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Lectures and Events

Artist Lecture: Remembering Noguchi Seattle artists Gerard Tsutakawa and Eric Nelsen talk about 20th-century sculptor and designer Isamu Noguchi and his lasting influence on the arts in Seattle. 6:30 p.m. Thurs. June 16. Seattle Asian Art Museum, Volunteer Park, 1400 E. Prospect Ave., free with admission, 206-625-8900.

MONA Art Auction The Museum of Northwest Art’s annual gala fund-raising art auction will feature the work of nearly 300 artists. Auction preview: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Fri. June 17; 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sat. June 18. Auction: 5 p.m. Sat. June 18. Museum of Northwest Art, 121 S. First St., La Conner, $75, 360-466-4446.

Panel: The Language of Jewelry Artists and jewelry experts from around the country discuss trends in studio art jewelry, in conjunction with TAM’s “Zero Karat” exhibit. 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Sat. June 18. Tacoma Art Museum, 1701 Pacific Ave., Tacoma, free, 253-272-4258.

SAFA Student Exhibition An end-of-the-year exhibition by students at Seattle Academy of Fine Arts. 6-9 p.m. Fri. June 17. Seattle Academy of Fine Arts, St. Nicholas Building, 1501 10th Ave. E., $10 or art book donation, 206-526-2787.

Openings

CoCA Tokyo-based architect and artist Yumi Kori’s two-part installation “Infinitation” reacts to the regimented and documented space of urban existence by trying to suggest the infinite through manipulation of sound and light. Reception: 8 p.m.-midnight Fri. June 17. 410 Dexter Ave. N., 206-728-1980. 2-8 p.m. Tues.-Thurs.; noon-5 p.m. Fri.-Sun.

Crawl Space In “Common,” six local artists aim to elevate the banal—Laundromats, muscle cars, picnic dinnerware—to the level of high art. Reception: 6-9 p.m. Sat. June 18. 504 E. Denny Way #1, 206-240-6015. Noon-5 p.m. Sat.-Sun.

Facèré “Signs of Life” collects art jewelry that stretches the boundaries of wearable artifacts and pairs each work with a poem or short prose piece by a local writer. Artist-writer duos include artist Jana Brevick and local sci-fi writer Greg Bear, and German artist Heidi Kindlemann and novelist Laura Kalpakian. Lecture/reading: 4-5 p.m. Thurs. June 16 (reservations suggested); Reception: 5-7 p.m. 1420 Fifth Ave. (U.S. Bank/City Centre), Suite 108, 206-624-6768.

Howard House Fourteen artists explore the shifting terrain of landscape painting in the early 21st century. No gorgeous vistas or Ansel Adams nature portraits here; instead, New York’s Cameron Martin portrays Mount St. Helens in superflat studies of gray, while Seattle painters Victoria Haven and Robert Yoder create near-abstract compositions suggestive of mountains and aerial views. Reception: 6-8 p.m. Thurs. June 16. 604 Second Ave., 206-256-6399. 10:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Tues.-Sat.

Jacob Lawrence Gallery In “Touching Art,” local artists were challenged to create tactile artworks that can be experienced by blind art patrons. Four pieces from this exhibit will be selected for permanent display at the Washington State Department of Services for the Blind. Exhibit opens: noon, Tues. June 21. UW campus, School of Art, 206-685-1805. Noon-4 p.m. Tues.-Sat.

BKB & Company North Carolina artist Clark Whittington had an inspiration in 1997 to convert old cigarette vending machines into Art-o-Mats—just plunk your $5 token in, pull the knob, and get work by a local artist. Now in some 76 locations nationwide, Art-o-Mat gets its Puget Sound debut at this Tacoma art and jewelry shop. Reception: noon-4 p.m. Sat. June 18. 1744 Pacific Ave., Tacoma, 253-272-6884. 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Mon.-Sat.; noon-4 p.m. Sun.

Last Chance

Platform “Between Before and After” features new drawings by Toronto-based experimental artist Stephen Andrews, whose recent work reproduces disturbing images from the war in Iraq using a meticulous color-separation process that involves crayons and window screens. A brief one- minute animation featuring many of these images distills the horror of war into a quietly elegant composition. 114 Third Ave. S., 206-323-2808. 11 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Thurs.-Sat. Exhibit ends Sat. June 18.

Sand Point Gallery Gen X artists revisit the Victorian era in “New Age Old.” On tap will be Thom Heileson’s video 101 Sunsets, a trucker-speed tour of pretty landscapes, Dawn Cerny’s etchings based on Florence Nightingale’s wartime experiences, and Ellen Ziegler’s aquatic animals on Mylar. 7527 63rd Ave. N.E., Building #5, Bay C, second Floor. Noon- 5 p.m. Fri.-Sun. Exhibit ends Sun. June 19.

