daily viewing, running November 30, 2007 – March 2, 2008. Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa have been working collaboratively under the name SANAA (Sejima And Nishizawa And Associates) since 1995 but their work has only recently received significant recognition in the West. An array of the studio’s signature projects will be represented in this first exhibition of SANAA’s work in the U.S.; projects include the new New Museum of Contemporary Art in New York, the Glass Pavilion at the Toledo Museum of Art (Ohio), and the Museum of the 21st Century in Kanazawa, Japan. Other design objects, furniture pieces, models, building plans and photographs are also on display. Video documentation of recent and current projects will further convey the idea of “atmosphere,” the sense of simplicity and transparency that has become the signature of this remarkable firm.

"Essen Design School," Courtesy of SANAA

Photographic Center Northwest – “PCNW Members’ Juried Exhibition” Opening and Awards reception. Juried by Marisa Sanchez, Assistant Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at the Seattle Art Museum, this selection of prints by PCNW members features a range of work including landscapes, aerials, portraits, narratives, conceptual still lifes, abstracts & objects worthy of interest in typological studies. 6-8 pm, free and open to the public. Also opening is the PCNW’s "Fotoshop Holiday Bin Sale,"which includes moderately priced prints by students, faculty, staff, members and clients. Get there early for the best selection!

Seattle Art Museum - “An International Symposium on 16th-19th Century Japanese Art from Kobe City Museum.” From 7-8:30 pm, Ron Toby, professor of Japanese history at the University of Illinois, will present the keynote address. Toby is an expert on non-Japanese art that existed in Japan during the pre-modern period and on Japanese history, focusing on contact and exchange with the Western world. Free with museum admission. To reserve your space, please call the SAM Box Office at 206.654.3121.

Saturday, December 1

Seattle Art Museum – “An International Symposium on 16th-19th Century Japanese Art from Kobe City Museum.” This symposium brings together six art historians from the United States, Holland and Japan for a dialogue about Japanese art’s first encounters with the Western world. 10 am – 5 pm in the Plestcheeff Auditorium. Free with museum admission. To reserve your space, please call the SAM Box Office at 206.654.3121.

G. Gibson Gallery – Opening reception for new exhibition “Ron Van Dongen and Popco Bakkers: Two Artists from Warmond.” 3-5 pm.

Bluebottle Art Gallery – “Michael Slack: Frail” exhibition opening. Michael Slack is an artist, illustrator, and character designer whose works have appeared in books, magazines, and television. His monster card game ICK, was released this September through Chronicle books and received a bronze award from the Society of Illustrators Los Angeles. Reception 6-8 pm. Exhibition runs until December 30.

Michael Slack, "Recumbent Bubble Blower," digital print, edition of 5, opening at Bluebottle

ArtXchange – “Zimbags Gallery 33 Art Auction.” Hosted by ArtXchange Gallery, local non-profit Zimbags presents an evening of wine, dessert, music and an art auction featuring works donated by artists from around the world. The event honors December 1, World AIDS Day. Proceeds benefit Zimbags, a non-profit working to improve the quality of life for women in Zimbabwe. $25 per ticket, which includes 2 free drinks and free dessert. 6-9 pm. Email contact@zimbags.org to purchase to tickets.

Open Satellite – “Zoe Strauss: Works in Progress.” During her residency at Open Satellite, Philadelphia-based photographer and installation artist Zoe Strauss presents her first solo exhibition in the Northwest. Focusing her camera on the gritty neighborhoods of her hometown, Strauss creates tough, emotional portraits of the residents and architecture populating the streets of South Philadelphia, Kensington, and other working class areas. In the Seattle metropolitan area, Strauss continues her visual study of broken promises engendered by failed social and economic programs. Specifically, she looks to the Factoria neighborhood of Bellevue, citing the district’s ambitious intentions–suggested by its name–to become an industrial manufacturing hub. These plans never materialized, and the area’s name endures as a reminder of unfulfilled aspirations. Open Satellite presents Strauss’s new Seattle-area photographs, as projections and large-format prints, alongside a selection of her earlier work. Opening Event and Slide Show 6-9 pm. Exhibition continues until January 12, 2008.

Zoe Strauss, "how do I look," 2007, opening at Open Satellite

Sunday, December 2

ArtXchange - "The First Annual Seattle Chinese Tea Appreciation Festival." Presented by Black Dragon Tea Bar, this event will feature expertly prepared Chinese tea (including rare varieties), tasty Asian snacks and a private concert by Chinese Guqin master Wu Ziying. Join ArtXchange and Black Dragon Tea Bar for a relaxing afternoon of live music, art appreciation and a unique tea experience. $25 per person. Contact Black Dragon Tea Bar to purchase tickets.

Francine Seders Gallery – “But Seriously, Folks: Funny Art and Its Deeper Meanings,” opening reception. 2-4 pm. Exhibition continues until January 6, 2008.

"Quite a Pickle," Jennifer McNeely, part of "But Seriously, Folks," opening at Francine Seders Gallery

Saturday: Crawl Space "Current Works"

2007-11-23T23:14:00.000-08:00

This Saturday evening, November 24, Crawl Space is opening "Current Works," focusing on the new directions and explorations in the current studio practice of its member artists. Artists exhibiting include Tim Brown, Matt Browning, Diana Falchuk, Anne Mathern, Ori Ornstein, Tony Weathers, Chad Wentzel and Jason Wood.

Opening reception is 6-9 pm. Crawl Space is located at 504 E, Denny Way #1, Seattle, WA 98122, (behind a wooden fence).

This Week's Events: Nov 19 - Nov 25, 2007

2007-11-19T21:44:00.000-08:00

It's a quiet week for art-related happenings, but that's to be expected. I really hope everybody enjoys their day off, eating food, seeing family and all that. Cheers to all.

Tuesday, November 20

Jacob Lawrence Gallery - Opening reception for "Small and Flat: Work Within Limits," a juried exhibit featuring small 3D and works on paper by University of Washington School of Art undergraduate and graduate students. Reception 4-6 pm. Show continues through December 8

Lawrimore Project – A special one night only event, the world premiere of “Mixen Dixon: Urban Onions” a film presenting an experiment in improvisational entertainment (watch trailor here). More than just a film screening, the evening is a cross disciplinary event featuring fashion, performances, music and more by Majestica, a team of local artists raising funds to travel to Art Basel Miami. Doors open at 7pm, world premier at 9pm with one intermission, after party is 10-midnight. $5 at the door, drinks by donation. All ages welcome.