The biggest art event Seattle has ever known, Seattle Art Fair, will be even bigger in its second year. The Fair itself, which will happen at the CenturyLink Field Event Center from August 4-7, will have booths featuring artwork from 84 local and international galleries, as well as special exhibitions, performances, and talks. But the fairgrounds themselves are not the only place you can indulge your inner art critic this weekend—there will also be dozens of satellite events and exhibitions all across the city, all of which we have on our Seattle Art Fair calendar. If you're overwhelmed by all of your options, our Visual Art Editor Jen Graves has picked the best things happening this weekend, both at the Fair and adjacent to it, and we've compiled them all below. And don't forget that many local galleries are still open this weekend, so, if you want to fully engage in the local art scene, make sure to check out our complete visual art calendar.


Jump to: Galleries at the Fair | Projects & Talks at the Fair | Satellite Events | Satellite Performance Art | Satellite Exhibits

AT THE FAIR
Recommended Seattle Galleries
Abmeyer + Wood Fine Art (Booth C28) | Bridge Productions (Booth A28) | Foster/White Gallery (Booth C33) | G. Gibson Gallery (Booth C5) | James Harris Gallery (Booth B14) | Greg Kucera (Booth A15) | Mariane Ibrahim Gallery (Booth C10) | SEASON (Booth B17) | Winston Wächter Fine Art (Booth D15) | Woodside/Braseth Gallery (Booth B21)

Recommended New York Galleries
Allan Stone Projects (Booth D6) | David Zwirner (Booth A6) | Marlborough Gallery (Booth D13) | Paul Kasmin Gallery (Booth B7) |

Other Recommended West Coast Galleries
Roberts & Tilton (Los Angeles, Booth B13) | Charlie James Gallery (Los Angeles, Booth C18) | PDX Contemporary Art (Portland, Booth C23) | Upfor (Portland, Booth B9)

Recommended International Galleries
Kaikai Kiki (Tokyo, Booth C7) | Pace Gallery (Various locations, Booth A7)

Recommended Projects & Talks
Public Fiction: Middle Grays, Color Bars, and the comma in between
As part of the Seattle Art Fair (and in conjunction with their pop-up exhibit at the Henry, A Witness and A Weapon) Public Fiction will present an installation featuring "early video art, experimentation and activism for television," screened alongside similar but contemporary works.
(Aug 4-7)

Jeffry Mitchell
At this special project at the Seattle Art Fair, see new ceramic sculptures, screens, and large-scale drawings by the 2009 Stranger genius in visual art, Jeffry Mitchell. Last year, Jen Graves wrote: "If Jesus comes back, I'm introducing him to Jeffry Mitchell. Jeffry can bring Christ up to speed on things like humor and gayness and art, and Jesus can feel good about what humanity's been up to, and together they can visit the Berninis in Rome."
(Aug 4-7)

Glenn Kaino: Aspiration
This ongoing project by artist Glenn Kaino centers around the creation of two "new dialects for our imagined future"—Lunar French and Martian English. New York tour guide Timothy “Speed” Levitch will lead tours of the fair and the surrounding city, delivered in Martian English.
(Aug 5-7)

Lauren Mackler and Emily Zimmerman
This discussion between Henry Art Gallery Associate Curator Emily Zimmerman and Public Fiction founder Lauren Mackler takes the form of a talk show—in order to investigate talk shows' form (from public access TV to contemporary, popular usage). They promise the use of archival footage and appearances by special guests.
(Aug 5)

Sharon Johnston and Rita McBride
This discussion between Los Angeles-based architect Sharon Johnston and Dusseldorf-based artist Rita McBride will cover their recent projects and the elements that art and architecture share.
(Aug 5)

Kim Gordon and Branden W. Joseph
This discussion between artist/musician/goddess Kim Gordon (Sonic Youth, Body/Head, and more) and art historian Branden W. Joseph will cover topics ranging from art to music to language.
(Aug 6)

Kyle MacLachlan and Carrie Brownstein
Abandoning the Pacific Northwest for LA or NYC the second an artist earns even a smidgen of national recognition is one of the phenomena that breeds mediocrity in the greater Pacific Northwest art/music/theater/literature scenes. But it doesn't have to be that way! Two amazing artists who don't exactly contribute to the region's creative drain are Special Agent Dale Cooper cough Kyle MacLachlan and Carrie Brownstein of Sleater-Kinney/Portlandia/Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl fame. (I say "exactly" because Brownstein lives in LA part-time.) They're going to have a sit 'n' chat about "cultural investment and place-making in the Pacific Northwest," which will hopefully cover some of the advantages of sticking around town even after getting famous. RICH SMITH
Aug 6

