Editors Note: The following is a compilation of arts events, shows, opportunities, and other happenings this fall compiled by IE Arts Editor and Seattle’s 2014 Cultural Ambassador Alan Chong Lau. This year’s guide is quite extensive, so to check it out in its entirety, please click here.
• “Withered Lotus Cast in Iron” is the title of the first solo exhibit of the distinguished Chinese artist Pan Gongkai, son of the renowned twentieth-century master Pan Tianshou. A contemporary master of ink painting, Gongkai prepares large-scale compositions without interruption, in sessions that often last more than twelve hours. He considers this physically demanding process as a key performative element of his work. For the Frye Art Museum show, Pan has created a large-scale, site-specific ink painting, which will extend the entire length of the museum’s largest gallery. Opens Thursday, October 2 from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Reserve your tickets online by September 28 or call (206) 432-8288. Frye Art Museum is at 704 Terry Ave. For more info, visit www.fryemuseum.org.
• Davidson Galleries has interesting new work by contemporary Japanese printmakers. Fumiko Suzuki’s “Recent Stone Lithographs” capture powerful solitary figures in stark relief. On view through September 27. In October, the eerie, detailed etchings of Tomiyuki Sakuta will be on view. 313 Occidental Ave. S. in Seattle. For more info, call (206) 624-6700 or visit www.davidsongalleries.com.
• Sogetsu School Seattle Annual Autumn Ikebana Exhibition takes place at Seattle Asian Art Museum on Saturday September 27 and Sunday September 22 from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Saturday and 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Sunday. Demonstrations daily at 1:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. 1400 E. Prospect St. Free. For more info, call (425) 501-6626 or email machikofa@gmail.com.
• Art is where you find it and sometimes you have to go beyond the commercial galleries and look in the nooks and crannies of alternative spaces and public art locations. “Art Interruptions 2014” is one such series. Ten emerging artists have created temporary art installations throughout the First Hill area for this project. The artworks will inhabit city sidewalks, parks, and offer a brief interruption of your routine and who doesn’t need that? Each artist will develop their work for around 10 weeks starting in August. Administered in partnership with Seattle Department of Transportation, Seattle Parks and Recreation. Funded by SDOT, 1% for Art funds and managed by the Office of Arts & Culture. Some highlights include the following. Megumi Shauna Arai presents “A Tribute” which looks at certain events in the artist’s life. Her photographic series entitled “Hand History” is taken into an installation realm with large silk fabric prints and coinciding studio recordings that channel the small moments and conversations that make up a day. Jason Hirata’s performance piece entitled “I Hope To Do No Harm, Yet I Cause Harm” will find the artist on designated routes on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays doing his best to interact with crows all along the way over a period of a few months. “Kintsugi” is the ancient Japanese technique of repairing broken pottery with seams of lacquer, gold, or silver. It speaks to breakage and repair becoming part of the history and character of the object and thus adding to its beauty. The art team of Joana Stillwell & Yael Nov apply this philosophy to the streets as they try and “repair” the cracks and breaks in the sidewalks of First Hill with hand-made fool’s gold. Please refer to the map for various locations around First Hill. Go to http://goo.gl/dvY3q1 for complete details.
• Multi-media artist Paul Komada uses weaving, drawing, painting and the tactile feel of materials to integrate installations that cross over a variety of media. Saya Moriyasu is a multi-media artist that incorporates ceramic material into her whimsical installations. Maki Tamura is inventive, mischievous, detailed and precise in her work that incorporates various media and materials. All will create site-specific pieces as part of a public art series entitled “MadCampus” which will be found all over the University of Washington campus in Seattle. Inspired by their locations, from hidden nooks to well-frequented vistas, the selected artists will create new sculptures designed to be interactive. Ongoing from September 13 to October 25. There will be a MadCampus Art Walk on Sunday, September 28 from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. beginning at Red Square. For more info, call (206) 499-5823 or email tim@madartsseattle.com.
