BELLEVUE ART MUSEUM
510 Bellevue Way NE, Bellevue, 425-454-3322
* LUMINOUS: LIGHT AS MATERIAL, MEDIUM, AND METAPHOR
Light as 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 (CoCA)
410 Terry Ave N (inside Consolidated Works), 728-1980
NORTHWEST ANNUAL 2001
The show the provides the grist for the yearly gripe-fest. Come see what Michael Sweney (director of the Charles Cowles Gallery in New York) thinks is the best we have to offer. Through July 31.
CONSOLIDATED WORKS
410 Terry Ave N, 381-3218
* NOTICE OF PROPOSED LAND USE ACTION
Bye-bye, building. As a grand farewell to the temporary space, ConWorks commissioned site-specific work by 10 artists, each of whom will address the building itself, either through objects found within it, drawings outside it, or--in the case of New York artist Shannon Kennedy--looking through its innards with endoscopic cameras. Other artists are Dan Corson, Patrick Holderfield, Bret Marion, Jennifer McNeely, Brad Miller, Jesse Paul Miller, David Nechak, Matthew Picton, and Susan Robb. Through July 8.
HENRY ART GALLERY
15th Ave NE at NE 41st St, 543-2280
PERFORMING PHOTOGRAPHY
Selections from the Joseph and Elaine Monson Photography Collection, 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. Through June 3.
ALEXIS ROCKMAN: FUTURE EVOLUTION
Part meticulous Audubon illustration, part horror show, these paintings show us what kinds of flora and fauna might evolve (and therefore survive) in the terribly compromised circumstances we're creating on Earth. Through August 19.
SEATTLE ART MUSEUM
100 University St, 654-3100
TREASURES FROM A LOST CIVILIZATION: ANCIENT CHINESE ART FROM SICHUAN
You wonder if archaeology will someday become obsolete, that we'll eventually run out of artifacts to find. But then there's the discovery of a site like Sanxingdui, that 14 years ago began to give up its treasure to the eyes of the world: relics in bronze, jade, and clay from the 13th century B.C. to the third century A.D. These are wondrous, mysterious pieces--weapons, totems, vessels--the uses for which are still mostly unknown. The show is the culmination of five years' work by Jay Xu, SAM's Foster Foundation Curator of Chinese Art, and is the first large-scale U.S. exhibition of the archaeological finds (it goes on to the Kimbell Art Museum in Texas and the Metropolitan in New York). The patient anthropological guesswork goes on. Through Aug 12.
WRIGHT EXHIBITION SPACE
407 Dexter Ave N, 264-8200
* THE WRIGHT COLLECTION
Robin Wright Moll has selected works from all her family members' collections to ruminate on the idea of the Duchampian destabilization of art. Some of the high points include Andy Warhol's Oxidation (in which unspecified persons urinated on a canvas covered in metallic paint), an enormous Sol LeWitt wall drawing, and a set of Carlos Mollura's plastic pillows. Through August 11.
OPENING EXHIBITIONS
GRADUATING STUDENTS EXHIBITION
Opening reception Fri June 1, 6-8 pm. Photographic Center Northwest, 900 12th Ave, 720-7222. Through June 29.
CLARK HUMPHREY
The prolific Humphrey is changing careers, discarding writing in favor of documentary photography. In his debut exhibition, Words: Who Needs 'Em?, he shows photographs of past-its-prime signage and places he's lived; Humphrey claims the reason for the shift from words to images is that the market is overcrowded with writers. Opening reception Sat June 2, 7-9 pm. Belltown Underground Art Gallery, 2211 First Ave, 448-3325. Through July 5.
RICHARD MARQUIS
In a show called Whole Elk Theory, Marquis creates assemblages of glass and pop-icon elements that are a few steps removed from the technique-obsessed glass you usually see around town. Many young glass artists--those who are taking glass somewhere truly strange and interesting--cite Marquis as an inspiration. Opening reception Fri June 1, 6-8 pm. Elliott Brown Gallery, 215 Westlake Ave N, 340-8000. Through July 28.
