On the first Thursday of every month, hundreds head to Pioneer Square to check out the latest art shows.
Seattle’s oldest neighborhood is home to dozens of galleries, and the First Thursday Art Walk is when they often showcase new exhibits from 6 to 8 p.m.
First Thursday parking is free from 5 – 10 p.m. at Frye Garage (117 Third Ave. S.) and Butler Garage (114 James St.). To redeem, pick up a voucher at participating Pioneer Square stores, restaurants or galleries.
Here are a few shows you may want to check out on March 1.
“Portraiture” at Foster/White gallery
From the gallery: “Foster/White brings together a selection of artists who use portraiture to examine a diverse range of subjects including cultural identity, societal acceptance and self-definition. The participating artists include Alia Ali, Erin Armstrong, Carlos Donjuan and Julia Lambright. Lambright mines the past for images, ideas and symbols relating to self and society. Ali uses photography and textile to comment upon boundaries and exclusion, both conceptual and tangible. Donjuan uses his own personal narrative as a first generation American to address perceptions of immigration and acceptance. Armstrong deliberately avoids strict lines and barriers in her work so that her subjects can exist in the space between dream and reality.”
WHAT: “Portraiture”
WHEN: Runs until March 24
WHERE: Foster/White Gallery, 220 Third Ave. S.
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“Dianne Kornberg: The Lore Which Nature Brings” and “Anne Petty: Basic Needs” at Prographica/KDR
From the gallery: “‘The Lore Which Nature Brings’ is Kornberg’s second collaboration with poet Elisabeth Frost. Dianne Kornberg is a Pacific Northwest photographer. For fifteen years, the subjects of her work were laboratory specimens collected for scientific study. Kornberg and Frost explore the imagery of bird nests and combine the visuals with poetry about nesting. ‘Basic Needs’ is a series of new paintings by Anne Petty depicting scenes of solitary women in the wilderness. As the exhibition title suggests, ‘Basic Needs’ refers to the investigation of each of her subjects as they navigate through existential questions and their untamed environments.”
WHAT: “Dianne Kornberg: The Lore Which Nature Brings” & “Anne Petty: Basic Needs”
WHEN: Runs until March 31
WHERE: Prographica/KDR 313 Occidental Avenue S.
“Figuring History: Robert Colescott, Kerry James Marshall, Mickalene Thomas” at Seattle Art Museum (SAM)
If you don’t mind traveling a little farther away from Pioneer Square, SAM’s newest show “Figuring History” is worth the extra steps. The show brings together the works of three contemporary artists offering bold perspectives on Black culture and representation.
From the gallery: “The work of Colescott, Marshall and Thomas challenges a Western painting tradition that historically erases or misrepresents people of color. While each artist’s paintings are distinctive in style, subject matter and the historic moments they reference, collectively they critique and redefine mainstream narratives of history and representation. At the heart of these artists’ portrayals are material and cultural histories centered on Black experiences and perspectives. Organized by SAM, the exhibition comprises 25 large-scale paintings on loan from institutions and collections across the country.”
WHAT: “Figuring History: Robert Colescott, Kerry James Marshall, Mickalene Thomas”
WHEN: Runs until May 13
WHERE: Seattle Art Museum, 1300 First Ave.
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