Lila Jarzombek

I’ve been thinking about these paintings lately. Lila Jarzombek, Untitled Series, 2008. Jen Graves liked them too.

You have 8 more days to see the MFA exhibition.

Listen to Misrach now and see “On the Beach” in October

Listen up! Public Radio International show “Studio 360 with Kurt Anderson” aired a conversation between Misrach and Sarah Lilley on May 23.

Richard Misrach’s On the Beach opens at the Henry this October after showing at the National Gallery of Art.

Untitled #172, 2004
© Richard Misrach from On The Beach (Aperture, 2007) Courtesy Fraenkel Gallery, San Francisco, Marc Selwyn Fine Art, Los Angeles and Pace/MacGill Gallery, New York

Picture of the day brought to you by MFA Evan Blackwell

My work aims to rearrange the idea of the ordinary through the reinvention of the function and context of everyday, utilitarian objects and materials.

Evan Blackwell’s site here.

Evan Blackwell, Crystallization of the Moment. 2008 Straws, zip ties, mylar, acrylic, steel, wood, and monofilament. 10 x 17 x 10 feet big

Julie Alpert’s Three Dimensional Painting

Julie Alpert’s MFA piece, Questioning the fabric of reality using formal considerations of painting and drawing, 2008 resembles a disfigured stage set. Five platforms are the underpinnings of the installation and ground her visual exploration of illusionism. In the Henry MFA ArtCast, Alpert talks about the ways her passion for theater, film, and painting have culminated in an exploration of the ways that people suspend disbelief though seeking experiences that internally transport them out of reality. Her interview is second in the podcast episode, load it on to your MP3 player and check into Alpert’s reality for a few minutes. Regina Hackett’s Art To Go review and comments here (the first one is stellar).

Julie Alpert, “Questioning the Fabric of of Reality Using Formal Considerations of Painting and Drawing,” detail, 2008

2008 MFA ArtCast! Fantastical Imaginings, Emergent Transitions

Fantastical Imaginings, Emergent Transitions: Conversations with the MFA Students of 2008

The annual Master of Fine Arts student exhibition showcases the culmination of graduates’ work at the University of Washington’s School of Art. This year from May 17 – June 15, 2008, 19 artists working in ceramics, fibers, metals, photography, sculpture, painting and drawing, are on display in the North Galleries. This Henry ArtCast features interviews hosted by Kira Randolph, Communications Student Assistant, in conversation with 10 artists about their creative processes, inspiration, and graduate studies. These students are: Nicki Sucec, Julie Alpert, Keeara Rhoades, Zack Bent, Allison Quemere, Molly Epstein, Jason Loik, Rachel de Conde, Susanne Lechler Osborn, and Noah Grossgott. Click here to access the website.

Wild, raging, artistic community fun!

Last Friday was the MFA 2008 Community Celebration and I’ve never seen the Henry so packed. The North Galleries were virtually shoulder-to-shoulder full and the line to spend a few quiet moments in Nicki Sucec’s Home Is The Most Import Place In The World, 2008 snaked across the floor alongside Alicia Basinger’s Tracing Time.

The photograph below gives you a glimpse of one of the memorial tags that Sucec has hand crafted to honor over 200 individuals that have died living on the streets of Seattle since the year 2000. The installation structure is made of four box springs, and a red sleeping bag draped across the top creates a warm glow as you enter. Inside, a four minute audio loop from court hearings about encampment sweeps is playing.

Nicki talks about her experience creating this artwork on the MFA podcast that I am uploading tomorrow and later this month Jamey Summa is launching the Henry’s first videocast, which will have footage of the installation. Photograph courtesy of Nicki Sucec.

“Cavallo’s proposal is both bold and beautiful”

Cornish College of the Art’s Art & Design BFA Show, which closed last week preceded our MFA show at the Henry (on through June 15). Rachel Cavallo, 2008 BFA at Cornish AND Henry Art Gallery gallery attendant wins the award for the superstar review from The Stranger.

Her design for an Islamic Refugee Camp inspired Charles Mudede to write: “I found her installation exceptional because it has as its concern a current international crisis—refugees in the Middle and Near East. Cavallo, an interior designer, proposes a flexible, cheap, and modern architecture for refugees who follow the path and laws of Islam, [her] . . . proposal is both bold and beautiful.” Congrats Rachel! Read the full article here.

Photo from Charles Mudede’s “H(e)aven: In a Strong Cornish Show, a Design for Islamic Refugees” in The Stranger, May 21, 2008.

3 days and counting

That’s right, 3 days and counting until the MFA 2008 Community Celebration this Friday! This is the first artwork you will see as you enter the North Galleries rotunda. It seems fitting that Fred Muram, 2007 MFA grad photographed this work by Noah Grussgott, Primary Institution, 2008, Manufactured play cubes, steel, acrylic, hardware. Courtesy of the artist, photo: Fred Muram.

The MFAs are Coming: Spotlight on Alicia Basinger

The Master of Fine Arts 2008 Community Celebration is just around the corner. FYI: Friday, May 23 at 7pm, everyone is invited, be there or be square. 19 students + ceramics, fibers, metals, painting, drawing, photography, and sculpture = 45 pieces that represent the culmination of each artist’s creative process over the course of their degree. In anticipation of the opening this Saturday, today and throughout the exhibition, hankblog is spotlighting different artists with images of their artworks, beginning with Alicia Basinger:

Basinger had her first solo museum at the Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland as a Wendy L. Moore Emerging Artist Series recipient in 2005. She has a BFA in ceramics with a minor in glass. She has four pieces in MFA 2008, pictured below is Ripe. 2008. Balloons, acrylic, and water. Courtesy of the artist.

P.S. – If I was in Seattle then I would definitely participate in this

As a museum studies nerd I get excited about institutional mission statements. The best ones (in my opinion) are memorable, snappy, and succinct. For example, “The Henry Art Gallery delivers a direct experience of the art of our time.” Mission statements are intended to be every museums’ northern star, they are the defining words for decision-making about exhibitions, programmings, and community partnerships, amongst other things. One component of the Henry Art Gallery’s mission statement is to serve as “a catalyst for the creation of new work that inspires and challenges.” The Henry does a great job fulfilling this mission in lots of ways, from exhibitions like Dawn Cerny: We’re all going to die (except for you)., to the annual Master of Fine Arts show next month, and through programs and events such as Open Floor tomorrow night, Tuesday, April 29 at 7pm.

Open Floor, as I understand it, emerged from a desire by the Henry staff to foster spontaneous, collaborative, artistic expression by providing a venue for a variety of creative Happenings (to borrow a term coined in 1957 by Alan Kaprow). I am loosely using this word because the first description that I read of open floor reminds me of 18 Happenings in 6 Parts (1959). Read this and let me know if you think it sounds reminiscent:

“Part artist survey, part lecture, part sing-along, part belly of the beast, each month Henry Staff, local artists, musicians, performers, and filmmakers present work with the hope of generating new creative relationships. As its title suggests, Open Floor encourages the release of whatever vibrancy you may have swirling in your chest. Discussion is appropriate. Debate seems necessary. Random shouting is required.”

Anyway, check it out (then share the love with me). The topic for tomorrow is Generative Creativity and Performance, more info from Betsey here.