MR. JAGO
Mr. Jago is a British artist who takes the craft of doodling into the realms of high art. In this case, his work is incorporated into murals right on the gallery walls. Opening reception Sat June 2, 7-10 pm. Houston, 907 E Pike St, 860-7820. Through July 12.
NEDDY FELLOWSHIP EXHIBITION
What a distinguished list of finalists: in painting, Dennis Evans, Ken Kelly, Mark Takamichi Miller, and Robert Yoder; in sculpture, Cris Bruch, Pam Gazale, and Doug Jeck. Announcement ceremony Tues June 5, 5:30 pm. Bank of America Gallery, 701 Fifth Ave, third floor, 585-3200. Through July 6.
THE PAINTING GROUP
The first show by TPG, which has been meeting since 1993. The artists are: Pamm Hanson, Alexis Kane, Linda Kokanovich, Meridith Lee, Margie Livingston, Kiki MacInnis, and Diane Zytniak. Two days only! Opening reception Sat June 2, 6-9 pm. Random Stop Gallery, 420 30th Ave E, 325-0561. Through June 3.
UNBECOMING
The title refers to received notions of beauty, as when my mother would tell me it was unbecoming to sit with my legs splayed apart... six artists working in different media blow this idea out of the water. Claire Cowie, Nick D'Angelo, David Moymer, Sonja Peterson, Samantha Scherer, and Alex Yang. Opening reception Sat June 2, 7-10 pm. SOIL Artist Cooperative, 1205 E Pike, 264-8061. Through July 1.
CONTINUING EXHIBITIONS
KYNAN ANTOS
New work in a series of portraits (both paint and multi-media) entitled Skin Deep. Nation, 1921 Fifth Ave, 374-9492. Through June 24.
HENRY CHAMBERLAIN
Drawings based on Jeff Koons' Balloon Dog. Glo's Diner, 1621 E Olive Way, 529-2735. Through June 30.
* DAN CLOWES, CHRIS WARE
What's not to love about this pair of pop-culture luminaries? Between them they've changed the visual language of comics: Clowes (Eightball, Ghost World) with his portraits of alienated men saddled by specific sexual cravings and Ware (Jimmy Corrigan) with his tiny-framed, slow-paced stories. Knowing their work is de rigeur for anyone interested in the area that comics and art share. Roq la Rue, 2224 Second Ave, 374-8977. Through June 2.
BETSY EBY
New encaustic diptychs--the seam between the two pieces becomes a very physical split, a kind of lightning bolt through Eby's abstract fields. Ballard Fetherston Gallery, 818 E Pike St, 322-9440. Through June 6.
DAVID ECKARD
Some kind of ritual happened here--but what? Eckard has created an arena with a series of conceptual question marks. Suyama Space, 2324 Second Ave, 256-0809. Through June 8.
ELLE Q
New paintings in May Flowers. I Capolavori, 2519 Fifth Ave, 448-2825. Through June 20.
* LEIV FAGERENG
Welcome to the Quicksand Years showcases Fagereng's odd vision of the times--the world and our impact on it. Vital 5 Productions, 2200 Westlake Ave, 254-0475. Through June 4.
* CHRISTIAN FRENCH, MEGAN MURPHY
French has created a model for the gamble of art, with an installation made of lottery tickets. Viewers are invited to contribute to a kitty for more tickets, and the winnings will be split three ways--between the artist, gallery, and purchaser. With paintings by Murphy, in a series entitled Flesh. See Stranger Suggests. Eyre/Moore Gallery, 913 Western Ave, 624-5596. Through June 2.
MICHAEL GESINGER, PHYLLIS UITTI-MASLIN, TERRY VINE
Photography pulled in three directions: hand-colored (Gesinger), collaged with needle and thread (Uitti-Maslin), and foreign/narrative (Vine). Benham Photography Studio/Gallery, 1216 First Ave, 622-6383. Through June 14.
* WENDY HANSON
A window installation by Hanson, whose work is featured in SAM's Sewn show. Entitled Horn of Plenty--Memorial for a Weary Economy, this work uses discarded clothing and thread to meditate on things lost and changed. SAM Rental Sales Gallery, 1334 First Ave, 654-3183. Through July 15.