Seattle Asian Art Museum This is your last week to visit SAAM before it closes for seven months to get a new roof. (It’ll reopen in January of 2006 as the temporary digs for SAM during downtown expansion construction.) In addition to works from the permanent collection, “Mountain Dreams” showcases 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. Museum closes Mon. June 20.

Galleries

All City Coffee “Blue and Green Make Gold” features new, boldly colored abstract canvases in scrappy mixed media by Kristen Cochran. 125 Prefontaine Pl. S., 206-652-8331. 6 a.m.-11 p.m. Mon.-Fri.; 7 a.m.- 11 p.m. Sat.; 8 a.m.-9 p.m. Sun.

Ballard/Fetherston Lisbeth Firmin’s monoprints and realist paintings inspired by a recent trip to Cuba. 818 E. Pike St., 206-322-9440. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tues.-Sat. Ends Fri. June 3.

Bluebottle In “Dust and Feather Stories,” Faryn Davis’ moody paintings of birds encase found objects, organic matter, and paper in a thick layer of resin. 415 E. Pine St., 206-325-1592. 1-7 p.m. Tues.-Fri.; noon-6 p.m. Sat.-Sun.

Capitol Hill Arts Center “Tasty Bits and Misfits” is part of a nutritious breakfast of paintings inspired by Saturday morning cartoons and other animation, brought to you by Suzanne Kaufman and Karin Yamagiwa. 1621 12th Ave., 206-388-0500. 6-10 p.m. Wed.-Fri.; 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Sat.

Carolyn Staley Eleven prints depicting nude, frolicking, self-confident Buddhist goddesses, all by late-20th-century Japanese artist Mayumi Oda. 314 Occidental Ave., 206-621-1888. 10:30 a.m.- 5 p.m. Tues.-Sat.

Davidson In “Natural Selection,” a handful of painters interpret cityscapes in stylized, formal compositions, including intricately abstract scaffoldings by Tram Bui and Mary Iverson’s studies of port machinery. “Landscapes in Wood” collects reduction-woodblock prints by Gordon Mortensen, Jean Gummper, and Robert Patierno. Also continuing: selections of original prints by Picasso, including a particularly lovely sampling of line drawings from the famous “La Suite Vollard.” 313 Occidental Ave. S., 206-624-7684. 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Tues.-Sat.

Francine Seders Painter Alan Lau’s day job as a produce stocker at Uwajimaya figures in his new abstract works, executed in sumi ink, oil pastel, and China markers. Also on display: sculptures in wood, plastic, and bronze by longtime local artist Dan Carmichael. 6701 Greenwood Ave. N., 206-782-0355. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tues.- Sat.; 1-5 p.m. Sun.

G. Gibson Fabric art isn’t limited to quilts any more. “Stitched” brings together work by Larry Calkins, who does sentimental, elongated sculptures of dresses; Ruth Marie Tomlinson’s sewn fragments of rubber inner tubes; and recent UW MFA graduate Laura Wright, whose “security blankets” include sewn-in necessities for the post-9/11 era, including machetes, shovels, and booze flasks. 300 S. Washington St., 206-587-4033. 11 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Wed.-Fri.; 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sat.

Gallery 4 Culture A sampler of black-and-white photographs from the county’s public art collection, including work by Eduardo Calderon, Michael Gesinger, Mary Peck, Chris Engman, and others. 506 Second Ave., Suite 200 (Smith Tower), 206-296-7580. 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Mon-Fri.

Gallery 110 The death of Deborah Walker’s father is the inspiration for a series of slightly surreal paintings of birds, vessels, and containers, while Cindy Small’s lurid dream paintings filled with monkeys, carnival clowns, and tattooed ladies examine the notion of what’s exotic. 110 S. Washington St., 206-624-9336. Noon-5 p.m. Wed.-Sat.

Garde Rail New work by brothers Clint and Scott Griffin. Clint creates world maps and other images by scraping away at layers of collage, while Scott arc-welds mysterious figures to old metal boxes and other found metal. 110 Third Ave. S., 206-621-1055. 11 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Wed.-Fri.; 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sat.

Greg Kucera Recent UW MFA graduate Drew Daly exhibits new sculpture that performs meticulous magic on everyday objects like wooden chairs. One Adirondack chair, for instance, is sliced into fragments and then reassembled to form two ghostly remnant chairs. To make Subject: Remnant, Daly spent 300 hours sanding an antique chair until nothing but the most delicate skeletal structure remained. Also on display: a potpourri of recent gallery acquisitions, including works by Tara Donovan, Robert Gober, Tim Hawkinson, William Kentridge, and Martin Puryear. 212 Third Ave., 206-624-0770. 10:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Tues.-Sat.

