Friday roundup: DK recommends 6 FREE art events in Seattle + 1 in Vancouver BC

Braids, 1979, Andrew Wyeth. Now showing at SAM.

For this week, here’s what looks interesting to us—

Andrew Wyeth at SAM Seattle Art Museum just yesterday opened a show of remarkable quality (I’m sure, I haven’t been yet but I am soooo excited about it). One of my favorite artists, Andrew Wyeth, died this winter. Seven of Wyeth’s pieces are on display now at Seattle Art Museum. Exciting! The show, called Andrew Wyeth: Remembrance, runs through October 18. “SAM pays tribute to Andrew Wyeth (1917–2009). Says SAM: “Paintings from private collections, otherwise never on public view, allow visitors to gain an appreciation for Wyeth’s choice of subjects and his brilliant manner of execution.” Can’t wait to see this!
TOMORROW! Artopia. In case you missed the cover of the Seattle Weekly, the paper and Georgetown are co-hosting Artopia on Saturday, June 27 from 2 to 10pm. Billed an “annual celebration of all local innovative art and emerging talent,” it seems it’ll be quite a mix. On the streets, parking lots, alleyways, artist lofts, and warehouses of Georgetown. More info: Artopiaseattle.com
TOMORROW! Capitol Hill Pride Festival 2009 From 11am to 4pm you can find a spot on Broadway between E. John and Harrison Street to park yourself for Pride Parade. Colorful and zany, this is a good time. If you miss it, there’s a Sunday one that’s bigger downtown, starting at 11am also but at 4th and Union. The Sunday parade goes to Denny Way. Here’s a nice blurb about Pride weekend in the Seattle Times.
TOMORROW! Reception for outdoor sculpture show at Carkeek Park. City groups and CoCA are co-sponsors of this temporary sculpture installation by a group of artists to show in Carkeek Park, which turns 80 tomorrow, too! The theme for the show is “Heaven and Earth,” in which artists created pieces based on their ideas of art and nature in a world of change. Carkeek is one of Seattle’s premier urban forests: Sunset Magazine recently named it #3 among America’s top 10 urban parks. A reception is set for Saturday, June 27, from 3 to 5pm at the Environmental Learning Center at Carkeek Park, which is located at 950 NW Carkeek Park Rd. Entry and parking are free. The park’s 80th birthday party starts just before that, at 1pm.
Quiet Society at Form/Space Paul Pauper’s Belltown gallery Form/Space Atelier, which featured DK’s own drawings in May and part of June, is an interesting space showing this month a second consecutive show recommended by The Stranger. We’re very curious about this one. Artist Shannon Barry studied in the atelier of Mark Kang-O’Higgins at the Gage Academy of Art, which we checked out last week at their “Best of Gage” show. And liked. A lot. An old school art school means delinking from all things technology and blips. It means slowing down and sinking into the canvas and the paint and the moment, feeling the art being born. That’s me talking. This is from a press release: “This series is called The Quiet Society because the central characters, despite their different surroundings, all share a common relaxed state.” Show runs thru July 5. More info: FormSpaceAtelier.com
Rapture of the Deep. Pioneer Square’s Platform Gallery is showing some cool-looking images of mountaineering. Eight of Stephen Hilyard’s digitally manipulated landscapes make up “Rapture of the Deep.” Shown here is Joe, Everest NE Ridge 1982, 2009, inkjet print on panel, 53.6 in x 29.5 in, edition of 5. Here’s what the gallerist says about the show: “The series deals with the glamour of risk as personified by eight famous British mountaineers from the 70s and 80s, a golden age of high altitude mountaineering which made many of them national media figures. Growing up, these men were the artist’s heroes—and they all died in the mountains. Each piece in the series is named for one of them, along with the location of his death.” Thru July 31. More information: Platform Gallery
The one in Vancouver, B.C.Vermeer! at Vancouver Art Gallery!!! The show’s official title is “Vermeer, Rembrandt and the Golden Age of Dutch Art: Masterpieces from The Rijksmuseum.” This exhibition highlights extraordinary works of art made during the seventeenth century in the Netherlands, a period known as the Golden Age. Paintings by the masters of the Golden Age, as well as an outstanding selection of drawings and decorative arts testify to the artistic sophistication achieved during this period, providing a fascinating glimpse into the daily life of this vibrant, urbane and remarkably wealthy new society.” Celebrated artists such as Rembrandt van Rijn, Frans Hals and Gerard Ter Borch created portraits that capture in fine detail the lavish clothing, jewellery and ornate interiors of their patrons. With keen observation, artists Karel du Jardin, Adriaen van Ostade and Johannes Vermeer depicted their own well-appointed studios or created self-portraits, reflecting the rising status of the artist in Dutch society. And there’s more.
I love, love, love Vancouver Art Gallery. I was there for the Dali show. Actually, I went specifically to see this show. And am really keen to go back to Vancouver to check out these paintings. When I see shows like this, I am greatly moved. And inspired. And feel lucky to not have to go all the way to Italy to see a well-curated collection of masterpieces all under one roof. Yum!

Free on Tuesday evenings from 5 to 9pm (thanks to a special tip from a museum employee who stamped MEMBER on my wrist when I balked at the CAN $20.50 admission fee). Runs through September 13. More info: Vancouver Art Gallery

Did we miss something?

I know there is plenty out there, so let me know if you think there’s something special going on this weekend or into the summer that you think we ought to include.

Last week DK did our first roundup of local free art events. All part and parcel of our research to find design inspiration. And see what’s going on.

Should I make this a regular “column,” do you think?