Send listings two weeks in advance to visualarts@seattleweekly.com.

Lectures and Events

Lecture: Emmet Gowin The artist, who is currently showing his aerial photos of the missile silos, nuclear test sites, and other ominously altered landscapes, will talk about his art. 2 p.m., Sun. Sept. 19, Henry Art Gallery, UW campus, 206-543-2280. $8 general, $6 members, free for students.

Self-Marriage: flatchestedmama Amy Ellen Trefsger will officially change her middle name to the pseudonym under which she creates art, flatchestedmama, in a ceremony of commitment to her creative self (no, really). Then a harpist will play, poets will recite, and there will be performances by Superjew, DJs on trikeS, and “an old-school jump rope squad.” 2 p.m., Sat. Sept. 18, Golden Gardens Park; Reception: 8 p.m. CoCA, 410 Dexter St. 206-729-5965. Free.

Lecture: Tony Angell Artist and author of the forthcoming Crows, Ravens, and Culture, Angell will discuss birds as a source of artistic inspiration through the ages. 7:30 p.m. Thurs. Sept. 16, Museum of Northwest Art, 121 South First St. (La Conner), 360-466-4446. $5 general, $4 senior, $2 student.

Discussion: What is a “Working Artist”? The lunchtime Artist Toolkit Series continues with art world professionals (they don’t say who) discussing what it means to be a working artist. I guess part of it entails taking a 90-minute lunch whenever you want. 12:30 p.m.-2 p.m. Thurs., Sept. 16 Seattle Academy of Fine Art, 1501 Tenth Ave., 206-526-2787. Free.

Openings

Ballard Fetherston Pleasant, scratchy abstractions in oil and wax by Kirsten Stolle and pleasant, spacey abstractions in acrylic and graphite by Chris Metze. Reception: 5-8 p.m. Fri. Sept. 17. 818 E. Pike St., 206-322-9440. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tues.-Sun.

Cornish College Gallery The familiar mustiness, the stale coffee, the filthy microwave, and those battered old couches: Yes, it’s “Staff Lounge,” a great idea for a show, put together by Cornish staff for those who know such rooms all too well—and those who can catch only tantalizing glimpses of them from the outside. Reception: 4-6 p.m. Thurs. Sept. 16, 1000 Lenora St. 206-726-5011. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Mon.-Fri.

Last Chance

Howard House In “Soft Sport” Jenny Heishman’s photos on vinyl address the weird emptiness and sex appeal of golf. In addition to the photos, the show includes a series of abstract sculptures that test the bounds of plastics and vinyl—whether using layer upon layer in rainbow compositions or constructing a phony mountain range. Mark Takamichi Miller’s “Zion” transforms a roll of anonymous snapshots discovered at Utah’s Zion National Park into portraits so thickly painted they seem to pop from the vast empty canvases that surround them. Closes Sat. Sept. 18. 604 Second Ave., 206-256-6399. 10:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Tues.-Sat.

Frye Art Museum A selection of works on paper from the permanent collection offers a tutorial in processes such as lithography, drawing, and engraving. Ends Sun. Sept 19. 704 Terry Ave., 206-622-9250. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tues.-Sat.; noon-5 p.m. Sun.; 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Thurs.

Galleries

Alexandria Rossoff Jewels & Rare Finds Rare behind-the-scenes photos of the Beatles by photojournalist Harry Benson. 402 University St., 206-381-3949. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Mon.-Fri.; 11 a.m.- 5 p.m. Sat.

Artemis Dynamic electrical assemblages cobbled together from industrial trash, light bulbs, and other detritus by Jay Humphreys and Jules Manoogian 3107 S. Day St., 206-323-0562. 10 a.m.- 5 p.m. Tues.-Sat.

Baas Gallery Nature-inspired paintings from Jared Rue Thornton and accomplished mixed-media paintings laden with wildlife and intricate abstraction by M.A. Papanek-Miller. 2703 E. Madison, 206-324-4742. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Mon.-Sat.

