Seattle Art Blog

Opening from 6-8pm on January 27 at the Cullom Gallery, 603 S. Main Street, is “Beyond Japan: International Takes on Moku Hanga.”  Featuring Japanese-style woodblock prints (‘moku’ [wood] ‘hanga’ [prints] in Japanese), as well as drawings, photographs, artist books, and sculptural works of paper by nine international artists from six countries, Beyond Japan explores the influence of these artists’ participation in the residency program known as The Nagasawa Art Park Project (NAPP), which paired master Japanese carvers and printers with international artists to learn traditional Japanese woodblock printmaking. The exhibit includes thirty works by artists from Germany, Sweden, Norway, Scotland, the United Kingdom, Korea, and the United States.

The Henry Art Gallery, on the western edge of the University of Washington campus, is showcasing media artist, Maja Petrić (PhD candidate, DXARTS), choreographer, Jennifer Salk (Associate Professor, Dance), and over 15 dancers in a 40-minute dance/mixed media installation that delves into the complex nature of tenderness. Using light and projection technology, Petrić’s installations will appear in distinct locations in the Henry where the dancers interact. In the Stroum gallery, a large wall provides the backdrop to the main dance; it slowly “cracks” and discloses an illusion of a realm behind the wall. Performances are on January 26, 27, and February 2, 3 at 7:30PM and January 28, 29, and February 4 at 2:00PM. All performances are non-ticketed and free with museum admission.

“Resonance,” a show featuring Leslie McKay’s meditative drawings, opens at the Patricia Cameron Gallery, 234 Dexter Avenue N., on January 26 from 5:30-8:30pm. Her drawings are a natural extension of her background in clay and glass. McKay has exhibited in "Artefiera ’76" Bologna, Italy; Polly Friedlander gallery: Linda Farris Gallery and created artworks in clay and glass for commercial and residential application. The show runs through March 2. Shown: Series 7 – Heart #5.

This January and February MUSEO, located at  215 First Street in Langley on Whidbey Island, will feature works primarily by local artists during its “Steampunk” show. About 40 artists have created both two-dimensional and sculptural works reminiscent of the spirit of adventure, invention, and craftsmanship of the early 19th century. The show runs through February 27. Shown: Jacob Bloom, Last Farewell Flare.

Travel to new places in artful  ways with the Oasis Gallery , 3644 Wallingford Avenue, with their new show, “Explorations.” Featured artists are Beth Anderson, Diana Aurigemma, Laurie O’Donnell, Leigh Pate and Hossein Peigahi. The show is on view through April 7.

Experience Gauguin & Polynesia: An Elusive Paradise and Theaster Gates: The Listening Room during a special evening of performances, tours, dancing and more at this late-night creative explosion. No two Remix events are the same! Event ticket includes time ticketed entry to Gauguin & Polynesia: An Elusive Paradise. Seattle Art Museum  members enjoy priority access and a special members-only bar at Remix. Must be 18 or over. Starts at 7:30pm and ends at 12:30am on February 24.

“UPRISING: Installation by Rick Araluce and Steve Peters” opens to the public on January 23 and continues through April 13 at Suyama Space, 2324 Second Avenue, Seattle. “UPRISING” is an elaborate network of hand-crafted, trompe l’oeil plumbing that appears to emerge from the floor, walls and ceiling of the century-old building.

You can pretty much forget going to a museum today. According to the Seattle Times, there’s a lengthly list of art closures:

Bellevue Arts Museum . The museum is closed today, Wednesday, due to the snow. Updates will be posted on the museum’s website.

Eastside Jazz Club: A concert scheduled for Tuesday is being postponed until Friday, Jan. 20. Details are on EJC’s website.

Frye Art Museum : It’s closed Wednesday, Jan. 18. Go to the Frye’s website for snow closure updates.

Henry Art Gallery . It’s closed Wednesday, Jan. 18. Go to the museum’s site for snow closure updates.

Pacific Science Center: All exhibits are closed today; all planetarium, live science and laser dome shows are canceled. IMAX screenings of "Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol," "Tornado Alley 3D," "Adventures of Tintin," and "Sea Rex 3D" will take place, but will start late. See the center’s website for more details.

