CENTER ON CONTEMPORARY ART

65 Cedar St, 728-1980.

*EMOTIONAL RESCUE

There's been lots of buzz--rightfully so--about Linda Farris' Contemporary ArtProject, a group of collectors ponying up dough for art, chosen by Farris and rotated through members' homes every six months or so (and destined, eventually, for donation). The group's first exhibition brings Lisa Yuskavage, Justine Kurland, and Inka Essenhigh. Through Oct 28.

FRYE ART MUSEUM

701 Terry Ave, 622-9250.

HELEN LOGGIE

Tree drawings so intricate that each work takes the artist months to complete--a kind of obsessiveness that's hard to argue with. Through Oct 8.

HENRY ART GALLERY

15th Ave NE at NE 41st St, 543-2280.

*ANDY WARHOL DRAWINGS, 1942-1987

More than 200 drawings from the '50s, when Warhol was a commercial artist raking in the dough. Then there are the more famous works on paper from his celebrity days, and a self-portrait he drew at 14, long before his self-allotted 15 minutes began to tick away. Through Oct 8.

BEYOND NOVELTY: NEW DIGITAL IMAGERY

An interesting little one-room show featuring artists who work with digitally manipulated images, some of them quite stunning--Paul Berger's composed works look like uncut sheets of surreal trading cards. This is the logical extension to the question that photography poses about truth-telling, and about trusting what you see. Through Feb 4.

*FRANK O. GEHRY: THE ARCHITECT'S STUDIO

An exhibition of drawings and maquettes of Gehry's projects, including our own dear smashed jewel, the EMP. The idea is to give us a window into the genius' process; mostly, though, it's proof that he gets to play with cool little models. Through Nov 12.

GRAPHIC DESIGN IN THE MECHANICAL AGE: SELECTIONS FROM THE MERRILL C. BERMAN COLLECTION

Covering the years around and between the World Wars, a time when design as we know it was born and really began to influence the way important information was seen; the styles that developed during that period still have currency today. Everything--the posters, the books, the ephemera--seems so elegant, and so powerful. Through Feb 18.

SEATTLE ART MUSEUM

100 University St, 654-3100.

*LANGUAGE LET LOOSE

A tiny little exhibition on the incorporation of text into the visual world. The show's centerpiece is Gary Hill's video installation House of Cards; there's also work by Walker Evans, Ed Ruscha, Alice Wheeler, and a set of Robert Heinecken's Recto/Verso pieces, complete with intelligent but unrelated commentary. Through April 29.

20th-CENTURY AMERICAN ART: THE EBSWORTH COLLECTION

Over 70 works, mostly modernist, collected by Barney A. Ebsworth, who started out collecting 16th- and 17th-century Dutch paintings, but got discouraged when he realized that all "the great pictures [were] gone." There must have been some goodies left from the postwar era; Ebsworth acquired a nifty set of works by de Kooning, Sheeler, and Hockney, among others. Through Nov 12.

SEATTLE ASIAN ART MUSEUM

1400 E Prospect St, Volunteer Park, 654-3100.

THE ART OF PROTEST

Social and political issues addressed through a variety of media, including the photography of Walker Evans and the mordant commentary of Jenny Holzer. Fang Lijun's enormous woodcut, No. 19, dominates the exhibition. Through Jan 21.

TACOMA ART MUSEUM

1123 Pacific Ave, Tacoma, 253-272-4258.

UNDER THE INFLUENCE: NORTHWEST JEWELRY AND ETHNOGRAPHIC OBJECTS

This show, presented in conjunction with Metal-Urge, Tacoma's citywide celebration of metal arts, pairs the work of Northwest jewelers with the objects that inspire them. Through Jan 1.

WING LUKE ASIAN MUSEUM

407 Seventh Ave S, 623-5124.

THROUGH OUR EYES

An extensive exhibition of Asian American photography of the Northwest, from journalism to fine art, including the photography of Frank Matsura and the contemporary work of Dean Wong and Jessica Kim. Through April 8.

WRIGHT EXHIBITION SPACE

407 Dexter Ave N, 264-8200.

*THE WRIGHT COLLECTION

Virginia and Bagley Wright have devoted one gallery entirely to their great collection of '60s and '70s color field paintings, and introduced a large David Salle oil and the John Baldessari piece Two Onlookers and Tragedy to the mix. Other highlights include a Robert Longo, Eric Fischl, a huge Warhol Rorschach, and Jules Olitski's Thigh Smoke. Open-ended run.

OPENING EXHIBITIONS

SUE ABRAMSON

Abramson uses a pinhole camera to record the minute goings on in a garden, tracking it as carefully as a science experiment. The result is a meditation on decay and growth, and she has cleverly let some of her negatives decay as well in a clever continuum between medium and subject. Opening reception Thurs Oct 5, 6-9 pm. FotoCircle Gallery, 216 Alaskan Way S, 624-2645. Through Oct 28.

