First Thursday: February 6, 2008

ArtXchange - "ArtXchange Showcase 2008," featuring a group exhibition by gallery artists. The showcase includes 2-D and 3-D work from national and international artists, including works by local artist June Sekiguchi and new works in lacquer by Vietnamese artist Bui Cong Khanh.

"Twelve Times Mandala," June Sekiguchi, acrylic on scrollcut hardboard, @ ArtXchange

Benham Gallery - “Stone” featuring photography by Bruce Barnbaum. This exhibition will explore Barnbaum’s entire history and fascination for rocks, stones and the formations they create whether natural or man made. February 6th through March 1st, 2008. Artist Talk: Saturday Feb. 9th 2–4 pm.

Corridor Gallery – “I.E.D.” In this series of photographs, Charles Holzhey applies his distinct brand of absurdist humor to the phenomenon of the Improvised Explosive Device. His provocative objects evoke thoughts on consumer culture and war, and the ever present human capacity for tragically ridiculous behavior. Through March 1, 2008.

D'adamo/Woltz Gallery – Opening reception for “Emerging Artist Exhibition,” new work from local emerging artists. Through February 29, 2008.

Foster/White – Opening at Foster/White in Pioneer Square, "Blackboard Retrospective," works by Bratsa Bonifacho. Through Feb 23, 2008.

Gallery 110 - “Passione: Infinite e Eterno,” work by Curt Labitzke, a studio art instructor at the University of Washington. Meet the artist: Saturday, February 23, 3:30-5 pm. Through February 29, 2008.

Gallery I|M|A – Reception for new exhibition “Western Landscape meets Italian Tradition,” featuring works by David Berridge and Sandro Negri. This exhibition places two distinctly different artists together, but with one purpose, to capture Western Landscape and Italian Traditions. Using vibrant colors and strokes, both artists aim to reproduce the rich feeling of home, from gradual rolling country hills of the West to working peasants in the fields of Northern Italy. Through March 2nd, 2008.

Grover/Thurston Gallery - New exhibition featuring works by "Inez Storer." Continues through March 1, 2008.

La Familia - Jason Stauffer exhibits "Purpose," a humorous look at social assumptions & expectations. A show in two parts, Jason Stauffer's February solo exhibit consists of over thirty sculptures and photographs that depict the duel purpose of objects and people out of place but still finding Purpose. The exhibition is divided into two sets of works; one explores the purpose of humanity's use of objects and the other, the purpose of humanity as an object. The second part of the show is entitled "Waiters" a photographic series conceived while Stauffer was doing seasonal work at a resort lodge in Alaska.

"Dragonfish," Jason Stauffer, at La Familia

Lisa Harris Gallery – “Daydreams and Nightmares,” new paintings and monotypes by Royal Nebeker. Exhibition continues through March 1, 2008.

Platform Gallery - “Eric Eley: Prospect Fields.” One of the dictionary definitions of the word prospect is a “broad view or a place affording such a view.” For his first solo show at Platform Gallery, Eric Eley has created a living drawing that becomes a field for a view. Seeing an opportunity to go beyond simply placing discrete objects in the white box of the gallery, Eley has created an environment that puts the viewer literally inside the sculptural object by delineating the space within the entire gallery. With no way to see the work in profile or from afar, one is instead given the opportunity to powerfully experience space as a three dimensional drawing. Exhibition ends soon: February 9, 2008.

Pratt Gallery - Pratt Fine Arts Center opens an exhibit of artwork by six instructors from the school’s drawing and painting department. The exhibit at Pratt Gallery at Tashiro Kaplan Studios will show different techniques, themes, and media used by these artists and will run February 7 through 24th.

Michael Ottersen, “Oblique Ice Index,” 2004 (left) & Perri Lynch, from the “Precisely Known Completely Lost” series, 2003 (right) @ Pratt Gallery

Project Project – Open to the public one night only, “Collection/Infection” featuring sculpture by Jamey Braden and film by Portland artist Amber Smith. These artists make work about a burdensome instinct to collect, if only to keep and hoard to be able to look at small discarded objects in ways reserved for "bigger and better" things. Smith's main piece climaxes in a wall of burning marshmallows, Braden's sculptures are ruptured (and infected?) cloth structure-paintings and arranged (literal) garbage. Project Project is in the 619 Artist Lofts, 4th floor, 619 Western Ave.

"Ruptured Painting," Jamey Braden 2007

Punch Gallery – Opening reception for a new exhibition featuring works by Jen Erickson, “Sad Math.” Jen Erickson uses her interest in physics, mathematics, identity and the visualization of information systems as a point of departure for her paintings. Exhibition continues through March 2, 2008.

Rock | DeMent – “As I See and Say,” featuring block prints, paintings & poetry by Bob Rock. Influenced by social, political and theological issues of the mid 20th century, artist Bob Rock’s work reflects a time when questions were being asked of church, state and of personal liberties. This show includes block prints and poetry from a 1965 handprinted letterpress portfolio that provides an intimate portrait of the artist and his expressionist works. Also in this exhibit are larger wood cuts, paintings and other pieces from the artist’s estate. Through March 5, 2008.

Shift Studio – “Amanda Mae vs. The Frye Art Museum.” Concept artist Amanda Mae exhibits mimetic recreations of works from the Frye Art Museum's permanent collection. Also opening “Dry Friction:” Jo Marie Jensen presents a mixed media sound installation that uses physical friction between solid objects to correspond to social interaction.

SOIL – “Simultaneity: Entanglement,” by Eunsu Kang, Joel Kollin, and Juan Pampin. Entanglement draws a symbolic acoustic line between two distant locations, SOIL and 911 Media Arts Center in Seattle. A hyper-directional sound beam linearizes the acoustics of the two galleries creating the illusion of a single, infinite line of sound into which both sites get trapped. Through March 1, 2008.

Juan Pampin, Eunsu Kang, Joel S Kollin, “Entanglement” Telematic sound installation, Variable size installation in two spaces

Some Space Gallery – “Beach Structure” new work by David W. Simpson. Simpson’s current work is in ever-changing, two-dimensional reiterations of a single structure made from driftwood found near his home. Exposing its shadows to photo-sensitive paper and screens, an array of progressive cyanotypes and serigraphs emerge, referencing vivid images of his youth and embodying the different directions any one life may take. Through February 29, 2008.

Wall Space – New work by photographer “Mark Vercammen” who documents and explores people with his camera, studying behavior and lifestyle of both friends and strangers. Wall Space is exhibiting Vercammen’s new works, from his continuing story on the male form. The work moves beyond straight photography, encompassing other mediums and textures to create soft sensual experiences of form.

William Traver Gallery – Reception for new exhibition featuring works by internationally renowned glass artist “Lino Tagliapietra.” March 30, 2008.