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. Parking is free for artwalk visitors at Frye Garage (117 3rd Ave. S.), Butler Garage (114 James St.), and 450 Alaskan (450 Alaskan Way - entrance on King St). Arts reporter Lisa Edge shares the following suggestions for what to check out during your self-guided tour.
“Altered Scapes” at Koplin Del Rio Gallery
From the gallery: “While this exhibition has been scheduled for some time, in light of the recent, phenomenal global action led by youth, it feels especially timely to be presenting ‘Altered Scapes,’ a group exhibition surveying landscape in the Anthropocene, through the distinct perspectives of four artists.
'Altered Scapes’ is an exhibition of paintings, sculpture, and mixed media works influenced by Earth’s landscape, and its rapid transformation. Featured in the exhibition are four artists: Phillip Govedare & Jodi Rockwell, both based in Seattle, Laurie Hogin, based in Chicago, and Josh Dorman from New York. The exhibition will be accompanied by a panel discussion in partnership with the UW’s EarthLab, focused around the relationship between art & the environment, and the potential of art to influence our understanding of climate change.”
WHAT: “Altered Scapes”
WHEN: Opens First Thursday 6 – 8 p.m., runs until Nov. 30
WHERE: KDR, 313 Occidental Ave. S., Seattle
“Thomas Stream: Winter” at Stonington Gallery
From the gallery: “In November 2019 we present a solo exhibition by contemporary Aleut painter Thomas Stream (Sun’aq Aleut) who presents a new body of work focusing on birds in their winter habitats. Stream’s vivacious animals wear traditional Aleutian hunting hats. In Stream’s iconography these visors celebrate the individual spirit of each animal, while connecting them to the Aleut people, who share the same environment. He began the Aleutian Painting series in 1996, an exploration of natural forms, vivid colors and delicate patterns. This series is encapsulated by the phrase, ‘We are still here,’ a simple—yet poignant and powerful—statement that sums up Stream’s outlook on his heritage and his artwork.”
WHAT: “Thomas Stream: Winter”
WHEN: First Thursday, 6 – 8 p.m., runs until Nov. 30
WHERE: Stonington Gallery, 125 S. Jackson St., Seattle
“Ancestral Journeyz of Coastal Voices” at SOIL Gallery
Canoe journeys are the traditional method of transportation for Indigenous tribes of the Pacific Northwest. The canoes were crafted from a single log and were an important way of life. In 1989, the “Paddle to Seattle” reignited the tradition. The canoe journey is now an annual cultural event with participants coming from coastal tribes of Alaska, British Columbia and Washington. “Ancestral Journeyz” highlights the important event. The exhibition is tribally curated.
From the gallery: “The show will be interweaving stories of the 1989 and 2019 journeys with photographs, a canoe, stained glass, weaving, paddles, carvings, drums, journey songs, regalia and contemporary clothing. The Northwest Tribes represented are Quileute, Quinault, Lummi, Tulalip, Makah, Skokomish, Kalispel, Muckleshoot, Duwamish, Suquamish, Cowichan, and others participating in the Canoe Journey. Traditional foods and Quileute Ocean Going Family singers and dancers will open the show on November 7. Three Saturday artist teachings circles will offer further insights about this exhibit.”
Participating artists: Harvey Anderson (Quinault, Aleut); Speak Thunder Berry (Puyallup, Nakota, Springs); Peter Boome (Upper Skagit); Tony Herrera (Skokomish); Ty Juvenil (Tulalip); Ann Penn-Charles (Quileute); Virginia Anna Sablon (Quileute); Robert Running Fisher Upham (Dakota, Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate); Shana Yellow Calf Lukinich (Northern Arapaho, Chippewa/Cree).
WHAT: “Ancestral Journeyz”
WHEN: First Thursday, 6 – 8 p.m., runs until Nov. 30
WHERE: SOIL Gallery, 112 Third Ave. S., Seattle
“Janna Watson: Seven Perfect Syllables” & “Eva Isaksen: Recent Collages/Urd” at Foster/White Gallery
From the gallery: “In ‘Seven Perfect Syllables,’ Canadian artist Janna Watson ignites her inspiration for expressive abstract painting. In honor of what would have been his 100th birthday year, Watson has dedicated everything she makes in 2019 to her grandfather, the originator of her artistic flame, artist Arthur Bonnett. This sincerity echoes through Watson’s work. Her creativity, sensitivity and control transform her abstractions into genuine emotional moments.
“Watson’s paintings are a reflection of her interior world. She uses each line, brushstroke, and color relationship to process her state of mind, and makes hundreds of careful choices with honesty and vulnerability. Dense, short clusters of moody grays give way to pools of red or exclamations of opaque yellow arranged over a wash of color. She traces her skill in abstract communication to Bonnett’s influence exemplified by his direction to ‘paint the essence of a tree. Make it abstract.’ This drives her desire to capture the spiritual essence of everything.”
From the gallery: “To experience the work of Eva Isaksen is to be invited into her very personal narratives, joining her in thoughtful exploration. In November, Foster/White will present the newest oeuvre by Isaksen, Recent Collages / Urd, with pieces that are equally nostalgic as they are forward gazing and self-aware. Drawing from her childhood in Norway, Isaksen incorporates physical elements from her heritage in these artworks with a mindful approach akin to elegant record keeping. Describing her grandfather’s bookstore in Norway, she recalls carefully leafing through vintage books, the rich smell of leather and of aged paper. These collages contain clippings from the vintage Norwegian women’s magazine, Urd, remains from her grandfather’s store. The magazine was named for the Norse goddess, guardian of a sacred and highly symbolic tree. This publication was a source of arts, culture, and early women’s suffrage in Norway.”
WHAT: “Janna Watson: Seven Perfect Syllables” & “Eva Isaksen: Recent Collages/Urd”
WHEN: Opens First Thursday 6 – 8 p.m., runs until Nov. 23
WHERE: Foster/White gallery, 220 Third 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 October 30 - November 5 issue.
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