Send listings two weeks in advance to visualarts@seattleweekly.com.

Lectures and Events

Art Out Loud Dialogue Documentary photographer Joanne Petrina talks about work recently commissioned for the Sound Transit light-rail line. 6-7 p.m. Thurs. April 14. Columbia City Gallery, 4864 Rainier Ave. S., $6, 206-760-4287.

Artist Lecture: Chakaia Booker The New York–based sculptor—known for doing amazing things with automobile tires and other unusual materials—talks about her work and life as an African-American woman artist. 7-8:30 p.m. Thurs. April 14. Seattle Art Museum, 100 University St., $5-$10, 206-654-3100.

Parade: Renaissance Painting Returns Neri de Bicci’s 15th-century icon Virgin and Child With Six Saints has been painstakingly restored by the Seattle Art Museum, and it now returns to its home at St. James Cathedral. In an event that sounds more Sienna than Seattle, the painting will be paraded from Town Hall to the cathedral. 1:30-4 p.m. Sun. April 17. Town Hall, 1119 Eighth Ave., 206-652-4255 and St. James Cathedral, 804 Ninth Ave., 206-622-3559.

Seattle Erotic Art Festival A three-day extravaganza of art to feed the lusty slut in all of us. Now in its fourth year, SEAF is produced by the Sex Positive Community Center (known to most as the Wet Spot). This year’s juried show offers work by 180 artists from around the world and runs the gamut from gay muscle cartoons and twisted S&M to portraits of couples with less-than-perfect bodies. Events include the film series “Sex on Screen,” Little Red Theater’s naughty play-acting, a talk by sex author Midori, and plenty of hot-and-heavy performance art. No one under 18 admitted! Noon-1 a.m. Fri. April 15; noon-2 a.m. Sat. April 16; noon-9 p.m. Sun. April 17. Consolidated Works, 500 Boren Ave., festival pass: $30-$40, individual events $5-$15, 206-270-9746.

Symposium: Chinese Photography A panel of scholars, including Hsueh-man Shen, associate curator at the Seattle Asian Art Museum, discusses the roots of Chinese photography in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. 9:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Sat. April 16. Seattle Art Museum, 100 University St., free with admission (reservations requested), 206-654-3226.

Symposium: Painting in the Ming and Quing In advance of the “The Orchid Pavilion Gathering,” a touring exhibit of Chinese painting arriving at SAM in 2006, a panel of scholars examines Chinese painting from the 14th to the 20th centuries. 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Sun. April 17. Seattle Asian Art Museum, Volunteer Park, 1400 E. Prospect Ave., free with admission (reservations requested), 206-654-3226.

Tantrik Muse An evening of performance art, trance, music, modern dance, Butoh, and all sorts of stuff aimed at “beckoning the soul” from 12 local artists. 8 p.m. Sun. April 17. Crespinel Studios, 2312 Second Ave., free, 206-427-1987.

Trunk Show: Bree Nichols Seattle fashion designer and dance-punk singer Bree Nichols shows off her latest clothing collection incorporating seashells, birds, skulls, and arrows. 8-10 p.m. Thurs. April 14. Lipstick Traces, 303 E. Pine St., free, 206- 329-2813.

U-District ArtWalk The crusty ol’ University District finally catches Art Walk fever. Apparently nobody told them you have to have galleries before you can have an art walk. The only opening I’m aware of is by local “visionary” artist Dave Heskin, who does these crappy-trippy paintings called “Emergetics.” I’m pretty certain that’s a misspelling of “Emetics.” 6-8 p.m. Fri. April 15. Heskin reception and tour map at: Peanut Gallery, 5270A University Way N.E., free, 206-250-6382.

