Seattle Art Blog - News, Discussion, and Events

Dec 31, 2008 January 4  is closing day at the Frye Art Museum for "Napoleon on the Nile: Soldiers, Artists, and the Rediscovery of Egypt," "Gaze: Vision, Desire, and Difference in the Frye Collections" and "Empire."

Dec 20, 2008 Steven Vroom's latest art and weather news podcast is up on his Art Radio Seattle site at the Vroom Journal .  In an Art Radio exclusive scoop, Steven reports that 911 Seattle Media Arts Center "has been awarded a $60,000 grant over two years from the Andy Warhol Foundation. The award is targeted to support the operations and programming of the South Lake Union Arts Center for the years 2009 and 2010." Congratulations to 911! Art radio comes to us from the studios of the 911 Media Art Center  "in snow-swept Seattle." Steven will be on sabbatical for two weeks. Enjoy, Steven, and -- ciao!

Dec 19, 2008 The Frye Art Museum is closed to the public Sunday, December 21 due to terrible, unbelievably cold, snowy and icy weather.

Dec 19, 2008 With relatives and friends coming to town for the holidays, all our museums and galleries stand at the ready to offer a wealth of educational exhibits and pleasurable viewing. For a complete list of every single gallery in the Puget Sound area, go to the city directories of the Art Guide Northwest web site where you will also find links to their web sites. If you're snowed in, the web is the next best thing.

Current exhibitions and permanent collections on view at the Seattle Art Museum reveal the life, art and ritual of the first inhabitants of this area, the Coast Salish First Nations; spotlight iconic paintings by an American artist who unwittingly documented the birth of the modern American woman; show-off hip, contemporary art by artists from the Northwest and around the world; and bring together cultural treasures from Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, and North and South America.

 During the entire run of the S’abadeb exhibition (on view through January 11, 2009) visitors who bring in a donation of non-perishable food items will receive $2 OFF THE PRICE OF ADMISSION. Food donations will benefit the Chief Seattle Club, an organization dedicated to the needs of Seattle's homeless, low-income and atrisk Native population.

The Seattle Art Museum and Seattle Asian Art Museum will be closed on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. Regular hours apply at all other times:
Seattle Art Museum Downtown: Tues.–Sun. 10 am–5 pm, Thurs. & Fri. 10 am–9 pm, CLOSED Mon.;
Seattle Asian Art Museum: Wed.–Sun. 10 am– 5 pm, Thurs. 10 am–9 pm, CLOSED Mon. & Tues.;
Olympic Sculpture Park: opens 30 minutes prior to sunrise, closes 30 minutes after sunset
(PACCAR Pavilion open Tues.–Sun. 10 am–4 pm, CLOSED Mon.).

Museum visitors can enjoy a special price on parking in the Washington Mutual parking garage attached to the museum. Parking in the WaMu garage is only $5 for cars entering the garage after noon on weekdays and all day on weekends, for a maximum of 6 hours. A validation stamp from the SAM ticket desk is necessary in order to redeem the offer.

Dec 17, 2008 A collection of contemporary baskets that started 40 years ago by Arizona art collectors Sara and David Lieberman opens December 17 at the Bellevue Arts Museum and will be available for viewing until March 22. Featured artists in the exhibition, "Intertwined: Contemporary Baskets from the Sara and David Lieberman Collection," include some of the major figures in contemporary basket making: Ed Rossbach, Katherine Westphal, Sally Black, Kiyomi Iwata, Kazuaki Honma, Dorothy Gill Barnes, Carol Eckert, John McQueen, Elsie Holiday, Ferne Jacobs, Norma Minkowitz, John Garrett and many more. Northwest artists include Lanny Bergner (Bellingham, WA), Charissa Brock (Portland, OR), Jill Nordfors Clark (Tacoma, WA), Jan Hopkins (Everett, WA), Fran Reed (Anchorage, AK) and Lisa Telford (Everett, WA). "Intertwined: Contemporary Baskets from the Sara and David Lieberman Collection is organized by the Arizona State University Art, Tempe, Arizona, and curated by Senior Curator Heather S. Lineberry and Jane Sauer, artist and scholar. The baskets shown are by Elsie Holiday, Navajo.

Dec 15, 2008 Third Thursday

Edmonds Art Walk. Galleries are open from 5 - 8pm. E-mail scansons66@yahoo.com.