ABSTRACTION/CONSTRUCTION

Art without identifiable content: meditative object or frustrating mind game? Artist Noah Simblist has gathered the work of 17 abstract artists, both mid-career and emerging, to explore the terrain of material and meaning. Opening reception Sat Oct 7, 7-10 pm. SOIL Artist Cooperative, 1205 Pike St, 264-4199. Through Oct 29.

NICOLAS AFRICANO

New painting and sculpture from Africano, who reaches back to the spare style and high sheen of Greek statues, and then (it seems) can't resist the postmodern twist. His figures always seem rather lost in time. Opening reception Wed Oct 11, 6-8 pm. Winston Wächter Fine Art, 403 Dexter Ave N, 652-5855. Through Jan 10.

NANCY BLUM

Blum sees in patterns the possibility for a kind of transcendence--of elevation through its rhythmic lull. Her paintings explore both organic and abstract variations on the theme. Opening reception Thurs Oct 5, 6-8 pm. Esther Claypool Gallery, 617 Western Ave, 264-1586. Through Oct 28.

*JEANNE DUNNING, MARK MUMFORD

Dunning's nervy photographs and video work explore the body not in its glory, but in its fleshy strangeness. In some of her work, you can't be quite sure what you're seeing, just that it seems to be a hole, or a crevice, giving new light to the term "disembodied." In the project space, Mumford explores perception and metaphor through performance and photography. Opening reception Thurs Oct 5, 6-8 pm. James Harris Gallery, 309A Third Ave S, 903-6220. Through Oct 28.

FOUR ON THE FLOOR

Fine art by pop illustrators Justin Hampton, Jay Barber, Jamie Burton, and Todd Lovering. Opening reception Fri Oct 6, 6-10 pm. Roq la Rue Gallery, 2224 Second Ave, 374-8977. Through Oct 28.

*THE GOLDEN TOWER PROJECT

Fresh from Burning Man 2000, the Golden Tower Project (the combined efforts of Susan Robb and Jeffrey Miller) is a monument to urine--400 jars of it, collected from artists across the country. Far from being a one-liner installation, it speaks to the creative value of things we might not think to save. Opening reception Sat Oct 7, 6-10 pm. Pound Gallery, 1216 10th Ave, 323-0557. Through Oct 29.

*HOW BILLBOARDS HELP US, PART III

Two Portland artists, known as Swallow Press (x 2), bring us private moments in a public space usually claimed by the loud shout of advertising. I shouldn't tell you where the billboards are (finding them should be part of the fun), but I'm a softy at heart: southbound NE 175th (east of Woodinville-Redmond Road); E Lake Sammamish Parkway and SE 127th (north of SW 56th); Aurora Ave N (south of N 80th); and southbound Alaskan Way and Lander. Through Oct 31.

RICHARD LEWIS

Photographer Lewis took his big handmade camera on the road and the resulting work--river views and landscapes--hark back to a time and technique gone by. But these images--keyhole views of sweeping vistas--are quite modern. Opening reception Fri Oct 13, 6-8 pm. Photographic Center Northwest, 900 12th Ave, 720-7222. Through Oct 30.

LIFELIKE

This group show, which focuses on the figure (drawn, painted, and other) includes work by Jefferson Pinder, Karen Liebowitz, and Chris St. Pierre. Opening reception Thurs Oct 5, 6-8 pm. Oculus Gallery, 216 Alaskan Way S, 543-9665. Through Oct 28.

SAYA MORIYASU

Moriyasu's ceramics have faces painted on them, making their arrangement in two cabinets a more social feel. Opening reception Thurs Oct 5, 6-8 pm. King County Art Gallery, 506 Second Ave, Room 200, 296-7580. Through Oct 27.

MATTHEW PORTER

Paintings inspired by the extravagant claims and surreal certainty of sideshow posters. Honey Bear Bakery at Elliott Bay Book Company, 101 S Main St, 682-6664. Through Oct 31.

JEFF WHITAKER

Installations in metal and stone. The works challenge the gallery space; in a witty turn, some are embedded right in the floorboards. Opening reception Thurs Oct 5, 6-8 pm. Eyre/Moore Gallery, 913 Western Ave, 624-5596. Through Oct 28.

CONTINUING EXHIBITIONS

BARBIE 2000

Reflections in painting and sculpture on our favorite blonde, by 12 West Coast artists. Arthead Gallery, 5411 Meridian Ave N, 633-5544. Through Oct 10.

*DONNABELLE CASIS

Tumorous growths, skin and hair, orifices and extremities--bodies reduced to indistinct biological forms, with some breathtaking color combinations and brushwork. Howard House, 2017 Second Ave, 256-6399. Through Oct 21.

*CONSTRUCTED REALITIES

A rich assortment of the better younger photographers of Seattle: Todd Kephart, Susan Robb, Eva Skold Westerlind, and Benjamin Wilkins. Seattle Art Museum Rental/Sales Gallery, 1334 First Ave, Suite 140, 654-3240. Through Oct 14.

*THE EL CAMINO EFFECT

Leslie Clague, Patrick Holderfield, Steve Veatch, Blair Wilson, and others examine the mysterious El Camino Effect, wherein new objects are created through the juxtaposition of two objects. Fuzzy Engine, 2801 Market St, 720-1767. Through Oct 28.