Zach’s Bash Auction A fund-raising auction for Pratt Fine Arts Center features more than 500 works of art from the estate of late arts patron T. Zachary Edge, including stuff by Jacob Lawrence, Dale Chihuly, and many, many others. Free public previews: 3-8 p.m. Fri. April 15; 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sat. April 16. Auction: 5 p.m. Sat. April 16. Naval Reserve Building, South Lake Union Park, 860 Terry Ave. N., $30, 206- 351-2496.

Openings

911 Media Arts Rosalind Schneider, an early innovator in the world of video art, installs “Wave Transformations,” in which near-abstract video of waves and oceanscapes is projected on a large weather balloon. Reception: 6-8 p.m. Thurs. April 14; artist talk: 5 p.m. Sat. April 16. 402 Ninth Ave., 206-682-6552. 3-7 p.m. Tues.-Sat.

Bryan Ohno New abstract paintings by Patricia Hagen (see SW This Week, p. 43). Reception: 6-8 p.m. Thurs. April 14. 155 S. Main St., 206-667-9572. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tues.-Sat.

Crawl Space Everyday household objects captured in a three-dimensional hybrid of collage, print, and photography by local artist Isaac Layman. Reception: 6-9 p.m. Sat. April 16. 504 E. Denny Way #1 (near Olive), 206-240-6015. Noon-5 p.m. Sat.-Sun.

Frye Art Museum “The Retrofuturistic World of NSK” collects 20 years’ worth of painting, prints, and other media by Slovenia’s Neue Slowenische Kunst movement. Challenging the whole idea of avant-garde, the artists in NSK create theater, music, and visual art that appropriates both Communist and capitalist propaganda and imagery. Reception: 6-8 p.m. Fri. April 15. Lecture by NSK artists Peter Mlakar, Ivan Novak, and Roman Uranjek lecture: 1 p.m. Sat. April 16. 704 Terry Ave., 206-622-9250. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tues.-Sat.; noon-5 p.m. Sun.; 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Thurs.

OKOK “Floral Distraction” features new work by Parskid, an artist and illustrator known for his little hooded skatepunk characters. 7-10 p.m. Fri. April 15. 709 Broadway Ave. E., 206-322-7523. 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Tues.-Sat.; noon-7 p.m. Sun.

Photographic Center Northwest Japanese photographer Hiroshe Watanabe’s images of Kabuki theater performers and traditional Bunraku puppets. Reception: 6-8 p.m. Fri. April 15. 900 12th Ave., 206-720-7222. Noon-9:30 p.m. Mon.; 9 a.m.-9:30 p.m. Tues.-Fri.; 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Sat.; noon-5 p.m. Sun.

Last Chance

Henry Art Gallery Axel Lieber’s inside-out, Mondrian-like architectural models suspended in air. UW campus, 206-543-2280. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tues.-Sun.; 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Thurs.

Seattle Art Museum Rental/Sales Gallery SAM’s Rental/Sales Gallery continues its showcase of local galleries, this time with artists from Bryan Ohno Gallery, including Francis Celentano, Anna Daedalus, and Patricia Hagen. Also on display: works by Gabriel Fernandez and Chauney Peck. 1220 Third Ave., 206-343-1101. 10:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Sat.

Galleries

Art/Not Terminal “We Are Not Flowers, We Are Flames” is a collection of documentary photographs of the Bhopal chemical disaster and its aftermath, by Maude Dorr and Indian photographer Raghu Rai. 2045 Westlake Ave. N., 206-233-0680, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Mon.-Sat.; noon-5 p.m. Sun.

ArtsWorks “Cartoonists Take Up Smoking” is a group show of more than 300 editorial 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.

Bluebottle Deth P. Sun’s paintings of down-and-out cartoon critters, robots, and such. 415 E. Pine St., 206-325-1592. 1-7 p.m. Tues.-Fri.; noon-6 p.m. Sat.-Sun.

