Jan. 12-18, 2005

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

Lectures and Events

Seattle Weekly PickArtist Lecture: Kathryn Gustafson It’s not often that landscape artists make a huge splash in the media, but that’s exactly what Seattle-based artist Gustafson did when she was selected to create London’s memorial to Princess Diana. She’ll talk about the controversy regarding that project as well as her equally innovative but less-talked-about projects ranging from Seattle’s McCaw Hall to a peace park in Beirut. 6:30 p.m. Wed. Jan. 12. Seattle Art Musuem, 100 University St., $5-$8, 206-654-3100.

Seattle Weekly PickArtist Lecture: Kimsooja Korean-born artist Kimsooja uses installation, video, and textiles to create a quiet, contemplative art amid the bustle of contemporary urban life. In videos such as Needle Woman, Kimsooja manages to combine stillness with unceasing flow, a dichotomy drawn directly from Buddhist practice. In a lecture in conjunction with the Henry’s “Work of the Work” show, the artist talks about the intersection of art, globalization, and femininity. 7 p.m. Thurs. Jan. 13. U.W. campus, free, 206-543-2280.

Seattle Weekly PickArtist Lecture: Marita Dingus The Seattle-born artist talks about her work, in which she addresses identity and ethnicity through masks and sculpture. 6:30 p.m. Thurs. Jan. 13. Pratt Fine Arts Center, 1902 S. Main St., free, 206-328-2200.

Artist Studio Open House Stephen Chalmer’s disturbing photos are an outgrowth of his work with children with severe mental illness. Reception: noon-5 p.m. Sat. Jan. 15. 306 S. Washington #105, free, 360-650-3436.

Artist Walk-through: Hadley + Maxwell The B.C.–based artist duo lead a discussion and walk-through of their clever faux interior design project in which they rearrange and photograph the rooms of various art-world people. 1 p.m. Sat. Jan. 15. Howard House, 604 Second Ave., free, 206-256-6399.

Openings

Art Institute of Seattle Gallery Joey Robinson’s 27 stark, roughly sketched portraits of black maids are accompanied by stories of their struggles during the civil rights movement. Opens Mon. Jan. 17. 2323 Elliott Ave., 206-448-0900. 8 a.m.-8 p.m. Mon.-Thurs.; 10 a.m.- 2 p.m. Sat. Feb. 24; reception 5-7 p.m. Thurs. Feb. 3.

Columbia City Gallery A group show of work by local artists, plus guest work by Latino artists Jesus Mena Amaya, Monica Gutierrez, Amaranta Ibarra-Sandys, Fulgencio Lazo, and Blanca Santander. Reception: 5-9 p.m. Sat. Jan. 15. 4864 Rainier Ave., 206-760-9843. Noon- 7 p.m. Wed.-Sat.; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sun.

Francine Seders New monochrome drawings and spare abstractions from James Deitz, Caryn Friedlander, and Gail Grinnell. Reception: 2-4 p.m. Sun. Jan. 16. 6701 Greenwood Ave. N., 206-782-0355. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tues.-Sat., 1-5 p.m. Sun.

Jack Straw New Media Gallery New York composer Joe Diebs’ experiment with a chance-inspired string quartet is the sort of John Cage–y thing that has the potential to be either maddening or fascinating. He’s apparently done some pretty sophisticated programming to make the recorded samples intersect in less-than-jarring ways. Reception: 7 p.m. Fri. Jan. 14. 4261 Roosevelt Way N.E., 206-634-0919. 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Mon.-Fri.

Jacob Lawrence Gallery New work by UW Master of Arts students. Opens Wed. Jan. 12. UW campus, School of Art, 206-685-1805. Noon-4 p.m. Tues.-Sat.

Seattle LGBT Community Center Gallery “No Surface Is Safe” features posters on queer themes by Chris Connors. Reception: 7-9 p.m., Sat. Jan. 15. 1115 E. Pike St. 206-323-5428. Noon- 9 p.m.

South Seattle Community College Art Gallery In case you missed the group show “Beyond Talk: Redrawing Race” at the Wing Luke Asian Museum, you’ll have a second chance to see it at SSCC. Opens Thurs. Jan. 13. 6000 16th S.W., 206-764-5337. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Fri.; until 7 p.m. Wed.-Thurs.

