15th Ave NE & NE 41st St, 543-2280.
CROSSCURRENTS AT CENTURY'S END
Premiering its national tour in our little corner of America, the Crosscurrents exhibition milks the Neuberger Berman collection for a look at emerging and contemporary figures in photography and painting, including James Casebere, Vic Muniz, Mary Heilman, and Ingrid Calame. Through Sept 21.
TOM KNECHTEL
The claustrophobic works of Los Angeles' Knechtel, in a career retrospective titled On Wanting to Grow Horns. Through Sept 21.
SEATTLE ART MUSEUM
100 University St, 654-3100.
INTERNATIONAL ABSTRACTION PART 1: MAKING PAINTING REAL
SAM explores the initial abstract explosion that took place after World War I, with works by Joseph Albers, Wassily Kandinsky, Paul Klee, and Laszlo Moholy-Nagy. Through Feb 2004.
PAINTED VISIONS FROM INDIA AND PAKISTAN, PAST AND PRESENT
Two shows of yoked subject, including the 16th-century Indian masterpieces of Intimate Worlds and their contemporary counterparts in Conversations with Traditions: Nilima Sheikh and Shahzia Sikander. Through Sept 8.
NICOLA VRUWINK
Sculptor Vruwink teases the palette with an array of 70 birthday cakes--one for every year of SAM's existence--each a specific reference to works in the museum's collection. Please don't lick the plaster. Through Aug 24.
WRIGHT EXHIBITION SPACE
407 Dexter Ave N, 264-8200.
* ED RUSCHA
The familiar landscapes of Hollywood find their grimy way into our fair city, and we have only Ruscha to blame. Open run.
OPENINGS
ARDENT LABOR
See Stranger Suggests. Opening reception Sat Aug 2, 7-10 pm. SOIL Gallery, 1317 E Pine St, 264-8061. Through Aug 24.
OPEN HOUSE
Garde Rail finally gets its grubby fingernails out of our northern neighbor's artworks with a triumphant return to the good ol' U.S. of A., with art by Tim Fowler, Ree Brown, Wally Shoup, and others. Opening reception Fri Aug 1 from 6-10 pm. Garde Rail Gallery, 4860 Rainier Ave S, 721-0107. Through Sept 27.
MIXING MEDIA
A group show for the sake of a group show, with felt works by Zia Gipson, digital photography by Patricia Rogers, and a duo of pastel artists in the form of Pam Ferrell and Karen Schroeder. Opening reception Sun Aug 3 from 3-5 pm. ArtsWest, 4711 California Ave SW, 938-0339. Through Aug 30.
OTHER WATERS
Gibson unpacks the storeroom for its summer vacation with its 12th annual group show of works by the gallery's healthy stable of artists. G. Gibson Gallery, 514 E Pike St, 587-4033. Through Aug 30.
ULRICH PAKKER
Steel sculptures. Post Alley: Sculpture Garden, 1413 Post Alley, and Post Alley: Indoor Art Space, 1411 First Ave. Through Sept 30.
MATTHEW PORTER
Bluebottle co-owner Porter pays rent on his latest solo exhibition, a letter-for-letter examination of alphabetical nomenclature (as in "A is for Apple") entitled Not Your Average Alphabet. Opening reception Sat Aug 2 from 7-11 pm. Bluebottle Art Gallery and Store, 415 E Pine St, 325-1592. Through Aug 28.
DOROTHEE BRAND POWELL
Forced narratives of travel snapshots in Powell's vocabulary of the road. Glo's, 1621 E Olive Way, 783-3426. Through Sept 7.
CHRISTINE RUTKOWSKI, JENNIFER ZWICK
Relatively recent grads from Cornish and UW respectively, Rutkowski's obsessive sculptures of bugs and Zwick's gum clumps populate The Art of Control. Opening reception Fri Aug 1, 5-7 pm. Richard Hugo House, 1634 11th Ave, 322-7030. Through Sept 30.
SUSTAINING VISION
Juried by Anne Wilkes Tucker (see also Events), the culmination of PCNW's eighth annual photographic competition features 80 images of visual sustenance. Opening reception Fri Aug 1, 8-9:30 pm. Photographic Center Northwest, 900 12th Ave, 720-7222. Through Sept 28.