InfoHazard A new gallery and used bookstore focusing on renegade art and radical books opens with a show of surreal-erotic paintings by Kamilla White and multimedia paintings of crows by Noel Franklin. 1716 E. Olive Way, 206-324-6630. 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Tues.-Sat.

Jack Straw New Media Gallery Kristin Tollefson’s installation “Organic Plan” is inspired by the landscape and folk art of Iceland. Central to the exhibit is a large, suspended, ringlike sculpture that pays homage to baldrying, a traditional Icelandic embroidery technique. 4261 Roosevelt Way N.E., 206-634-0919. 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Mon.-Fri.

James Harris New paintings by Oakland’s Squeak Carnwath, whose large, overtly philosophical paintings employ blocks of color, an intricate private iconography, and hand-scrawled slogans. Some of it is didactic, but the overall effect conveys a passionate belief in the transformative power of painting. 309A Third Ave., 206-903-6220. 11 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Wed.-Sat.

Joe Bar Seattle photographer Frank Huster traveled to Sri Lanka with Northwest Medical Teams to document the organization’s tsunami relief work. All proceeds from this small sampling of the more than 3,000 images he took will be donated to UNICEF. 810 E. Roy St., 206-324-0407. 7:30 a.m.-9:30 p.m. Mon.-Fri.; 8:30 a.m.-9:30 p.m. Sat.-Sun.

Kirkland Arts Center Iowa-based artist Tim Dooley’s car-crash of graphic design, cartoon- influenced prints, fake campfire, and appropriated media images. 620 Market St., 425-822-7161. 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Mon.-Fri.; 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sat. Every third Thurs. open until 8 p.m.

Lisa Harris Christopher Harris’ near-abstract color images of the rolling fields of Eastern Washington, taken with a pinhole camera; also, nostalgic photographs modified with oil paints by Sherry Karver. 1922 Pike Pl., 206-443-3315. 10:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Mon.-Sat.; 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sun.

Northwest Craft Center A plethora of ceramics—from raku to earthenware to electric-fired pieces—by 41 local artists. 305 Harrison (Seattle Center), 206-728-1555. 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Tues.-Sun.

Photographic Center Northwest Thesis portfolios by PCNW graduates, including Ken Claflin’s illuminated urban cityscapes. 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.; noon-5 p.m. Sun.

Priceless Works Matt Sellars’ installation “Anticline” alludes to the vast landscape of the West using wood sculpture and drawings. Also on display: painter Rich Lehl’s surreal universe of people, animals, and sushi. 619 N. 35th St., Suite 100, 206-349-9943. Noon-6 p.m. Thurs.-Sun.

Roq La Rue Creepy surreal paintings of Barbie-thin gothic women by Lori Early, plus “The Mod Squad,” four painters purveying canvas-loads of hipitude. Andrew Brandou (aka Howdy Partner) puts Golden Book children’s characters to work in pursuit of world revolution, while Keith Weesner, Ryan Heshka, Dale Sizer paint variations on pulp-fiction covers, hot-rod pinups, and tiki-lounge kitsch. 2316 Second Ave., 206-374-8977. 2-6 p.m. Tues.-Sat.; noon-4 p.m. Sun.

Seattle Art Museum Rental/Sales Gallery SAM/Rental samples work from artists with studios in Ballard, including Deborah Bell, Dionne Haroutunian, and Michael Schultheis. 1220 Third Ave., 206-343-1101. 10:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Sat.

Seattle LGBT Community Center “Portraits of Pride,” features self-portraits by local gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender artists, in celebration of Pride Month. 1115 E. Pike St., 206-323-5428. 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Mon.-Sat.; 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Sun.

SOIL “Unearthed” is a group show featuring delicately burned papers by Tokyo-born artist Etsuko Ichikawa, plus new work by Tuan Nguyen and Sara Osebold, and Helen Curtis’ assemblages incorporating glass and pig intestines. (Just think of the promotional opportunities with nearby Salumi restaurant!) 112 Third Ave. S., 206-264-8061. Noon-5 p.m. Thurs.-Sun.

Solomon Fine Art New work by abstract painter Paul Shakespear. 1215 First Ave., 206-297-1400. 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Mon.-Sat.

Suyama Space In Utah-based artist Paul Stout’s oddly compelling installation “Second Nature,” huge blades of “grass” grow up from assorted Victorian coffee tables. Be sure not to miss Stout’s virtuoso mechanical bugs under glass in the adjacent space. 2324 Second Ave., 206-256-0809. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Fri.