• Joana Stillwell is in a three-person show entitled “This Is The Way” now on view at ArtsWest Gallery through September 27. Her video installations are meditations on what she finds herself doing when she’s not doing anything. The images become thoughtful examinations of the medium of video itself. The feeling of playful boredom is transformed it into another place where we are reminded of the everything in nothing. 4711 California Ave. S.W. in West Seattle. Hours are Thursday and Friday from 1:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. and Saturday from 1:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
• It is a risk and struggle to create while reaching back to my whole lifetime—what it means to grow up in the city where one lives with all the dead bodies that lay below one’s feet”—so writes Hiroshima-born Japanese visual artist Yukiko Kawano, a third generation hibakusha (atomic bomb survivor) about her work in the show “Formation” which remains on display through October 14. At the Ethnic Heritage Art Gallery at 700 Fifth Ave. at 5th and Columbia on the Third Floor Lobby. For details, go to www.seattle.gov/ethnicartgallery. For information on the artist, visit yukiyokawano.com. In addition, Kawano is in another show entitled “One Thousand Questions–Hiroshima to Hanford” with Seattle artist Etsuko Ichikawa at Columbia City Gallery through September 21. 4864 Rainier Ave. S. For more info, call (206) 760-9843 or visit www.columbiacitygallery.com.
• The “2014 Time-Based Art Festival” is a series of performances, workshops, installation, lectures, outdoor activities and late-night happenings sponsored by PICA at various locations throughout Portland. Includes the world premiere of Simita Sinha’s “Cipher,” Eisa Jocson’s “Macho Dancer and Death of the Pole Dancer,” Chelfitsch’s “Ground & Floor,” and Aki Sasamoto’s “Shaved Lies.” For details, call (503) 224-PICA or visit www.pica.org.
• “Act of Drawing” by Etsuko Ichikawa marks this artist’s debut with a new Seattle gallery. It presents the latest work from her series, “Glass Pyrograph and Aquagraph,” a series of drawings of fire and water charcoal stained on paper. Using molten glass above the surface of the paper, she creates marks of expressive gesture captured spontaneously in the act for her glass pyrographs. Her aquagraphs use water as a medium and the way it drops on the page, captured with scorched candle soot to reveal an x-ray of the very act of its’ imprint. On view until October 30. Winston Wachter Fine Art at 203 Dexter Ave. N. in the South Lake Union area just off Aurora. Monday to Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. or by appointment. (206) 652-5855 or go to www.winstonwachter.com.
• KOBO Gallery at Higo in Japantown/International District has the following: Haejin Lee has a show of ceramic sculpture on view through September 21. Her work is known for twists and turns and unusual shapes. Artist Risa Salzberg and her show of drawings also remains on view through September 21 as well. The ever popular annual fall show, “8th Simple Cup Show Invitational” opens on Saturday, November 1 and remains on view until December 31. This version features work from not only North America/Japan but for the first time introduces to the Seattle audience, the work of Korean contemporary ceramic artists as well. Go to koboseattle.com for updates. 604 S. Jackson St.
• Opening October 2 and on view Until November 22 is a group show entitled “LINEAGE UW Faculty & Students.” The work of Roger Shimomura and Patti Warashina is included. “Red Ribbon Salon” is a group show of Northwest artists including the work of Paul Horiuchi. Opens November 11 and remains on view until December 23 at Seattle ArtREsource Gallery, 625 First Ave. #200. For more info, call (206) 838-2695 or visit seattleartresource.com.
• A pair of Japanese quilt exhibits take over the space at La Conner Quilt & Textile Museum through October 5. On view are “Wishes Through Our Hands—Japanese Quilts” and “Works of Junko Maeda.” Delightful patterns and colors from traditional to contemporary. For details, call (360) 466-4288 or visit www.laconnerquitls.com.
• “Bellwether 2014: Connect” is Bellevue’s biennial sculpture exhibition featuring more than 30 sculptures and installations all within a three-quarter mile walking route from City Hall to Downtown Park. On view through October 12. Work by Canadian artists Junichiro Iwase, Connie Sabo, Geemon Xin Meng, and Lisa Tzu-Ling are in this show. Free guided tours available for groups or eight or more by emailing mpbyme@bellevuewa.gov, put “Tour” in the subject line. A City of Bellevue Public Art Program.