NORIKO KATO
Traditional Sumi art. Art/Not Terminal Gallery, 2045 Westlake Ave, 233-0680. Through June 7.
STEFAN KNORR, JENNIFER DIXON, CHRISTOPHER BUENING
Go back to the little video room for Knorr's Dining Table; the video screens at its four place settings serve up delicious images every 30 seconds. Frustrating! With assembled works in sculpture and two-dimensions from Dixon and Buening. Commencement Art Gallery, 902 Commerce St, Tacoma, 253-591-2002. Through June 14.
MARC LAWRENCE
Light sculpture! Velocity Art and Design, 2206 Queen Anne Ave N, #201, 781-9494. Through June 30.
CAMERON MARTIN
Martin plays with landscape painting by altering the very things that allow us to identify it. Horizons disappear, foreground and background shift, and distance is relative. The use of iridescent and industrial paints further complicates his take on a stale old genre. Howard House, 2017 Second Ave, 256-6399. Through June 9.
PRINT SHOW THE FIRST
New gallery! The inaugural show features West Coast printmakers, with an emphasis on letterpress. Cracked Compass Productions, 2129 Third Ave, 770-5900. Through June 30.
MELANIE REED
Landscapes collaged from found images--the surreal, dreamy nature comes right to the surface. Little Theatre, 608 19th Ave E, 675-2055. Through June 30.
LAURIE REID
The faintest of marks--watercolor with only a trace of pigment--takes the act of painting down to pure gesture. James Harris Gallery, 309A Third Ave S, 903-6220. Through June 9.
* PHIL ROACH
Tiny perfect environments seen through a fish-eye lens. Closing reception Sat June 2, 6-10 pm. Nico Gallery, 619 Western, Second Floor, 264-1710. Through June 3.
JANICE TOULOUSE SHINGWAAK, LEONARD BEAM
In The Traveling Alter Native Medicine Show, Toulouse Shingwaak and Beam document their journey to sacred and historical sites across Canada and the United States with rubbings of objects from those sites. Sacred Circle Gallery of American Indian Art, Daybreak Star Arts Center, Discovery Park, 285-4425. Through Aug 14.
SAUNDRA VALENCIA, BRENDA SCALLON, ALICIA BERGER
In the front room, Valencia's mixed media lightboxes. In the "parlour," there's a video installation by Scallon and Berger. See Bio Box. Black Lab Gallery, 5208 Ballard Ave NW, 781-2392. Through June 6.
* KARA WALKER
It doesn't come much more discomfiting than this. Walker's silhouettes show us slave narratives that are (somehow) both horrific and whimsical. Are these stories repressed by history? A personal expression of Walker's experience as a black woman? Greg Kucera Gallery, 212 Third Ave S, 624-0770. Through June 2.
FRITZ WESTMAN
Pushpins, road paint, and photocopies transformed into conceptual objects. Li'l Red Shack Gallery, 1028 First Ave S, 621-7807. Through June 30.
OPPORTUNITIES FOR ARTISTS
BELLEVUE ART MUSEUM ANNUAL
This year's juror is Sue Spaid, from the Contemporary Arts Center in Cincinnati, Ohio. The submissions deadline is Aug 3; for information and applications call 425-519-0760, or go to www.bellevueart.org.
BETTY BOWN ARTIST AWARD
Some of Seattle's best artists have won this award. What have you got to lose? Open to artists working in two- and three-dimensions (no video, unfortunately). Send six labeled slides, checklist, resume, and SASE to BBMA, Seattle Art Museum, PO Box 22000, Seattle, WA, 98122. Deadline is July 27; for information call 654-3131.
REJECTION LETTERS WANTED
For an upcoming exhibition and publication about failure and disappointment. Send submissions to Vital 5 Productions, PO Box 23385, Seattle, WA, 98102 or e-mail vital5productions@hotmail.com.
SECOND ANNUAL HOME ALIVE ART AUCTION
Artists in all media are invited to submit up to three entries for a July show at the Pound Gallery. The auction's proceeds benefit Home Alive, which everybody knows promotes awareness about safety and self-defense. The deadline for submissions is June 30; call the gallery for information at 323-0557.
