Douglas Gallery showing Madonna bronze
The Douglas Gallery is showing one of the “Madonna della Pieta” collection of posthumous, limited-edition bronze recasts of the bust of the Virgin Mary from Michelangelo’s “La Pieta.”
“Michelangelo is widely considered the greatest artistic genius that ever lived,” says gallery owner Danni Douglas. “At the age of 23, Michelangelo was commissioned by a French cardinal to create ‘La Pieta’ for St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican as a tomb monument.”
After more than 500 years, says Douglas, “the bust of the Virgin Mary, from this masterpiece of divine inspiration, has been cast from a master made from the Vatican’s mold of the original produced under license with the Treasury of St. Peter’s Museum in the Vatican.”
The “Madonna della Pieta is, without question, the most significant piece of art that we have ever had in our gallery over the past 12 years,” Douglas says, “and it is also one of the most significant pieces of art to ever come to Spokane.”
A public reception is today from 5 to 9 p.m. at the gallery, 8 N. Post St. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information, call 624-4179.
Spring Art Festival
The Coeur d’Alene Art Association’s annual Spring Art Festival is this weekend at the Kootenai County Fairgrounds.
The festival includes an art show juried by award-winning painter Stan Miller of Spokane, a signature member of the American Watercolor Society.
“The artists in this group work hard to learn from each other,” said member Chelsea Cordova in a news release.
Participants include painters Mary Jean Cabe, Dianne Munkittrick, Eleanor Falash, Suzanne Jewell, Jackie Jewett, Bev Peterson, John Stanley, Carol Airhart, Barb Burnside, Chelsea Cordova, Rita Gobert, Cora Kohler, Janet Laundhardt, Sharon Mille, Patsey Parsons, Sally Schneider, Judy Scott, Vivien Stevenson, Vivene Near, Pat Rigdon, Sue Sausser and Jim Baumgartner.
There also are clay objects by Pat Harns and Tim Mosgrove; glasswork by Louise Telford; photography by Amy Louise Adira; metalwork by Dan Severns; and mixed media by Yvonne Benzinger, Agnes Carron, Erline Foraker, Karen Pfeiffer, Dorothy Porter and Joanne Reeds.
The event opens on Friday at 1 p.m. and goes until 7:30, with an artists’ reception at 5. David Greenfield will play the harp.
The festival continues on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m.
The Kootenai County Fairgrounds is at 4060 N. Government Way in Coeur d’Alene. For more information on the show call (208) 664-1737.
Spectrum ‘Unties the Ribbon’
Coinciding with the 35th anniversary of Earth Day, the Spectrum Studio on the South Hill is showcasing two artists who derive their inspiration from nature.
The show, “Untie the Ribbon,” spotlights the paintings, prints and mixed media pieces of Eric Rau and April Richardson.
“Both Eric and April are talented artists who use images from nature to convey a sense of harmony,” says gallery director Jim Tatman.
Rau, coming from a family tradition of woodworking, carves his designs from blocks of mahogany that produce “a strong and bold feeling in his woodblock prints,” says Tatman.
Richardson’s prints are “softer and more delicate,” he says. She combines drawing, collage, printmaking and painting to create multilayered mixed-media monotypes.
The Spectrum Studio, a small cottage gallery, can be found at 33 W. 34th Ave.
Rau and Richardson will be on hand to answer questions about their work Friday from 4 to 8 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m.
University of Idaho MFA exhibit
The Prichard Gallery is hosting the University of Idaho Master of Fine Arts Thesis Exhibition.
In the main gallery space will be projects by graduating students Jeanju Clifton, Todd Goehner, Elaine Green, Jan Kirchhoff, Milica Popovic and Anne Toner.
The artists are showing drawing, painting, sculpture, photography and mixed media. The work is in “a variety of styles that range from representational to abstract and traditions that are modernist to post-modern,” said gallery director Roger H.D. Rowley.
An artists’ reception is Friday from 5 to 8 p.m. in the gallery, 414 S. Main St. in downtown Moscow. The show runs through May 14. The gallery is open Monday through Friday from noon until 8 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
For more about the artists’ work in their own words, log onto the Art Beat blog at www.spokane7.com/blogs/artbeat/.
Also in Moscow, there is a closing reception on Friday from 4 to 6 p.m. in the University of Idaho’s Ridenbaugh Gallery for Washington State University’s “Grad Exchange” exhibit.
Whitworth art student show
“Running with Scissors,” an exhibition of works by Whitworth College graduating art students, opens Tuesday in the Koehler Gallery and Hixson Union Building on the north Spokane campus.
” ‘Running with Scissors’ suggests something dangerous and rule-breaking,” said senior Katie Ghering in a news release. “Artists rarely obey rules, stay away from danger or do what is expected of them.
“We’ve all taken the chance of being labeled ‘crazy, starving artists’ because we have a passion for what we do,” Ghering said. “We have something to say to the world through our art, and sometimes that means we must ‘run with scissors.’ “
The 14 students’ work includes mixed media, oil on canvas, acrylic on canvas, printmaking, stained glass, watercolor, graphic design and sculpture.
In addition to Ghering, students with work in the show are Aubri Azzarito, Denise Burningham, Nicole Best, Gregg Claussen, Hannah Hackbarth, Lucas Huey, Tanya Johnson, Anne Langley, Caitlin Michaelis, Marco Tulluck, Crystal Walker, Shelly Williams and one artist who prefers to be known as “Student X.”
An opening reception is Tuesday from 5 to 7 p.m. in the Fine Arts Building. The free show runs through May 14. Gallery hours are Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information call 777-3258.
American Indian artists at Tinman
Nationally known artists Kevin Red Star (Crow), Chessney Sevier (Araphoe) and Jackie Sevier (Araphoe) will be at the Tinman Gallery on Friday for the closing reception of “Native American Painters.”
The group show also features the work of award-winning artists George Flett (Spokane) and Terrance Guardipee (Blackfeet).
Red Star is traveling from Roberts, Mont., Jackie Sevier from Nebraska and Chessney Sevier from Wyoming.
“I am thrilled that painters of this stature are willing to travel to Spokane,” says gallery owner Sue Bradley.
The closing reception, featuring flute music by Loren Swan, is Friday from 5 to 8 p.m. at the gallery, 811 W. Garland Ave.
Other galleries
• The featured artist during April at the North West Artist’s Co-op gallery is Mark Frates. He does a variety of crystal hangings, jewelry and wood craft. The gallery, 217 Sherman Ave. in Coeur d’Alene, is open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Call (208) 667-1414 with questions.