STOKLEY TOWLES
See Stranger Suggests. Temporary Central Public Library, 800 Pike St, 733-9663. Performances Aug 5-Aug 16 at 12:15 pm.
CONTINUING EXHIBITIONS
PHIL BORGES
Final week. Photographer Borges accompanies his current show at Benham Gallery with yet another across the pond--the mystery of Asia exploited to the benefit of wall calendars everywhere. Kirkland Arts Center, 620 Market St, Kirkland, 425-822-7161. Through Aug 1.
SHANNON BOWLEY
Final week. Acrylics on canvas. Ace Studios Gallery, 619 Western Ave, 623-1288. Through July 31.
ARDEN CHARLES, WILLIAM HEWSON
Final week. Charles' mixed-media collage and watercolor, with Hewson's regional oil landscapes. The Fountainhead Gallery, 625 W McGraw St, 285-4467. Through Aug 2.
MICHAEL DICKTER, SCOTT FRISH, FRED MUNRO
Final week. Atelier 31 showcases a trio of Northwest artists, with Dickter's water vessel paintings, Frish's giant digital prints, and Munro's glass humans. Atelier 31 Gallery, 2500 First Ave, 448-5250. Through Aug 3.
JESSICA DODGE, YVETTE FRANZ
Final week. Allegory for the modern age: Dodge's oils on glass. With Franz's Iraqi War reflection, The Link's Debt to the Chain. Gallery 110, 110 S Washington St, 624-9336. Through July 31.
KAMALA DOLPHIN-KINGSLEY
Final week. Worlds dense with dark foliage and crawling with cool critters--like walks through gothic fairy tales. King County Gallery, 506 Second Ave, Suite 200, 296-7580. Through Aug 1.
* LIAM EVERETT
Final week. "Everett, in a practice you see frequently these days, presents a series of disparate images and lets you assemble meaning out of them--like a slide show from the unconscious, an impenetrably personal parade of things." (Emily Hall) Francine Seders Gallery, 6701 Greenwood Ave N, 782-0355. Through Aug 3.
TIMOTHY FOSS
Final week. With a hodgepodge of vaguely Eastern themes (lotus-petal-shaped ceramics, translucent scroll illustrations, sage, etc.), Foss takes a stab at conceptual unity with Internment. SAW Gallery, 113 12th Ave, 652-5867. Through July 31.
JOSH GARBER
Final week. Metal sculptures. Solomon Fine Art, 1215 First Ave, 297-1400. Through Aug 1.
MICHAEL GREENSPAN
Final week. Abstract constructions in paint and photographic emulsion transfer. Lisa Harris Gallery, 1922 Pike Pl, 443-3315. Through Aug 2.
GUARANTEED FRESH! STILL LIFE TODAY
Final week. A big old mess of still lifes, with prints, paintings, drawings, and sculptures by the likes of Damien Hirst, Xiaoze Xie, Wayne Thiebaud, and Janet Fish. Davidson Galleries, 313 Occidental Ave S, 624-7684. Through Aug 2.
PAUL HARCHARIK, DANIEL MIHALYO, DAPHNE MINKOFF
Final week. Photography, painting, photography, and painting. Linda Hodges Gallery, 316 First Ave S, 624-3034. Through Aug 2.
BOKUDEN MATSUDA
Final week. Contemporary calligrapher Matsuda lends his craft to canvas with a series of small paintings. Bryan Ohno Gallery, 155 S Main St, 667-9572. Through Aug 2.
CECIL BALMOND
One night only. Innovative structural designer Balmond delivers a lecture on his unique engineering perspective. Seattle Art Museum, 100 University St, 842-2283. $12. Wed Aug 6 at 8 pm.
BRIC-A-BRAC
One night only. A celebratory evening of junk for the heart, with art by Alice Tippet, Weylin McGraw, Gina Tolentino, Skye McNeil, and others. Secluded Alley Works, 113 12th Ave, 839-0880. Fri Aug 1, 6-11 pm.
ANNE WILKES TUCKER
One night only. Guest juror for Photographic Center Northwest's eighth annual "America's Best Curator" competition (if you listen to that wonky ol' Time magazine), Tucker hosts a brief lecture entitled "Why Did the Museum Buy THAT?" Seattle Art Museum, 100 University St, 720-7222. $8. Fri Aug 1 at 8 pm.