SAM HAMRICK, BETSY BEST-SPADARO

Work by two prolific printmakers. Shoreline Community College Gallery, 16101 Greenwood Ave N, 546-4101. Through Nov 12.

EVAN HECOX

Hecox's images of S.F.'s Chinatown or graffiti-covered vans set exactingly reproduced details against simplified background forms, mixing the strategies of direct street documentation and graphic or commercial abstraction. Houston, 907 E Pike St, 860-7820. Through Oct 31.

I CAPOLAVORI

The gallery's debut exhibit features work by Piero Capobianco, Damon Maxwell, and Robert McRory. I Capolavori, 2519 Fifth Ave, 448-2825. Through Oct 31.

KAIN KARAWAHN

German conceptual artist and videographer Karawahn brings five videos about fire to the windows of 911, from the rather predictable imagery of books burning to the unexpected signals transmitted by a burning video camera. The videos run until dusk--and are as good as a drive-in movie, and cheaper. 911 Media Arts Center, 117 Yale Ave N, 682-6552. Through Oct 13.

MICHAEL KENNA, ROCKY SCHENCK

Two photographers working in low-light situations. Kenna shows prints from his new book, Nightwork, including a stunning night image of a pair of fountains in Russia, the water plumes glowing in the long-exposure blur. Schenck's photos are interiors--family scenes, to be precise. G. Gibson Gallery, 122 S Jackson #200, 587-4033. Through Oct 21.

DAVID LASKY

The sardonic mind behind Urban Hipster shows his comics-influenced paintings and drawings. Glo's, 1621 E Olive Way, 529-2735. Through Oct 21.

*PETER LUCAS

WigglyWorld's Lucas gives us images of airplanes and aerial photography, intending to "create a multiple-perspective sense of movement and transition." Little Theatre, 608 19th Ave E, 329-2629. Through Oct 15.

*JENNIFER MCNEELY, AILEEN GAGNEY, DAVID LARA OROZCO

McNeely's soft, squishy, sexy, threatening sculptures should be required viewing for anyone with a body. Black Lab Gallery, 5208 Ballard Ave NW, 781-2392. Through Oct 11.

METAL-URGE

Tacoma's all-city celebration of that other milled material includes exhibitions at Random Modern Gallery (1122 Market St, Tacoma, 253-383-5659, through Oct 31) and Commencement Art Gallery (902 Commerce, 253-591-5341, through Nov 3). Call 253-591-5192 for a complete roster.

MODERN STONE AGE

Heavy stuff--40 artists (including Joe Max Emminger and Julie Speidel) using concrete. Pratt Fine Arts Center, 1902 S Main St, 328-2200. Though Oct 27.

NO BOUNDARIES X

The 10th anniversary of this juried show featuring work by artists with disabilities. Harrison Street Gallery, Center House, Seattle Center, 443-1843. Through Oct 31.

PACIFIC NORTHWEST NEEDLE ART GUILD

The Guild members show all manner of needlework, from quilts to rugs to machine embroidery. Kirkland Arts Center, 620 Market St, Kirkland, 425-822-7161. Through Oct 27.

KAZUTAKA UCHIDA

The sculptor once worked with Isamu Noguchi, and the influence is readily apparent. Still, Uchida's work with marble and granite, with its precise compositions and rough/smooth juxtapositions, has enough grace to stand alone. Bryan Ohno Gallery, 155 S Main, 667-9572. Through Oct 7.

EVENTS

ART DETOUR

See artists behave in their native environments: sloping ceilings, empty wine bottles, overflowing ashtrays, the whole bit. The opening party is Fri Oct 6, 6-9 pm at Rainier Cold Storage (5628 Airport Way S), and the artists' studios (more than 170 of them) are open on Sat-Sun Oct 7-8. You can pick up a guidebook at Pratt Fine Arts Center, CoCA, Sev Shoon Art Center, SOIL, Artist Trust, Arts West, Howard House, or Columbia City Gallery ($5 suggested donation, to help defray printing costs). For more information, visit www.artdetourseattle.com.

ASBEST 1985-1998

A screening of clips documenting the work of German artist Kain Karawahn; his videos include camera transformations, conceptual book burnings, and "an illegal fire action" at the Berlin Wall. Karawahn and artist Gebhard Schatz will discuss their work after the screening. Fri Oct 5 at 911 Media Arts Center, 117 Yale Ave N, 682-6552, 8 pm, $5.

*NEW PROMETHEANS INTERNATIONAL FIRE ART FESTIVAL

A pyromaniac's dream: a series of ignitions out at Sand Point. See Stranger Suggests. Sand Point Naval Base, 8 pm, $12, tickets available through TicketWeb or COCA.

*PLANET STIFF

It's film, it's music, it's performance. So why is it filed under visual arts? I have no idea, except that the total experience is a lot like giving yourself over to a control-freak installation artist, but pleasantly. See Stranger Suggests. Consolidated Works, 410 Terry Ave N, 860-5245, 9 pm, $10.