Lectures and Events
BLACK & BLUE BALL CoCA’s last big bash of the year. 8 p.m.-1 a.m., Sat. Dec. 13, $25/40 a couple, includes food and drink, dance music by Plan B. 1420 11th Ave., 206-728-1980.
INSTALLATION “Artifact” by Diana Falchuk investigates the cultural history of the floor at this hair salon. One night only: 9 p.m.-1 a.m., Sat. Dec. 13, $5 includes beer and wine, live Western music and DJ. VAIN, 2018 First Ave. (Belltown), 206-441-3441.
SUMI NEW YEAR’S CARD WORKSHOP Take the whole dang family and learn to create cards emblazoned with Japanese characters in sumi ink. Sat. Dec. 13. Kirkland Arts Center, 620 Market St., Kirkland, $45 for adult & child, 425-822-7161.
Openings
FRYE ART MUSEUM “Heartland”: intriguing Americana-with-a-twist paintings from Bo Bartlett. Opens Sat. Dec. 13. 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.
JACK STRAW NEW MEDIA GALLERY “Will you please be quiet please?” Artist Jesse Paul Miller set out to find some peace and quiet in the nature preserves of North Central Florida, and brought audio equipment do document it. What he found wasn’t exactly solitude free of human noise, as this interactive installation will demonstrate. Reception: 7 p.m. Fri. Dec 12. 261 Roosevelt Way N.E., 206-634-0919. 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Mon.-Fri.
SEATTLE ART MUSEUM Have a really, really old-fashioned holiday at SAM’s new exhibit, “Feasting with the Gods: Art and Ceremony in Ancient Mesoamerica and the Central Andes,” which presents 35 objects used in feasting rituals in many different ancient cultures. Opens Thurs. Dec. 11. 100 University St., 206-654-3100. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tues.-Sun.; 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Thurs.
WOODSIDE/BRASETH The oldest, finest bastion of Northwest Mystics and their contemporaries, lets loose with its 42nd annual holiday exhibition featuring more of that old school noise: works by Morris Graves, Mark Tobey, Guy Anderson, William Cumming, etc. 1533 Ninth Ave., 206-622-7243. 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Tues.-Sat.
Last Chance
HENRY ART GALLERY Raunchy sketches by director Federico Fellini: nothing here but hilariously adolescent cartoons of huge tits and even bigger asses. As the rolling video of film clips ably demonstrates, it’s all perfectly in tune with the dirty old man’s cinematic sensibilities. UW campus, 206-543-2280. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tues.-Sun; 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Thurs. Ends Sun. Dec. 14.
Galleries
AIA “Flat Building,” is exactly what it says it is: photographs of buildings that for one reason or another, appear to be two-dimensional facades through the lens of photographer Brian Allen. 1911 First Ave., 206-448-4938. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Fri.
ATELIER 31 Etruscan-inspired sculpture that verges on pastiche by Seattle artist Karen Kargianis, alongside jazz-inspired portraits by Carole d’Inverno. 2500 First Ave., 206-448-5250. 10:30 a.m.-6 p.m. Mon.-Tues.; 10:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m. Wed.-Sat.; noon-5 p.m. Sun.
ARTEMIS Julie Alexander’s large (four foot-by-four) abstract matrices of paint are reminiscent of weaving. Also, encaustic paintings on birch by Amy Ruppel, and Lars Husby’s wood sculptures. 3107 S. Day St., 206-323-0562. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tues.-Sat.
BENHAM “Interpretations of Light:” flashy photographs by University of Washington alumni Michael Gesinger and longtime photographer Bruce Barnbaum. 1216 First Ave., 206-622-2480. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tues.-Sat.; 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sun.
BLUE DOOR Abstract paintings by local artist Rian Berry, on display at a new gallery in Greenwood. 7919 Linen Ave. N., 206-783-2583. Noon-5 p.m. Sat.-Sun.
BLUEBOTTLE Celebrating one year of weird fridge magnets, percolator lamps, and heaps of affordable stuff by undiscovered artists, Bluebottle stages its first annual holiday bash. On offer: gallery owner Matthew Porter’s latest series of cartoony paintings based on obscure entertainments (this time masked Mexican wrestlers) and all manner of cards, ornaments, and objects by locals. 415 E. Pine St., 206-325-1592. 1 p.m.-7 p.m. Tue.-Fri., noon-6 p.m. Sat.-Sun.
