This Week's Events: Nov 27 - Dec 2, 2007

Tuesday, November 27

Henry Art Gallery – “Open Floor,” a monthly laboratory of ideas for local artists, musicians, performers, and filmmakers. Open Floor encourages experimentation and discussion across disciplines. Contact openfloor@henryart.org for more information. 6-8 pm, Free.

Wednesday, November 28

Gallery 110 - "Cheer Holiday Exhibit and Sale." For a limited time, Gallery 110 presents a show of work by member artists priced to sell for the holidays. 'Festive reception' 6-8 pm. Exhibit continues until December 1.


Seattle Art Museum - “On Icons and Objects: A Conversation with Jim Dine.” From Happenings to Pop Art, drawings to monumental sculpture, the work of Jim Dine traverses many eras and categories, but certain central themes persist. Join Jim Dine and Michael Darling, SAM's Jon & Mary Shirley Curator of Modern & Contemporary Art, for a conversation about the twists and turns of Dine’s fascinating and influential career. This lecture is presented in memory of former docent Elizabeth Hambleton. 7-8 pm. Free and open to the public. To reserve your space call the SAM Box Office at 206.654.3121.

Thursday, November 29

Frye Art Museum – “Yvonne Twining Humber: Reflections on the Artist on the Centenary of Her Birth.” Arts consultant Claudia Bach shares a personal perspective on painter Yvonne Twining Humber and examines how Humber responded to the circumstances and challenges of an artistic and personal life that was shaped by historical and social forces of the twentieth century. 7 pm. Free and open to the public.

Henry Art Gallery – Opening conversation and reception for Henry’s newest exhibition “Kazuyo Sejima + Ryue Nishizawa / SANAA.” Join Guest Curator Ken Tadashi Oshima with Sam Chermayeff and Lucy Styles of SANAA Studio for a conversation about SANAA’s recent projects – including the new New Museum of Contemporary Art, other recent projects, and an overview of this pioneering firm’s visionary work in architecture and design. Conversation begins at 7:30. Free and open to the public.

Friday, November 30

Henry Art Gallery – New exhibition “Kazuyo Sejima + Ryue Nishizawa / SANAA” open for daily viewing, running November 30, 2007 – March 2, 2008. Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa have been working collaboratively under the name SANAA (Sejima And Nishizawa And Associates) since 1995 but their work has only recently received significant recognition in the West. An array of the studio’s signature projects will be represented in this first exhibition of SANAA’s work in the U.S.; projects include the new New Museum of Contemporary Art in New York, the Glass Pavilion at the Toledo Museum of Art (Ohio), and the Museum of the 21st Century in Kanazawa, Japan. Other design objects, furniture pieces, models, building plans and photographs are also on display. Video documentation of recent and current projects will further convey the idea of “atmosphere,” the sense of simplicity and transparency that has become the signature of this remarkable firm.

"Essen Design School," Courtesy of SANAA

Photographic Center Northwest – “PCNW Members’ Juried Exhibition” Opening and Awards reception. Juried by Marisa Sanchez, Assistant Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at the Seattle Art Museum, this selection of prints by PCNW members features a range of work including landscapes, aerials, portraits, narratives, conceptual still lifes, abstracts & objects worthy of interest in typological studies. 6-8 pm, free and open to the public. Also opening is the PCNW’s "Fotoshop Holiday Bin Sale,"which includes moderately priced prints by students, faculty, staff, members and clients. Get there early for the best selection!

Seattle Art Museum - “An International Symposium on 16th-19th Century Japanese Art from Kobe City Museum.” From 7-8:30 pm, Ron Toby, professor of Japanese history at the University of Illinois, will present the keynote address. Toby is an expert on non-Japanese art that existed in Japan during the pre-modern period and on Japanese history, focusing on contact and exchange with the Western world. Free with museum admission. To reserve your space, please call the SAM Box Office at 206.654.3121.

Saturday, December 1

Seattle Art Museum – “An International Symposium on 16th-19th Century Japanese Art from Kobe City Museum.” This symposium brings together six art historians from the United States, Holland and Japan for a dialogue about Japanese art’s first encounters with the Western world. 10 am – 5 pm in the Plestcheeff Auditorium. Free with museum admission. To reserve your space, please call the SAM Box Office at 206.654.3121.

G. Gibson Gallery – Opening reception for new exhibition “Ron Van Dongen and Popco Bakkers: Two Artists from Warmond.” 3-5 pm.

Bluebottle Art Gallery – “Michael Slack: Frail” exhibition opening. Michael Slack is an artist, illustrator, and character designer whose works have appeared in books, magazines, and television. His monster card game ICK, was released this September through Chronicle books and received a bronze award from the Society of Illustrators Los Angeles. Reception 6-8 pm. Exhibition runs until December 30.

Michael Slack, "Recumbent Bubble Blower," digital print, edition of 5, opening at Bluebottle

ArtXchange – “Zimbags Gallery 33 Art Auction.” Hosted by ArtXchange Gallery, local non-profit Zimbags presents an evening of wine, dessert, music and an art auction featuring works donated by artists from around the world. The event honors December 1, World AIDS Day. Proceeds benefit Zimbags, a non-profit working to improve the quality of life for women in Zimbabwe. $25 per ticket, which includes 2 free drinks and free dessert. 6-9 pm. Email contact@zimbags.org to purchase to tickets.

Open Satellite – “Zoe Strauss: Works in Progress.” During her residency at Open Satellite, Philadelphia-based photographer and installation artist Zoe Strauss presents her first solo exhibition in the Northwest. Focusing her camera on the gritty neighborhoods of her hometown, Strauss creates tough, emotional portraits of the residents and architecture populating the streets of South Philadelphia, Kensington, and other working class areas. In the Seattle metropolitan area, Strauss continues her visual study of broken promises engendered by failed social and economic programs. Specifically, she looks to the Factoria neighborhood of Bellevue, citing the district’s ambitious intentions–suggested by its name–to become an industrial manufacturing hub. These plans never materialized, and the area’s name endures as a reminder of unfulfilled aspirations. Open Satellite presents Strauss’s new Seattle-area photographs, as projections and large-format prints, alongside a selection of her earlier work. Opening Event and Slide Show 6-9 pm. Exhibition continues until January 12, 2008.

Zoe Strauss, "how do I look," 2007, opening at Open Satellite

Sunday, December 2

ArtXchange - "The First Annual Seattle Chinese Tea Appreciation Festival." Presented by Black Dragon Tea Bar, this event will feature expertly prepared Chinese tea (including rare varieties), tasty Asian snacks and a private concert by Chinese Guqin master Wu Ziying. Join ArtXchange and Black Dragon Tea Bar for a relaxing afternoon of live music, art appreciation and a unique tea experience. $25 per person. Contact Black Dragon Tea Bar to purchase tickets.

Francine Seders Gallery – “But Seriously, Folks: Funny Art and Its Deeper Meanings,” opening reception. 2-4 pm. Exhibition continues until January 6, 2008.

"Quite a Pickle," Jennifer McNeely, part of "But Seriously, Folks," opening at Francine Seders Gallery