Tacoma Art Walk. Galleries, Museum of Glass, Tacoma Art Museum, and the Washington State History Museum are open from 5 - 8pm. All three museums are free. Info: 253/272-4258.

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

Third Saturday

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

LaConner Art Walk, 4 - 8pm.

Last Thursday

Microsoft Art Collection Tours. Open to the public, free. RSVP two weeks in advance artevent@microsoft.com. Maximum of 40 can register.

Through December 24
Allied Arts of Whatcom County 29th Annual Holiday Festival of the Arts in Bellingham. Open Wed. through Sun., 10am - 7pm.

Through January 8
Northwest Pastel Society Holiday Show will also feature glass and ceramics by regional artists. Art Council of Snohomish County, 1507 Wall Street, Everett. Call 425/257-8380.

Dec 13, 2008 Traver Gallery Tacoma, 1821 E Dock Street #100,  presents Seattle artist Catherine Grisez in a solo exhibition opening 4-6pm on December 13 and on view until February 8. Dig presents a selection of the artist's metal sculptures with imagery inspired by the root systems of plants and the creatures that live amongst them in the soil. Grisez's work has been featured in Metalsmith Magazine three times in recent years, and is included in the 2007 Lark Books publication 500 Metal Vessels. She currently teaches Holloware at Pratt Fine Arts Center in Seattle.

Dec 12, 2008 Knight Visions Gallery, 19533 Filbert Drive in Bothell, turns to nostalgia during during the holidays with "Hey! Hey! Hey!," the fine art and animation of the famed Hal Sutherland. Available in the show are animated cells, original production drawings, sketches and storyboards created by Sutherland during his directorship at Filmation Studios, Harmon and Truline Studios. Sutherland will be at the gallery on Saturday, December 13 from noon to 4pm during a reception to honor his career.

Dec 11, 2008 Cullom Gallery, 313 Occidental Avenue S., is featuring "Recent Acquisitions: Prints for the Holidays," through the month of December. Shown at the left is work by Ando Hiroshige (1797-1858)

"Patch Dynamics-Six New Invasions to the Field," featuring work by: Justin Colt Beckman • Matt Browning • Heide Hinrichs • Caleb Larsen • Vesna Pavlovic • Michael Simi, opens at Lawrimore Project, 831 Airport Way S., on December 11 from 6:00-9:00pm, with an Artist Talk with Caleb Larsen at 7:00pm. The show brings together six artists working in the northwest who are either new to the field of art or new to the area that show distinct promise in adding to the region’s artistic diversity and future vitality.

Fine Impressions Gallery, 8300 Fifth Ave. NE, Seattle, features "Artful Gifts - Affordable Art and Fine Prints," for the month of December. Shown at the right is one of the botanicals from the gallery collection.

"Detroit:" Arsenal of Democracy," opens December 12 at a reception at 6pm at Form/Space Atelier, 2407 First Avenue in Seattle. Photographer Dan Hawkins documents the demise of the  formerly great city , whose population has decreased more than 50% in the last few years, and hopes his photographs will  inspire the public to think about its future. The show is on view until  January 4. Shown at the left is a photograph from his "Fisher Body" series.

Vermillion,  1508 11th. Avenue in Seattle, has gathered together clothing, furniture and lighting designers and grouped them with local fine artist painters to transform the gallery into an eclectic blend of talent. A special reception and holiday party will be held on Thursday, December 18 to celebrate the show.

Dec 9, 2008 Bonhams & Butterfields' Rare Book & Manuscripts department staff will be in the Seattle area December 9th & 10th, to offer complimentary auction estimates for consignment in their upcoming 2009 auctions.  To schedule an appointment, contact:  Heather O'Mahony 1.206.218.5011 heather.omahony@bonhams.com .

Dec 8, 2008

Second Tuesday

Capitol Hill Art Walk from 6 - 9pm.

Hotel Murano, 1320 Broadway Plaza, Tacoma, sponsors docent-led tours of the hotel at 2pm, featuring glass artists from 40 countries around the world. $5 per person is donated to the Museum of Glass. Call Jana Clifford, Hotel Murano, 253/591-4141 for reservations.

Second Thursday

Kirkland Art Walk. Downtown galleries are open from 6 - 8pm.