Bryan Ohno Larry Bemm’s open, casual abstractions in pastel-colored oils are painted directly on wood panels. 155 S. Main St., 206-667-9572. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tues.-Sat.

Cafe Septieme Erin Frost’s erotic black-and-white self-portraits explore the interaction between lust and power. 214 Broadway E., 206-860-8858.

Capitol Hill Arts Center Here’s an intriguing theme for a show: “Claustrophilia,” featuring artwork by those whose day jobs are in the tech industry. On hand will be work (not necessarily tech-related) by Beatrice Billard, Vlada Breiburg, Janet Galore, Sharon Matsumoto, and Erin Moscatello 1621 12th Ave., 206-388-0600. 6-10 p.m. Wed.-Fri.; 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Sat.

Davidson Steven Heino’s wood and aluminum “Effigy” series of sculptures arrive at human figures through cubist-looking geometric forms, while his abstract paintings are concerned with chandeliers, corsets, and other structures. Also showing: grim paintings by local Russian-born painter Alexander Petrov. 313 Occidental Ave. S., 206-624-7684. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tues.-Sat.

Forgotten Works Yet another gallery sets up shop in the Tashiro-Kaplan building.The show, “Before, During and After,” is an assortment of work from past and present gallery members, including Allison Agostinelli, Antjuan Oden, David Chick, and Su Job. 619 Western Ave., 206-343-7212. noon-3 p.m. Sat.-Sun.

Foster/White New paintings by Alden Mason, the reigning dean of abstract painters in the Northwest. Still going strong, he’s managed to retain that distinctive Mason look while venturing into new territory. This new series offers more of the improvisational, almost scribblelike quality of his work and sketchy, childlike forms. Also on display, Louise Kikuchi’s “Spanish Allusions,” abstract color grids loosely inspired by visits to Madrid’s Prado Museum. 123 S. Jackson, 206-622-2833. 10 a.m.- 6 p.m. Mon.-Sat.; noon-5 p.m. Sun.

Francine Seders Fred Birchman’s “History of Flight” includes two-dimensional works and several sculptures that engage in near-abstract meditations on airplanes, flight, and freedom. 6701 Greenwood Ave. N., 206-782-0355. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tues.-Sat., 1-5 p.m. Sun.

Gallery 63 Eleven Sturdy, heavy, manly objects made by blacksmith David Tuthill. 6311 24th N.W., 206-478-2238. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tues.-Sat.

Gallery 110 Thomas Ager’s “(E)Scapes Landscape Project”—transparencies of paintings and collages lit from behind and displayed to great effect in the darkened west gallery. Impressive and worth seeing even if it doesn’t quite add up. Also: Lisa Sheets’ collages fuse pop images, religious iconography, and fabric patterns into tightly controlled compositions of no great interest. 110 S. Washington St., 206-624-9336. Noon-5 p.m. Wed.-Sat.

Gallery 4 Culture Combining ethics and aesthetics, artists Sarah Morris and Christ2000TM take on the wasteful consumption economy by turning household trash into texturally rich sculpture and installation. 506 Second Ave., Suite 200 (Smith Tower), 206-296-7580. 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Mon.-Fri.

Garde Rail If you like outsider art (and I do), this is the kind of show that tests your faith. Rick Borg paints with what you want to be rough, visionary brilliance, but “rough” here most of the time means simply inept and careless. In places, though, like on the coarse slats of a found piece of wood on which Borg has painted a cigar store Indian, his crazy array of colors achieve a crude, accidental glory that makes you believe again. 110 Third Ave. S. 206-621-1055 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Wed.-Sat.

Glo’s The popular breakfast joint continues to be a friend to cartoonists, this time showing original art from Henry Chamberlain’s new comic book (er, “graphic novel”) about a young man in a big city. 309 Occidental St., 206-223-0816. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tues.-Sat.

Greg Kucera Minimalist sculptor Peter Millett has been living and working in Seattle for more than 30 years, and this exhibit of new work showcases his modernist (and expensive) forms—including stairs to nowhere, rhythmic braids of steel, and wall sculptures that find a simple joy in paint and natural wood grain. 212 Third Ave., 206-624-0770. 10:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Tues.-Sat.