Patricia Cameron Gallery : The opening of "Resonance," an exhibition of Leslie McKay’s drawings, has been postponed from this Thursday to next Thursday, Jan. 26. Read more about the show here.

Pierce County Library. It’s closed Wednesday, Jan. 18. Library card holders may still use the online library.

PNB School: Classes are canceled at the Phelps Center in Seattle and Francia Russell Center in Bellevue on Wednesday. Check the website for updates.

Seattle Art Museum : All three sites (downtown, sculpture park, Volunteer Park) are closed Wednesday. Check SAM’s website or social media (Facebook, or Twitter @iheartSAM) for updates.

Seattle Public Library. The library’s site says "Due to weather conditions, all locations will be open 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. today [Wednesday, Jan. 18]. Please call before attending an event."

Town Hall. Author Andrew Ross’ talk on "the world’s least sustainable city," Phoenix, scheduled for Wednesday, has been postponed to an unspecified date. Town Hall says ticketholders will be contacted.

UW World Series. The UW campus has shut down, so Trio con Brio’s planned performance at Meany Hall has been canceled. Ticketholders are encouraged to call the UW ticket office at 206-543-4880 beginning at 11 a.m. Friday to request refunds or exchanges. You must make your request by Feb. 15.

WICA (Whidbey Island Center for the Arts): The first session of the center’s Glee Club for young people is postponed from Wednesday to Saturday. Details on WICA’s website.

Note:

"Cavalia" is due to open at 8 p.m. Wednesday night, but presenters are monitoring the weather and will make a final call about the premiere between noon and 4 p.m. Wednesday. Visit "Cavalia’s" website at or after 4 p.m. Wednesday to find out if the opening is postponed to Thursday.

Snow days are tough on businesses. Scheduled openings have to be cancelled, few, if any, people walk through the doors, and some employees or owners can’t make it to work. When my kids were small, I loved snow days. They would have a ball outside with their sleds and snowball fights while I would make a big pot of nice hot chili to be hungrily consumed by the fireplace when they came inside. Another great thing about snow is the quiet it brings since the few cars that are on the roads drive very slowly. But the most wonderful benefit of snow is the beauty of the winter wonderland outside the window while you’re all cozy and warm inside the house.

A group show of old-fashioned futuristic work, reflecting the Northwest’s rich history of embracing the traditions of industry and the innovations of technology is on view at the Museum of Northwest Art in LaConner through March 14. Also showing at the same time is “Study in Blue from the Permanent Collection.” The winter exhibition from the permanent collection is the second in a color theory overview, a selection of artworks focusing on the use of the color blue reflecting the artists’ relationships with water and sky of the Pacific Northwest. Shown: Blake Haygood, This Having Humour # 3.

Gallery Cygnus, 109 Commercial in LaConner, is showing “Natural and Supernatural: Contemporary Northwest Coast Art” through February 26. The show is part of the ever-evolving tradition of representing the history, mythology, identity and ownership for the people of the coast. Individual artists in this show work within this context, but they also exhibit a wide range of style and expression. Shown at the left: one of the pieces from the show.

On view through February 11, Seattle artist Neal Fryett presents new photographic, video, and sculptural work in the Kirkland Arts Center Gallery’s first exhibition of 2012. The tangram, a dissection puzzle comprised of seven parts, serves as the foundation for Fryett’s studio compositions, basic geometric shapes crafted from walnut that when arranged and rearranged become a study in still life, balance, and history. The gallery is located at 620 Market Street in Kirkland.

The Kittredge Gallery, University of Puget Sound, N. 15th St. at N. Lawrence St. in Tacoma, showcases contemporary works in tempera by Nathan DiPietro through February 11. DiPietro works in egg tempera, a centuries-old painting medium created by mixing powdered pigments with egg yolk and water. The resulting paints dry quickly to a matte finish and allow for thin, smooth layers of color and tight control of details. DiPietro will offer a demonstration of this technique following a gallery talk on his work on Feb. 2, at 4 p.m.. An opening reception will be January 25 from 5-7pm at the gallery. Concurrently showing is the work of photographer Eirik Johnson.