• Printmaker Romson Bustillo’s “Solo Exhibition” is up through September 24 at Bainbridge Island Museum of Art. His work is haunted by memories of a childhood in the Philippines and the artist’s travels from Southeast Asia to Spain and Mexico. His layered images capture the texture of folk textiles and a very real personal experience. 550 Winslow Way E. Just a ferry ride away from Seattle. For more info, call (206) 451-4000 or visit biartmuseum.org. This is Bustillo’s year and I couldn’t think of an artist more deserving. He has another show of new work entitled “Long Story Prints” opening October 2 and on view until October 20 at Gallery4Culture. These patterned, densely layered works on paper represent the intermingling of the past, present, and future as they trace his family’s migration to Seattle from the Philippines. Don’t miss the party as well. “Celebrate with Artists Up!” on Tuesday, October 21 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. There will be music, Romson’s art, and delicious food. This is a social mixer celebrating artists in the Latino/a and Asian, Asian American, and Pacific Islander artist communities. Music by Miho & Diego. All are welcome but RSVP requested. Go to Artistsup.org to make your reservation. To find out more about Romson’s art, go to romsonromson.blogspot.com. Gallery4Culture is at 101 Prefontaine Pl S in the Tashiro Kaplan Building in Pioneer Square.
• The Friends of Asian Art Association also present a lecture on the current arts of Myanmar (formerly Burma) by Barry Broman who served for years in that region as a member for the Foreign Service of the U.S. Department of State. “Arts and Crafts in an Emerging Myanmar” takes place on Sunday October 12 at 1:00 p.m. at the Burke Museum on the UW Seattle campus. Free parking. To pre-register for these events or for information, email FriendsOfAsianArt@earthlink.net.
• New glass sculptures by Hiroshi Yamano in a show entitled “Scene of Japan” is on view through September 27 at 110 Union St. in Suite 200 downtown. For more info, call (206) 587-6501 or visit travergallery.com.
• “To Be Alone Together” is an group exhibition co-curated by Emma Jane Levitt and Shelly Leavens through the Dana and Toni Rust Curatorial Fellowship at the Museum of Northwest Art in La Connor. The curators try and capture the solitude and interaction of Northwest art by having contemporary Northwest artists respond to work by Northwest artists in the museum’s collection. Work by Paul Horiuchi and Norie Sato are in the group that are shown. Contemporary artists Paul Komada and singer/songwriter Tomo Nakayama respond to specific artists as well. 121 S. First St. in La Connor. October 4 to January 4. For more info, call (360) 466-4446 or visit www.museumofnwart.org.
• “Near/Far” is the title of a show by former Seattle Cornish student Lauren Iida now living in Cambodia. Her show of intricate paper cutaways Guest Curator David Strand helps her process and preserve her experiences with the people of landscape of that country. She is working on literacy campaigns, and establishing libraries for children in rural areas. Her work explores notions of figure and place that transcend geographic and cultural borders. On view from November 13 to January 23 in the Entry Gallery. Artist’s reception will be on Thursday, December 11 from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Gage Academy Of Art at 1501 10th Ave. E. in Seattle. For more information, call (206) 323-4243 or email info@GageAcademy.org.
• “American Knockoff” was last seen in the fall of 2013 at Greg Kucera Gallery. Now an expanded version of this show with a new catalog opens with a reception on September 18 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Museum of Art at Washington State University Gallery in Pullman. On view through December 13. Roger Shimomura will talk about the show on September 18 at 7:00 p.m. The documentary film, “Witness: The Legacy of Heart Mountain” is screened on October 15 at 7:00 p.m. in the CUB Auditorium. A performance of “Within the Silence” by Living Voices Theatre takes place on November 13 at 7:30 p.m. in the Jones Theater on campus. The Hirahara Photo Collection on Japanese Internment, Manuscripts, Archieves & Special Collections on view in the Terrell Library October 6 to 24. Installation Exhibit on Student Entertainment Board October 23 to November 14. CUB Gallery Reception on October 15 from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. Panel Discussion on “Cartoon Propaganda” in the Museum of Art/WSU with dates TBD. (509) 335-1910. In related news, The College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences has a profile of 1945 alumnus Tom Kitayama whose family was originally from Bainbridge Island. He was the first Japanese American to hold public office in California as Mayor of Union City. Go to museum.wsu.edu/shinomura.html for complete details. This touring exhibit comes to Tacoma Art Museum and Hallie Ford Museum in Salem, Oregon in 2015.
• In related news, Hallie Ford Museum in Salem, Oregon presents “Roger Shimomura: Works on Paper” which will open November 8 and remain on view through February 1. Organized by Director John Olbrantz to complement the travelling exhibit, “Roger Shimomura: An American Knockoff” which opens at the museum next January. The exhibition features 29 prints drawn from local and regional collections, including works from his “Minidoka Snapshots” and “Minidoka Identities” suites, both of which deal with internment camp issues. 900 State St. in Salem, Oregon and part of Willamette University. For more info, call (503) 370-6855 or visit willamette.edu/arts/hfma.
