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

Lectures and Events

Artist Lecture: Roger Shimomura Commissioned to create works along Sound Transit’s new light-rail line, Shimomura will talk about his controversial large-scale sculpture Rainier Valley Haiku. The Seattle-born artist is an incisive satirist and a deft observer of the push and pull between ethnic identity and mainstream culture. In this lecture and discussion, Shimomura will explore the old (but relevant) debate between the “melting pot” and “tossed salad” views of ethnic identity—a particularly appropriate discussion in the South End, where immigrants from East Africa, Southeast Asia, and Latin America are transforming the city’s cultural mosaic. 6-9 p.m. Sat. March 19. Rainier Valley Cultural Center, 3515 S. Alaska St., $6, 206-760-4285.

Artist Toolkit Painter Margie Livingston and Heather Joy of Artist Trust discuss the ins and outs of getting artist grants. 12:30-2:30 p.m. Thurs. March 17. Seattle Academy of Fine Art, 1501 10th Ave. E., free, 206-526-2787.

Openings

Arts of Snohomish A group show of work by 30 participants in VSA of Washington’s programs for artists with disabilities. Reception: 2-5 p.m. Sun. March 20. 105 Cedar Ave. (Snohomish), 360-568-8648. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tues.-Sat.; noon- 5 p.m. Sun.

Crawl Space Anne Mathern poses adults in creepy restaged photographs of their most formative adolescent moments. Reception: 6-9 p.m. Sat. March 19. 504 E. Denny Way, No. 1 (near Olive), 206-240-6015. Noon-5 p.m. Sat.-Sun.

Harrison St. Gallery “Pursuits,” a playful look at hobbies, features prints from Cornish College’s permanent collection. Reception: 6-8 p.m. Fri. March 18. Seattle Center House, Third Floor, 305 Harrison St., 206-587-0112. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. daily.

Howard House “Red Thread,” named for the expression in German that refers to a train of thought, is a two-part group show that samples new work from the contemporary avant-garde in Vienna. The city of Freud and Klimt has lately become a magnet for a cosmopolitan crop of artists, including the collaborative team Muntean/Rosenblum (Austria and Israel), Tamuna Sirbiladze (Georgia), Benedetta Jacovini (Italy), Rudolf Stingel (U.S.), and Franz West (Austria), among others. The show will range from the large, phallic sculptures of Franz West to photographic “meat portraits” by the duo Clegg & Guttmann. Reception: 6-8 p.m. Thurs. March 17. 604 Second Ave., 206-256-6399. 10:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Tues.-Sat.

Seattle Art Museum Rental/Sales Gallery SAM’s Rental/Sales Gallery continues its showcase of local galleries, this time with artists from Bryan Ohno Gallery, including Francis Celentano, Anna Daedalus, and Patricia Hagan. Also on display: works by Gabriel Fernandez and Chauney Peck. Reception: 5-7 p.m. Thurs. March 17. 1220 Third Ave., 206-343-1101. 10:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Sat.

Last Chance

G. Gibson A group show of gallery favorites—in celebration of Gibson’s return to Pioneer Square—features staged tableaux by Lori Nix, Richard Misrach’s epic landscapes, and Doug Keyes’ multiple-exposure impressions of Chinatown. 300 S. Washington St., 206-587-4033. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Wed.-Sat. Ends Sat. March 19.

Tollbooth It’s not worth a trip in itself, but if you happen to be in Tacoma, stop by the innovative street kiosk called Tollbooth to see “Hello Central, Give Me Heaven, Hello Central, Give Me No Man’s Land,” a new video/propaganda project created by artist Mary Simpson, musician Rob Millis, and writer Fionn Meade. 11th and Broadway, Tacoma. Open 24 hours. Ends Sat. March 19.

Galleries

911 Media Arts John Feodorov, who as a child was told that the lava bed down the road was actually the coagulated blood of a slain giant, brings mythological imagination to bear on office cubicles and other contemporary places in the installation “Four Sacred Spaces.” 402 Ninth Ave., 206-682-6552. 1-7 p.m. Tues.-Sat.

Artemis Painter Matthew Porter (who also co-owns Bluebottle gallery on Capitol Hill) serves up more of his odd-cute paintings of gigantic cats eating Seattle (one too many double shorts?), plus monkeys, monkeys and more monkeys. 3107 S. Day St., 206-323-0562. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tues.-Sat.

Ballard/Fetherston Big, sunny abstraction by Benton Peugh, and Dorothy Rissman’s meticulously layered and sanded multimedia paintings. 818 E. Pike St., 206-322-9440. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tues.-Sat.