Tacoma Art Museum Marsden Hartley isn’t exactly a household name, but the 20th-century American painter, poet, critic, and dandy was a solid experimenter in form and color. And even if it seems he was always paying homage to one predecessor or another, he was an important influence on such artists as Alfred Stieglitz and Georgia O’Keeffe. This touring retrospective marks the first major show of his work in the Northwest in 20 years. Opens Sat. Jan. 15. 1701 Pacific Ave., Tacoma, 253-272-4258. Every third Thursday free and open until 8 p.m. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tues.-Sat.; noon-5 p.m. Sun.

Last Chance

Seattle Weekly Pick911 Media ArtsLanguage Willing is a frenetic and mesmerizing video piece by Gary Hill. 402 Ninth Ave., 206-682-6552. 1-7 p.m. Tues.-Sat. Ends Sat. Jan. 15.

Frye Art Museum Henk Pander portrays modern-day tragedies—the New Carissa oil spill, terminal illness, and ground zero in Manhattan—with vivid and sometimes disturbing realism. 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. Ends Sun. Jan. 16.

G. Gibson Contemporary figurative photographs by Mona Kuhn and flower photographs by Ron van Dongen. 514 E. Pike St., 206-587-4033. 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Wed.-Fri.; 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sat. Ends Sat. Jan. 15.

Seattle Weekly PickGreg Kucera Susan Skilling’s recent minimalist paintings offer passionate glimpses into the heavens, while Lynne Woods Turner’s drawings create concentric rings and faint dots, all sketched so lightly they’re nearly invisible. 212 Third Ave., 206-624-0770. 10:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Tues.-Sat. Ends Sat. Jan. 15.

Seattle Weekly PickJames Harris In “Low Pressure,” Tania Kitchell conducts little experiment-performances in chilly conditions and records the results in sweet, ephemeral photographs. 309A Third Ave., 206-903-6220. 10:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Tues.-Sat. Ends Sat. Jan. 15.

Tacoma Art Museum “Hudson River School” is an OK collection of landscapes from 19th-century American artists including Albert Bierstadt, Thomas Cole, and Frederic Church. Meanwhile, “Sense of Place” is an eclectic and fascinating selection from the permanent collection, including Merrill Wagner’s magnificent Rustoleum-on-steel abstraction, Estuary. 1701 Pacific Ave., Tacoma, 253-272-4258. Every third Thursday free and open until 8 p.m.; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tues.-Sat.; noon-5 p.m. Sun. Ends Sun. Jan. 16.

Galleries

ArtsWest In “Figuratively Speaking,” Richard Glenn, Steve MacFarlane, and Nancy Peterson use glass, collage, abstract paintings, and monotype prints to create images with a sense of mystery. 4711 California Ave. S.W. (West Seattle), 206-938-0963. Noon-7 p.m. Tues.-Sat.

Bluebottle Rick Catlow’s “Don’t Meet Your Heroes” serves up graffiti-inspired monsters, dead birds, and an inordinate quantity of drool—all painted on discarded cans and other salvaged stuff. 415 E. Pine St., 206-325-1592. 1-7 p.m. Tues.-Fri., noon-6 p.m. Sat.-Sun.

Calix A group show including work by two L.A.–based practitioners of neopop: Mark Hobley, whose Warhol-Lite is a potpourri of commercial images and Technicolor screen printing, and Judy Ragali, who paints deadpan portraits of Barbies dressed to kill. 301 Occidental Ave. S., 206-447-5647. 1-6 p.m. Wed.-Fri.; 2-5 p.m. Sat.

Capitol Hill Arts Center In “Afterlife,” Diana Falchuk creates wall sculptures and installations from childhood blankets, stuffed animals, and other dilapidated comfort items loved to destruction. 1621 12th Ave., 206-388-0600. 6-10 p.m. Wed.-Fri.; 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Sat.

Seattle Weekly PickConsolidated Works The touring “Altoids Curiously Strong Collection” lands at ConWorks, loaded with painting and sculpture from a pack of up-and-coming artists from across the country, including Reed Anderson, Jedediah Caesar, Tony Matelli, Katie Pell, and Anna Sew Hoy. 500 Boren Ave. N., 4-8 p.m. Thurs.-Fri., 1-8 p.m. Sat.-Sun. 206- 860-5245.

Seattle Weekly PickDavidson Selene Santucci’s paintings in “Left Hand Turns” offer well-proportioned geometric abstractions into which she tucks little symbolic figures—creating a kind of visual cabinet of curiosities. Also on display: overly cute paintings and frescos of animals and such by Liza von Rosenstiel. 313 Occidental Ave. S., 206-624-7684. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tues.-Sat.

