Henry Art Gallery Lead Pencil Studio, the local architecture/art installation team of Daniel Mihalyo and Annie Han, installs "Minus Space," which re-creates the hillside lost in the 1997 expansion of the Henry, using a fine scrim of assorted materials. Also: German-born Seattle artist Trimpin does amazing things combining technological gizmos with more analog stuff like typewriters, player pianos, and other musical instruments. (His best-known work is the immense Roots and Branches sculpture of robotically controlled guitars at EMP.) The next year or so is going to be something of a Trimpin celebration, with local galleries and museums showcasing the artist's various kinetic sculptures. At the Henry, the wonderfully titled installation Phfftt involves some 200 electronically controlled woodwind instruments. You can play them with a series of two dials, or you can listen to one of the 12 manic, lighthearted, and sinister works by the composer. And do not miss the magnificent Francis Bacon painting Study for a Pope IV, on display in its own room. Seattle is lucky to have this work, on loan from an anonymous West Coast patron. The 1961 painting is a late piece in Bacon's startling series of popes; this one conveys a haunting combination of authority and impotence. The skull-like head seems to shift and shimmer before your eyes, and the feeble hands make the pontiff seem very fallible indeed. Also, "Seeing the Unseen," a fascinating collection prints of X-ray, microscopic, time-lapse, and other 19th- and 20th-century photographic novelties. UW campus, 15th Avenue Northeast and Northeast 41st Street, 206-543-2280. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tues.-Sun.; 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Thurs.
Seattle Art Museum "Isamu Noguchi: Sculptural Design" is an unorthodox and splashy exploration of the eclectic 20th-century sculptor-designer, a visual and sonic extravaganza designed by theater experimentalist Robert Wilson. Various rooms evoke different themes in Noguchi'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. There are moments when the whole project goes over the top—the canned thunder and lightning accompanying a model of a monument to Benjamin Franklin, complete with kite and key, is just a bit much. Still, this is a fascinating look at an artist who managed to span divides between cultures and artistic disciplines. Also on display: "Africa in America" is 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 non-precious materials as aluminum and Chinese newspapers. (Ends Sunday, Sept. 11.) Also: "Carving a Legacy," contemporary interpretations of traditional Native American art by Shaun Peterson, Greg Colfax, Karen Reed, and others. 1701 Pacific Ave., Tacoma, 253-272-4258. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tues.-Sat.; noon-5 p.m. Sun. (Every third Thursday free and open until 8 p.m.)
