Art community offers host of creative options
In addition to the Fall Visual Arts Tour, this week is brimming with opportunities to see a variety of creative styles, hear a Los Angeles art critic and visit a number of artists’ studios.
‘Scarcity and Abundance’ at EWU
On a trip to Seattle last year, Eastern Washington University gallery director Nancy Hathaway walked into Soil, a small, artist-run gallery.
“A lot of the Seattle artists who are just starting out and making really interesting work show in that gallery,” says Hathaway. “I was impressed with the quality of the work.”
Hathaway selected two sculptors — Helen Curtis and Timea Tihany — for “States of Scarcity and Abundance,” an exhibit opening today on the EWU campus.
While Curtis and Tihany use completely different materials and have different approaches, “their work really speaks to each other,” says Hathaway. “Both reference the body and investigate ways we exist in the world both physically and spiritually.”
Curtis will give a slide lecture today at noon in the EWU Art Auditorium. An opening reception follows in the gallery. Tihany will be over for a talk on Oct. 21 at 1 p.m.
The exhibit continues through Nov. 2 and can be viewed weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The Art Building is in the center of the fine and performing arts complex on the college campus at Seventh and I streets in Cheney. All of the events are free and open to the public.
L.A. art critic in Spokane
The 2004-05 Visiting Artist Lecture Series, “Populism in Contemporary Art – Links Between Culture and Art,” spotlights two Los Angeles art personalities.
The first speaker, L.A. art critic Doug Harvey, is due in Spokane next week for presentations at Eastern Washington University and Spokane Falls Community College. Artist and curator Jeffrey Vallance will speak in May.
Harvey is the art critic for LA Weekly, the largest-circulation free weekly newspaper in the country. He has written for numerous publications including Art Issues, Art in America and The New York Times.
“Doug is known for his irreverent blend of art theory and populism,” says Lanny DeVuono, EWU art professor. He’ll talk about the Los Angeles art scene and contemporary art.
On Tuesday he speaks on the EWU campus at noon in the Art Building at Seventh and I streets in Cheney; and on Wednesday at 11:30 a.m. on the SFCC campus in the Student Union Building Lounge A/B, Building 17, 3410 Fort George Wright Drive.
The events are free and open to the public.
‘Town and Country Art Tour’
This weekend eight artists are opening their studios as part of the first “Town and Country Art Tour” showcasing the work of almost 40 artists.
Stop by the studios anytime on Saturday between 10:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. and on Sunday between noon and 5 p.m. Maps are available at the William Grant Gallery, 820 W. Francis Ave.
Locations and artists include:
• Janet Olson, fibers; Rene Goebel, mosaics; Viola Unger, watercolors; Lucas Quinn Olson, knives; and Anne Handler, oil pastels and colored inks, at 13317 W. Shore Road, Nine Mile.
• Carolyn Haugen, watercolor; Jan Juday, Janna Juday, Melissa Swan Wagner, mixed media; Joel Nelson, blown glass; and Roy Forbes, oil on tile, at 22213 Meadowview, Colbert. On Saturday there will be a raku firing from noon to 2 p.m. and music by Sidhe from 2 to 4 p.m.
• Ellen Baschke, oil painting; Sydney Smith, acrylics; Linda Brisbois, watercolor; and Katie Densley, wire and concrete, at 6011 W. Shawnee Ave.
• Irene Dahl, pastel and egg tempera; Lorraine Krank, egg tempera; Sandra Hiller, calved leather; and Leata Judd, terra cotta and papier mache, at 6017 N. F St.
• Kathleen Peterson, water mediums; Karen Hathaway, oil; Patti Osebold, Japanese paper dolls and origami; Paul Van Roy, pastels; and Nance Hall, charcoal and acrylic, at 3345 N. Wellington Place. Piano and flute music during the weekend.
• Aileen Stale, oil; Bob Wiesse, photography; Fred Warren, pencil and acrylics; and Hilda Bradshaw, pottery, at 910 W. Central Ave.
• Marsha Marcuson, painting; Ned Fox, watercolor and photography; Debbie Hughbanks, paintings; and Thelma Giampietri, pastels, at 7903 N. Regal St.
• Darrell Sullens, oils and sculpture; Liz Bishop, pottery; Kyle Peterson, hand-built pottery; and Keiko Yon Holt, Sumi-e and watercolors, at 727 E. Wabash Ave. Violin music throughout the weekend.
Clowning with quilts
Upwards of 10,000 quilters and collectors are expected to converge on the Spokane Convention Center for three days beginning Friday to view hundreds of quilts in 20 different categories.
Visitors to the Washington State Quilters Spokane Chapter’s 26th annual “Clowning Around with Quilts” show will see demonstrations by master quilters including featured artist Candy Huddleston of Spokane Valley.
Show hours are Friday, noon to 8 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $5 for the entire three-day show. Children 11 and under are free.
Spectrum’s fall show
Spectrum Studio, a small collage gallery on the South Hill, has two open house weekends a year. The autumn show this weekend features the intricate paper silhouettes of Sharyn Sowell from Mount Vernon, Wash.
Sowell’s images include florals, children, hearts and animal figures depicting the “gaiety of childhood and the joys of nature,” says gallery owner Joanne Tatman. “They project a mood that could be considered romantic and idyllic.”
Sowell will be at the gallery, 33 W. 34th Ave., to answer questions about her work Friday from 4 to 8 p.m., Saturday from 2 to 6 p.m. and Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m.
Sanford’s ‘Seasons’
Watercolorist Dan Sanford is back in town for “Seasons,” a show of new paintings at Janie’s Art and Flower Bucket in the Spokane MarketPlace.
After retiring four years and moving to Bellingham, the former president of the Spokane Watercolor Society has traveled extensively. “Seasons” features landscapes and water scenes from her visits to Scotland, New Zealand, Maine, Southern California and Vancouver Island.
Catch up with the artist during an opening reception on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the gallery, 809 N. Washington St. Regular store hours are Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Collaborative art in Coeur d’Alene
Whitworth College art professors Gordon Wilson and Scott Kolbo have been working side-by-side as colleagues for years.
Recently they decided to take that teamwork into the studio for a series of two-dimensional mixed media pieces. The result is “Collaboration,” an exhibit that opens Monday at the Boswell Hall Corner Gallery on the North Idaho College campus in Coeur d’Alene.
A gallery walk by the artists will begin at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, followed by a slide lecture at 1 p.m. in the Driftwood Bay Room of NIC’s Edminster Student Union Building. An opening reception is from 5 to 7 p.m. in the gallery.
View the work through October between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.
‘Shift’ at Spokane Falls
The Spokane Falls Community College art faculty show is all about the changing face of art.
“Shift: Works in Transition” includes drawings, paintings, sculpture, prints and mixed media installations. Viewers are encouraged to stop by frequently and see the work change throughout the exhibit.
There is a closing reception on Oct. 14 from 2 to 3:30 p.m. with live music by Bill Bunze and Turning Point.
The gallery is in Fine Arts Building 6 on the SFCC campus, 3410 W. Fort Wright Drive. Regular gallery hours are Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday from 11a.m. to 2 p.m.