April 27-May 3, 2005

Artist Lecture: Kristin Tollefson The Bainbridge Island native talks about her jewelry and sculpture work, and specifically her installation "Organic Plan," now on display at Jack Straw New Media. 11:30 a.m. Sat. April 30. Jack Straw New Media, 4261 Roosevelt Way N.E., free, 206-634-0919.

Echo of Spring Ikebana Exhibit The 46th annual exhibition presented by Ikebana International's Seattle chapter features many examples of the Japanese art of flower arrangement, plus free demonstrations. 10 a.m.- 5 p.m. Sat. April 30. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sun. May 1. Seattle Asian Art Museum, Volunteer Park, 1400 E. Prospect Ave., free with admission, 206-625-8900.

Lecture: Modernism in Japanese Painting Furuta Ryo of the National Museum of Modern Art and printmaker Margaret Johnson talk about trends in modern Japanese painting and printmaking. (The Ryo lecture is in Japanese with English translation.) 2-6 p.m. Sun. May 1. Seattle Asian Art Museum, Volunteer Park, 1400 E. Prospect Ave., free with admission (RSVP requested), 206-654-3226.

Potters' Sale New work by 80 local potters. 9 a.m.- 9 p.m. Thurs. April 28-Fri. April 29. 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Sat. April 30. Columbia Winery, 14030 N.E. 145th, Woodinville, free, 425-868-3989.

Openings

CoCA The third annual "Coupling" series pairs working artists with University of Washington MFA art students. This year's strong lineup of collaborating artists includes Leo Burke, Claire Cowie, Thom Heileson, Jeffry Mitchell, Timea Tihanyi, and Dan Webb. Reception: 7 p.m. Silent auction: 8-10 p.m. Sat. April 30. 410 Dexter Ave. N., 206-728-1980. 2-8 p.m. Tues.-Thurs.; noon- 5 p.m. Fri.-Sun.

Cornish College Senior Studios Recent work by graduating Cornish BFA students in art and design. Opening reception: 7-9 p.m. Thurs. April 28. 306 Westlake Ave., 206-622-1951. Noon-7 p.m. daily.

National Parks Conservation Association Drawings and paintings of Alaskan wildlife by Kevin Clement, plus wildlife collages by park ranger Ingrid Nixon. Opens Tues. May 3. 313-A First Ave., 206-903-1444. 9 a.m.- 5 p.m. Mon.-Fri.; noon-5 p.m. Sat.-Sun.

Seattle Art Museum Rental/Sales Gallery SAM Rental/Sales continues its series showcasing local galleries with selections from Davidson, including Kathleen Rabel, Liza von Rosenstiel, and Dion Zwirner. Opens Mon. May 2. 1220 Third Ave., 206-343-1101. 10:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Sat.

Seattle LGBT Community Center Gallery Maternity photographer Jennifer Loomis' images of gay and lesbian parents and their children (see SW This Week, p. 39). 1115 E. Pike St., 206-323-5428. 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Mon.-Sat.; 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Sun.

Last Chance

ArtsWorks "Cartoonists Take up Smoking," a group show of more than 300 cartoons by 60 artists, all taking aim at Big Tobacco. 1914 Fourth Ave., 206-292-4142. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Fri.; noon-5 p.m. Sat. Ends Sat. April 30.

Bluebottle Deth P. Sun's sad, cartoonlike paintings are populated with children in hooded Halloween costumes and little cats contemplating our brief existence. 415 E. Pine St., 206-325-1592. 1-7 p.m. Tues.-Fri.; noon-6 p.m. Sat.-Sun. Ends Sat. April 30.

D'Adamo/Woltz Work by students at Cornish College and Pratt Fine Arts Center—most notably Timea Tihanyi, whose disturbing hybrid sculptures allude to bodily functions and incorporate fleshy rubber and bone-dry porcelain. 303/307 Occidental Ave. S., 206-652-4414. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Sat.; noon-5 p.m. Sun. Ends Mon. May 2.