Foster/White In “The Continental,” octogenarian painter James Martin offers more of his sloppy, funny, Chagall-esque menageries stocked with kingfishers, mermaids, rocket-ship babies, the Lone Ranger, and peanut butter cookies. 123 S. Jackson, 206-622-2833. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Mon.-Sat.; noon-5 p.m. Sun.

Friesen Gallery Five painters from San Fransisco’s Figurative movement, which grew out of Abstract Expressionism, including work by Christopher Brown, Pegan Brooke, Stephanie Peek, James Shay, and Clifford Wilton. 1210 Second Ave., 206-628-9501. 10 a.m.- 5:30 p.m. Mon.-Sat.

Gallery 4 Culture Debra Baxter, a local artist whose huge silk paper cloud recently graced Platform Gallery’s “Paperwork” show, stages a solo show of installations, plus photographs of her “portable weather systems” (clouds on a stick) set amid real landscapes. 506 Second Ave., Suite 200 (Smith Tower), 206-296-7580. 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Mon.-Fri.

Gallery 110 A group show of work by member artists in this cooperative gallery, including Pat Andrus, Christopher Beuning, Carl Jackson, and a heap of others. 110 S. Washington St., 206-624-9336. Noon-5 p.m. Wed.-Sat.

Seattle Weekly PickGarde Rail Thick with frostinglike layers of paint (her skies resemble nothing so much as Crest toothpaste), Toronto-based artist Jennifer Harrison’s row upon row of painted houses offer a cheery but abandoned landscape of mythical happiness. 110 Third Ave. S., 206-621-1055. 11 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Wed.-Fri.; 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sat.

Seattle Weekly PickGoods New urban graphic design work by Andrio Abero, one of the city’s most innovative rock poster creators and the instigator behind the 33rpm graphic design group. 1112 Pike St., 206-622-0459, 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Mon.-Sat., noon-5 p.m. Sun.

Grover/Thurston Simple but unsentimental paintings of birds, lovers, and bicycles by local self-trained painter Joe Max Emminger. 309 Occidental St., 206-223-0816. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tues.-Sat.

Howard House The Vancouver, B.C.–based duo Hadley and Maxwell display “Décor Project,” in which they enter the homes of curators, art collectors, and other artsy-fartsy people, rearrange their rooms in unconventional ways, and then photograph the whole project in slick, design- magazine style. 604 Second Ave., 206-256-6399. 10:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Tues.-Sat.

Linda Hodges Jennifer Beedon-Snow’s sunlit suburban landscapes have an abandoned, solitary quality reminiscent of David Hockney’s paintings of L.A. 316 First Ave. S., 206-624-3034. 10:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Tues.-Sat.

Seattle Weekly PickLisa Harris Richard Morhous is infatuated with big, bold primary colors—no somber Northwest grays for this artist, who’s been showing at Lisa Harris since it opened in 1984. Morhous’ new work, “Night Light” makes masterful use of color in predominantly nocturnal urban scenes. There’s a trace of sentimentality in some of the images, but the well-composed acrylic paintings (each of which will be displayed alongside several preliminary sketches) explode with color blasting out of the darkness. 1922 Pike Pl., 206-443-3315. 10:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Mon.-Sat.; 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sun.

National Parks Conservation Association Scott Parker’s “National Parks Project” collects photographs, paintings, and sketches from a dream road trip: visiting all 56 officially designated National Parks in two years via Jeep, kayak, bush plane, and on foot. 313-A First Ave., 206-903-1444, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Fri., noon-5 p.m. Sat.-Sun.

Photographic Center Northwest PCNW’s annual juried members’ show is curated by SAM’s Susan Rosenberg and features photography by Anna Daedalus, Margot Quan Knight, and others. 900 12th Ave., 206-720-7222. Noon-9:30 p.m. Mon.; 9 a.m.-9:30 p.m. Tues.-Sun.

Platform Gallery co-founder Blake Haygood—known for minimal, cartoony paintings stocked with truncated aortalike forms, odd machines, and floating beans—shows “Buck Fever,” a series of new paintings. 114 Third Ave. S., 206-323-2808. 11 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Thurs.-Sat.

Richard Hugo House “On and Off the Map” features photos and etchings of local landscapes by Jennifer Nerad and Mark Griswold. 1634 11th Ave., 206-322-7030. 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Mon.-Fri., noon-5 p.m. Sat.

Seattle Art Museum Rental/Sales Gallery The latest in a series of guest shows of work from various local galleries shines the spotlight on G. Gibson (which is convenient, since this Capitol Hill gallery will be closed during the month of January while it moves to its new location in Pioneer Square). Featured artists include Larry Calkins, Michael Kenna, and Eva Sköld Westerlind. 1220 Third Ave., 206-343-1101. 10:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Sat.