• “Labor: A Working History” is an exhibit following the path of workers’ rights locally and on a national scale beginning in the 1800’s with Hawaiian and Native-American laborers for the Hudson’s Bay Company. Through December 31 at Clark County Historical Museum at 1511 Main St. in Vancouver, WA. For details, call (360) 993-5679 or visit www.cchmuseum.org.
• “Uprooted: Japanese American Farm Labor Camps During World War II” is an exhibit about Japanese Americans who were incarcerated during WWII. This exhibit tells the story of the first such labor camp in Nyssa, Oregon in which interned Japanese Americans did seasonal farm labor in the sugar beet industry. Photos by Farm Security Administration photographer Russell Lee document these camps. On view until December 12 at Four Rivers Cultural Center at 676 SW Fifth Ave. in Ontario, Oregon. For details, call (541) 889-8191 or visit www.4rcc.com or www.uprootedexhibit.com.
• Kinokuniya Books hosts “Kino Artist Alley@Seattle,” an artist’s session on Saturday, September 20 from noon to 6:00 p.m. Enjoy watching local artists Mint Pie, SHANG, Harululu, Wiform, Studio LG, and logoodnezz as they draw inspired by ideas from anime, video games, and original comics. 525 S. Weller. Go to www.kinokuniya.com/us for details.
• Liz Tran’s mixed media paintings explore the shapes of nature and the psychedelic colors of her imagination. SAM gallery presents a show of her latest work at TASTE next to Seattle art Museum downtown a show of her new work. On view until November 9. 1300 First Ave. For details, contact samgallery@seattleartmuseum.org.
• Colorful paintings of strange figures interacting in an open field by Irene Kubota on view now at Bryan Ohno Gallery in Japantown. Through September. Opening October 16 and ending November 29 will be paintings by Yumiko Glover. A series of paintings centered around highly sexualized figure of the Japanese schoolgirl, set against disjointed images of past and furtuere world wars and pop culture iconography. Originally from Hiroshima, the artist is now based in Hawai‘i. 521 S. Main St. For more info, call (206) 459-6857 or visit www.bryanohno.com.
• One of Seattle’s oldest galleries, the Woodside/Braseth Gallery has moved to Pioneer Square. Their first show there is a group show of Northwest artists with the work of Gerard Tsutakawa included. On view until October 25. 1201 Western Ave. For more info, call (206) 622-7243 or visit woodsidebrasethgallery.com.
• Akiko Masker has a show entitled “Oyama+O/hA/NA” which blends traditional Japanese aesthetic values with Western art techniques. She is inspired by how geo metric and organic forms move in nature. On view through September at The Shooting Gallery in Wallflower Custom Framing at 4735 42nd Ave. SW in West Seattle. For more info contact (206) 938-6332 or info@wallflowercustomframing.com. Masker’s work is represented by Bryan Ohno Gallery in Seattle where her work is also currently on display.
• “Horizons” is the title of new work by Z. Z. Wei through September 28. This Chinese painter moved to Seattle years ago and has captured the rural landscapes of this state in nostalgic fashion. Patricia Rovzar Gallery at 1225 Second Ave. downtown. Open daily. For more info, call (206) 223-0273 or visit rovzargallery.com.
• “A Cut Above” is a group show that explores hand-cut work in paper, wood, prints and sculpture. Continuing the focus of Asian-inspired art at The Lakeshore, this show presents unique contemporary works in a variety of mediums and perspectives inspired by traditional art practices. Co-curated by MalPina Chan. Includes the work of Betsy Best Spaden, Mia Yoshihara-Bradshaw, Julia Harrison, Laureen Iida, Naoko Morisawa and June Sekiguchi. The show will be on view in the City of Sammamish City Hall Gallery during the month of October at 801 228th Ave. SE.
