Send listings two weeks in advance to visualarts@seattleweekly.com.
Lectures and Events
Drawing Jam The Seattle Academy of Fine Art presents its sixth annual Drawing Jam, 12 hours of drawing, live music, and food. The fest also features free art supplies, figure and portrait models, and a kids' art room. 1501 10th Ave. E. $10 (free with donation of an art book); kids free. 206-526-2787, www.seattlefineart.org. 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Sat. Dec. 3.
Gary Schneider: Nudes The experimental photographer will talk about images from his new book, Gary Schneider: Nudes, as part of the Aperture West Collaborative Lecture Series. Henry Art Gallery, UW campus, 15th Avenue Northeast and Northeast 41st Street, 206-221-3792, www.henryart.org. 2 p.m. Sat. Dec. 3.
THE LOOTING OF THE IRAQ NATIONAL MUSEUM: A CURATOR'S PERSPECTIVE Cori Wegener was stationed in Baghdad in May 2003, a month after the infamous looting of the city's museums. A retired U.S. Army major and current assistant curator at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Wegener will present an update on the status of the Iraq National Museum and the war-torn country's endangered archeological sites. 3 p.m. Sat. Dec. 3. Tacoma Art Museum, 1701 Pacific Ave., Tacoma, 253-272-4258. Free with museum admission.
Seattle Sampling 2005 This self-guided arts-and-crafts tour lets shoppers sample the wares of 64 artists at 10 studios throughout Seattle. Jewelry, pottery, and glassware are among the items on offer. Proceeds will help artists affected by Hurricane Katrina via the Crafts Emergency Relief Fund (CERF). Visit www.seattlesampling.com for map and more information. 4-9 p.m. Fri. Dec 2. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sat. Dec. 3-Sun. Dec. 4.
Wilderness and Imagination As Congress toys with the fate of Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, it's a timely moment to reassert the value of wilderness. At this panel discussion, acclaimed Arctic photographer Subhankar Banerjee, ornithologist/illustrator David Allen Sibley, and poet/environmental activist Terry Tempest Williams will discuss the relationship between nature and culture from a variety of perspectives. Banerjee's stunning photos of ANWR, currently on display at the Burke Museum, reveal the nuance, color, and life in what some mistakenly think is barren tundra. His images put the lie to Interior Secretary Gale Norton's uniformed comment that this pristine landscape is a "flat white nothingness." Benaroya Hall, 200 University St., 206-621-2230. $10-$50. 7:30 p.m. Tues. Dec. 6.
First Thursday
Cornish College Gallery Alumna Dawn Cerny's "Storm and Stress" illustrations play with co-opted symbols from past centuries. Also: "Copy," student self-portraits examined under the influences of popular culture. Receptions: 4 p.m. "Copy"; 5 p.m. "Storm." 1000 Lenora St., 206-726-5011, www. cornish.edu. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Mon.-Fri. Ends Dec. 23.
Davidson Contemporary Painter Lisa Buchanan explores abstract imaginings with lines, patterns, and color in "Escape." Reception 6-8 p.m. 310 S. Washington St., 206-624-7684, www.davidsongalleries.com. 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Tues.-Sat. Ends Dec. 23.
Davidson Galleries "Stilleben" features fantastic-realist work by German master painter and etcher Friedrich Meckseper. Also: the gallery's annual exhibit of original antique maps. Reception 6-8 p.m. 313 Occidental Ave. S., 206-624-7684, www.davidsongalleries.com. 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Tues.-Sat. Ends Dec. 23.
G. Gibson Gallery "Ink + Paper" displays work by 13 contemporary printmakers. Reception 6-8 p.m. 300 S. Washington St., 206-587-4033, www.ggibsongallery.com. 11 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Wed.-Fri.; 11 a.m.- 5 p.m. Sat. Ends Jan. 14.
Gallery 4 Culture "In Good Company" presents emotional moments captured in color photographs and video by Seattle artist Anne Mathern. Reception: 6-8 p.m. 101 Prefontaine Pl. S., 206-296-7580, www.4culture.org. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Fri. Ends Dec. 30.
Grover/Thurston Fay Jones combines sumi ink, acrylic, and collage in her offbeat figurative paintings. Reception 6-8 p.m. 309 Occidental Ave. S., 206-223-0816, www.groverthurston.com. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tues.-Sat. Ends Dec. 21.
Linda Hodges Gallery Landscape oils by Gayle Bard. Reception 5:30-8:30 p.m. 316 First Ave. S., 206-624-3034, www.lindahodgesgallery.com. 10:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Tues.-Sat. Ends Dec. 31.
Lisa Harris Gallery Northwest artist Kent Lovelace re-creates his recent travels in oil on copper plate, an uncommon technique, for "Landscape Journal: Ireland and France." Reception 6-8 p.m. 1922 Pike Pl., 206-443-3315, www.lisaharrisgallery.com. 10:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Mon.-Sat.; 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sun. Ends Dec. 30.
SOIL "Catalog" collates work by 12 artists who like to list, categorize, and enumerate in a variety of media. Reception 7-10 p.m. 112 Third Ave. S., 206-264-8061, www.soilart.org. Noon-5 p.m. Thurs.-Sun. Ends Dec. 31.
Wall Space Elizabeth Carmel's photographs study the healing qualities of nature in "Gathering Calm," land- and waterscapes of the Western states and Alaska. Reception: 5-8 p.m. 600 First Ave. (#322), 206-330-9137, www.wallspaceseattle.com. (Call for hours.) Ends Jan. 1.
William Traver Gallery Life-size terra-cotta sculptures by Kathy Venter ("Immersion"), and "Pilchuk 2005," new work by teachers and artists at the esteemed glass school. Reception 5-8 p.m. 110 Union St. (#200), 206-587-6501, www.travergallery.com. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Tues.-Fri.; Sat. 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; noon- 5 p.m. Sun. Ends Jan. 1.
Other Openings
Baas Art Gallery "Shared Vision, A Celebration of the Spiritual in Life and Art" features paintings by Robert Drucker, Nobuhiro Kagami, and Fulgencio Lazo. Opens Dec. 5. 2703 E. Madison St., 206-324-4742, www.baasartgallery.com. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Mon.-Sat. Ends Jan. 14.
