Seattle Art Blog - News, Discussion, and Events

From 5-8pm on January 31 Insights Gallery, 516 Commercial Ave. in Anacortes, invites the public to celebrate their anniversary and join in for “Artist/Collector Appreciation” On view are over 60 new works by all the gallery artists. The show runs through March 27. Shown is Anne Schreivogl’s Recipe for Happiness.

What started out as a personal hobby and interest in quilts by Fleur Bresler, emerged as an extensive, historically significant collection of American quilts within a span of thirty years. Originally organized and presented at the Mint Museum of Craft + Design in Charlotte, North Carolina in 2004, this rare showing of 36 American quilts will only be on view again at Bellevue Arts Museum from January 27 through May 29, 2009. Works range from late eighteenth century and early nineteenth century whole cloth, white work, indigo resist dye and black printed chintz quilts to mid-nineteenth century appliqué, stenciled, mosaic-template pieced and album quilts, as well as late nineteenth century log cabin, crazy and charm quilts and several twentieth century examples. Shown is American, 19th century, Baltimore Album Crib Quilt, circa 1850 by Elizabeth Frazier.

January 30

Art As a Voice Free Event at the San Juan Community Theatre at 7pm on Friday. See a slide presentation of famed photographer Ansel Adams’ work and early years and insights into photography as art and social commentary.

January 31

Henry Art Gallery Benefit

Designed to surprise, from the first cocktails to the final dance, Betsy Brock, Marketing and PR Director of the Henry Art Gallery,  wants you to know there is a major happening for the Henry on Saturday, January 31-- a one-night only installation and art event called “See Listen Taste Feel.”  Created by Jeppe Hein, the well-known artist has worked with the Henry Art Gallery to produce an art encounter like no other.  A major fund raiser for the Henry, the party takes place at 1275 Mercer, South Lake Union, from 9:30pm to 1am. Tickets are $100 and  include a $75 tax-deductible donation, late night snacks, desserts, open bar, and live entertainment from Orkestar Zirkonum and rare soul and Motown favorites from Emerald City Soul Club. For tickets, follow this bolded link or call 206.221.3244. Just in case you’ve inherited some money recently, there are also tickets costing loads more that will entitle you to a swishy dinner with the fat cats. 

Gage Academy of Art auction and party

Gage Academy of Art presents the “Garden of Eden: An Art Collector’s Paradise” auction on Saturday, January 31 at 6pm. The evening’s auction will fill The Showbox SoDo , located at 1700 First Ave. S., with art from local and national artists, bountiful food, spirits, and ambiance. The auction is an opportunity for art lovers to add to their collections and at the same time support a unique and cutting-edge art school right here in Seattle. tickets start at $150 to attend the intimate evening of intriguing art and delectable cuisine. Seating is limited to just 300 guests, and there are a few left. Even if you are unable to attend the auction, you can enter a proxy bid on artwork or purchase raffle tickets to win a Windstar Luxury European Cruise for just $25 a ticket or five for $100. Go to the web site or call Katie at 206-323-4243 for ticket information.

In celebration of its fourth anniversary, Oasis Gallery,  located at 37th and Wallingford, is featuring six artists in their “Journeys of Expression,” on view until April 15.  The artists are: Luca Amapane’s “Influences of Italy,” Tiffany Biljum’s “Fleeting Moments of Places Lived,” Jeannie Burham’s “Years of Environmental Inspiration,” Douglas Dietiker’s “Details of Intimate Landscapes,” Dari Stolzoff’s “Evolving Structures and Palettes, and Susanne Werner’s “Improvising Beyond Words.” Shown is Werner’s Callimachus I.

Steven Vroom reports art news from around the country and his usual weather report, which, amazingly enough, is sunny! He podcasts from the studios of 911 Media Arts Center.

Have you ever noticed that the papers NEVER print all the flowery words you send them? What they print are basics: who, what, when, where and why. The why, at least for an artist’s exhibit, is tricky. This may be, for example, a 10-year retrospective of an artist’s work, a special show of his/her latest work in oils, etc. A brief description of the show is what will eventually get printed. Another important thing is to mention any awards the artist has received or special collections his work is in. Don’t forget to mention the opening and closing dates of the show and the time and date of the reception.

The first American exhibition of masterworks of the Munich Secession since they appeared at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Art Institute of Chicago in 1909, opens January 24 at the Frye Museum, 704 Terry Avenue in Seattle. Curated by Frye Foundation Scholar Jo-Anne Birnie Danzker, director emerita of the Museum Villa Stuck in Munich, the exhibition will  include a number of works which were shown in the Secession’s inaugural exhibition in 1893. Founded in 1892, the Munich Secession was the first in a series of Secession movements that were to sweep across Europe and lay the foundation for the emergence of the avant-garde in the twentieth century. Loans from leading museums and private collections in Germany as well as key works from the Frye Art Museum’s own Founding Collection allows for a differentiated look at the Frye Founding Collection itself, examining its history and its ties to some of the leading collections of the period. Shown is Max Slevogt. Die Ringerschule (Wrestling School), 1893. Oil on canvas.