CoCA Seattle-based Born magazine, an online crucible where visual artists, writers, and computer programmers cross-pollinate their talents, is the inspiration for “Help Wanted,” a smart and funny group show. Shawn Wolfe’s “Ballard and Ballard” project creates a faux 1990s talk show hosted by two very scary pseudo-intellectuals, complete with assorted relics: T-shirts, self-help tapes, and action figures. In the installation “The Estate of Beverly Thomas,” playwright Tim Sanders, architect Brian McWatters, and others re-create the household knickknacks of a real 90-year-old woman who lived in Everett. It’s all tagged for sale (even those insufferable hard candies grandmothers seem to prefer), and it adds up to a sad elegy for women trapped in the role of perfect mother. But best of show has to go to Think Tank, the brainchild of kinetic artist Trimpin and computer programmer Cheb Sevrel. Plunk your quarter in, and in a few minutes the carousel of chicken-bobber toys and George W. Bush action figures generates a random assortment of snippets from Bush’s speeches, much more cogent than the original. 410 Dexter Ave. N., 206-728-1980. Noon-5 p.m. Wed.-Sun.

D’Adamo/Woltz This gallery’s second annual showcase of work by students at Cornish College and Pratt Fine Arts Center features work by Chad Downward, Renee Cowan, and others. Most notable among them is 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.

Davidson Francesca Sundsten’s painstakingly rendered surrealism, which has a weird, freak-show quality to it, now extends to the natural world, where she envisions a peaceable kingdom that would never happen in nature. Also on display: oh-so-sunny houses and abstraction by Marlene Bauer and impressionist sketches of horses and other scenes of nomad life by Mongolian artist Shagdarjavin Chimeddorj. 313 Occidental Ave. S., 206-624-7684. 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Tues.-Sat.

Empty Space Theatre In conjunction with Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine’s play Biro—which tells the story of a Ugandan man’s efforts to obtain health care for HIV/AIDS in America—Mwine’s photos document the difficulties of life in contemporary Uganda and Cuba. 3509 Fremont Ave. N., 206-547-7500. Noon-5 p.m. Tues.-Fri.; noon-8 p.m. Sat.; noon-7:30 p.m. Sun.

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). 6701 Greenwood Ave. N., 206-782-0355. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tues.- Sat.; 1-5 p.m. Sun.

Gallery 110 “Fools, Jesters, and Clowns,” David Traylor’s urnlike sculptures (see visual arts spotlight, this page). Also on display: Yvette Franz’s surreal paintings inspired by childhood memories of horses. 110 S. Washington St., 206-624-9336. Noon-5 p.m. Wed.-Sat.

Gallery 4 Culture The blurred airplanes and limpid waves in Judy Blanco’s lovely little show “Marine Layers” bring to mind the doomed flight of Amelia Earhart and childhood dreams of flying. In addition to the mysterious little photos, a series of drawings in cyanotype (the stuff blueprints are made of) attempts to find order in the chaotic motion of ripples and aerodynamics. 506 Second Ave., Suite 200 (Smith Tower), 206-296-7580. 8:30 a.m.- 4:30 p.m. Mon.-Fri.

G. Gibson In “Artificial Nature,” John Divola collects found movie stills from the 1930s to the 1960s to create faux landscapes, while Andria Modica shows a variety of photographs, including “Hundreds of Skeletons Found at State Hospital,” images of skulls of mental patients. 300 S. Washington St., 206-587-4033. 11 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Wed.-Fri.; 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sat.

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.

Greg Kucera Margie Livingston’s gorgeous abstract canvases are threaded with a delicate, architectural latticework of narrow stripes, and draw inspiration from branches and other natural forms arranged in her studio. California artist and dark jester Reuben Lorch-Miller creates text-based art in the tradition of Ruscha and Nauman. His neon signs, digital prints, and collections of pixilated images pulled from the Internet play with notions of rebellion and artistic authorship. 212 Third Ave., 206-624-0770. 10:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Tues.-Sat.

