BELLEVUE ART MUSEUM

510 Bellevue Way NE, Bellevue, 425-454-3322

*LUMINOUS: LIGHT AS MATERIAL, MEDIUM, AND METAPHOR

Light as an architectural element is one of Steven Holl's most famous tropes, and this exhibition was assembled to examine it further. It happily includes work by some of the artists you would expect to be represented: Dan Flavin, Joseph Kosuth, Tokihiro Sato, and Iole Allesandrini. Through June 17.

CENTER ON CONTEMPORARY ART

(at Consolidated Works) 410 Terry Ave N, 728-1980

INDEXTERITY

The show's title, laboriously translated from its semiotic roots, signals an inquiry into photography-as-truth, a deconstruction of its authority. Not exactly the newest idea on the block, but it's always nice to revisit it with new photographers in front of you. In this show: Yauger Yauger, Timothy Ringsmuth (Ms.), Miguel Edwards, Travis Winn, and Deborah Coito. Curated by Dan Kany. Through April 8.

CONSOLIDATED WORKS

410 Terry Ave N, 381-3218

SUBlimina

This new exhibition is the touring Altoids Curiously Strong Collection--tied rather loosely to the Consolidation Series theme of public and private thresholds, but we'll forgive it for bringing some good contemporary work by 25 emerging artists. Through April 8.

HENRY ART GALLERY

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

*WOLFGANG LAIB: A RETROSPECTIVE

Laib's work resides in the delicate realm of contemplation and nature: pollen sifted into piles and large color field--like squares, "milkstones," forms built of beeswax. This is the first American survey of Laib's work--a touring show that has been shown at the Hirshhorn in Washington D.C. and will travel to San Diego, Houston, and Munich. Through May 6.

PERFORMING PHOTOGRAPHY

Selections from the Joseph and Elaine Monson Photography Collection (one of the most comprehensive in the nation), chosen by the collection's curator, Michael van Horn. The idea is to demonstrate the medium's flexibility--from documentary to staged, entirely fictitious scenarios--but the upshot is just really good work by some of the best artists around (including Cindy Sherman, Zhang Huan, Tina Barney, Vito Acconci, Gilbert and George, and Ann Hamilton). Through June 3.

THE PHOTOGRAPHY OF JOHN GUTMANN: CULTURE SHOCK

Images from the '30s through the '50s selected by the photographer before his death in 1998 comprise this exhibition of American street life. Through May 27.

NORDIC HERITAGE MUSEUM

3014 NW 67th St, 789-5707

*BETWEEN SPACE AND TIME: CONTEMPORARY NORWEGIAN SCULPTURE AND INSTALLATION

It's hard enough to keep up with American and British contemporary art; what's going on in Norway tends to be a big hole for all of us. This touring show of six mid-career Norwegian artists--which was seen in Moss, Norway, and Atlanta and moves on to New York--includes Per Barclay's oil-room installations and Bård Breivik's delicate mesh forms. The theme of the show in no way proscribes it, proving that even in a place as isolated as Norway, regional aesthetic takes a back seat to the personal one. Through April 1.

PACIFIC SCIENCE CENTER

200 Second Ave N, 443-2001

*MATHEMATICA: A WORLD OF NUMBERS... AND BEYOND

The original version of this exhibit, an exploration of mathematics, created by the furniture designers Charles and Ray Eames, was one of the Pacific Science Center's first shows. Through April 29.

SEATTLE ART MUSEUM

100 University St, 654-3100

CREATING PERFECTION: SHAKER OBJECTS AND THEIR AFFINITIES

An exhibition examining the Shaker culture through its furniture, textiles, and tools, as well as photographs, prints, and drawings. A selection of non-Shaker objects shows the influences absorbed, and rejected, by this simplicity-embracing group; an adjacent display of modern works traces a similarly strict formalism that artists use to create structure in the chaotic modern world. Through April 29.

*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.

LANGUAGE OF HOPE

A display of fiction by young adults, paired with the photography of Alan Berner, Christine Burgoyne, Jeff Corwin, Melanie Reneker, and others. Through April 1.

*JOHN SINGER SARGENT

This show, curator Trevor Fairbrother's swan song, pulls together an extensive representation of the work of Sargent, the premier portrait artist of his period (1856-1925). Included are a dozen of his famous portraits of the Wertheimer family, along with a good deal of his less famous works: his charcoal studies of male nudes and the watercolors he produced near the end of his life. Through March 18.