BRYAN OHNO Seattle artist Lisa Buchanan’s elegant abstract paintings percolate, bubble, and grid in pleasing compositions, while Junko IIjima, in “Hybrids,” takes shapes that look vaguely like consumer products and places them in “high art” settings: on pedestals or a Zen sand garden. 155 S. Main St., 206-667-9572. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tues.-Sat.
CAROLYN STALEY Recent acquisitions of ukiyo-e and modern Japanese prints on display include kacho-ga (bird and flower subjects) by Ohara Koson and Jun’ichiro Sekino’s Suizokukan (Aquarium), a rare commodity since it was achieved with a cumbersome 30-step process that destroys the printing block after only one print is made. 314 Occidental Ave., 206-621-1888. 10:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Tue.-Sat.
FRANCINE SEDERS In “The Peaceable Kingdom,” Elizabeth Sandvig’s intentionally naïve, color-saturated fauvist paintings and monoprints depict all manner of wild creatures lying down together in peace. 6701 Greenwood Ave. N., 206-782-0355. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tues.- Sat, 1 p.m.-5 p.m. Sun.
GALLERY 110 Rajaa Gharbi’s wispy, symbolic paintings influenced by Arabic calligraphy, alongside Deborah Walker’s slightly didactic paintings alluding to the extinction of species. 110 S. Washington St., 206-624-9336. Noon-5 p.m. Wed.-Sat.
GREG KUCERA “Images from the Inside,” a retrospective Bruce Davidson’s career, demonstrates why this photographer is acclaimed as one of the most influential of the past century. 212 Third Ave., 206-624-0770. 10:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Tues.-Sat.
LISA HARRIS Working with a palette knife rather than brushes, Northwest painter Ed Kamuda achieves a rough-hewn, childlike style. 1922 Pike Pl., 206-443-3315. 10:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Mon.-Sat.; 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sun.
MARTIN-ZAMBITO Rare early-career works by twentieth century Northwest artists, including a nude study of artist Guy Anderson in the 1930s by Morris Graves. 721 E. Pike St., 206-726-9509. 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Tue.-Sat.
PHOTOGRAPHIC CENTER NORTHWEST For two years between 1966 and 1968, Bruce Davidson lived and photographed one notorious block in East Harlem. Finding beauty in squalor and dignity in poverty, Davidson set a new standard for documentary photography with this historic series, “East 100th Street.” Also on display: images by PCNW students on assignment in Paris. 900 12th Ave., 206-720-7222. Noon-9:30 p.m. Mon.; 9 a.m.-9:30 p.m. Tues.-Sun.
PRICELESS WORKS Eric Olson’s dizzying dot paintings. 619 N. 35th St., Suite 100, 206-349-9943. Noon-7 p.m. Fri.-Sun.
SECLUDED ALLEY WORKS In the “The Great Cloud,” Seattle artist Helen Lessick captures the traces of thirteen human torsos using metal plumbers’ tape. 113 12th Ave. (at Yesler), 206-839-0880. Noon-5 p.m. Sat.-Sun.
SOLOMON FINE ART In “Reserved,” eight local artists eschew bombast for understatement and subtlety in both subject matter and execution. Featured artists include Mark Dombrowsky and Chris St. Clair. 1215 First Ave., 206-297-1400. 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Mon.-Sat.
VELOCITY ART AND DESIGN Launching this gallery’s new Belltown digs is Mariko Marr’s “The Space In Between.” Born in Japan, Marrs now lives in the Northwest and professes to paint “the wind and the sound of the ocean.” I have no idea how she accomplishes this. 2118 Second Ave., 206-781-9494. 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Mon.-Sat.
WASHINGTON STATE CONVENTION & TRADE CENTER Works by 50 Cornish College alumni, including Jennifer McNeely, Rich Lehl, and Dan Webb (the 2003 winner of Seattle Art Museum’s annual Betty Bowen award.) 800 Convention Pl., 206-694-5000. 8 a.m.-10 p.m. daily.
