Seattle’s oldest neighborhood is home to dozens of art galleries. The First Thursday art walk in Pioneer Square began in the early 1960s and is still going strong today.
On First Thursday galleries often showcase new exhibits from 6 to 8 p.m.
Parking is free for artwalk visitors at Frye Garage (117 3rd Ave S) Butler Garage (114 James Street) 450 Alaskan (450 Alaskan Way - entrance on King Street). To redeem, pick up a voucher at participating Pioneer Square stores, restaurants or galleries.
Here are a few shows you may want to check out Oct. 4.
“Allison Collins: Understory” at Foster/White gallery
Allison Collins is an award-winning artist who has exhibited with Foster/White since 1982. Her work is a part of public and corporate collections in Washington, Texas and California.
From the gallery: “In ‘Understory,’ Allison Collins boldly merges elements of abstraction and traditional landscapes. Inspired by the beauty of Eastern Washington and the San Juan Islands, her paintings often evoke a patchwork quilt or woven rug composed of cultivated land and rolling hills. With a focus on texture and generous paint application, her work evolves layer by layer, forming in much the same way as the sedimentary landscape she depicts. The color is nearly holographic in nature, and her juxtapositions are beautifully unexpected. Golden light set against deep blues. Or, more surprisingly, shades of orange, green and lavender building a scene both riotous and inevitably graceful. Each painting is a journey undertaken by the artist and viewer, the map moving one simultaneously across the canvas and up through the layers of paint.”
WHAT: “Allison Collins: Understory”
WHEN: Runs Oct. 4 – 20; Opens First Thursday 6 – 8 p.m.
WHERE: Foster/White Gallery, 220 Third Ave. S, #100, Seattle
“Martha Shade: Observations from the Lost and Found” at ArtXchange gallery
“Observations from the Lost and Found” is Martha Shade’s first solo exhibition since returning to the Pacific Northwest from Taos, New Mexico. She began her career in Seattle in the 1990s, exhibiting at Bellevue Arts Museum, Bumbershoot and more.
From the gallery: “‘Obervations from the Lost and Found,’ presents a cast of characters that are both enchanting and melancholy, blending global mythology with personal memory and contemporary social issues. Shade’s unconventional techniques emerged from explorations in using new materials and techniques to finish surfaces of her sculptures, including what she identifies as her ‘mosaic style’ of stitchwork — two dimensional imagery stitched in small square shapes. With meticulous attention to detail, the work in the show is connected by themes of loss, discovery and transformation.
In a series of ‘subjective maps’ and goddess-type figures, multi-layered narratives reside as keepers of Shade’s memories and dreams. Her flattened perspective ‘map’ series – minutely-detailed stitchworks on linen – explore everything from Shade’s childhood home, to the changing landmarks of Seattle, to the tragic loss of animal species around the world. Richly finished sculptural works blend figurative elements representing aspects of Shade herself with mythological characteristics, creating evocative chimera-like characters.”
WHAT: “Martha Shade: Observations from the Lost and Found”
WHEN: Oct. 4 – Nov. 24; Opens First Thursday 5 – 8 p.m.
WHERE: ArtXchange Gallery, 512 First Ave. S, Seattle
“Priscilla Dobler: La Cocina” at METHOD Gallery
Priscilla Dobler is an interdisciplinary artist who has exhibited locally and nationally. She was born in Merida, Yucatan, Mexico and raised in Tacoma. She’s the recipient of several grants including one from Pratt Fine Art Center.
From the gallery: “‘La Cocina is a large woven installation featuring a kitchen, along with audio interviews that are based on the politics of food and identity. Women from different economic, social class, race and age are interviewed on how food has shaped their perception of their identities.”
WHAT: “Priscilla Dobler: La Cocina” at Method Gallery
WHEN: Runs Sept. 14 – Oct. 27; First Thursday 5 – 8 p.m.; Artist talk and performance Cuéntame una historia Oct. 17. 6 – 8 p.m.
WHERE: METHOD Gallery, 106 Third Ave S., Seattle
Check out the full Sept. 26 - Oct. 2 issue.
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