TACOMA ART MUSEUM

1123 Pacific Ave, Tacoma, 253-272-4258

*THE NEW FRONTIER: ART AND TELEVISION 1960-65

A media-wide investigation into the effects of television on culture, including work by Bruce Conner, Andy Warhol, and Yoko Ono. Through March 18.

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

YVETTE FRANZ

In her skilled re-representations of consumer products, Franz takes apart ideas of appearance and identity. This show, entitled Neara's Crown, features new work. Highline Community College Gallery, Building 25, 2400 S 24th St, Des Moines, 878-3710. Through March 31.

GEOFF GARZA

New work by Garza, whose abstract paintings on panel combine the best of minimalism (color blocks, simple shape) with a kind of fun and feeling not usually associated with that movement. Opening reception Fri March 9, 5-8 pm. Ballard/Fetherston Gallery, 818 E Pike St, 322-9440. Through April 4.

INTRODUCTIONS

Work by Rod Appleton, Barbara DePirro, David deVillier, John Jenkins III (hooray!), Gemma Molera, Laura Ross-Paul, Junko Yamamoto, and Hamid Zavareei. SAM Rental Sales Gallery, 1334 First Ave, #140, 654-3240. Through April 7.

CONTINUING EXHIBITIONS

*MARE BLOCKER

There's a special place in my heart for book art, and Blocker takes up a lot of it. Her works combine art and text in ways that challenge the very idea of the book; her new one-of-a-kind books are being shown with a limited edition card game called The Badge Mount Set. Wessel and Lieberman Booksellers, 208 First Ave S, 682-3545. Through March 31.

CELEBRATION

Work by Kenn Brooks, Angelena McQuarter, Kip Miller, and Conswella Uriola. Walden's Art Gallery, El Centro de la Raza, 2524 16th Ave S, 323-1273. Through March 31.

GEORGE CHACONA, THERESA BATTEY

In Sorrows of Isis, Chacona takes the old and recombines it into something new; Egyptian drawings, text, photographs, and etched tile. The result is Egyptian pop art, more or less. Battey is involved with her own alchemical process, merging photography and glass. Esther Claypool Gallery, 617 Western Ave, 264-1586. Through March 31.

CUBAN SPLASH/SALPIC"N CUBANO

Work by four Cuban-born artists: Ariela Boronat, Adela E. Gonzalez, Tatiana Garmendia, Tomas Oliva. Kirkland Arts Center, 620 Market St, Kirkland, 425-822-7161. Through March 28.

GARY CURTIS

Curtis favors materials in decay--wax, resin, oil, metal--to contain images of the world passing by. This is his second solo show at the gallery. Eyre/Moore Gallery, 913 Western Ave, 624-5596. Through March 31.

*TIMMY DOWLING

Photographs of men and their accessories, inspired by the poses of action figures. Houston, 907 E Pike St, 860-7820. Through March 10.

*SEAN DUFFY

The Los Angeles-based Duffy takes an askance--but somehow still respectful--look at mod culture in an exhibition that will fill both Billy Howard's gallery and the furniture store that houses it. Duffy's targets are context, consumerism, and retro poaching; what's not to love in an Ikea table modified to look like a Benzedrine tablet? See Stranger Suggests. Howard House, 2017 Second Ave, 256-6399. Through March 31.

SHAWN FERRIS

Ferris' paintings--with a personal iconography of birds, eggs, and crowns--feel like Medieval miniatures--detailed, cryptic, otherworldly. Two Bells Tavern, 2313 Fourth Ave, 441-3050. Through April 4.

CHRISTIAN FRENCH

It's been too long since we've seen a show of French's work; he's been hibernating for a while, dispensing his curatorial and art-activist skills instead. This show, entitled Transparence, includes previous and new work, including his gorgeous bubble prints and some black-and-white road photography. Nico Gallery, 619 Western Ave, 264-1710. Through March 31.

KAREN GANZ

I make it a point never to quote press releases, but I loved the metaphysical description of Ganz' paintings that arrived through the mail: "A bit of whistling in the cemetery." Lovely! And true: Ganz combines slapstick cartoonish characters with layers of paint, both translucent and aggressively opaque, on a large, inescapable scale. The humor is apparent; the darkness sneaks up on you. Grover/Thurston Gallery, 309 Occidental Ave S, 223-0816. Through April 1.