Bluebottle Mike Maas’ “TV Party” offers a bunch of tired Tiki- and Mod-retro 1970s nostalgia paintings made three-dimensional with multiple layers of cut Masonite. 415 E. Pine St., 206-325-1592. 1-7 p.m. Tues.-Fri.; noon-6 p.m. Sat.-Sun.

Bryan Ohno Katina Huston’s lovely, near-abstract studies of bicycles employ a variety of inks and washes on Mylar. The effect is quite extraordinary: The greaselike stains coalesce to reveal ghostly, totemic forms. Susan Rothenberg has her horses, and Huston—a bike messenger turned Bay Area philosophy professor—has her saintly bicycles. 155 S. Main St., 206-667-9572. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tues.-Sat.

Capitol Hill Arts Center Watercolor has a bad rap as a lightweight medium. With “Unbroken,” the hipsters of the Capitol Hill Watercolor Society hope to change all that; the show ranges from comics- inspired paintings to trippy landscapes. 1621 12th Ave., 206-388-0600. 6-10 p.m. Wed.-Fri.; 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Sat.

CoCABorn magazine, an online venue that fosters collaborations between writers and visual artists, is the impetus behind “Help Wanted,” a promising-looking collection of multimedia interactive pieces by Andrio Abero, Randy Moss, Tatiana Parcero, Trimpin, and many others. 410 Dexter Ave. N., 206-728-1980. 2-8 p.m. Tues.-Thurs.; noon- 5 p.m. Fri.-Sun.

Consolidated Works “Ergonomicon” is a carnival-like array of work on the theme of bodies and environments, including Alex Schweder’s fully plumbed and operational “Peescapes,” Sami Bin Larbi’s Sur Place, which aims to destabilize your perception with mirrors, video cameras, and a pair of adjoining stalls, and Sofia Hulten’s superb videos of contemporary paranoia. 500 Boren Ave. N., 4-8 p.m. Thurs.-Fri.; 1-8 p.m. Sat.-Sun. 206-860-5245.

Davidson Take off your shoes and walk on Jill Weinstock’s squishy rubber-encased nylon stockings while checking out the oil paintings of Sally Cleveland, who is drawn to scenes of cows standing around, as well as to poetic urban details, like the sky reflected in a stream of water running down an alley. Also on display: Ajay Garg’s miniatures in the Indian tradition. 313 Occidental Ave. S., 206-624-7684. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tues.-Sat.

Francine Seders New mixed-media assemblages by Robert Mirenzi, who works with materials ranging from plastic dolls’ heads to cheap Chinese party favors. Also: Juliana Heyne’s monoprints and landscape paintings inspired by a recent trip to Spain. 6701 Greenwood Ave. N., 206-782-0355. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tues.-Sat.; 1-5 p.m. Sun.

Gallery 110 Gary Oliveira’s pensive photos of postcoital motel rooms (rumpled sheets on the Magic Fingers bed, discarded room-service trays—you get the idea); plus, Cynthia Bittenfield’s grainy photographs of Normandy beaches, which pay earnest tribute to her father’s involvement in D-Day. 110 S. Washington St., 206-624-9336. Noon-5 p.m. Wed.-Sat.

Gallery 4 Culture Eric Olson generates his dot paintings using random tables of numbers, then hand-paints each tiny blob of acrylic on sheets of aluminum—for that special personal touch. It’s a clever if slightly sterile excursion into issues of chaos, order, and how much of our creative process is driven by forces we have no control over. 506 Second Ave., Suite 200 (Smith Tower), 206-296-7580. 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Mon-Fri.

Garde Rail A small solo show of John Taylor’s creaky, rough-hewn interpretations of historic ships, cobbled together from junk lumber, rusted tin cans, and assorted flotsam—including one interpretation of Seattle’s favorite homeless ferry, the Kalakala. 110 Third Ave. S., 206-621-1055. 11 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Wed.-Fri.; 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sat.

Goods Illustration and type design by the Vancouver, B.C.–based team of Robin Cameron and Niall McClelland. 1112 Pike St., 206-622-0459, 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Mon.-Sat.; noon-5 p.m. Sun.

Greg Kucera Minimal, lushly colored abstraction and near-abstraction (moonlit landscapes from the Northwest and Southwest), executed in encaustic by longtime Northwest painter Joseph Goldberg. Also on display: new work by Gregory Kucera—not the gallery owner but the L.A.–based conceptual and video artist of the same name. Kucera the Artist makes frenetic videos of urban life, digitally created stripe paintings, and sculptural “paintings” in which holes have been cored into thick sheets of plastic. 212 Third Ave., 206-624-0770. 10:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Tues.-Sat.