• New and recent shows due to open at the Wing include the following: “Do You Know Bruce?” is a major new show on the personal, intimate story of martial arts artist and film star Bruce Lee and the significance of Seattle in his life. Opens October 4 with the full support of the Lee Family. The Wing is the only museum in the world, outside of Hong Kong, to present an exhibition about Bruce Lee’s life. The Lee family has plans to eventually open a permanent museum on Bruce Lee’s life and legacy in the Chinatown-ID neighborhood. This show will make for a good initial introduction. Beat the crowds and become a museum member and not only do you see this show for free but you also receive a special commemorative welcome packet with limited edition Bruce Lee Membership cards and matching window cling for your collection. “RESIST—Asian American Acts of Struggle” remains on view through January 18. Wing Luke also co-sponsors a new exhibition “Voices of Nisei Veterans” at the Nisei Veterans Committee (NVC) Hall. Oral history testimonies and rare collections tell the story of Japanese American veterans before, during and after World War II. A new exhibit entitled “Puppet Power! Asian Traditions Come to Life” opens on Saturday July 19. See innovative creations from Asian American puppet artists, video performances and hands-on puppet play. Created in partnership with the Northwest Puppet Center and the Valentinetti Puppet Museum. Opening August 24 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. is “ART IN MOTION: The Evolution of Board Culture.” From surf boards to skate boards, learn how Asian Americans have contributed to this thriving culture. Curated by Gabriel Goldman of Platform Inc. Includes the work of Wally Inouye, Nhon Nguyen, Nin Truong, Junichi Tsuneoka, and Mike Yoshida. Free Family Fun Day activities coming up. On Saturday, September 20 at 1:00 p.m., artist Liang-Yin Chen will show you how to make your own shadow puppet. Still on view is “#iconic: Power and Pop Culture,” which explores how Asian American pop icons are made and what it means to look up to—or challenge—these figures. “Hometown Desi: South Asian Culture in the Pacific Northwest” is a semi-permanent display that opened October 3. It will explore the history of South Asians in this area up to the present. On display through October 19, 2014 is “Grit: Asian Pacific Pioneers Across the Northwest.” Stories of pioneers and trailblazers who persisted through challenges of natural disasters, racial discrimination and violence to carve out a home in this new territory.
• Currently on view at Seattle Asian Art Museum in Volunteer Park: “Colored Vases” is the first work by Chinese contemporary artist Ai Weiwei acquired by Seattle Art Museum. The artist took ancient earthenware vases and dipped them in buckets of industrial paint allowing them to drip dry. By covering the surfaces with a new paint, what is underneath—like history itself —is “no longer visible, but is still there.” The irony is that they play on the question on and question authenticity issues that the artist likes to raise in today’s market for Chinese Art. The first exhibition held outside Japan dedicated to Japanese Art Deco entitled “Deco Japan: Shaping Art and Culture, 1920–1945” is on view through October 19. On Friday, September 26 at 7:00 p.m., check out the series “SAM TALKS.” Gennifer Weisenfeld, Professor of Japanese Art History and Visual Studies at Duke University will talk about celebrated designer Saito Kazo and the contemporary circle of Tokyo-based clothing and interior designers who worked around him in the 1920s-’30s. This talk will teach you the ins and outs of the fashion world behind the exhibition, “Deco Japan.” You can purchase tickets at visitsam.org. The “Asia Talks” series continues with a program entitled “Kantha: Embroidered Textiles of Bangladesh” on Thursday, September 18 at 7:00 p.m. Niaz Zaman will introduce the katha textile form, design motifs, traditional meanings, and adaptation from domestic use to the global market. Reserve your free tickets online. On Saturday, September 27, a new University Fall Series begins entitled “New Worlds of Science: The Heritage of East Asia.” Tickets go on sale in August for a series of 10 talks on Saturday mornings co-organized by Prof. Christopher Cullen, Needham Research Institute, who will give the first two lectures. Topics range from ancient astronomy and cosmology to Chinese medicine and the modernization of Korea and Japan. On view until December 7 is “Ink. History. Media” by Chen Shaoxiong. The artist examines the history of protest as a universal political expression. He downloaded images of protest form around the world and did ink drawings from these images, turning them into a video installation. Another video installation consists of ink drawings of historic photos of major events in Chinese history during the 20 century. The artist was a founding member of “Big Tail Elephant Group” a collective of Guangzhou-based conceptual artists in the 1990’s. Today he works independently and also collaborates as a member of an Asian artist collective known as “Xijing Men” and another Chinese collective known as “Project Without Space.” He is a multi-media artist using painting, photography, collage and conceptual art to realize his ideas. “Mughal Painting: Power And Piety” is up through September 7. The show features works of art made under the Mughals (1526-1857), the most expansive Islam empire in the history of the subcontinent. For complete information on all events, go to seattleartmuseum.org.
To read the entire Fall Arts Guide compiled by Alan Chong Lau, click here