Nov. 2-8, 2005

Museums

Burke Museum Subhankar Banerjee's magnificent photos of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge are the result of a two-year expedition among caribou and tundra. Savor these images, before ExxonMobil and BP bring their "low-impact" drilling apparatus to ANWR. UW campus, Northeast 45th Street and 17th Avenue Northeast, 206-543-5590. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily (until 8 p.m. Thurs.). Ends Dec. 31.

Frye Art Museum Claude Cahun and Marcel Moore were pioneering gender-benders in the freewheeling art world of 1920s Paris. These photographs from the two female photographers explore complex notions of sexuality and identity. Also:"William Cumming: The Image of Consequence" offers an authoritative retrospective of the 88-year-old Northwest painter's long career. Curated by local art critic Matthew Kangas, the show follows the evolution of Cumming's work from reform-minded realism to a more formal fusion of representation and abstraction. 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. William Cumming ends Jan. 1; Cahun & Moore ends Feb. 12.

Henry Art Gallery "150 Works of Art" is the intentionally generic title of this project undertaken by chief curator Elizabeth Brown and Lead Pencil Studios architects Annie Han and Daniel Mihalyo. Showcasing an eclectic selection from the gallery's permanent collection, the show allows viewers to establish their own connections among a variety of photographs, paintings, and video pieces from the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries. Also: An exploration of our culture's symbolic communication, "Sign Language" features the photography of John Gutmann, Walker Evans, Aaron Siskind, and Weegee, among others. 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. "Sign Language" ends Jan. 29; Lead Pencil ends Feb. 26.

Seattle Art Museum "Louis Comfort Tiffany: Artist for the Ages" shows that the craftsman/entrepreneur—with his exquisitely detailed lamps and windows and luxurious sensibility—was actually an artist of his times (late 19th and early 20th centuries). This is a well-assembled and beautifully lit show, but a bit cautious for the museum's swan song before it closes in January for renovation. 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, and Marita Dingus. 100 University St., 206-654-3100. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tues.-Sun.; 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Thurs. Africa ends Dec. 11; Tiffany ends Jan. 4.