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

Lectures and Events

Artist Tool Kit Lecture: Greg Kucera One of Seattle’s most prominent gallery owners discusses how to prepare and pitch your portfolio to prospective galleries. 12:30-2 p.m. Thurs. Jan. 20. Seattle Academy of Fine Art, 1501 10th Ave. E., free, 206-526-2787.

Artifact ID Day Call it Antiquities Road Show. Bring in your family heirlooms, baskets, carvings, or beadwork—and the Burke’s curators and Native American art experts will help you identify its origins. No price appraisals will be available, so you’ll have to be content to call your treasures priceless. 1-4 p.m. Sat. Jan. 22. Burke Museum, UW campus, N.E. 45th St. and 17th Ave. N.E., free with admission, 206-543-5590.

People Doing Strange Things With Electricity 2 An evening of electric-powered visual art, performance, and music (see SW This Week, p. 39). Reception: 9 p.m.-2 a.m. Sat. Jan. 22. CoCA, 410 Dexter Ave. N., $5, 206-728-1980. 2-8 p.m. Tues.-Thurs., noon-5 p.m. Fri.-Sun.

Tsunami Benefit Art Show Local artist Rachel donates proceeds from her show of family-friendly work, “Painted Stories in Relief,” to tsunami relief efforts. Reception: 2-4 p.m. Sat. Jan. 22. B-Town Scoop, 917 S.W. 152nd St. (Burien), 206-241-2923.

Openings

Greg Kucera Katy Stone (see visual arts spotlight). Reception: 6-8 p.m. Thurs. Jan. 20. 212 Third Ave., 206-624-0770. 10:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Tues.-Sat.

James Harris Hawaii-based artist Tom Baldwin creates nominally realist little images electronically, then engages in an e-mail give and take, transforming the images in collaboration with Vienna artist Gilbert Bretterbrauer. The resulting works, framed in circular compositions, are reduced to abstract studies of shape and color. Reception: 6-8 p.m. Thurs. Sat. Jan. 20. 309A Third Ave., 206-903-6220. 11 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Wed.-Sat.

Kinsey Gallery The late French philosopher Jacques Derrida is much admired and rarely understood. The creator of deconstruction and différence is celebrated in Bâtir, a group show featuring work by Robert Yoder, Buzz Spector, Ryuta Nakajima, and several others. Opens Mon. Jan. 24. Seattle University, 900 Broadway, 206-296-5360. 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Mon.-Fri.

Kittredge Gallery Paintings incorporating text that signifies nothing by Joan Stuart Ross, and Seattle photographer Joseph Songco’s mysterious shots of Brooklyn storefronts. Reception and artist talk by Joseph Songco: 4 p.m. Tues. Jan. 25. 1500 N. Lawrence (Tacoma), 253-879-2806. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Mon.-Fri.; 1-4 p.m. Sat.

Museum of Glass Brothers Einar and Jamex de la Torre create glass wall sculptures with contemporary twists on Mexican folk art. Incorporating plastic flowers, fake fur, and cheap tchotchkes, “Intersecting Time and Place” fuses influences from both sides of the Mexican-American border. Opens Sat. Jan. 22. Artist lecture and slide show: 2 p.m. Sun. Jan. 23. 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.

Last Chance

Foster/White In “The Continental,” octogenarian painter James Martin offers more of his sloppy, funny, Chagall-esque menageries stocked with kingfishers, mermaids, rocket-ship babies, the Lone Ranger, and peanut butter cookies. 123 S. Jackson, 206-622-2833. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Mon.-Sat.; noon-5 p.m. Sun. Ends Wed. Jan. 26.

Garde Rail Thick with frostinglike layers of paint, Toronto-based artist Jennifer Harrison’s rows of painted houses offer a cheery but abandoned landscape of mythical happiness. 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. Jan. 22.

Jacob Lawrence Gallery New work by UW Masters of Art students. UW campus, School of Art, 206-685-1805. Noon-4 p.m. Tues.-Sat. Ends Sat. Jan. 22.

Solomon Fine Art “Barely Visible” showcases two artists whose meticulous work transforms the banal into something vital: New York–based Cynthia Lin’s silverpoint drawings capture the chaotic beauty of dust, while Marc Dombrosky’s fascinating work morphs tossed-aside grocery lists and other found notes into exquisitely detailed embroidery. 1215 First Ave., 206-297-1400. 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Mon.-Sat. Ends Fri. Jan. 21.

Galleries

Art Institute of Seattle Gallery Joey Robinson’s 27 stark, roughly sketched portraits of black maids are accompanied by stories of their struggles during the civil rights movement. 2323 Elliott Ave., 206-448-0900. 8 a.m.-8 p.m. Mon.-Thurs.; 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Sat.