The SAM Gallery Art Sales and Rental, 1220 Third Avenue in Seattle, is featuring a group of artists whose work has been impacted by relocation or travel. In connection with the show, which is influenced by the upcoming SAM exhibit, “Gauguin & Polynesia: An Elusive Paradise,” is an installation in the gallery’s University Street window by Dan Hawkins. The show is on view through February `11.

The Island Gallery, 400 Winslow Way on Bainbridge Island, is showcasing a special collection of Lynn Mizono’s wearable art through February 15.

Simon Mace Gallery, 236 Taylor Street in Port Townsend,  continues on the theme of December’s “A Tasting Menu” show, with “A Tasting Menu, Second Course” to showcase the art and artists to come during the next year. On view through January 30, the show includes three artists who have never shown their work in Port Townsend before—David Ridgway, Sharon Kingston, and, Chris Theiss. David Ridgway, a painter from Bellingham, debuts three paintings of Port Townsend images among his other Puget Sound area vistas. Sharon Kingston, also from Bellingham, brings atmospheric paintings inspired by poet, Rainier Maria Rilke. From Mount Vernon, Chris Theiss’ ceramic and sgraffito sculpture spatially reconstructs familiar places. Three artists from December’s show—Victor Sandblom, a Snohomish painter, Jeff Weekley, a Port Townsend painter, and, David Eisenhour, a Port Hadlock sculptor, will exhibit different work. Shown: Blue Boat Parrish House by David Ridgway.

Third Thursday

Belltown Art Walk, 6pm until closing. Visit http://belltownartwalk.com/

Edmonds Art Walk, 5pm-8pm. Visit www.manyaveeselects.com/artwalk/artwalk.htm

Tacoma Art Walk. Tacoma’s galleries, Museum of Glass, Tacoma Art Museum, and the Washington State History Museum are open from 5pm-8pm. All three museums are free. Call 253.272.4258 or www.artwalktacoma.com/

Upper Queen Anne Art Walk, 6pm-8pm. E-mail info@bouncingwall.com.

Third Friday

Port Orchard Art Walk from 4-7pm. May through October

Third Saturday

Everett Art Walk, 4pm-7pm. Visit www.everettartwalk.org.

LaConner Art Walk, 4pm-8pm. www.laconnerchamber.com/

January 21

Celebrate the fifth birthday of Seattle Art Museum’s Olympic Sculpture Park at 2901 Western Avenue in downtown Seattle. Sited on nine acres, the park contains over 20 pieces of monumental sculpture. The museum says, “To celebrate this milestone, we invite you to a FREE birthday party. We’ll be handing out cupcakes and chocolate caramels (courtesy of TASTE), Olympic Sculpture Park t-shirts for kids (to the first 400) making birthday hats (with Mark di Suvero’s Bunyon’s Chess as inspiration) and giving special tours of the park. We hope you can drop in and join us!” The party is from 11am-3pm.

Mad Men invades the Bellevue Arts Museum from 8-11pm complete with lounge music, martinis, cigarettes (candy) and Black Jack. Dress vintage and as yourself, “Would Don Draper approve?” Must be over 21. Cash bar. $10 for non-members and $5 for members.

“Decadence,” a solo exhibition of work by Jessi Li, is on view at Pottery Northwest through  February 3, at 226 First Avenue North (between Thomas and John), just one block south of the Key Arena at the Seattle Center. Jessi was awarded the Resident Artist Project (RAP) grant at Pottery Northwest and the Art Bridge Fellowship through Pratt Fine Arts Center. These grants helped develop a body of work incorporating figures and architecturally inspired forms made from both clay and glass.  The show marks the completion of Li’s residency at Pottery Northwest.

A reception on January 14 from 6-9pm kicks off the Fifth Annual Anniversary Show at the Cole Gallery, located at 107 5th. Avenue South in Edmonds. On view are over 70 new paintings and sculpture by 30 Cole Gallery artists. Hors d’oeuvres, dessert, wine and live music by the Rich Cole Trio will liven the reception. The entire show may be seen on the Cole Gallery web site.