Grover/Thurston New work by Michael Nakoneczny, who creates odd, mixed-up narrative collages in which cartoonlike figures act out storylines against a backdrop of decaying paint and vaguely foreign settings. The Fairbanks, Alaska-based artist’s works have a childlike quality, yet they’re resolutely unsentimental. 309 Occidental Ave. S., 206-223-0816. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tues.-Sat.

Howard House “Red Thread,” named for the German expression 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.

Jack Straw New Media Gallery Kristin Tollefson’s multimedia installation “Organic Plan” is inspired by the landscape and folk art of Iceland. Central to the exhibit is a large, suspended ringlike sculpture that pays homage to baldyring, a traditional Icelandic embroidery technique. Video and audio of Icelandic folk songs and native plants round out the Scandinavia extravaganza. 4261 Roosevelt Way N.E., 206-634-0919. 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Mon.-Fri.

James Harris Marcelino Goncalves’ weird, deadpan realist paintings are inspired by ads for a summer boy’s camp. (“Camp” is the operative word here.) 309A Third Ave., 206-903-6220. 11 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Wed.-Sat.

Jeffrey Moose Expressionist woodcuts employing some innovative techniques (including mixing flour into ink) by German artist Klaus Suss. Reception: 5:30-8:30 p.m. 1333 Fifth Ave., Rainier Square, second level, 206-467-6951. 10 a.m.- 6 p.m. Mon.-Fri.; noon-5 p.m. Sat.

Joe Bar Paintings that recall artist Diem Chau’s odyssey of migration with her family from war-torn Vietnam to a Philippine refugee camp, and eventually 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.

Kirkland Arts Center This smart group show was curated by Seattle writer and art-scene guy Fionn Meade. The pieces are spare and restrained: Mary Simpson’s little dramas of cutout men and Victorian row houses owe their mystery to the fact the figures have been stolen from their context and plopped down on a blank page. Gretchen Bennett’s sly contact-paper compositions capture nature in extremes, Saul Becker’s weird abstract landscapes are crisscrossed with prismatic rainbows of color, and Marc Dombrosky hand-embroiders notes he’s found on the street. 620 Market St. (Kirkland), 425-822-7161. 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Mon.-Fri.

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. 6-8 p.m. 316 First Ave. S., 206-624-3034. 10:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Tues.-Sat.

Martin-Zambito “Warriors and Wenches” is an unfortunately named collection of paintings of women from the 1920s to the 1960s, plus an assortment of Italian fascist propaganda paintings. Perfect for the family room! 721 E. Pike St., 206-726-9509. 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Tues.-Sat.

Phinney Center “Paper Politics” showcases a variety of prints with radical, antiwar, and activist aims. 6532 Phinney Ave. N., 206-783-2244. 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Mon.-Fri.; 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Sat.

Platform Saya Moriyasu’s “Lamplight Lavish Gathering” is a large installation of this local artist’s ceramic lamps and other rough-cut, minimalist figures. 114 Third Ave. S., 206-323-2808. 11 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Thurs.-Sat.

Priceless Works “Small Salience” collects abstractions and figurative work by 14 artists who use minimal gestures and forms to make their points. Includes work by Patrick Holderfield, Peter Gross, and Linda Peschong. Meanwhile, Chauney Peck’s “Surface” transforms thousands of pipe cleaners and other commercial products into a roomful of sealike abundance. 619 N. 35th St., Suite 100, 206- 349-9943. Noon-6 p.m. Thurs.-Sun.

Richard Hugo House “Woman in Ill-Fitting Wig” is a collaboration in painting and text between Nancy Kiefer and Rebecca Brown. Kiefer paints mugs of difficult women, and Brown spins verbal riffs on the images. 1634 11th Ave., 206-322-7030. 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Mon.-Fri.; noon-5 p.m. Sat.

Roq La Rue Mexico’s Dia de los Muertos, horror writer H.P. Lovecraft, and ’60s pulp fiction inspire a group show of lowbrow art by painters Michael “Pooch” Pucciarelli and Joe Chiodo. 2316 Second Ave., 206-374-8977. 2-6 p.m. Tues.-Sat.; noon- 4 p.m. Sun.