Jacob Lawrence Gallery Children’s drawings created during wartime, ranging from the Spanish Civil War to Kosovo. UW campus, Art Building, Room 132, 206-685-1805. Noon-4 p.m. Tues.-Sat.

James Harris New work by Peter Schuyff, whose carved pencils, spiraling totems cut from raw logs, and obsessively layered paintings of strange forms make excursions into pattern and topology. 309A Third Ave., 206-903-6220. 11 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Wed.-Sat.

Jeffrey Moose African-American art legend Al Loving has been making his way in the art world since the 1960s. Not long ago, he completed a huge mosaic in a Brooklyn subway station; here, he shows a series of color-saturated acrylic/rag paper collages. 1333 Fifth Ave., Rainier Square, second level, 206-467-6951. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Mon.-Fri.; noon-5 p.m. Sat.

Kirkland Arts Center “Release and Capture” is a rewarding group show of spare works on paper curated by Fionn Meade. (See this week’s visual art spotlight p. 74). 620 Market St. (Kirkland) 425-822-7161. 11 a.m.- 6 p.m. Mon.-Fri.

Linda Hodges Brad Rude’s paintings and sculptures put animals in vaguely shamanist compositions. 316 First Ave. S., 206-624-3034. 10:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Tues.-Sat.

Lisa Harris New, vigorous, boldly colored Northwest landscapes by Brit-born transplant John Cole. 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 Shots of alpine wildflowers in Olympic and Mount Rainier National Parks by local photographer Gary Luhm. 313A First Ave., 206-903-1444. 9 a.m.- 5 p.m. Mon.-Fri.; noon-5 p.m. Sat.-Sun.

Photographic Center Northwest “Fotografenbüro” features documentary work, much of it chronicling the dramatic changes affecting Eastern Europe, by five photographers from Lux, a Berlin-based photo bureau. 900 12th Ave., 206-720-7222. Noon-9:30 p.m. Mon.; 9 a.m.- 9:30 p.m. Tues.-Sun.

Platform Scott Fife’s “I Am What I Am” portrays a small, random assortment of celebrities—Popeye, Frida Kahlo, and Mies Van der Rohe among them—using his extraordinary sculptural technique, which makes use of layer upon layer of cut gray cardboard. 114 Third Ave. S., 206-323-2808. 11 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Thurs.-Sat.

Priceless Works “Small Salience” collects abstractions and figurative work by 14 artists who use minimal gestures and forms to make their points. Includes work by Patrick Holderfield, Peter Gross, and Linda Peschong. 619 N. 35th St., Suite 100, 206-349-9943. Noon- 6 p.m. Thurs.-Sun.

Richard Hugo House “Woman in Ill-Fitting Wig” is a collaboration in painting and text between and Nancy Kiefer and Rebecca Brown. Kiefer paints mugs of difficult women, and Brown spins verbal riffs on the images. 1634 11th Ave., 206-322-7030. 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Mon.-Fri.; noon-5 p.m. Sat.

Roq La Rue Oh, the decadence! In “Opulent Decay,” three artists luxuriate in death, the macabre, and destruction, including Joshua Petker’s creepy expressionist paintings and Alice Tippet’s subtle but gory pictures of peacocks and other birdies. 2316 Second Ave., 206-374-8977. 2-6 p.m. Tues.-Sat.; noon-4 p.m. Sun.

Shoreline Community College Art Gallery Jessica Dodge’s figurative paintings on glass of the adolescents she’s known. Building 1000, 16101 Greenwood Ave. N., 206-546-4101 ext. 4433. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Fri.

SOIL In “Knock-Off,” Nina Zingale and Gina Rymarcsuk transform tacky European art and religious souvenirs into—well, tacky photo-booth snapshots. Also on display: Toi Sennhauser’s dozen sewn felt oysters. 112 Third Ave. S., 206-264-8061. Noon-5 p.m. Thurs.-Sun.

Solomon Fine Art In “Small Tales,” Ellen Garvens’ insectlike assemblages made from hand tools and photographs explore the fragility and utility of the body, while Peter Stanfield’s techno-looking wall sculptures made of hand-tooled steel focus on a short vignette of love or loss. Also on display: Fred Holcomb’s bright, competent abstract paintings. 1215 First Ave., 206-297-1400. 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Mon.-Sat.

Suyama Space Roger Feldman’s architectural sculptures are designed to be unsettling—literally. The three installations, each about the size of Thoreau’s cabin, are built simply from 2-by-4s and other framing materials and are meant to be experienced. So take off your shoes and enter. Each of the structures is made to rock and teeter. One is constructed with an Escher-like zigzag of parallelograms, and it takes random, disturbing lurches as you walk about the room. The most memorable piece is sealed off in sensory- deprivation blackness. 2324 Second Ave., 206-256-0809. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Fri.