Anne Ellegood and Brian Jungen
Brian Jungen is a Vancouver, B.C., artist who makes sculptures that take on totemic power using castoff objects from consumer culture. He disassembled old white patio chairs and reassembled them into a 40-foot whale skeleton. Noticing that Nike Jordans were manufactured in Haida colors, Jungen tore them apart, too, and rebuilt them into Haida masks. In today's talk, Jungen, who's based in Vancouver, B.C., will talk about his work, about "the historical, political, and economic specifities of materials, and the place of tradition in contemporary art making" with Anne Ellegood, senior curator at the Hammer Museum in LA. Ellegood has arranged some really interesting exhibitions that are all about the nature of materials, and she's as much of a draw here as Jungen. In 2007, when I interviewed her before the opening of the Olympic Sculpture Park about the state of sculpture at the time, she told me, "I think the commitment to the object is a really interesting thing. It’s a very traditional thing in some way, but today, it’s almost a riskier position to put yourself in, as opposed to being all over the place." These are two minds you want to see collide. JEN GRAVES
(Aug 7)

ADJACENT TO THE FAIR
Recommended Events
Out of Sight
While the Seattle Art Fair fills CenturyLink Field’s events center with more paintings, sculptures, photographs, and drawings than you thought possible, Out of Sight will occupy the nearby third floor of the historic King Street Station clocktower with more than 21,000 square feet of art by local artists. If you go to the fair, you must also go to Out of Sight. If you have to choose one, for heaven’s sake, go to Out of Sight and buy art magazines to see pictures of what was over at the Big Fair. JEN GRAVES
Read more about this event from Jen Graves
King Street Station, Aug 4-7

First Thursday Art Walk
On this August evening, the First Thursday Art Walk—a huge, booze-filled social event that coincides with the unveiling of impressive new artwork—will get a major upgrade. It's the first night of the Seattle Art Fair, which means the city's largest visual arts event will be even bigger and more spectacular. Look forward to durational performances, interactive opening receptions, and more new shows than any one human can possibly attend. See our complete list of August openings here, as well as recommendations from Jen Graves.
Pioneer Square, Aug 4

COLLECT: See. Appreciate. Own.
This art tour—happening during Seattle Art Fair weekend—is a great way to be driven around while exploring the Seattle art scene, and potentially add a few pieces to your collection...or begin your collection with accessible, relatively affordable art. This time, they'll start at Vermillion to eat small bites by chef Tarik Abdullah and check out Natasha Marin's Remember me, then head to survey exhibit Out of Sight at King Street Station, then watch a durational performance by Brendan Fowler at the Good Arts Building, then stop by the Tashiro Kaplan Artist Lofts, and wrap up their tour at the promising exhibit In Context before heading back to Vermillion. Important footnote: tickets include unlimited champagne!
Vermillion, Aug 6

The SODO Track Opening
Celebrate the launch of a series of large-scale murals (spanning two miles!) created by local artists as well as international artists from Germany and the Netherlands. The track will launch with music, refreshments, and special yet-to-be-announced guest performances; suggested donation price includes two drink tickets.
Metropolist, Aug 6

Recommended Performance Art
Art Zone with Nancy Guppy: Live at King Street Station
Part of the 3 Rooms art collaboration, this event promises a variety of performance art (music, comedy, dance, and more) presented as a "pop-up talk show" with "worthless prize giveaways." Guests include guitarist Bill Frisell, actress and singer Sarah Rudinoff, bandleader and bassist Evan Flory-Barnes, and producer Bill Stainton.
King Street Station, Aug 5-7

Bebe Miller and Darrell Jones: Duet Piece of String
Curated by Velocity Artistic Director Tonya Lockyer, this public performance brings together longtime collaborators Bebe Miller and Darrell Jones to "highlight how choreography is everywhere, always in everything."
Union Station, Aug 5

Brendan Fowler
In addition to his new sound installation ("ever-evolving, self-improvising musical composition") inside the Seattle Art Fair, Brendan Fowler presents these two performances with a chorus of local artists that utilize "both Fowler’s previous history of deconstructed pop vocal performance (Barr), as well as this new sound work."

Flora Wiegmann: Halo of Consciousness
Part of the Seattle Art Fair, this performance by LA-based choreographer Flora Wiegmann (and featuring Wiegmann and dancer Rebecca Bruno) was inspired by research on Culte Antoiniste, a European religion founded in 1910.
Union Station, Aug 5 & 7

luciana achugar: The Pleasure Project
This durational performance choreographed by luciana achugar is the culmination of her Seattle Festival of Dance Improvisation residency, and is a satellite performance associated with Seattle Art Fair. Presented in partnership with Velocity Dance Center, and curated by Velocity Artistic Director Tonya Lockyer.
Occidental Square, Aug 5

On the Edge: Latinx Performance Art
This evening of experimental performance art by contemporary Latino/a/x artists, featuring Xavier Lopez, Jr. and Vicente Montanez, will coincide with the Seattle Art Fair and is part of the programming for the exhibit La Sala presents La Cocina.
Good Arts Building, Aug 5

Poetry and Music with Seattle Civic Poet, Claudia Castro Luna
Catalina Cantu and Wendy Call curated this evening of poetry and music, featuring beloved Seattle Civic Poet Claudia Castro Luna, alongside music curated by Antonio GĂłmez and Trio GuadalevĂ­n. This event is part of the programming for the exhibit La Sala presents La Cocina.
Good Arts Building, Aug 6

