On the first Thursday of every month hundreds head to Pioneer Square to check out the latest art shows. Seattle’s oldest neighborhood is home to dozens of galleries and the First Thursday Art Walk is when they often showcase new exhibits and artists from 6 to 8 p.m. Here are a few shows you may want to check out.
First Thursday parking is free from 5pm – 10 pm at Frye Garage (117 3rd Ave S) and Butler Garage (114 James Street). To redeem, pick up a voucher at participating Pioneer Square stores, restaurants, or galleries.
Paul D. McKee and Suzanne Tidwell: Horizon at METHOD
Paul D. McKee and Suzanne Tidwell’s Horizon is a collaborative installation exploring the dichotomy of the artists’ pasts and possible futures.
From the artist statement: “By raising a visual horizon line in the gallery, they construct a surrealistic network of nerve-like structures for the viewer to pass underneath and to further explore. Elements and constructs that have shaped their personal lives and artistic careers are metaphorically represented through this new “horizon” of physical materials. Thoughts of craft and construction, family and home, education and career all combine to elicit a dialog reflective of their current sense of place and accomplishment as visual artists and people.”
McKee is a Seattle-based sculptor, installation artist, gallerist and educator. Tidwell is a fiber artist who often creates site-specific installations in public spaces.
WHAT: “Paul D. McKee and Suzanne Tidwell: Horizon”
WHEN: Runs until Nov. 25
WHERE: METHOD Gallery, 106 Third Avenue S., Seattle
“Fred Birchman: Floor Plans, New Drawings” at Prographica/KDR
Fred Birchman’s “Floor Plans, New Drawings” is his second solo exhibition at Prographica/KDR. He recently showed at the gallery in the group show “Things That Kill.” According to a press release the exhibition includes “process, construction and intuition” in all of the works.
Fred Birchman: “I love drawing and drawings. Every kind of drawing. Architectural drawing, figure drawing, mechanical drawing, cartoons, doodles on napkins, graffiti, the arc of jet streams, the paths of power lines and the stutter of highway dividers. I’ve tried to include most of them here in these few works from 2017. They are just a segment of a long drawing that I’ve been working on all of my art life. Every day I see things that knock me out. Drawing is my way of paying attention.”
WHAT: “Fred Birchman: Floor Plans, New Drawings “
WHEN: Runs until Dec. 22; First Thursday, Nov. 2, 6 – 8 p.m.
WHERE: Prographica/KDR, 313 Occidental Ave. S., Seattle
“Kathy Gore Fuss: Providers, Works on Paper” at Prographica/KDR
Also opening at Prographica/KDR is “Kathy Gore Fuss: Providers, Works on Paper.” Her work is informed by the forests of the Pacific Northwest. Gore Fuss works in the woods and patiently waits for the perfect moment when the light is just right. It’s not unusual for her to work on multiple paintings at one time. Using walnut ink Gore Fuss captures the warm glow of the forest.
Kathy Gore Fuss: “Standing and painting on site for hours over the course of weeks and months opened up new opportunities to renew my relationship with nature.”
WHAT: “Kathy Gore Fuss: Providers, Works on Paper”
WHEN: Runs until Dec. 22; First Thursday, Nov. 2, 6 – 8 p.m.
WHERE: Prographica/KDR, 313 Occidental Avenue S., Seattle
Andrew Wyeth: In Retrospect at SAM
While Seattle Art Museum (SAM) isn’t in Pioneer Square, it observes First Thursday. SAM is offering half-price tickets to special exhibitions such as “Andrew Wyeth: In Retrospect,” so this is a good day to check out the show. Known for unrelenting realism, the retrospect shows the evolution in his work, which spans 75 years. Arranged roughly chronologically, the exhibition brings together 110 paintings and drawings.
Curator Patty Junker: “His portraits, figures and the landscapes reveal a complex mind investigating the deepest human emotions: love, death and how we experience the passing of time.”
WHAT: “Andrew Wyeth: In Retrospect”
WHEN: Runs until Jan. 15, 2018; First Thursday, half off $24.95; First Thursday open 10 a.m. – 9 p.m.
WHERE: Seattle Art Museum, 1300 First Ave., Seattle
Sam Gilliam at SAM
If you venture to SAM, be sure to check out Sam Gilliam’s work on the museum’s third floor. At 83 years old, Gilliam’s career is on the upswing again. His early work in the 1960s was inspired by color field painters, then his style evolved into abstract expressionism. The exhibition showcases his early works as well as his series of black paintings. To create them, Gilliam “raked a thick black paint over a brightly stained canvas, creating tension through colors revealed and concealed by the dark, stucco-like surface.”
Gilliam is also known for his “draped paintings.” He’s won numerous awards, which include a Solomon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship. Given his acclaim, long career and talent, his work is a gem.
WHAT: Sam Gilliam
WHEN: Runs until Nov. 26; First Thursday open 10 a.m. – 9 p.m.
WHERE: Seattle Art Museum, 1300 First Ave., Seattle
Lisa Edge is a Staff Reporter covering arts, culture and equity. Have a story idea? She can be reached at lisae (at) realchangenews (dot) org. Twitter @NewsfromtheEdge, Facebook
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