Warashina featured at Gonzaga

Celebrated ceramic artist and Spokane native Patti Warashina returns to her hometown with a show under way at Gonzaga University’s Jundt Art Museum. “Patti Warashina: Recent Work” features two important ceramic installations by the internationally respected artist: “The Circus: Real Politique Series” and “The Sake Sets: Drunken Power Series.”

“Her work is best known for its whimsical themes, often dealing with social and political commentary,” said museum director Scott Patnode. “She takes on everything from the environment to bigotry, war and zero population growth.”

A young artist during the California funk art movement, Warashina continues to create narrative pieces that frequently feature absurd and surreal imagery.

“The Circus” spotlights nine full-length, 3-foot-high ceramic figures on pedestals. In the center is “Maestro,” a French poodle, acting as ringmaster.

One of the satirical sculptures, “Hook, Line and Sinker,” features a bikini-clad woman accessorized with a wide-brimmed hat adorned with fish hooks and boots soaked in oil.

“Her work is very timely,” said Patnode, “considering what is currently happening in the Puget Sound.”

Warashina’s teaching career spans more than three decades, including more than 25 years at the University of Washington’s School of Art. She retired in 1995 to be with her husband, ceramicist Robert Sperry, who died in 1998.

Her work is featured in several museum collections in the United States and abroad including the American Craft Museum in New York City, Seattle Art Museum, Smithsonian American Art Museum’s Renwick Gallery, Art Gallery of Western Australia and Ichon World Ceramic Center in Korea.

A free artist’s reception will be Nov. 10 from 6 to 7:15 p.m. Following the reception, Warashina will give a public slide lecture at 7:30 p.m. in the Jundt Auditorium (seating is limited). The exhibit continues through Dec. 15.

Eleanor Antin at MAC

Influential San Diego artist/filmmaker Eleanor Antin is in Spokane this weekend for two events at the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture.

Antin has an international reputation for innovative work accomplished over a 40-year career in installation, photography, video, film, performance, drawing and writing.

She has created major installations at the Hirschhorn Museum in Washington, D.C., the Philadelphia Museum of Fine Arts and the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art. Her one-woman shows include exhibitions at the Museum of Modern Art, Whitney Museum and Long Beach Museum.

Antin is one of America’s contemporary artists profiled on the Public Broadcasting System series “Art:21 – Art in the Twenty-First Century.”

The PBS Web page states: “Her highly-theatrical films, photographs and performance art draw from the childhood inspiration of paper dolls and dress-up, an infatuation with stand-up routines and slapstick comedy and the rich, tragic humor that is part of her Jewish heritage. ‘I always tend to see the funny side of things,’ she says. ‘That’s the richest experience, when it’s the laughter and it’s the tears together.’ “

Art:21 and the MAC are co-hosting a workshop for visual arts teachers on Friday and Saturday and a free public lecture at noon on Saturday in the museum auditorium, 2316 W. First Ave.

Antin’s talk will be followed by a screening of the “Eleanor Antin” segment from the Emmy-nominated PBS series.

Colville’s ‘Bringing in the Wood’

Colville Arts Foundation Regional Gallery is highlighting Inland Northwest wood artisans in its third annual “Bringing in the Wood” exhibit through Nov. 20.

All the artwork has a wood theme. There are paintings featuring wood and photographs where the main subject is wood, along with sculpture, furniture and carvings.

The free exhibit is up until Nov. 20. The public is invited to a closing reception on Nov. 19 from 3 to 6:30 p.m. The gallery, 287 E. Astor St., is on the corner of Elm and Astor in downtown Colville.

Winter hours are Wednesday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Sharing space with the gallery is The Artisans, an artists’ cooperative store with pottery, paintings, stained glass, jewelry and other handcrafted items made in the region.

Art a la Carte in Pullman

Today at noon artist Patrick Siler is talking in Cascade Room 123 of the Compton Union Building on the Washington State University campus. Siler’s work is subject of a current show at the WSU Museum of Art.

Next Thursday the Art a la Carte series features Marty Mullen talking about “Design and Color in Moroccan Art and Life” in the free brown-bag lunch lecture series.

Touring diversity exhibit

“In Our Family: Portraits of All Kinds of Families,” a photo-text display, is on view through Saturday at the DoubleTree Hotel Spokane City Center, 322 N. Spokane Falls Ct.

The touring exhibit, created by the Family Diversity Projects of Amherst, Mass., is part of the 28th Washington Association for the Education of Young Children Annual Conference.

“Our Family” depicts the diversity of family life in 21st-century America. It introduces viewers to single-parent families, families living with physical or mental challenges, immigrant families, adoptive families, foster families, divorced families, gay and lesbian-parented families, stepfamilies, multiracial families and multigenerational families.

Spokane Valley Library

The autumn show at the Spokane Valley Library includes the work of 10 area artists.

Spokane Valley artists with paintings in the show are Betty Jo Cook, Marion Fitek, Bette Harmon, Benita Papadakes, Mary Poffenroth, Susan Rohrback, Anna Rector, Anne Sherrodd, Jim Weisen and Kathy Williams.

The show, sponsored by the Spokane Valley Arts Council, will be up through December at the library, 12004 E. Main Ave.

Other galleries

• “Alegrias,” a exhibit of mixed-media paintings by Felisa Carranza, opens Friday at Tinman Artworks, 811 W. Garland Ave., with an artist’s reception from 5 to 9 p.m. featuring Halloween goodies and live music. The show runs through Nov. 19.

• There are still a few days to see “Making Memories into Art,” the illustrative pencil drawings of Elizabeth Baker, at the Liberty Cafe, 404 W. Main Ave., next to Auntie’s Bookstore. The drawings are up through Sunday.

• The new Gold Mountains Gallery opens Saturday at 2 p.m. in downtown Republic, Wash., at 852 S. Clark, #2. The community-sponsored gallery features work by 12 area artists and crafters. For more information call (509) 775-2507.