Juried by Barbara Shaiman, director of the Seattle Art Museum Sales Gallery, past and current Gage Academy students showcase their best self-portrait work in the Gage Academy’s Rosen Gallery in a variety of mediums and styles.  Prizes are awarded for first, second and third place. An artists’ reception is scheduled for February 13 from 6-8pm. Gage Academy is located at 1501 10th Ave. E, Seattle Room 305, third floor. Shown is Abuse #1: Release by Sydney Pertl.

"Start With ART!" -- a new fine art exhibit at the upcoming Bellevue Home Show (January 23-25, Meydenbauer Center, Bellevue) features works by 15 Northwest artists. Paintings, sculpture, hand-blown glass and ceramic masks (see Jeff Zigulis jpg) will  help Eastsiders jazz up their home, create a new look, and enjoy a new piece of art, all according to their budget.  The exhibit is juried and hung by Gallery by the Bay owner Gayle Picken; the artists represent a wide spectrum of styles and attitudes, including well-known watercolorist John Ebner, and ceramic mask artist Jeffrey Zigulis.  Show visitors and the general public are invited to a complimentary meet the artists reception from 6 - 8 pm on Friday, January 23, hosted by and at the Bellevue Downtown Courtyard by Marriott. Light appetizers and a no-host bar....please bring a donation for Northwest Harvest. For more information, www.bellevuehomeshow.com or call 425-898-4405. Shown is Dream Masks by Jeff Zigulis.

An underutilized construction site, once earmarked for phase 2 of the Burien Town Square Project, has been transformed into an interim art space with the help of  Ignition NW and the Burien Arts Commission. The new site will not only showcase art, but will serve as a place for Burien’s art lovers and artists to gather. Five large-scale initial sculptures for the outdoor arts space and a growing number of smaller pieces will be donated throughout the cycle by local artists to enhance project. Opening day is this Saturday, January 24th, from 3-9pm with the display of Burien's first major temporary art piece, The Passage, a 30-foot high sculpture depicting a mother and child walking together to share and explore life. This artwork was first created by Dan Das Mann and Karen Cusolito for the 2005 Burning Man Arts Festival.

Steven Vroom is back on the beat with art news from around the country and his usual weather report, which, amazingly enough, is sunny! He podcasts from the studios of 911 Media Arts Center.

Noted regional historian, Paul Dorpat, in collaboration with photographer Jean Sherrard, has created a state- wide version of his popular The Seattle Times ‘Then and Now’ photo feature. The exhibit compares and contrasts historic photographs of state locations with contemporary photographs. This is the largest visual analysis ever done on Washington. Organized by the Washington State History Museum, 1911 Pacific Avenue in Tacoma, Paul Dorpat, and Jean Sherrard. Shown is A fourth of July parade in Edison, Wash. circa 1910. (Courtesy Jean Sherrard)

Award-winning illustrator, David Macaulay traces the artist’s working process through sketches, working drawings, and completed illustrations for such titles as Cathedral and The New Way Things Work, as well as his soon-to-be-published book The Way We Work. “David’s illustrations alone are worth an exhibition; he earned a Caldecott and a MacArthur ‘Genius’ award for his work, and he is a draftsman of incredible skill,” said Margaret Bullock, Curator of Collections and Special Exhibitions for Tacoma Art Museum. “But in talking with him, we agreed that we wanted to explore his process and show viewers what it takes to get from that first germ of an idea to a published book. In the way that he explores the inner-workings of the world around us, we’re hoping to explore the how and why of David Macaulay.”  The show runs from January 17 until June 14.

Michael Gardner has put a show together what he calls, “ all of the wonderful, tacky, imaginative velvet art you can handle,” at Lowell Art Works, 5205 S. 2nd Avenue in Everett. The opening party is scheduled on January 17 from 4-9pm. The show runs until February 8.

“The Hotness: A Sort of Retrospective by Joe Park” is showing at the Cornish College of the Arts , 1000 Lenora Street, through February 20 with an opening reception January 15 from 5-7pm.  The show features artwork, memorabilia, sketches, video, and other sources of inspiration from Park’s personal archives. His 2004 solo exhibition “Moon Beam Caress” at the Frye Art Museum in Seattle won him widespread acclaim, and the exhibition poster made a subsequent appearance on a memorable episode of Grey’s Anatomy. Park was named “Best Artist Under 41” by The Seattle Weekly in 2005, and has received the NEDDY Award from the Behnke Foundation in addition to an Artist Trust Fellowship. Park became Cornish adjunct faculty in fall of 2008; his work is represented by Rena Bransten Gallery in San Francisco.