West Seattle Art Walk, 6 - 9pm. Visit www.westseattleartwalk.blogspot.com.

Second Saturday

Ballard Art Walk, 6 - 9pm. Call Art by Fire 206/789-1490.

Georgetown Art Attack from 6 - 9pm. For more information: www.georgetownartattack.com

Kingston Art Walk, 6 - 8pm.

December 6 - 7, 13 - 14
Vashon Island Open Studio Tour. Over 35 studios participate from 10am - 4pm. To get there, take the ferry in West Seattle or Tacoma's Point Defiance Park. Call Silverwood Gallery 206/463-1722 for info.

December 13
Olympic Art Festival in Quilcene. 10am - 5pm, 40 Washington St./Hwy 101. www.olympicartfestival.com.

December 6-7, 11-14
Pratt Holiday Art Sale.  Opening Night Celebration Dec.5, 6-9pm  Sale Hours
10am-7pm, Pratt Fine Arts Center.  Featuring the work of local artists in glass,
jewelry, fine art, ceramics, and sculpture.  Find unique gifts for all of your
friends and family.  Call 206/328-2200 or visit www.pratt.org.
 
December 6-7, 13-14
Vashon Island Open Studio Tour.  Over 35 studios participate from 10am-4pm.
To get there, take the ferry in West Seattle or Tacoma's Point Defiance Park.
Call Silverwood Gallery 206/463-1722 for information.

Through December 24
Allied Arts of Whatcom County 29th Annual Holiday Festival of the Arts in Bellingham. Open Wed. through Sun., 10am - 7pm.

Through January 8
Northwest Pastel Society Holiday Show will also feature glass and ceramics by regional artists. Art Council of Snohomish County, 1507 Wall Street, Everett. Call 425/257-8380.

Dec 6, 2008 According to an article in the Miami Herald, sales at Art Basel Miami, the largest contemporary art fair in the country, are slower than last year. Collectors, however, are still buying, just not as readily as years past since dealer discounts seem to be the order of the day. "To gauge the impact of economic turmoil on the country's largest contemporary arts fair, five Miami Herald reporters surveyed 41 exhibitors participating in the official Basel show at the Miami Beach Convention Center and 45 dealers in nearby satellite fairs." Read all about it by clicking on the  Miami Herald link.  

Dec 6, 2008 Gary Faigin, an excellent writer, reviews the Seattle Art Museum Edward Hopper show for Artdish. He begins with, "Say, for the sake of argument, that the economic party is indeed over. As museums face leaner times, we may well see more exhibitions like the two-room Edward Hopper Women currently at SAM . If so, this well thought-out survey can serve as a good model for what such shows can aim to accomplish." Click on the Artdish link and read the whole thing-- you'll be glad you did.

Dec 5, 2008 "Function and Form: Art that Works," opens from 6-8pm at Bainbridge Arts and Crafts, 151 Winslow Way on Bainbridge, and continues until December 29.

Gasworks Gallery, 3815 4th. Avenue NE, Seattle,  encourages all to party until 11pm and bring potatoes for the Northwest Harvest.

Insights Gallery, 516 Commercial Avenue in Anacortes, continues the "Petite Pieces" show at a reception from 6-9pm during the Anacortes art walk. The show runs through December 31.

Jack Straw Productions, 4261 Roosevelt Way NE, Seattle, opens Heather Dew Oaksen's New Media Gallery installation "Still Point " on Friday evening at 7 pm, and the artist will be present. The video and sound installation will be on view until February 12.

The Island Gallery, 100=106 Madison on Bainbridge, celebrates their sixth anniversary with two shows during the Bainbridge Art Walk and continues until January 23. The first show, "4th Annual Wearable Art," features local and international textile and jewelry artists along with Bainbridge Island artist Tracey Dunn in "Kimono Series Paintings." The second show, "Landscape - a different view," is a collection of works by Alison Keogh,

Kirkland Arts Center opens their doors at 5:30pm tonight for dinner, drinks and champagne for their holiday arts sale and preview  party.

 Scott Milo Gallery, 420 Commercial in Anacortes, celebrates the season with pastels by Joel Brock handcrafted wood tables by Gary Leake, acrylics by Richard Nash, photography by Lewis Jones, large photography by Dick Garvey, color photography by Randy Dana, oils by Diane Ainsworth, acrylics by Jennifer Bowman, jewelry by Enid Oates. A reception for the artists takes place during the Anacortes art walk on Friday from 6-9pm, and the show will be on view through January 26.

