Boring But Smart

SAM's expansion plan lacks pizzazz, but it succeeds where it counts: tripling the museum's space for art.

A A A Comments By Andrew Engelson Wednesday, Sep 8 2004

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Celebrity skin

SOIL, the cutting-edge, artist-owned gallery formerly on Capitol Hill, becomes the latest venue to migrate to the new Tashiro Kaplan building near Pioneer Square. After a group show to mark SOIL's opening, October brings a solo show, "Fame," by Seattle artist Samantha Scherer. Scherer's pen-and-watercolor paintings of celebrity body parts are very funny—in the past she's done portraits of Tony Curtis' belly and Condoleezza Rice's scowl. As hilarious as Brad Pitt's nipple might be, Scherer's art actually delves into all sorts of deeper issues: How does the brain recognize faces? Why do we have a fetish for celebrity? And what exactly are Angelina Jolie's lips made of? Opens Oct. 2. SOIL, 206-264-8061.

Allied Works

SAM's downtown addition: all about space.

Allied Works

SAM's downtown addition: all about space.

Details

FALL ARTS PREVIEW 2004
• Classical music: How long can Jenkins and Schwarz lead? By Gavin Borchert MORE
• Stage: The prospects for performance. By Steve Wiecking MORE
• Pop music: So long, mega-venues. By Michaelangelo Matos MORE
• Dance: Replacing PNB's Stowell and Russell. By Sandra Kurtz MORE
• Film: The Northwest Film Forum returns. By Brian Miller MORE
• Books: Readings light and heavy by authors blowing through. By Brian Miller MORE
• FALL ARTS CALENDAR

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Evocations of empire

Spain in the 16th, 17th, and early 18th centuries was the world's superpower, dominating the seas and never bothering with a silly "coalition of the willing." One of the spoils of global empire and wealth was a flowering of science and art. Spain in the Age of Exploration is more than an art exhibit—this sizable collection will survey Spain's 300-year golden age. It's packed with scientific instruments (illustrating the Arab influence on Spanish culture), suits of armor, books, and other trappings of empire. But it's the art that will draw most of us—and there should be a decent selection of work on view from Velázquez, Murillo, and Zurburán and one minor piece by Francisco de Goya. Opens Oct. 16. Seattle Art Museum, 206-654-3100.

Snow show

Saskatchewan-born artist Tania Kitchell has a very deep relationship with snow (considering the winters she must have grown up with, I guess she'd have to). Her understated photographs document one woman's interaction with weather and environment—fleeting, staged, and open to the chaos of the outside world. In the past, she's done things like hug large snowballs or record the winter steam of her breath. It sounds trite in the description, but there's just something very sweet and quiet—like a fragile little Björk ballad—in Kitchell's images. This is the first solo show by the Toronto-based artist. Opens Dec. 2. James Harris Gallery, 206-903-6220.

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