Davidson Francesca Sundsten's surreal paintings of the natural world are too painstakingly rendered for my taste, but a series of drawings of phantasmagoric plants, almost an afterthought in this show, offers a fascinating cocktail of natural history and whimsical swirls of abstraction. Also on display: lovely minimalist Zen-inspired woodblock prints by Korean artist Lee Chul Soo. 313 Occidental Ave. S., 206-624-7684. 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Tues.-Sat. Ends Sat. April 30.

Francine Seders "Connections" has a somewhat novel concept: comparing older and newer works in the careers of four longtime Northwest artists (Andreas Grunert, Diann Knezovich, Elizabeth Sandvig, and Marc Wenet). Seattle artist Sandvig's work offers the biggest contrasts, although her pieces from the late '70s and from recent years both show a pleasant exuberance of color. 6701 Greenwood Ave. N., 206-782-0355. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tues.- Sat.; 1-5 p.m. Sun. Ends Sun. May 1.

Gallery 110 In "Fools, Jesters, and Clowns," Seattle sculptor David Traylor uses ceramic, fur, barbed wire, and torn lace to create strange, urnlike sculptures—all with a dose of sadomasochism in them. 110 S. Washington St., 206-624-9336. Noon-5 p.m. Wed.-Sat. Ends Sat. April 30.

Gallery 4 Culture The blurred airplanes and limpid waves in Judy Blanco's photographs and drawings in cyanotype bring to mind the doomed flight of Amelia Earhart and childhood dreams of flying. 506 Second Ave., Suite 200 (Smith Tower), 206-296-7580. 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Mon.-Fri. Ends Fri. April 29.

Garde Rail Kevin Titzer's figurines of down-and-out characters made from wood, metal, and other debris. 110 Third Ave. S., 206-621-1055. 11 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Wed.-Fri.; 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sat. Ends Sat. April 30.

Grover/Thurston Painter Michael Nakoneczny, who lives in Fairbanks, Alaska, clearly has stories to tell. His scrappy, mixed-media paintings on Masonite are populated with characters, and there's a childlike directness to his work, a kind of unschooled emotionality that's very appealing. But the little scenes, which call to mind the cartoons of Lynda Barry, raise more questions than they answer. 309 Occidental Ave. S., 206-223-0816. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tues.-Sat. Ends Sat. April 30.

Howard House "Red Thread," named for the expression in German that refers to a train of thought, is a fascinating group show sampling new conceptual art from the contemporary avant-garde in Vienna.Highlights include Franz West's ungainly phallic garden sculpture in welded aluminum, Thomas Bauman's thrashing foil-robot sculpture, and paintings by Americans-in-Vienna Donald Baechler and Lisa Ruyter. 604 Second Ave., 206-256-6399. 10:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Tues.-Sat. Ends Sat. April 30.

Joe Bar Paintings and tiny sculptures carved from crayons, all meant to recall artist Diem Chau's odyssey of migration from war-torn Vietnam to the U.S. 810 E. Roy, 206-324-0407. 7:30 a.m.-9:30 p.m. Mon.-Fri.; 8:30 a.m.-9:30 p.m. Sat.-Sun. Ends Sat. April 30.

Linda Hodges In Daphne Minkoff's mixed-media collages, forgotten objects and dilapidated structures take on a new life, while Robert Calvo fuses digital technology with the pixilated nature of needlepoint. 316 First Ave. S., 206-624-3034. 10:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Tues.-Sat. Ends Sat. April 30.

Martin-Zambito "Warriors and Wenches" is an unfortunately named collection of paintings of women from the 1920s to the '60s, plus an assortment of Italian fascist propaganda paintings. 721 E. Pike St., 206-726-9509. 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Tues.-Sat. Ends Wed. May 4.

Phinney Center "Paper Politics" showcases a variety of prints with a radical, antiwar, or social-activist aims (see visual arts spotlight, this page). 6532 Phinney Ave., 206-783-2244. 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Mon.-Fri.; 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Sat. Ends Sat. April 30.