SOIL Gerbils! In Randy Wood’s performance piece And They Will Be the Judge of That, two well-cared-for gerbils will be allowed to roam over one of the artist’s soy-based-ink drawings for one month. It’s a stunt that’s been pulled before, but I’m curious to see how it turns out. Only they in their little gerbil brains know how they’ll critique Mr. Wood’s piece. Also on display: Wood’s new series of spare drawings, “Ghost Rocks,” and new small works by Jana Brevick. 112 Third Ave. S., 206-264-8061. Noon- 5 p.m. Thurs.-Sun.

Solomon Fine Art Using the Renaissance technique of silverpoint, Susan Schwalb creates delicate abstract stripe paintings that glow, glower, or bleed. Also on display: unspecified work by Kazuo Kadonaga and cast-glass legs and tongues by Jeffrey Sarmiento. 1215 First Ave., 206-297-1400. 11 a.m.- 6 p.m. Mon.-Sat.

Suyama Space Roger Feldman’s architectural sculptures are designed to be unsettling—literally. The three installations, each about the size of Thoreau’s cabin, are built simply from 2-by-4s and other framing materials and are meant to be experienced. So take off your shoes and enter. 2324 Second Ave., 206-256-0809. 9 a.m.- 5 p.m. Mon.-Fri.

Vain New works in oil by local graffiti artist Jesse Edwards. 2018 First Ave., 206-441-3441. Noon-7 p.m. Sun.-Tues.; 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Wed.-Thurs.; 10 a.m.- 9 p.m. Fri.-Sat.

Western Bridge “19 Rainstorms” takes its title from Neil Goldberg’s video installation, for which he recorded storms glimpsed throughout Manhattan from the perspective of a video camera placed inside a swinging plastic bag. It’s not entirely effective, but there are snippets of beauty in the refracted raindrops and near-abstract watery white noise. Trisha Donnelly’s Canadian Rain is an intense dance-conjuration video, and Tania Kitchell’s text etched on glass describes the arrival of a storm with haikulike simplicity. The masterpiece of this show, however, is Oliver Boberg’s Country Road, a continuously looping 30-minute video of a rural landscape drenched in rain. The scene, in all its sound-stage fakery, plays out like an intricate drypoint etching set in motion. The swirls and sounds of water droplets are an invocation to pay attention to the world. Like the floating plastic bag in American Beauty, Boberg’s video finds elegance in the seemingly banal. 3412 Fourth Ave. S., 206-838-7444. Noon-6 p.m. Thurs.-Sat.

William Traver In “Ebb and Flow,” Seattle artist Kait Rhoads weaves hundreds of tiny glass beads (murrines) into surprisingly delicate compositions. Also on display: bubbly, cloudlike ceramics by Jamie Walker, and Mark Zirpel’s slightly sinister, medical-looking assemblages. 110 Union St., second floor, 206-587-6501. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Mon.-Fri.; 10 a.m.- 5 p.m. Sat.; noon-5 p.m. Sun.

Zeitgeist In “Sensational Domestic,” Seattle artist Allison Manch juxtaposes large-scale photographs of extremely banal domestic spaces with a series of napkins hand-embroidered with quotes from her real-life subjects. 171 S. Jackson St., 206-583-0497. 6 a.m.-7 p.m. Mon.-Fri.; 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Sat.; 8 a.m.-7 p.m. Sun.

Museums

Frye Art Museum In Robin Held’s first exhibition since taking over as curator at the Frye, Seattle artist Joseph Park gets a solo show, “Moon Beam Caress.” His precise paintings draw upon Japanese animation and film to create an alternative noir world peopled with angst-ridden cartoon creatures. 704 Terry Ave., 206-622-9250. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tues.-Sat.; noon-5 p.m. Sun.; 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Thurs.