Grover/Thurston In “After Nature,” Seattle artist Deborah Mersky paints talismanlike birds tangled within otherwise abstract compositions. 309 Occidental St., 206-223-0816. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tues.-Sat.

Hugo House Prints and light boxes by Mary Simpson and Valerie McEvoy (from Alaska and Ireland respectively) that explore the theme “Another Country.” 1634 11th Ave., 206-322-7030. 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Mon.-Fri., noon-5 p.m. Sat.

Jack Straw New Media Gallery Seattle’s Iole Alessandrini installs interactive lasers and other optical gizmos in this multimedia experience intended to explore “the distributed body, multiple-self and transmigration of presence.” 4261 Roosevelt Way N.E., 206-634-0919. 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Mon.-Fri.

James Harris Shaun O’Dell’s color drawings are filled with an intricate, well-balanced tangle of pilgrim heads, wildlife, and networked tree branches that add up to a sort of spiritual map of the clash between human economy and nature. Sample title: Prophesy Extraction at the Confluence of Kykuit, The Western Medicinal Compact and the Southern Decline of a Blind Consensual Chiming. 309A Third Ave., 206-903-6220. 10:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Tues.-Sat.

JEM Studios Now showing at this Georgetown studio is a selection of paintings by Eddie Maurer, who, when he’s not in Seattle lives in the jungles of Costa Rica. 6004 12th S., 206-250-6186. Noon- 6 p.m. Tues.-Sat.

Joe Bar You gotta have at least one gimmick to make it these days, and Chris Crites has two, both damn good: mug shots and paper bags. He paints one on the other, and—to judge by this jpeg I’m squinting at—has a great eye for the humor in clueless and grumpy criminal faces hauled before police cameras. 810 E. Roy St. 206-324-0407. 7:30 p.m.-9:30 p.m. Mon.-Fri. 8:30 a.m.-9:30 p.m. Sat.-Sun.

Kittredge Gallery This is welcome news: Esther Luttikhuizen, formerly of the long-vanished Esther Claypool Gallery, gets a new gig as director of University of Puget Sound’s Kittredge Gallery. Looks like she’ll have a free hand in curating: the lineup into 2005 includes artists such as Alfredo Arreguin and Phil Roach. This month features politically charged ceramic figures by UPS faculty John McCuistion and sumi paintings by Fumiko Kimura. University of Puget Sound campus, 1500 N. Lawrence (Tacoma), 253-879-2806. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Mon.-Fri.; 1-4 p.m Sun.

Kurt Lidtke A “Fall Salon” of the usual Northwest Masters: Mark Tobey, Kenneth Callahan, Morris Graves, Paul Horiuchi, etc. 408 Occidental Ave. S. 206-623-5082. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tues.-Sat.

LGBT Gallery Mike Lewis and Mike Curato team up for “Late Night With the Blue Album,” an exploration of beauty and companionship. 1115 E. Pike St. 206-323-5428. Noon-9 p.m. daily.

Linda Hodges “Contours” is a group show of contemporary variations on landscape including work by Jennifer Beedon, Lead Pencil Studio, and Brenna Helm. 316 First Ave. S., 206-624-3034. 10:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Tues.-Sat.

Lisa Harris Richard Hutter’s abstract paintings and collages have a tightly balanced composition and employ bold motifs in layer upon layer of musiclike forms. This collection, “Supernature,” promises new work that alternates large, silent color fields with noisier, more intricate patterns of abstraction. 1922 Pike Pl., 206-443-3315. 10:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Mon.-Sat.; 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sun.

Martin-Zambito Mid-20th-century paintings, prints, and photographs by lesser-known Northwest artists, including Inez Hill Bailey, Glen Alps, James Peck, and Wendell Brazeau. 721 E. Pike St., 206- 726-9509. 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Tues.-Sat.

