Artopia Speaks

Seattle Weekly: Which local artist, of any age or genre (apart from yourself), do you feel is the most underappreciated? Why?

"That's about 99 percent of the artists in town. Almost no artist ever becomes a household name. It's a tough life and a tough living. Artists are the most courageous people in this city—going to their studios every day, creating great work with so much financial uncertainty." CATHERINE PERSON—Owner, Catherine Person Gallery

"Gretchen Bennett, Leo Saul Berk, Victoria Haven, Jenny Heishman, Yuki Nakamura, Alex Schweder, Robert Yoder, Dan Webb, Jaq Chartier, Scott Fife, Blake Haygood, Saya Moriyasu, Susan Robb, Cris Bruch, Annie Han and Daniel Mihalyo, Claire Cowie, Patrick Holderfield, Brian Murphy, Susan Dory, Sutton, Beres and Culler, and on and on. All of these are really good artists that deserve recognition." DIRK PARK—Co-owner, Platform Gallery

What is your favorite local art space (other than your own)? Why?

"I think that Billy Howard and Jim Harris are running the best galleries in town. Two very good sets of eyes. Smart showmanship. Jim mounts some stunning shows in his small space. I think he uses that space more cleverly than most of us use much more space. Western Bridge is awesome, but it isn't fully clear to me how it can serve the community fully." GREG KUCERA—Owner, Greg Kucera Gallery

"Suyama Space offers the escape and room to actually contemplate the artwork that it contains. Also, it allows a single artist to install a single piece of work—that's hard to come by." ANNIE HAN—Designer, Lead Pencil Studios

"I have always liked the Frye Art Museum and the old Henry Gallery because those spaces are about the art rather than the architecture. . . . The Bellevue Art Museum is an example of a building that did not work to enhance the art. I must say they did make some improvements for the reopening." LINDA HODGES—Owner, Linda Hodges Gallery

"Soil. Because they are always pushing the boundaries." BOOTSY HOLLER—Photographer, Bootsy Holler Studios

What is the most interesting new trend in the Seattle art scene?

"The revitalization of Pioneer Square as the center of Seattle art making and exhibiting. Aqua Art Miami. Tashiro Kaplan [Artists Lofts] complex. Lawrimore Project. The expansion of Seattle Art Museum. Robin Held's influence at the Frye. The SAM Sculpture Garden. Western Bridge." DIRK PARK

"This one is awkward to answer since we [Lead Pencil Studio] are creatively intermingled in its formation, but I think Scott Lawrimore is about to embark on the most bold and interesting gallery model to hit Seattle in memory. Holds the potential to be a tangible bulwark for ambitious thinking on a national caliber." DANIEL MIHALYO—Designer, Lead Pencil Studio

"It's about time the city and county realized that artists are crucial to the cultural fabric. If the powers that be had taken steps to preserve cheap commercial space for the artists before their various landlords revoked it, they could have saved oodles and looked like heroes. The Tashiro Kaplan building is a godsend to one of the areas in town that really needed an infusion of 24-hour residents." GREG KUCERA

"Tashiro Kaplan and the development of the eastern edge of Pioneer Square. It has created a strong and stable center for artists and galleries. It's really great to be in close proximity. Aqua Miami Beach is the best new trend because it gives Seattle an opportunity to get the word out! I always think that homegrown, grassroots, DIY things are the most exciting." BILLY HOWARD—Owner, Howard House

What's the most worrisome new trend in local art?

"I worry that making work that is beautiful—beautiful in its own right—is no longer provocative enough to collectors or the media. Unless it's glass, which is pretty much uncontroversial, I rarely see a review that [praises] the pure beauty of the work. With so much chaos and drama in the world, one would think that people would want to include beautiful work in their environments. But maybe because of the chaos, it is now taking unsettling or quirky work just to get people's attention?" CATHERINE PERSON

"The artistic group hug, the community-based ethic that results in the seemingly endless stream of multi-artist themed showings. Supporting one another is fine, of course, but I long for a return of the artist as the eternal outsider, the enigma, the inscrutable bell chiming against the pummeling winds of reason." JEREMY EATON—Graphic Artist/ Illustrator

"Charity art auctions, in their current execution, are problematic. It's a love/hate thing. Such auctions increase the visibility of galleries and artists. They also raise money for good causes. The downside is that they reinforce bad art-buying habits and condition buyers to buy art in a rushed manner with the intention to get art on the cheap, often way below retail. This is counter to how art should be bought and experienced." MICHAEL RIVERA-DIRKS—Owner, Viveza Gallery

"Seattle's single biggest art liability is the exorbitant real-estate market which is pushing emerging artists to less expensive cities before Seattle has a chance to establish a potent voice in contemporary art. DANIEL MIHALYO