Henry Art Gallery There’s such an embarrassment of riches at the Henry right now, it’s hard to list it all. Top billing goes to Doug Aitken’s three-screen video installation Interiors, a majestic meditation on the search for meaning amid the stress and alienation of 21st-century urban life. Sprawling throughout an entire gallery, four separate story lines play out on a vast box of screens, allowing you to view three of the videos simultaneously as a sculptural whole from many different angles. The nearly wordless stories range from contemplative (a young family with a new baby stands in a junkyard as a Brian Eno–like soundtrack throbs underneath) to the mysterious (a man sands a helicopter in a sterile factory cleanroom) to the frenetic (hip-hop artist André Benjamin gushes a verbal storm while a woman smashes a handball and an Asian businessman twitches in a sweaty convulsion of stress). The effect is sincerely moving. The collective vignettes pack a surprising emotional wallop, considering the stories are stripped to their most simple visual and sonic elements. Also on display: “Celebrity Skin” offers a jarring juxtaposition of photos of famous 19th-century French people with Alice Wheeler’s stark images of Kurt Cobain and company. “Playtime” collects whimsical art made from toys (and Peter Fischli and David Wells’ amazing 30-minute video of pyrotechnics installation). A collection of minimalist works by locals offer disturbing mixes of childhood simplicity and adult emotional turmoil (including Claire Cowie’s excellent Panorama Drawing). UW campus, 206-543-2280. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tues.-Sun.; 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Thurs.

Museum of Glass “Best in Show” is a parade of dog-themed art by William Wegman, David Gilhooly, and Karen Willenbrink-Johnsen. 1801 East Dock St. (Tacoma), 253-396-1768. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Wed.-Sat. (third Thurs. of the month until 8 p.m.); noon- 5 p.m. Sun.

Seattle Art Museum “Between Past and Future” is a thrilling showcase of contemporary Chinese video and photography, much of it focused on the body in relation to the world. Standouts include Zhang Huan’s iconic photos of language and identity, Family Tree;Rong Rong’s disturbing images of visceral performance art; Li Wei’s clever experiments with mirrors; and Zhao Lian’s video-game-inspired exploration of authority, Social Survey. Also on display: “Africa in America,” a varied and complex exploration of slavery, displacement, and ethnic culture as portrayed in African- American art of the late 20th century. 100 University St., 206-654-3100. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tues.-Sun.; 10 a.m.- 9 p.m. Thurs.

Seattle Asian Art Museum “Mountain Dreams” collects contemporary ceramics incised with Buddhist text by Korean artist Yoon Kwang-cho. Volunteer Park, 1400 E. Prospect Ave., 206-625-8900. 10 a.m.- 5 p.m. Wed.-Sun.; 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Thurs.

Tacoma Art Museum Marsden Hartley isn’t exactly a household name, but the 20th-century American painter was a solid experimenter in form and color. This touring retrospective marks the first major show of his work in the Northwest in 20 years. Meanwhile “A Decade of Excellence” displays Northwest artists who’ve been awarded the Behnke Foundation’s “Neddy” Artist Fellowship since the program began 10 years ago, including work by Michael Spafford, Juan Alonso, Claire Cowie, Susan Dory, and Mark Takamichi Miller. 1701 Pacific Ave. (Tacoma), 253-272-4258. Every third Thursday free and open until 8 p.m. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tues.-Sat.; noon-5 p.m. Sun.

Washington State History Museum Do you remember being able to think about 9/11 without cursing Bush for dragging us into the bloody quagmire of Iraq? We don’t, and we’re not sure “September 11: Bearing Witness to History” will help. It’s a touring show of charred flags, blackened firefighter helmets, and twisted steel from the WTC, all presented like sacred relics. 1911 Pacific Ave. (Tacoma), 253-272-3500. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tues.-Wed.; 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Fri.-Sat.; noon-5 p.m. Sun.