Recommended Satellite Exhibits
3 Rooms
Dawna Holloway of studio e gallery curated this exhibit that will feature ten Seattle-based artists: Brian Beck, Brian Cypher, Carole d'Inverno, Damien Hoar de Galvan, Warren Dykeman, Robert Hardgrave, Helen O Leary, Rachel Illingworth, Gillian Theobald, and Heather Wilcoxon.
King Street Station, Aug 4-7

Does Live Art Have To Be Experienced Live?
This exploration of the way in which "live art" is documented features many kinds of artistic presentation, including a performance series, art exhibition, conversations, one-on-one interactions, durational and interactive works, and more. See the schedule for opening and Seattle Art Fair performances here.
SOIL, Aug 4-27

Elizabeth Lopez: Blood Over Square
Martyr Sauce's first exhibit in its new location will feature Blood Over Square: new works by Elizabeth Lopez. The opening reception—on the tail end of First Thursday Art Walk and concurrent with the opening of the Seattle Art Fair—promises music from The Hollers. About the exhibit, the artist writes: "It's times like this - everyone scrambling to have the last, loudest word - that I find myself passionately exposing my innermost thoughts and ideas. And while I want to share, I also want to bury these ideas, rushing to delete them... It is fitting that I am showing this body of work at the new Martyr Sauce space; now located in the epicenter of art galleries in the oldest part of Seattle, underground. Hidden in plain sight, like all of us."
Martyr Sauce, Aug 4-Sept 8

In Context: A Seattle Art Fair Satellite Exhibition
This exhibition—presented as a satellite event associated with the Seattle Art Fair—features sculpture, animation, installation, drawing, video, painting and photography from excellent Seattle artists including Emily Gherard, Mary Ann Peters, Mary Ann Stillion, Barbara Robertson, Pat DeCaro and Marita Dingus; curated by Barbara Robertson and Ann-Marie Stillion. They'll also host live performance and programming, including an artist panel about women in the arts and a recurring live performance tableau by Mary Welch.
Read more about this event from Jen Graves
Third Ave & Jackson, Aug 4-7

Juxtapoz x Superflat
In honor of Seattle Art Fair, Vulcan, Paul Allen's company, is hosting a pop-up exhibition by none other than Japanese super-mega-duper-artist Takashi Murakami, who will be here for the occasion. It's a coming together of Murakami's anime-based ideas from the late '90s (which were distilled into a touring exhibition called Superflat that came to the Henry Art Gallery at the University of Washington in 2001)—this will be sort of like Superflat 2.0—and the ideas and works promoted by super-uber-duper popular Juxtapoz Art & Culture Magazine. It features more than 23 artists and will only be on view during the weekend of the Seattle Art Fair.
Pivot Art + Culture, Aug 4-7

La Sala Presents La Cocina
This gallery show, curated by artist Amaranta Ibarra-Sandys, will feature sculpture, painting, and photography from a group of Latino/a/x artists, plus an interactive altar installation by artist KĹ« (Rafael/a Luna-Pizano). During Seattle Art Fair weekend, their related programming includes On the Edge: Latinx Performance Art, an introduction to herbal healing with Almendra Sandoval, and poetry and music with Seattle Civic Poet, Claudia Castro Luna.
Good Arts Building, Aug 4-31

Street Value
This exhibit, presented by Treason Gallery and the Piranha Shop, features street art and graffiti from more than 30 artists who showcase their work inside accessible urban landscapes.
The Piranha Shop, Aug 4-7

What You See is What You Sweat
You may not know about the relatively new venue called the Good Arts Building in Pioneer Square, which is fast becoming an art hub. This month on the ground level, the Center on Contemporary Art for the occasion invited a curatorial dream team of five "doers and thinkers who are creating space for arts audiences and artists who shop in the ethnic foods aisle and those who hit the streets for social change." C. Davida Ingram, Chieko Philips, Christopher Shaw, Leilani Lewis, and Zorn B. Taylor have created What You See Is What You Sweat, an array of media from video and textiles to painting and photography by artists including Alex Anderson, Juventino Aranda, Romson Bustillo, Micha Cárdenas, Nicholas Galanin, Ingram, Satpreet Kahlon, Mark Mitchell, Darius Morrison, Taylor, Jeffrey Veregge, and Viradeth Xay-Ananh. JEN GRAVES
CoCA PS35, Aug 4-27

A Witness and A Weapon
This Seattle Art Fair-adjacent exhibit is curated by Public Fiction founder Lauren Mackler and features videos by artists who specifically created them for Public Access Television.
Henry Art Gallery, Aug 4-7

Wynne Greenwood: In Loving Memory
This installation is upholstered soft-sculpture: a set of public outdoor seats loosely dedicated to the Northwest towns in which the artist, Wynne Greenwood, has lived: Seattle, Redmond, and Olympia.
Occidental Square, Aug 4-7