ArtsWest In “Figuratively Speaking,” Richard Glenn, Steve MacFarlane, and Nancy Peterson use glass, collage, abstract paintings, and monotype prints to create images with a sense of mystery. 4711 California Ave. S.W. (West Seattle), 206-938-0963. Noon-7 p.m. Tues.-Sat.

Bluebottle Rick Catlow’s “Don’t Meet Your Heroes” serves up graffiti-inspired monsters, dead birds, and an inordinate quantity of drool—all painted on discarded cans and other salvaged stuff. 415 E. Pine St., 206-325-1592. 1-7 p.m. Tues.-Fri., noon-6 p.m. Sat.-Sun.

Bryan Ohno Candy-colored Op Art–inspired paintings and sculptural columns by UW professor of art Francis Celentano. 155 S. Main St., 206-667-9572. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tues.-Sat.

Capitol Hill Arts Center In “Afterlife,” Diana Falchuk creates wall sculptures and installations from childhood blankets, stuffed animals, and other dilapidated comfort items loved to destruction. 1621 12th Ave., 206-388-0600. 6-10 p.m. Wed.-Fri.; 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Sat.

Columbia City Gallery A group show of work by local artists, plus guest work by Latino artists Jesus Mena Amaya, Monica Gutierrez, Amaranta Ibarra- Sandys, Fulgencio Lazo, and Blanca Santander. 4864 Rainier Ave., 206-760-9843. Noon-7 p.m. Wed.-Sat.; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sun.

Consolidated Works The touring “Altoids Curiously Strong Collection” lands at ConWorks, loaded with painting and sculpture from a pack of up-and-coming artists from across the country, including Reed Anderson, Jedediah Caesar, Tony Matelli, Katie Pell, and Anna Sew Hoy. 500 Boren Ave. N., 4-8 p.m. Thurs.-Fri., 1-8 p.m. Sat.-Sun. 206-860-5245.

Davidson Selene Santucci’s paintings in “Left Hand Turns” offer well-proportioned geometric abstractions into which she tucks little symbolic figures—creating a kind of visual cabinet of curiosities. Also on display: overly cute paintings and frescos of animals and such by Liza von Rosenstiel. 313 Occidental Ave. S., 206-624-7684. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tues.-Sat.

Francine Seders New monochrome drawings and spare abstractions from James Deitz, Caryn Friedlander, and Gail Grinnell. 6701 Greenwood Ave. N., 206-782-0355. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tues.-Sat., 1-5 p.m. Sun.

Friesen Gallery Five painters from San Francisco’s Figurative movement, which grew out of Abstract Expressionism, including work by Christopher Brown, Pegan Brooke, Stephanie Peek, James Shay, and Clifford Wilton. 1210 Second Ave., 206-628-9501. 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Mon.-Sat.

Gallery 4 Culture In “The Cloud That Fell to Earth,” Seattle artist Debra Baxter’s huge fabric funnel cloud slumps into the King County gallery like a melting ice-cream cone, while photographs of her “portable weather systems” (essentially clouds on a stick) tackle the problem of capturing the complexity of the natural world by representing it with the most rudimentary, nearly banal forms. 506 Second Ave., Suite 200 (Smith Tower), 206-296-7580. 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Mon.-Fri.

Gallery 110 A group show of work by member artists in this cooperative gallery, including Pat Andrus, Christopher Beuning, Carl Jackson, and a heap of others. 110 S. Washington St., 206-624-9336. Noon-5 p.m. Wed.-Sat.

Goods New urban graphic design work by Andrio Abero, one of the city’s most innovative rock poster creators and the instigator behind the 33rpm graphic design group. 1112 Pike St., 206-622-0459, 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Mon.-Sat., noon-5 p.m. Sun.

Grover/Thurston Simple but unsentimental paintings of birds, lovers, and bicycles by local self-trained painter Joe Max Emminger. 309 Occidental St., 206-223-0816. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tues.-Sat.

Howard House The Vancouver, B.C.–based duo Hadley and Maxwell’s clever “Décor Project” involves entering the homes of curators and art collectors, rearranging their rooms in unconventional ways (based loosely on a tongue-and-cheek set of survey questions), and then working with photographer Sven Boecker to photograph the results. 604 Second Ave., 206-256-6399. 10:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Tues.-Sat.

Jack Straw New Media Gallery New York composer Joe Diebs’ experiment with a chance-inspired string quartet is the sort of John Cage–y thing that has the potential to be either maddening or fascinating. He’s apparently done some pretty sophisticated programming to make the recorded samples intersect in less-than-jarring ways. 4261 Roosevelt Way N.E., 206-634-0919. 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Mon.-Fri.

