“Beautiful Necessities,” a major new exhibition showcasing work from the Arts and Crafts Movement in Washington and Oregon during the first quarter of the 20th century, opens May 30 at the Museum of History and Industry, 2700 24th Avenue E. in Seattle, and runs through January 18. Both states participated actively in the national Arts and Crafts Movement encouraged by exposure at two world's fairs that put the Pacific Northwest on the national and international map, Portland's Lewis & Clark Centennial Exposition (1905) and Seattle's Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition (1909). The exhibition showcases significant buildings and interiors, furniture, glass, metalwork, ceramics, textiles, fine arts, graphics and book arts, and photography with over one hundred objects drawn from public and private collections.
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After 19 years with the Pacific Northwest Ballet, Louise Nadeau will give a series of performances until June 7, with a final performance, “A Celebration of Louise Nadeau,” on June 7 at McCaw Hall. Artist James Moore has produced a collection of ballerinas on canvas as a tribute to her career which will be on view at McCaw Hall. To view the paintings online, go to http://www.jamesmooreartist.com. Shown is Staccato Tip Toe.
Chosen to succeed Mimi Gates as the Illsley Ball Nordstrom Director for the Seattle Art Museum is the Executive Director of the San Diego Museum of Art, Derrick Cartwright. Gates is retiring on June 30, 2009 after 15 years as the museum’s director, and Cartwright will take over in the fall of 2009.
According to Charlie Wright, chair of the search committee and SAM trustee, “We had an incredible pool of candidates but Derrick was clearly the right leader to leverage and build upon the remarkable foundation SAM has built under Mimi Gates’ leadership. He has the perfect combination of an accomplished track record and a bold vision for the future. I have no doubt that he will prove to be a great leader of SAM’s stellar team.”
Prior to his position at the San Diego Museum of Art, Cartwright was the director of the Hood Museum of Art at Dartmouth College from 2001 to 2004 where he was instrumental in organizing several noteworthy exhibitions, including the critically acclaimed Coming of Age in Ancient Greece: Images of Childhood from the Classical Past, which traveled to the J. Paul Getty Museum. From 1998 to 2000, Cartwright directed the Musée d'Art Américain Giverny in France, where he developed and curated a variety of exhibitions featuring prominent American artists who studied or lived in France.
May 30
Chinese Arts and Cultural Festival held in the Center House at the Seattle Center presented by the Washington Chinese Art and Culture Committee. For more information, see http://www.chinaartandculture.com.
Third Annual Art Auction at Faire Gallery Cafe, 1351 East Olive Way in Seattle, takes place from 7pm to 2am. The auction raises funds for grants for artists to do site specific projects at Faire. Three $250.00 grants will be awarded for art, music, and theater to create a project to be displayed or performed at Faire Gallery Café.
“Between Heaven and Earth,” a documentation of the Himalaya region by photographer, conservationist and artist, Art Wolfe, takes place from 5-6:30pm at the Mighty Tieton Warehouse in Tieton, WA. A special dinner and reception for the artist will be held in Harvest Hall in Tieton. Call 509.494.2009 for tickets.
Delridge Day Celebration from 11-5pm at the Youngstown Cultural Arts Center, 5411 Delridge Way SW in Seattle. The day will feature live music and performances, cooking classes, a farmers market, creative workshops, art galleries, etc.
The Henry Art Gallery, on the edge of the University of Washington campus, commemorates the 2009 MFA Thesis Exhibition with a reception for the artists, friends, would-be friends and family with a reception at the Henry from 7-9pm on May 22.
Opening at a champagne and dessert reception from 5-8pm on May 21 at Cole Gallery , 107 5th. Avenue S. in Edmonds, are the contemporary landscapes of Amanda Houston. During the opening, the CIM Financial Group will sponsor “A Gift of Art” with a drawing for two original paintings to be The show runs through June 14. Shown is October Oil.
“Menagerie,” watercolors and drawings by Claire Faltesek, opens May 20 and continues until June 16 at Autumn’s Framing & Gallery , 537 Main Street in Edmonds. The collection displayed in the show includes studies of Woodland Park Zoo residents as well as Claire's own pets. Shown is Jaguar Playing.
