First Thursday guide for Dec. 5
On the first Thursday of every month, art lovers head to Seattle’s oldest neighborhood, Pioneer Square, to see the city’s latest exhibits. From 6 to 8 p.m., dozens of galleries open their doors to showcase new and seasoned artists from across the region. Here are four suggestions for what to see during your self-guided tour this December.
The Space Between
Continuing her investigation into the distinct qualities of human memory, Erin Armstrong’s newest exhibition pays specific attention to the environment. The Toronto-based artist utilizes her distinct acrylic painting style to depict seemingly disinterested figures positioned in front of vibrant natural landscapes. Altogether, the collection creates a “feeling of nostalgia for the natural world,” as humanity helplessly succumbs to the irreversible and seemingly unavoidable effects of climate change.
WHERE: Foster/White Gallery, 220 Third Ave. S., Seattle
WHEN: Dec. 5–21
Northwest Mystics 2019: Women of the PNW
To close out its 2019 season, the Center on Contemporary Art is honoring the legacy of the first African American woman to open her own art gallery, Zoe Dusanne. Northwest Mystics 2019: Women of the PNW brings together over 20 women and femme-identified artists from around the Pacific Northwest to create an exhibition incorporating painting, sculpture, video and animatronic motion-sensitive “flowers” that move beside visitors. This first Thursday event will include a performance by local queer electro-pop duo Ouija Boob.
WHERE: Center of Contemporary Art, 114 Third Ave. S., Seattle
WHEN: Dec. 5–21
What Are You Looking For?
Reminiscent of the work of British artist David Hockney, Rachel Campbell takes ordinary life moments and pushes them beyond reality. In What Are You Looking For?, Campbell spotlights her signature “abstracted realism,” using the human characteristics of observation and “looking” as starting points for the stories of those around her. Her work is at once retro and contemporary, combining oil paintings of 25-cent candy machines sitting behind marbled wooden walls with portraits of a man with a Fitbit on his wrist and
a Starbucks coffee in his hand.
WHERE: ZINC Cotemporary, 119 Prefontaine Place S., Seattle
WHEN: Through Dec. 14
Winter Salon
The Koplin Del Rio gallery is offering an arts introduction at its seasonal salon with an artist reception held Dec. 5. The group exhibition features work selected from emerging and established artists aimed at emphasizing the importance of living with art. Among the works on display is Filipina American artist Elyse Pignolet’s “83 Women (Harvey Weinstein),” which juxtaposes a porcelain vase filled with colorful pink and orange flowers alongside the names of the women who have accused Harvey Weinstein of sexual misconduct.
WHERE: Koplin Del Rio, 313 Occidental Ave. S., Seattle
WHEN: Dec. 5–Feb. 1
Read the full Nov. 27 - Dec. 3, 2019, issue.
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