Seattle Art Blog - News, Discussion, and Events

Art! for Animals’ Sake is a great organization that collaborates with artists to create exhibitions, offer limited edition artist prints and produce events to raise money for animals in need. The shelters are overflowing this year with abandoned animals whose former owners can no longer afford to care for them. If you’re an animal lover like me, go to this web site and take a look at the good work they do.

On view at Vermillion, 1508 11th Ave., through January 13 is “Rattle My Cage, curated by Cornish graduate Sierra Stinson who has gathered eight west coast artists for their interpretations of what a cage means. Many of the artists are graduates of Cornish College of the Arts, and one of them, Gretchen Bennett, has been an instructor. Shown: by Brett Walker.

It has been said that the difference between men and boys is the price of their toys, so this exhibit is guaranteed to be a hit with “boys” of all ages -- the 14th Annual  Model Train Festival at the Washington State History Museum, 1911 Pacific Avenue in downtown Tacoma, just off 1-5. From scaled-down steam engines weighing 1,000 lbs. to people the size of a fingernail, check out model train displays on every floor of the museum during the annual Model Train Festival. Nine displays include a variety of holiday-themed layouts, tiny pop-culture dioramas, and miniature depictions of everyday life. The exhibition runs from December 26 through January 2, 10am – 6pm every day.

Fine Impressions Gallery, 8300 Fifth Avenue NE in Seattle, is showing “the beauties and blessings of the season” through a selection of fine prints. Solstice, Christmas, Eid, Hanukkah, Kwanza…all  seasonal feasts celebrate light during the darkest days of the year, and most all cultures acknowledge light will return as the season turns. Shown: L’Incantesimo dell’ amore, Galileo Chini.

The Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture,  has collaborated with celebrated artist Ray Troll and Seattle-born paleontologist Kirk Johnson to present an exhibit exploring the abundance of fossils in our midst and how fossils shed light on earth’s past. On view through May 31, 2010, the exhibit also features twenty framed originals and five large-scale murals of Troll’s whimsical, fossil-inspired artwork, all of which were created for a book of the same title, published by Troll and Johnson in 2007. The book records the “epoch tale” of the duo’s 5,000-mile road trip through the American West as they sought to explore the fossil record. The museum exhibit combines visuals and stories from the book with real fossil specimens from the Burke’s own paleontology collection. Also on view will be a video highlighting Troll’s artistic process.Cruisin’ the Fossil Freeway will travel nationally after closing in Seattle in late May 2010. Night of ammonites, by Ray Troll.

R E Welch Gallery, 1214 First Avenue, is featuring the work of Crespi for the month of December. Shown: Corridoi del Tempo.

Glenn Richards, 964 Denny Way, is featuring favorite potters through December. Works by John Benn, Damian Grava, Hank Murrow, Reid Ozaki, Art Pasette and Stephen Sullivan are now on view.

   Autumn’s Framing & Gallery, 537 Main Street, is showing original watercolors by Autumn Kegley in a show titled “Path of Fire” through January 19.  Kegley explores themes of human spiritual expression through dance in her current paintings. Shown: Swirl of Joy II.

Cole Gallery, 107 5th. Avenue South, opens for the holidays in a champagne reception on December 17 from 5-8pm for well-known Northwest artist Mark Boyle. This month, CIM Financial Group will be sponsoring "A Gift of Art" with a drawing for two $200 artwork gift certificates!  Visit the gallery to enter your name and be present to win on Thursday, Dec. 17th at 7:15 for the drawing. Shown: Secret Fishing Hole.

Third Thursday

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.

Upper Queen Anne Art Walk, 6pm-8pm. E-mail infobouncingwall.com.

Third Saturday

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

LaConner Art Walk, 4pm-8pm.

Last Thursday
Microsoft Art Collection Tours. Open to the public, free. RSVP two weeks in advance to arteventmicrosoft.com. Maximum of 40 can register.

December 18

Gala celebration at the Van Tuinen Art Gallery, 111 Market Street in Olympia from 4-8pm. for Debra Van Tuinen’s recent success at www.ArtPrize.org in Grand Rapids, Michigan for Wave Energy.

Traver Gallery Tacoma, 1821 Dock Street, celebrates the season with a “Holiday Salon” from December 12 through December 24.  Featuring more than 200 original works of art ranging from glass to painting to mixed media, more than forty-five artists represented by Traver Gallery and Vetri International Glass will deck the walls. Shown: Sonja Blomdahl, Blush/Ruby.

Everyone who knew this delightful woman loved her, and I’m no exception. Port Townsend’s art community will miss her and the Max Grover Gallery, her friends will miss her funny sense of humor, and all of us will miss her gusto for life. She was an incredible inspiration as she fought to live but even more so as she finally accepted the reality of her battle and prepared her friends to live without her. RIP dear Sherry.

It’s that time of the year again. Aunt Gertrude is in town for the holidays, and you know she expects to be entertained even though she says otherwise. Not to worry, for the Seattle Art Museum knows exactly what to do with her, and they’ve extended their hours just for you. From Saturday, December 26 through Sunday, January 3 SAM will be open from 10am-9pm. The only day they will be closed Is January 1.  Two great shows she will enjoy are Alexander Calder’s From Monumental Sculptures to Intimate Miniatures and Michelangelo Public and Private Features 12 Original Sketches by the Master Artist . How’s that for a great solution?

Howard/Mandville Gallery, 120 Park Lane in Kirkland, is featuring new works from many of the gallery artists in their “2009 Holiday Show”  through January 1. Pat Howard says, “Give the lasting gift of art to your loved ones this year!” Shown: Fred Calleri, Secrets.

According to the Seattle Art Museum, there are two great ways to give this holiday. They suggest giving that special someone on your list a membership to SAM, or making a gift to SAM. When my son was in college I gave him a SAM membership in his own name, and he was thrilled with it. In fact, my sports-crazy child used to impress dates by taking them to see SAM shows. Think about it.

The Henry Art Gallery, located at 15th Avenue NE and NE 41st Street on the western edge of the University of Washington campus, commemorates Photographer Milton Rogovin’s life’s work as a social documentarian as he turns 100 years old this winter with a selection of his  black-and-white photographs. In an exhibition on view from December 10 through April 25, Rogovin engages with a variety of people - factory workers, miners, citizens of Cuba and Zimbabwe, and the poor in his hometown of Buffalo, New York - through the filter of political action, a devotion to social justice, and an abiding sympathy for his fellow human beings. Shown: Milton Rogovin. Lower West Side [from Lower West Side, Buffalo series].