On the first Thursday of every month, hundreds of people head to Pioneer Square to view the latest art shows. Seattle’s oldest neighborhood is home to dozens of galleries. First Thursday showcases new exhibitions and artists from 6 to 8 p.m.
Parking is free for artwalk visitors at Frye Garage (117 3rd Ave S), Butler Garage (114 James Street), and 450 Alaskan (450 Alaskan Way - entrance on King Street).
Arts reporter Lisa Edge shares the following suggestions for what to check out during your self-guided tour.
“Cicelia Ross-Gotta: Feel Just Like Home” at 4Culture
In “Feel Just Like Home,” Cicelia Ross-Gotta explores the question: Is someone who resides in temporary housing still homeless? She’s hand-embroidered internet reviews of the motel a family member has lived in since August 2016. The artist asks viewers who want to take a closer look to gently handle the bed linens and towels.
From the gallery: “Hung on cheap towel racks, the reviews are painstakingly stitched onto used bedsheets and bordered by towels with raw edges. While the domestic associations of embroidery and quilting gesture toward home-making, the unfinished presentation stops short of achieving that goal – because while her family member is housed, they are not home.
“Personal in origin, the work has grown beyond her family member’s story. As Ross-Gotta sorted through online commentary, she became fascinated by what she learned about the community at this motel: from complaints about noise and conditions to critiques written by and about the homeless people who stay there.
“Ross-Gotta has color-coded the stars on the reviews to highlight trends she’s identified: red – drugs, sex work; orange – dirt, bugs; yellow – linen and towel complaints; green – review written by someone who lives at the motel; blue – reference to the motel residents by other reviewers; purple – reference to danger; black – no reference in particular.”
The artist has a BFA in sculpture from Colorado State University and a MFA in sculpture from the University of Washington. She’s exhibited in the region and was awarded an Art Projects Grant from 4Culture this year.
WHAT: “Cicelia Ross-Gotta: Feel Just Like Home”
WHEN: Opens First Thursday 6 — 8 p.m., runs until Oct. 31
WHERE: 4Culture, 101 Prefontaine Place S., Seattle
“Julie Himel and Sarah Winkler: Sedimentary” at Foster/White gallery
From the gallery: “This October, Foster/White brings together two artists, Julie Himel and Sarah Winkler, for the first time. Both artists push the realism of color while retaining recognizable landscape markers as specific forms, horizon lines and compositional structure. These painters manifest relationships from the human perceptions of experience, inhabitance and memory of landscape to the physical place itself. Himel and Winkler explore the tradition of landscape depiction through their range of materials.”
Winkler studied Art and Earth Science at William Paterson University and has been exhibiting since 2004. Himel has several degrees, including a Diploma of Fine Art from Langara College in Vancouver, a Bachelor of Fine Art Honors Degree from York University and a Graduate Diploma from the Toronto School of Art. Her work can be seen in public and corporate collections across the US and Canada.
WHAT: “Julie Himel and Sarah Winkler: Sedimentary”
WHEN: Opens First Thursday 6 – 8 p.m., runs until Oct. 26
WHERE: Foster/White gallery, 220 Third Ave. S., Seattle
The Pulse of Water at ArtXchange Gallery
The Pulse of Water is an exhibition of new sculptures from June Sekiguchi.
From the gallery: “Using intricate scroll-cut wood constructions, Sekiguchi takes the audience on a journey to Laos, using pattern, light and projection to create an immersive installation. Using primarily wood, a scroll-saw and paint, Sekiguchi manipulates her source materials in ways that challenge the properties of wood. The theme of water has always featured prominently in Sekiguchi’s work, representing the river’s power as a source of life and a conveyor of cultural exchange throughout human history.”
From the artist: “Fourteen years ago, I traveled the Mekong River for the first time. Floating down the river in a long, narrow boat slows down the pace of life to just be. Swirls and eddies indicate there is something unseen beneath the surface of the water. We humans are a product of our stories that are unseen, but make us who we are. You may detect a hint on the surface, but underneath is where our stories are submerged.”
Sekiguchi has exhibited throughout the region. She’s received numerous awards including a sculpture scholarship from Pratt Fine Arts Center.
WHAT: “The Pulse of Water”
WHEN: Opens First Thursday 5 – 8 p.m., runs until Nov. 30
WHERE: ArtXchange Gallery, 512 First Ave S., 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. Follow Lisa on Twitter @NewsfromtheEdge
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Read the full September 25 - October 1 issue.
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