Metropolis Local artist ABDEL’s “The Red Series” offers expressionist figure studies in bloody reds. 318 Callow Ave. (Bremerton), 360-373-4709.

Photographic Center Northwest “Photography Past/Forward: Aperture at 50” features prints that originally appeared in the legendary photography periodical founded in 1952 by Ansel Adams, Dorothea Lange, and Minor White. 900 12th Ave. 206-720-7222. Noon-9:30 p.m. Mon., 9 a.m.-9:30 p.m. Tues.-Fri., 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Sat.

Platform Platform Gallery, a new artist-owned artspace in the Tashiro-Kaplan complex, celebrates its debut with “Still Lives,” work by two artists obsessed with fusing human and natural worlds. Keith Yurdana offers drawings and sculptures of human-animal metamorphosis and Carlee Fernandez’s taxidermy grafts grapes and strawberries onto dead birds and rodents. 114 Third Ave. S., 206-323-2808. 11 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Thurs.-Sat.

SAM Rental/Sales Gallery “In Focus: Seattle’s Friessen Gallery” features Friessen artists Matthew Dennison, Reilly Jensen, and Steve Jensen, and just might spur a whole series of gallery shows about other galleries. 1220 Third Ave., 206-654-3158. 10:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Sat.

SOIL “Masquerade,” an underwhelming, almost offensively coy little group show of “self-portraits” (you are unlikely to recognize any of the pieces as such), with work by painters Buddy Bunting and Margie Livingston, sculptor Yuki Nakamura, and photographers Thom Heileson and Debra Baxter. As if to emphasize how it strains for effect, the show is hung close to the ceiling where it’s hard to see. 112 Third Ave. S., 206-264-8061. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Thurs.-Sun.

Solomon Fine Art Wood panels that have been painted, drawn on, and gouged in an expressionistic manner by Page Davis. 1215 First Ave., 206- 297-1400. 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Mon.-Sat.

Suyama Space Brian Murphy returns with more of his watercolor self-portraits of the sort that wowed the crowds at the old Esther-Claypool space a couple years back. Once again, facial features float off at odd angles, like unmoored islands of utter corruption, but this time the paintings are freakin’ HUGE. They’re, like, as tall as you standing on your own shoulders. 2324 Second Ave. 206-256-0809. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Fri.

ToST New, simple-but-cool painting of furniture, tricycles, flowers, and other nice stuff by Todd Karam. 513 N. 36th St., 206-547-0240. 5 p.m.-2 a.m. Tues.-Sat., 5 p.m.-midnight Sun.-Mon.

Vain “Broken Windows” features roughly painted, fashion-savvy portraits by Casey Garcia. 2018 First Ave., 206-441-3441. Noon-7 p.m. Sun.-Tues.; 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Wed.-Thurs.; 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Fri.-Sat.

Western Bridge Western Bridge’s kickoff show, “Possessed,” is a superb collection of video and mixed-media pieces that make a veritable fetish of anxiety. Aïda Ruilova’s quick-cut video of nervousness has a garage-punk edge to it, while Zoe Leonard’s room full of used dolls is an unnerving formalist study in female identity. In Nicola’s Vruwink’s Living, the artist documents her worship at the altar of Martha Stewart. And the title of this group show derives from Shirin Neshat’s stunning 10-minute film featuring Iranian-born actress Shohreh Aghashloo as a mad-woman wandering into the village square. 3412 Fourth Avenue S. 206-838-7444. Noon-6 p.m. Thurs.-Sat.

William Traver Gregory Grenson’s reverse paintings on glass depict a variety of women in a raw and unflattering light. But there’s none of the De Kooning misogyny here—just unschooled, brightly colored portraiture somewhere between Egon Schiele and Lynda Barry. Also on display, blown glass thingamadoos from David Levi. 110 Union St., second floor, 206-587-6501. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Mon.-Fri.; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sat.; noon-5 p.m. Sun.

Woodside/Braseth Collage and early watercolors by Northwest Master with a capital NW, Paul Horiuchi. 1533 Ninth Ave., 206-622-7243. 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Tues.-Sat.