*JENNY HEISHMAN

New sculpture by Heishman, who recently returned from a fellowship working with Charles Ray (that nutty guy!). SOIL Artist Cooperative, 12th and Pike, 264-8061. Through April 1.

CLAIRE JOHNSON

Johnson's topic is the body, and her usual method of investigation is in large paintings that abstract the physical self in unexpected ways. Her new work is small, and shows cropped views of body parts that have been pierced, bruised, or otherwise altered. See Stranger Suggests. Oculus Gallery, 216 Alaskan Way S, 442-9365. Through March 31.

SALLY LARSEN

Digital projections that suggest water and other personal imagery. Sacred Circle Gallery of American Indian Art, Daybreak Star Arts Center, Discovery Park, 285-4425. Through April 1.

*MANIA

Fuzzy Engine's core artists take on excess, obsession, and cultural enthusiasm. Fuzzy Engine, 2801 NW Market St, 789-6951. Through March 31.

DAMON MAXWELL

New work from Maxwell, whose work ranges from the cartoonish and grotesque to the intense and abstract. I Capolavori, 2519 Fifth Ave, 448-2825. Through March 14.

ROBERT MIRENZI

Mixed-media sculpture using, among other things, dried pig snouts and ears, architects' templates, and crayons, contained in wax, plaster, or found containers. Francine Seders Gallery, 6701 Greenwood Ave N, 782-0355. Through April 1.

MO YUN SHI

It means "Ink Rhythm Poetry," and includes work by five Chinese artists from the Anhui Province. Bank of America Gallery, 701 Fifth Ave, third floor, 585-3200. Through March 30.

KIM NEWALL

Pattern and order as seen through our inner selves--in this case paintings of the complex networks of biological things happening under our skin. Mary Vitold Gallery, 110 S Washington St, 624-9336. Through March 31.

PHOTOCLOSET

The seventh annual exhibition of artists who work in the Pound Gallery's darkroom. The Pound Gallery, 1216 Tenth Ave, 323-0557. Through March 25.

MARIA PORGES

Bay Area artist Porges is populating the world with wax vessels. Displayed like shop items on a wooden ledge, the multicolored bottles are imprinted with words, creating layers of text and meaning. James Harris Gallery, 309A Third Ave S, 903-6220. Through March 10.

PIKE POWERS

Where do boats go when they die? Recent paintings by Powers--who is also Pilchuck's artistic director--look at the dying fishing industry. Elliott Brown Gallery, 215 Westlake Ave N, 340-8000. Through March 10.

*JASON PUCCINELLI

Remember those paintings with the holes where the heads should be? And you'd put your head into the hole and have a picture taken as the bearded lady, or the Siamese twins? Puccinelli is reviving this sideshow tradition with full-scale paintings that offer photo ops of a much more disturbing kind. Vital 5 Productions, 2200 Westlake Ave, 254-0475. Through April 4.

JOHN SEAL

Large-scale paintings based on Polaroids--the transfer of the instant-gratification portrait to the lasting object of contemplation. See Bio Box. King County Art Gallery, 506 Second Ave, Room 200, 296-7580. Through March 30.

JACK SPENCER, SETH THOMPSON

Photography from Mexico and Cuba. G. Gibson Gallery, 122 S Jackson, Suite 200, 587-4033. Through March 22.

CYNTHIA LAUREEN VOGT

Little artist's books that combine photography--reproduced via laser printing and xerography--with personal oral history, both real and imagined. FotoCircle Gallery, 216 Alaskan Way S, 624-2645. Through March 31.

DAVID WALEGA

Pinhole cameras seem to be the photographic tool du jour. Walega uses this low-tech option to meditate on other forms of photography: portraits, landscapes, and animal studies. Photographic Center Northwest, 900 12th Ave, 720-7222. Through March 30.

EVENTS

*FRED WILSON

Wilson is a New York-based sculptor and "museum Interventionist," which means, I think, that one of his delights is constructing exhibitions that deconstruct how museums work, especially with reference to cultural heritage and racism. He's best known for organizing Mining the Museum at Baltimore's The Contemporary Museum, an exhibition on this very subject. He's appearing courtesy of the SAM's African Art Council. SAM, Thurs March 8, 7 pm.