Dec 3, 2008 “Pattern Play,” a solo exhibition by June Sekiguchi , continues until Decemnber 31 at ArtXchange Gallery, 512 First Avenue S. A special holiday party with the artist will be held on December 4 from 5-8pm.

Davidson Galleries, 313 Occidental Avenue S.,  opens for First Thursday with, "jenny Schmid's Fountain of Youth," Tallmadge Doyle's "Celestial Menagerie," and selections from the estate of Barbara Davidson's old master prints, illuminated manuscripts, 19th. century watercolors, and a broad range of other works. Shown is Sir Galahad by Norman Ault.

Lisa Harris Gallery, 1922 Pike Place,presents paintings by Ed Kamuda, an established Northwest artist whose language of shapes and symbols is derived from a continuing observation of the natural world throughout the seasons. The exhibition opens First Thursday, December 4, between 6:00 and 8:00 p.m. Works by Ed Kamuda are included in the collections of Microsoft, SAFECO, Zymogenetics, and Washington schools through Art in Public Places Program.  In 1999, he was included in the Whatcom Museum of History and Art’s Beyond the Horizon: Artists of the Rural Landscape. His paintings were shown at Francine Seders Gallery during the 1980s and 1990s and in 2001, Lisa Harris Gallery began representing the work.

Work by artists Amy Reeves, Sarah Loertscher, Joelle King, Carla Grahn, Tony Cook, Kiki MacInnis, Michael Otterson, Leana Quade, Amy Reeves and Rickie Wolfe opens at Pratt Gallery at Tashiro Kaplan Studios, 306 S Washington St, Suite 102, on First Thursday from 6-8pm.

Punch Gallery, 119 Prefontaine Place, presents the video work of Ira Eduardovna. Her works have been widely shown in exhibitions and art festivals around the world including: Visions in the Nunnery, The nunnery gallery, London, U.K., The 809 International New Image Art Festival, 809 International Art District in the Three Gorges area, Yichang City, China, Cartes Flux 3 festival of media art, Espoo, Finland, Urban Screens,  Melbourne, Australia, Instants video festival, Paris, France, M.I.S.C. Video and performance, NY studio gallery New York, USA and many others.

 RE Welch Gallery, 1214 First Avenue, opens for a reception on First Thursday from 5-9pm with European sculptors Corby, Richard, Remy,Taton, Miramontes and Kinart.  European bronzes are limited by law to editions of 12 since more than 12 are not considered fine art in Europe and are heavily taxed. This restriction is strictly enforced and the mold is destroyed after the twelfth piece is created. Consequently, the gallery receives only one to three pieces of each series.  Shown is at the left is Ballerina by Odile Kinart.

Shift Collaborative Studio, 306 S. Washington, is showing "Kama Shastra Redux" by Jessie Lyle through the month of November . In the introduction to a 1961 translation of the ancient Hindu text, Kama Sutra, the Kama Shastra is described as a series of 64 skills that a woman must master in order to sit at a table with men. Lyle questions what it would be like to have those skills through creative and intuitive means.

Susan Woltz Gallery, 307 Occidental Avenue S., opens from 5-8pm highlighting gallery artists for the month of December with an emphasis on the old world, fantasy art of Russian painter, Alla Goniodsky. Trained in theatre arts in St. Petersburg, Russia, Alla is active in the Seattle Children’s Theatre. Showing with Goniodsky is Italian glass artist, Pino Cherchi with new glassworks; Simona Foggitt’s acrylic on canvas with bronzed aluminum with new works by Parvin and Zivana Gojanovic.

Traver Gallery Seattle, 110 Union Street, opens for First Thursday from 5-8pmwith "Juxtaposition: Nature and Nature," a solo exhibition featuring new work by Washington artist Rob Snyder. Snyder has been involved with Pilchuck Glass School as both student and staff. His work has been included in exhibitions across the nation including King County Arts Council (Seattle, WA), Museum of American Folk Art (New York, NY), Museum of Northwest Art (La Connor, WA) and Midland Art Museum (Midland, MI). Shown is Anum Cara.