Vain Fragments of spray-can work and graffiti lettering by Sam Sneke, one of the city’s most renowned street mural artists. 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.

Vera Project Break-dancing photographs by local Amanda Hovey. 1916 Fourth Ave., 206-525-8585. 2-6 p.m. Tues.-Thurs.; 2-5 p.m. Fri.-Sat.

Vidya A new gallery in the creaky 619 Western building launches “The Triumph of Death and Other Stuff”: comics-inspired paintings and drawings by Tim Marsden, plus John Feodorov’s symbolic paintings exploring alienation and identity. 619 Western Ave., Second Floor., 206-297-0437. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Tues.-Sat.

Western Bridge German artist Daniel Roth’s strange and subtle installation River Styx presents “evidence,” in drawings, sculpture, and photography, of an underground river running west from Seattle, below the Olympic Peninsula, and out to a burial island off the coast. Also on display is Rodney Graham’s clever second look at an old oak tree, Roni Horn’s obsessive 100-photo installation You Are the Weather, and a superb series of portraits of four sisters taken over a span of 30 years by Nicholas Nixon. And speaking of the River Styx, you’ll feel like you’ve been to hell and back after experiencing Gary Hill’s numbing video Wall Piece, a study in frustration, artistic struggle, and the failure of language. 3412 Fourth Ave. S., 206-838-7444. Noon-6 p.m. Thurs.-Sat.

Wright Exhibition Space “Aboriginal Vision” offers selections of contemporary Australian Aboriginal art from the expansive collection of UW international studies professor Margaret Levi and her husband Robert Kaplan. 407 Dexter Ave. N., 206-264-8200. 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Thurs.-Fri.

Zeitgeist Nature-based abstract paintings and drawings by Stephanie Dennis. 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 “The Retrofuturistic World of NSK” collects 20 years’ worth of painting, prints, and other media by Slovenia’s Neue Slowenische Kunst art movement. Challenging the concepts of authorship, nationality, and avant-garde, the artists in NSK create theater, music, and visual art that subverts authority by appropriating Communist and capitalist kitsch. “Taking and Making” features recent work by Oliver Herring, the German-born artist whose experiments in photography, video, and sculpture take novel turns, including a life-size self-portrait sculpture made from snapshots. 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 Doug Aitken’s Interiors is a majestic meditation on the search for meaning amid the stress and alienation of 21st-century urban life (see visual arts spotlight, p. 83). Also on display: “Playtime” collects whimsical art made from or inspired by toys, including Peter Fischli and David Wells’ amazing 30-minute video of pyrotechnic mayhem. UW campus, 206-543-2280. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tues.-Sun; 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Thurs.

Museum of Glass A 20-year survey of the career of Stanwood, Wash., glass man William Morris, whose importance in the Pilchuck glass industry rivals that of Chihuly, and whose sculptural pieces draw inspiration from ancient myth and archeology. 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 “Stewards of the Northwest Vision” offers works by Tobey, Graves, Anderson, Michael Spafford, Elizabeth Sandvig, William Cumming, Gerard Tsutakawa, and others. 121 S. First St., La Conner, 360-466-4446. 10 a.m.- 5 p.m. Tues.-Sun.

Seattle Art Museum “Isamu Noguchi: Sculptural Design” is an unorthodox and splashy exploration of the 20th-century sculptor-designer’s eclectic interests. The exhibit is a visual and sonic extravaganza designed by theater experimentalist Robert Wilson, a longtime friend of Noguchi. Each room evokes a different theme from the artist’s long career. His work in the theater with the likes of Martha Graham takes the shape of a brooding theatrical space; intensely material sculptural works are set in a Zen rock garden, complete with several tons of raked gravel. Other rooms suggest Noguchi’s mission to popularize art through mass-produced design; one could argue, in fact, that IKEA wouldn’t exist without Noguchi. There are moments when the whole project goes over the top: The canned thunder and lightning accompanying a monument to Benjamin Franklin, complete with kite and key, is a bit much. Still, this is a fascinating look at an artist who managed to bridge divides between cultures and artistic disciplines. 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.

Tacoma Art Museum Jewelry doesn’t have to make the diamond barons at DeBeers rich. Case in point: “Zero Karat,” a touring collection of jewelry made from such nonprecious materials as aluminum and Chinese newspapers. 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 “Women and Violence” explores domestic violence, sexual abuse, war, trafficking, and the “mail-order bride” phenomenon, specifically focusing on the Asian/Pacific Islander community. 407 Seventh Ave. S., 206-623-5124. 11 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Tues.-Fri.; noon-4 p.m. Sat.-Sun.