“Judy Hill: The Self Transparent, From the Collection of Driek and Michael Zirinsky,” 13 sculptures and four works on paper, explore the relationship between the artist and her collectors. The frozen stare, stance and gestures of Hill’s figures convey feelings of vulnerability, contemplation and worry, while the fragmented bodies and surface texture of her forms bestow upon the sculptures an ancient, artifact-like quality. The exhibition is on view from May 19 through January 3. Shown is Very Gently Now.
The Board of Trustees of the Bellevue Arts Museum announced yesterday the appointment of Mark Crawford as Executive Director/Chief Executive of the museum. Crawford has served as the interim director since October 2008 and has spent many years working in the arts. Crawford will continue his collaboration with the curatorial team led by Michael Monroe and Curator Stefano Catalani. “Working with such respected curators as Michael and Stefano and the outstanding curatorial team they have developed is a tremendous opportunity and I couldn’t be more excited,” states Crawford.
Third Thursday
Edmonds Art Walk. Galleries are open from 5-8pm. E-mail scansons66@yahoo.com.
Tacoma Art Walk. Tacoma's 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.
May 22-25
38th Annual Northwest Folklife Festival celebrates the Centennial of the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition, 11am-11pm, Seattle Center. Visit www.nwfolklife.org.
May 22-24
World-renowned musicians and painters, Lenore and Emanuel Vardi will show two dozen paintings for a musical art show that will hum to life during a live performance at the Bellevue Jazz Festival.The Vardis’ show will hang at the Sherman Clay showroom in Bellevue located at 1000 Bellevue Way NE. Shown at the right is Bass Lick by Emanuel Vardi.
May 23-24
Olympic Art Festival in Quilcene, 10am-5pm, 40 Washington St./Hwy. 101. Visit www.olympicartfestival.com.
May 24
Traver Gallery Tacoma, 1821 Dock Street, and Falling Rain Cellars are sponsoring “The ART of Women” from 5-7pm at the gallery with artist Nancy Blair and a complimentary wine tasting with winemaker Judith Papesh.
Influenced by the coast and colors of Lima as well as the Inca history, Blanca Santana’s “Offerings” opens at C Art Gallery , 855 Hiawatha Place South in Seattle's Central District, on May 17 and continues until July 5. A reception will be held on May 28 from 4:30-6:30pm.
“Puppies and Ice Cream: a discourse on contemporary sublime,” opens at ArtsWest Gallery , 4711 California Avenue SW, on May 17 and continues until June 28. Pieces chosen for the exhibit are meant to encourage contemplation of the use of comfort and distraction as well as to show the diversity of artists in the gallery. A special wine and cheese artist reception including Flamenco guitarist, Marcos Carmona, is scheduled June 11 from 6-9pm. Shown is Campaign Promises by Pam Lund.
Lowell Art Works , 5205 S. 2nd Ave. in Everett, invites all to the “Lowellife Prom” on May 16 from 4-9pm. The “Prom” is, according to the gallery, a fundraiser for the gallery, and the works in the exhibit will be on view until June 14.
The only museum west of the Mississippi devoted to the medium of glass, the Museum of Glass in Tacoma is showing “Incoming! Selections from the Permanent Collection,” from May 16 through June 27. Signature works of both emerging and established artists will be on view. The Permanent Collection currently comprises 128 objects including 94 pieces created in the Museum’s Hot Shop by artists participating in the Visiting Artist residency program. Since January 2008, the museum has acquired donations of important works—ranging from early American Studio Glass to contemporary European glass jewelry—from private collections nationwide.
“Of Myth and Memory,” a continuation of artist Nancy Blair’s “Royal Medicine Dog” and “Golden Retriever Series,” –narrative works stemming from her long interest in the shamanic healing arts of ancient and indigenous cultures, opens in a reception on May 16 from 5-8pm at Traver Gallery Tacoma, 1821 E Dock Street #100. She is a recent recipient of the prestigious Hauberg Fellowship at Pilchuck Glass School where she has worked as a Professional Artist in Residence, instructor, scholarship recipient, and teaching assistant. The show runs through June 7.