ToST Evan Blackwell and Marc Lawrence’s big, bold 3-D wall sculptures created from found lumber and other colorful junkyard detritus. 513 N. 36th St., 206-547-0240. 5 p.m.-2 a.m. Tues.-Sat.; 5 p.m.-midnight Sun.-Mon.

Vera Project A silent auction and group gallery show to support Broken Ground, a nonprofit that works with artists to provide funds to humanitarian causes. Includes work by UW ceramics major Charles Thomas and local photographers Jacob Canini and Sean Simpson. 1122 E. Pike St., No. 849, 206-956-8372. 2-6 p.m. Tues.-Thurs.; 2-5 p.m. Fri.-Sat.

Vain “Your Egyptian Jets”: monsters, mod superheroes, and other graffiti-inspired art by Brandon Graham, David Linder, and Corey Lewis. 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 “19 Rainstorms” is an international sampling of video, painting, photography, and installations by Oliver Boberg, Trisha Donnelly, Olafur Eliasson, Anri Sala, Tania Kitchell, and others. 3412 Fourth Ave. S. 206- 838-7444. Noon-6 p.m. Thurs.-Sat.

William Traver Nancy Worden’s art jewelry makes use of some wild materials— everything from clothespins to taxidermy eyes to chunks of the demolished Kingdome. 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.

Zeitgeist Kynan Antos’ pairs of paintings in “Wake” explore the transformations we experience after the loss of a loved one, whether human, canine, or feline. 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 Robin Held’s first exhibition since taking over as curator at the Frye, Seattle artist Joseph Park gets a solo show, “Moon Beam Caress.” The precise paintings draw upon Japanese animation and film to create an alternative noir world peopled with angst-ridden cartoon creatures. Park also has work currently on display at Howard House. Also on display: 20th-century artist Philip Pearlstein’s intense drawings of nudes. 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 It’s laterally mobile curator Robin Held’s last show at the Henry. “Celebrity Skin” pairs photos of famous 19th-century French people with Alice Wheeler’s photos of Nirvana, which are startlingly immediate enough to penetrate any jadedness you think you might feel toward the overexposed Cobain and company. UW campus, 206-543-2280. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tues.-Sun.; 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Thurs.

Museum of Northwest Art “Northwest Matriarchs of Modernism” showcases work by a dozen artists working between 1940 and 1970, including figurative painter Viola Patterson, abstract painter Mary Henry, and sculptor Hilda Morris. 121 S. First St. (La Conner), 360-466-4446. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily.

Seattle Art Museum “Between Past and Future” is a thrilling showcase of contemporary Chinese video and photography, much of it focused on the body in relation to the world. Standouts include Zhang Huan’s iconic photos of language and identity; Family Tree, Rong Rong’s disturbing images of visceral performance art; Li Wei’s clever experiments with mirrors; and Zhao Lian’s video-game-inspired exploration of authority, Social Survey. Also on display: “Africa in America,” a varied and complex exploration of slavery, displacement, and ethnic culture as portrayed in African-American art of the late 20th century, including work by James W. Washington Jr., Kara Walker, Ellen Gallagher, Oliver Jackson, and Marita Dingus. 100 University St., 206-654-3100. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tues.-Sun.; 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Thurs.

Seattle Asian Art Museum “Mountain Dreams” collects contemporary ceramics incised with Buddhist text by Korean artist Yoon Kwang-cho. Volunteer Park, 1400 E. Prospect Ave., 206-625-8900. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Wed.-Sun.; 10 a.m.-9 p.m. 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. This touring retrospective marks the first major show of his work in the Northwest in 20 years. Meanwhile, “A Decade of Excellence” displays Northwest artists who’ve been awarded the Behnke Foundation’s “Neddy” Artist Fellowship since the program began 10 years ago, including work by Michael Spafford, Juan Alonso, Claire Cowie, Susan Dory, and Mark Takamichi Miller. 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.

Washington State History Museum Do you remember being able to think about 9/11 without cursing Bush for using it to drag us into the bloody quagmire of Iraq? We don’t, and we’re not at all sure that “September 11: Bearing Witness to History” will help. It’s a touring show of charred flags, blackened firefighter helmets, and twisted steel from the WTC, all presented like sacred relics. 1911 Pacific Ave., Tacoma, 253-272-3500. 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Tues.-Wed. 10 a.m.-8 p.m.; Fri.-Sat. noon-5 p.m. Sun.