Museums
EXPERIENCE MUSIC PROJECT Annie Leibovitz’sportraits of folks like Willie Nelson, Tom Waits, Eminem, and various Mississippi bluesmen.325 Fifth Ave. N., 206-367-5483. 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Sun.-Thurs., 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Fri.-Sat. Tues.-Sun; 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Thurs.
FRYE ART MUSEUM Chinese expat Zhi Lin’s “Five Capital Executions in China” brings a theatrical realism to the surprisingly un-Frye topic of inhumanity to men and women. In “Starvation,” a crowd of revelers feasts ravenously, oblivious to the torture in their midst.Also on display, “Watermarks” features depictions of the world’s waters by wandering painter Tony Foster. 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.
PHENRY ART GALLERY In addition to Lee Bul’s “Live Forever” pods,James Turrell’s “Knowing Light” has been extended into February, and if you haven’t treated yourself to these magnificent rooms of pure color and light, you need to stop making excuses and go. “Architecture and Light” showcases some rather sterile but technically interesting photographs from the Henry Monsen collection, while Victoria Haven’s “Supermodel City” is a filigree of red tape pinned to one of the gallery’s walls. Pae White’s “Grotto”a dense mobile made from thousands of colorful cell-like dots suspended from the ceilingcreates a fluid, three-dimensional stream of color. Polly Apfelbaum’s accompanying work, “Flying Hearts,” doesn’t quite compete, covering the floor of the gallery with intricate strips of dyed velvet. In “Flirting With Rodchenko,” a dozen or so artists attempt monochromatic paintingsworthy of note is Anne Appleby’s “Summer in Aspen,” a kind of variation on abstraction inspired by the natural world. UW campus, 206-543-2280. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tues.-Sun; 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Thurs.
MUSEUM OF GLASS “Moving Through Nature:” variations on landscape and nature through installations by sculptors Mayme Kratz and Stacey Neff as well as Michael Kenna’s dreamy, Zen-inspired black and white photographs of Japan. 1801 East Dock St. Tacoma, 253-396-1768. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tues.-Sat. (third Thurs. of the month until 8 p.m.), noon-5 p.m. Sun.
PSEATTLE ART MUSEUM SAM’s ambitious “Baja to Vancouver” collects representational art in various media by young artists along the Pacific Coast. It’s a big coast, so highlights have to be minimal: B.C. artist Brian Jungen’s spiritual totems made from athletic shoes; Kota Ezawa’s animation based on the reading of the O.J. Simpson verdict (did you see the brief smile?); Seattle photographer Glen Rudolph’s photographs of people on the margins; Tijuana photographer Yvonne Venegas’ scenes of upper-class Mexican life; Shannon Oksanen and Scott Livingstone’s hypnotic, grainy Zapruder-like film of a beached surfboard; and Matt McCormick and Miranda July’s brilliant little deadpan documentary “The Subconscious Art of Graffiti Removal.” Also on display is the second installment in SAM’s “International Abstraction: Making Painting Real:” superb examples of the post-World War II abstract expressionist and minimalist movements. Part I offers work by heavy hitters Joseph Albers, Wassily Kandinsky, Paul Klee, and many others. “The View From Here: The Pacific Northwest 1800-1930” offers up a potpourri of paintings, photographs, and Native American art from the region’s first boomtime: paintings by Albert Bierstad and Paul Kane, photos by Imogen Cunningham, etc. 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 “Discovering Buddhist Art: Seeking the Sublime, ” recycles Buddhist pieces from the museum’s permanent collection to highlight the diversity of Buddhist sacred art, from simple, quiet Bodhisattva sculptures to colorful Tibetan thanka paintings. Also on display, luminous Japanese prints from the 19th century onward, including atmospheric, nocturnal scenes by Kawase Hasui. “A Feast,” two contemporary scrolls by Chinese ink painter Li Jin, includes one 59-foot behemoth that pokes fun at the excesses of Chinese celebrations and cuisine. 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 “Building Tradition” showcases such Northwest artists as Fay Jones, Mark Takamichi Miller, and Mary Randlett while Dale Chihuly’s “Mille Fiori” offers yet more flowery glass to the masses. 1701 Pacific Ave., Tacoma, 253-272-4258. Every third Thursday free. 100 a.m.-5 p.m. Tues.-Sat.; 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Thurs.; 12 p.m.-5 p.m. Sun.