Zeitgeist Eric Olsen’s dot paintings are studies in randomness and chaos—each color is given a number and distributed evenly by computer-generated randomness. So, in the future, will artists be replaced by robots? Have no fear, Olsen hand-paints each dot to give it that special human touch. 171 S. Jackson St., 206-583-0497. 6 a.m.- 7 p.m. Mon.-Fri., 8 a.m.-7 p.m. Sat.-Sun.

Museums

Frye Art Museum In “Figuring the Forces,” contemporary realist painter Scott Goodwillie brings a baroque sensibility to contemporary anxieties and conflicts. “Eloquent Vistas” collects American landscape photography from the second half of the 19th century by Eadweard Muybridge, William Henry Jackson, and many others. 704 Terry Ave., 206- 622-9250. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tues.-Sat.; noon-5 p.m. Sun.; 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Thurs.

Henry Art Gallery Emmet Gowin’s “Changing the Earth,” features more than 10 years of aerial photographs of human-altered landscapes across the American West; Seattle video genius Gary Hill’s mysterious installation “Tall Ships” is a preview of the ambitious “Work of the Work” exhibit exploring artist-viewer interaction; and “Santiago Calatrava: The Architect’s Studio” showcases the work of the ultramodern Spanish architect with a fondness for organic swoops. “Selections from the Collection of William and Ruth True” offers a sampling from the collection of these two keen-eyed art collectors and longtime patrons of the Henry. UW campus, 206-543-2280. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tues.-Sun.; 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Thurs.

Museum of Glass Motorized, kinetic sculptures by Museum of Glass favorite Gregory Barsamian. Plus: Venice is the Mecca of glassblowing, and the island of Murano its epicenter; the survey “Murano,” showcases more than 200 pieces of 20th-century Murano glass from the Olnick Spanu Collection. 1801 E. Dock St. Tacoma, 253-396-1768. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Wed.-Sat. (third Thurs. of the month until 8 p.m.), noon-5 p.m. Sun.

Museum of Northwest Art “600 Moons: Fifty Years of Philip McCracken’s Art” presents a retrospective of the Northwest sculptor known for combining exquisite craftsmanship with a deep respect for the natural world. 121 South First St. (La Conner), 360-466-4446. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily.

Royal B.C. Museum A huge touring exhibit of ancient Egyptian artifacts from the British Museum makes its only stop in the Pacific Northwest at Victoria’s Royal B.C. Museum. Expect to see heaps of gorgeous treasures, including intricate golden death masks, a multiton granite lion, scraps of Egyptian scrolls, and yes, real, dead mummies. 675 Belleville Street (Victoria, B.C.) 888-447-7977. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily.

Seattle Art Museum The video “Shadow Procession,” a recent SAM acquisition by South African artist William Kentridge, is a low-tech shadow parable; “The View From Here,” offers selections of Pacific Northwest art from 1870 to 1940; while “Modern in America,” explores the interaction between photography and the paintings of Georgia O’Keeffe, Jasper Johns, and other 20th century artists. “Song, Story and Speech” is a multimedia installation exploring how oral tradition is crucial to Native Coast Salish culture. 100 University St., 206-654-3100. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tues.-Sun.; 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Thurs.

Tacoma Art Museum “A Sense of Place,” a selection of big names from the permanent collection, including Camille Corot, Edward Hopper, and Jacob Lawrence. Plus, the late UW professor and ceramics maven Howard Kottler is celebrated in “Look Alikes,” a selection of kitschy and witty commemorative plates from the 1960s to the 1980s. 1701 Pacific Ave., Tacoma, 253-272-4258. Every third Thursday free. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tues.-Sat.; 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Thurs.; noon-5 p.m. Sun.

Wing Luke Asian Museum The juried exhibit “Beyond Talk: Redrawing Race” attempts to break open the lockbox of dialogue on race. 407 Seventh S., 206-623-5124. 11 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Tues.-Fri.; noon-4 p.m. Sat.-Sun.