Linda Hodges Jennifer Beedon-Snow’s sunlit suburban landscapes have an abandoned, solitary quality reminiscent of David Hockney’s L.A. paintings. 316 First Ave. S., 206-624-3034. 10:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Tues.-Sat.

Lisa Harris Richard Morhous is infatuated with big, bold primary colors—no somber Northwest grays for this artist. Morhous’ new work, “Night Light,” makes masterful use of color in predominantly nocturnal urban scenes. There’s a trace of sentimentality in some of the images, but the well-composed acrylic paintings (each of which will be displayed alongside several preliminary sketches) explode with color blasting out of the darkness. 1922 Pike Pl., 206-443-3315. 10:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Mon.-Sat.; 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sun.

National Parks Conservation Association Scott Parker’s “National Parks Project” collects photographs, paintings, and sketches from a dream road trip: visiting all 56 officially designated National Parks in two years via Jeep, kayak, bush plane, and on foot. 313-A First Ave., 206-903-1444, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Fri., noon-5 p.m. Sat.-Sun.

Photographic Center Northwest PCNW’s annual juried members’ show is curated by SAM’s Susan Rosenberg and features photography by Anna Daedalus, Margot Quan Knight, and others. 900 12th Ave., 206-720-7222. Noon-9:30 p.m. Mon., 9 a.m.-9:30 p.m. Tues.-Sun.

Platform Blake Haygood’s “Buck Fever” features spare, cartoony paintings of Rube Goldberg machines that are coming apart at the seams—the cogs, conveyor belts, and truncated aortalike forms all explode in a quiet frenzy. 114 Third Ave. S., 206-323-2808. 11 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Thurs.-Sat.

Richard Hugo House “On and Off the Map” features photos and etchings of local landscapes by Jennifer Nerad and Mark Griswold. 1634 11th Ave., 206-322-7030. 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Mon.-Fri., noon-5 p.m. Sat.

Seattle Art Museum Rental/Sales Gallery The latest in a series of guest shows of work from various local galleries shines the spotlight on G. Gibson. Featured artists include Larry Calkins, Michael Kenna, and Eva Sköld Westerlind. 1220 Third Ave., 206-343-1101. 10:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Sat.

Seattle LGBT Community Center Gallery “No Surface Is Safe,” features posters on queer themes by Chris Connors. 1115 E. Pike St. 206-323-5428. Noon- 9 p.m.

SOIL “Seeing Green,” a group show of off-kilter nature art by Buddy Bunting, Laura Stein, Jennifer Zwick, Debra Baxter, Jim Woodring, and Brandon Ballengee—the latter a New York–based artist and practicing field biologist who studies and documents frogs mutated by pollution in the wild. 112 Third Ave. S., 206-264-8061. Noon-5 p.m. Thurs.-Sun.

South Seattle Community College Art Gallery In case you missed the group show “Beyond Talk: Redrawing Race,” at the Wing Luke Asian Museum, you’ll have a second chance to see it at SSCC. 6000 16th S.W., 206-764-5337. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Fri.; 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Wed.-Thurs.

Western Bridge The second part of Henry Art Gallery’s ambitious show “Work of the Work” showcases art that deals with perception and humanist religiosity. 3412 Fourth Ave. S. 206-838-7444. Noon-6 p.m. Thurs.-Sat.

William Traver Portland artist Jeremy LePisto makes cool, post-Chihuly glass: some pieces resemble tiny bridges, while others are painted with deadpan little scenes of industrial buildings and bored everymen. Also on display: abstract paintings reminiscent of woven textiles and coffee cup stains by Geoff Garza. 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.

Winston Wächter “Lucky 7,” a group show of seven women artists from the Northwest, features Victoria Adams (who creates imaginary landscapes in the Hudson River tradition), abstract painters Susan Dory and Betsy Eby, and modernist sculptor Julie Speidel. 203 Dexter Ave. N., 206-652-5855, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tues.-Sat.

Wright Exhibition Space This show, curated by Virginia Wright, hopes to revive interest in color field painters Jules Olitski, Morris Louis, Helen Frankenthaler, and Kenneth Noland. 407 Dexter Ave. N., 206-264-8200. 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Thurs.-Fri.

Zeitgeist Letterpress prints created with metal and wood type, woodcuts, and other techniques, by students at the School of Visual Concepts. 171 S. Jackson St., 206-583-0497. 6 a.m.-7 p.m. Mon.-Fri., 8 a.m.-7 p.m. Sat.-Sun.