UW MFA
This year’s installment of the university’s Master of Fine Arts exhibition is, as usual, a mixed bag of painting, sculpture, video, and conceptual art. A fair amount is forgettable, but some works show promise of things to come: Timothy Roda’s infinitely creepy photographs seem distilled directly from nightmares, and James P. Summey’s bulbous, tacky ceramic sculptures look like Dia de Los Muertos altars on a hit of bad acid. Laura Wright’s mixed-media sculpture (pictured above) incorporates photography, photocopied manifestos, and accomplished quiltwork, including a flag fashioned from shirtsleeves and a blanket into which is sewn a helpful assortment of camping gear; the work is scattershot, but endearing in its artistic call-to-arms. The conversation starter of the show is David Rubin’s re-creation of a small house and garage in the gallery’s courtyard, complete with Honda Civic, mailbox, and lawn. A clever stunt, certainly—and quite a technical achievement to get the thing up in a week—but I’m at a loss to find anything deeper in it than overgrown set design. Henry Art Gallery, UW campus, 206-543-2280. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tues.-Sun; 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Thurs. Exhibit runs through June 20. ANDREW ENGELSON
