Winston Wächter Oneiric beeswax and oil paintings by Hiro Yokose and dramatic sepia-toned photos of Iceland, Patagonia, and Niagara Falls by Rena Bass Forman. 203 Dexter Ave. N., 206-652-5855, www.winstonwachter.com. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tues.-Sat. Ends Jan. 6.
Museums
Bellevue Arts Museum The Northwest Designer Craftsmen retrospective show "Looking Forward, Glancing Back: Northwest Designer Craftsmen at 50" displays over 100 contemporary and historic works by NWDC artist members. Also: "Two Hands, Twenty Years, and a Billion Beads" is a survey of David Chatt's intricately beaded sculpture and assorted jewelry, by turns goofy and satirical. 510 Bellevue Way N.E. (Bellevue), 425-519-0770. 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Tues.-Sat. (until 9 p.m. Thurs.). 11 a.m-5:30 p.m. Sun. Ends Jan. 1.
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," an exhibit designed by architects Annie Han and Daniel Mihalyo, allows viewers to establish their own connections between a variety of photographs, paintings, and video pieces from the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries. Also: "Hershmanlandia: The Art and Films of Lynn Hershman Leeson" presents the first comprehensive look at this innovative multimedia artist's provocative work, and 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; "Hershmanlandia" and "150 Works" end Feb. 26.
Museum of Flight "Suitcase Sightings," curated by longtime Seattle (now Tacoma) artist Lynn DiNino, features an array of suitcases re-imagined by local artists, most remarkably as a giraffe named Tallulah. (See review, p. 83.) 9404 E. Marginal Way S., 206-764-5700, www.museumofflight.org. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily. Free with museum admission. Ends Feb. 2.
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 (the 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: "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. Africa ends Dec. 11; Tiffany ends Jan. 4.
Tacoma Art Museum "Margaret Bourke-White: The Photography of Design" displays the 20th-century photojournalist's early work, focusing on formalist studies, industrial sites, and machinery. Also: "The Romantic Visions of Michael Brophy" offers 25 paintings of quintessentially Northwest images executed over the past 10 years by the Portland-based artist. 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. Brophy ends Jan. 1; Bourke-White ends Jan. 15.