Seattle Weekly PickSOIL “Seeing Green,” a group show of off-kilter nature art by Buddy Bunting, Laura Stein, Jennifer Zwick, Debra Baxter, Jim Woodring, and Brandon Ballengee—the last a New York–based artist and practicing field biologist who studies and documents frogs mutated by pollution in the wild. 112 Third Ave. S., 206-264-8061. Noon-5 p.m. Thurs.-Sun.

Seattle Weekly PickSolomon Fine Art “Barely Visible.” 1215 First Ave., 206-297-1400. 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Mon.-Sat. See Visual Arts Spotlight. p. 66.

Seattle Weekly PickWestern Bridge The second part of Henry Art Gallery’s ambitious show “Work of the Work” (much of which was mounted with the help of William and Ruth True’s Western Bridge collection) showcases art that deals with perception and humanist religiosity. Kimsooja’s jukeboxlike Mandala: Zone of Zero broadcasts a cacophony of chanting from Tibetans and Gregorian monks, while Steve McQueen’s gritty video of trip-hop singer Tricky is a near-claustrophobic immersion in a trance state. Anne Appleby’s color field paintings derived from the fleeting colors of Montana’s outdoors offer a palpable, quiet grace, while Carston Höller’s immersive merry-go-round of fluorescent light takes you to another plane of existence. 3412 Fourth Avenue S. 206-838-7444. Noon-6 p.m. Thurs.-Sat.

Seattle Weekly PickWilliam Traver Portland artist Jeremy LePisto makes cool, post-Chihuly glass: Some pieces resemble tiny bridges, while others are painted with deadpan little scenes of industrial buildings and bored everymen. Also on display: abstract paintings resembling coffee-cup stains by Geoff Garza. 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.

Winston Wächter “Lucky 7,” a group show of seven women artists from the Northwest, features Victoria Adams (who creates imaginary landscapes in the Hudson River tradition), abstract painters Susan Dory and Besty Eby, and modernist sculptor Julie Speidel. 203 Dexter Ave. N., 206-652-5855, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tues.-Sat.

Seattle Weekly PickWright Exhibition Space This show, curated by Virginia Wright, hopes to revive interest in color field painters Jules Olitski, Morris Louis, Helen Frankenthaler, and Kenneth Noland. 407 Dexter Ave. N., 206-264-8200. 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Thurs.-Fri.

Zeitgeist Letterpress prints created with metal and wood type, woodcuts, and other techniques, by students at the School of Visual Concepts. 171 S. Jackson St., 206-583-0497. 6 a.m.-7 p.m. Mon.-Fri., 8 a.m.-7 p.m. Sat.-Sun.

Museums

Seattle Weekly PickFrye Art Museum Mark Ryden’s amazing “Wondertoonel” brings gothic pop surrealism to the sleepy halls of the Frye. The California-based artist’s morbid and masterfully painted images are lurid and blackly comic: Lincoln’s severed head juggles pork chops, Jesus zooms in his spaceship, the Godspeed, freaky stuffed animals carve meat, and wide-eyed Keane-esque kids watch the madness unfold. 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.

Seattle Weekly PickHenry Art Gallery “The Work of the Work” is a rewarding and tightly focused exploration of how art works on viewers. Much of curator Elizabeth Brown’s guiding aesthetic is to find art that is both accessible to those who don’t have an extensive background in art, but art that also stands up to rigorous critical scrutiny. UW campus, 206-543-2280. 11 a.m.- 5 p.m. Tues.-Sun.; 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Thurs.

Seattle Art Museum “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 greats. 100 University St., 206-654-3100. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tues.-Sun.; 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Thurs.

Tacoma Art Museum “Hudson River School” is an OK collection of landscapes from 19th-century American artists including Albert Bierstadt, Thomas Cole, and Frederic Church. “Sense of Place” is an eclectic selection from the permanent collection. The fourth installment of “Building Tradition” offers Northwest art by Carl Morris, Yuki Nakamura, David Darraugh, Marita Dingus, and Jennifer West. 1701 Pacific Ave., Tacoma, 253-272-4258. Every third Thursday free and open until 8 p.m.; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tues.-Sat.; noon-5 p.m. Sun.

Wing Luke Asian Museum “Asian and Pacific Islander Adoptees: A Journey Through Identity” explores the experience of adopted children from Asia and their families in a collection of art, photos, and personal stories. 407 Seventh S., 206-623-5124. 11 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Tues.-Fri.; noon-4 p.m. Sat.-Sun.