Youthful appearance
While every generation will be represented among the hundreds of artists in this popular, twice-yearly art crawl, young, fresh faces will be a common thread at several of the 31 art venues.
Take these four:
• “20 Under 40: A Juried Invitational,” Tinman Gallery, 811 W. Garland Ave. – Owner Sue Bradley said she was inspired by the New Yorker magazine’s list of “20 Under 40” authors. She asked a three-person jury to select from submissions by local artists.
They chose the following under-40 artists for this exhibit: Dara Harvey, Megan Martens, Shelly Murney, Ben Olson, Tiffany Patterson, Jessie Rasche, Garric Simonsen and Austin Steigemeier.
Bradley calls it a “good survey of what the emerging and adventurous artists are working on.” A Best in Show choice will be announced during the event.
• “Explorations XII,” Chase Gallery, Spokane City Hall, 808 W. Spokane Falls Blvd. – This is a group exhibit by student artists from Eastern Washington University, Gonzaga University, North Idaho College, Spokane Falls Community College and Whitworth University.
City Arts Director Karen Mobley said the show represents “the best work by younger artists from the region.”
• Raw Space, 32 W. Second Ave. – Raw Space has emerged recently as one of the most exciting and popular stops on the Visual Arts Tour. This non-juried show features 208 works by 104 artists, many of them new faces.
This time, the space should have an especially “raw” feeling; sections of temporary, chain-link construction fencing have been brought inside. The art will be hung on those fences instead of on the walls.
“It’ll be funky,” said Mobley.
• “ Heatherann Franz and Summer Hightower: Feed the Artist: February,” Far West Billiards, 1001 W. First Ave. – Feed the Artist is a relatively new concept dedicated to providing money and exposure for younger artists. In addition to the art by Franz and Hightower, Far West will also feature live music by DJ Likes the Girls.
As always, one of the draws of the Visual Arts Tour – and it draws huge crowds – is its breadth. The genres include photography, ceramics, paintings, carnival masks, sculptures, prints and more.
And if you hanker after some exceptionally well-known names, the Jundt Art Museum on the Gonzaga University campus is part of the Visual Arts Tour, too. It has works by a few people you may have heard of: Chagall, Kollwitz, Miró and Picasso.