Have you been keeping up with this season of Cascade PBS’s Black Arts Legacies? They’ve rolled out eight incredible profiles; earlier we shared the one of Gwendolyn Knight Lawrence, but you won’t want to miss the ones of DJ Riz Rollins, painter Moses Sun, glass artist Debra Moore, and more.
“The four curators are giving space to 17 contemporary artists whose work is often excluded in the context of collections like the Haub. ‘The art of the American West is not static,’ [curator Faith] Brower says. ‘There are many artists creating work that will further our understanding and deepen our connections to this iconic region.’”
“How an Artist Became the Queen of Baltimore”: Aruna D’Souza of The New York Times spends the day in Baltimore with Joyce J. Scott on the occasion of her career retrospective, which is co-organized by BAM and SAM and travels to Seattle this fall.
“She sees her life as an artist as modeling for others another way of being and living,” said Catharina Manchanda, a curator at the Seattle Art Museum. “She has an incredibly strong conviction that every artwork has a role in bringing people together and offering people an opportunity to learn together, but she also models a whole new way of being an artist within a community. It’s not as much a career for her as a way of life.”
The Seattle Times staff recommends “8 essential things to do during summer in Seattle,” including a visit to the Olympic Sculpture Park, especially during Summer at SAM. The annual free series of performances, tours, and activities takes place every Thursday night and Saturday morning between July 11 and August 11.
“She loved the tactile experience of throwing clay on a wheel and was hooked on creating, pushing the limits of clay and taking inspiration from her classmates.”
“Time and again, Scott’s colorful creations stare down histories of racism, classism, and sexism with steely eyes and an impish grin. She takes a pointed and playful approach to bracing subject matter, the small-mindedness and absurdity of which she exposes as abhorrent and just plain dumb.”
Artist Anida Yoeu Ali was interviewed for KUOW about “the fabulousness of being a Muslim woman” and her performance work, which is now on view in Hybrid Skin, Mythical Presence at the Seattle Asian Art Museum through July 7.
“The past, present and future of art is powerfully and inextricably linked with the creative contributions of LGBTQ+ artists who have used art for self-expression, advocacy and social critique.”
“Just like Fela, I believe that my career has proven that the audiences will always look to the artist to lead, to expand their experience with new presentations or renewals of old fare. When encountering objects, I think of what they can do and what has not been explored yet, and try to explore it. Freedom has a lot to do with it.”
Tune in: Anida Yoeu Ali was interviewed by Gregory Scruggs of Monocle Radio about her performance works now on view in Hybrid Skin, Mythical Presence at the Seattle Asian Art Museum. (Tip: Her segment starts about 31 minutes into the show.) You can see her as The Red Chador alongside her rainbow brigade on Saturday, June 1 across all three SAM sites!
“My gestures are the heart shake…and then sometimes I just bow to them as the Red Chador, just completely humble myself and offer a bow…that is always very well received and it sort of disarms a moment, too, when they see that I’m offering you a moment of reverence and a peaceful gesture.”
“The installation is a stunning illustration of Serra’s belief that sculpture wasn’t meant to be passively viewed but felt by moving through it. Here, let the undulating steel waves, at once tender and imposing, wash over you.”
Summer season is upon us: For Fodor’s, Sydney Baker has “The Perfect 5-Day Seattle Itinerary”; Baker recommends CityPASS for all your attraction needs, including a downtown day that includes the Seattle Art Museum. And Amanda Teague for The Manual has “4 reasons why Seattle is Kayak’s No. 1 summer travel destination,” including a shout-out for SAM.
“Museums changed that for Baugher. She writes in a literary style known as Ekphrastic poetry: a poetic response to the emotions a piece of art brings. Using language as a tool to bridge the visual and the verbal, allowing the poet to capture their response to the artwork in a way we can all understand.”
For the ones who read the labels: Richard Whiddington for Artnet on English archaeologist Leonard Woolley’s excavation of the ancient Mesopotamian city of Ur and what he found in 1925.
“The clue that indicated that Woolley had uncovered a Neo-Babylonian museum was the presence of artifact labels. Each object corresponded to a small clay cylinder that boasted inscriptions in four languages explaining the object, its context, and its history.”
Happy AANHPI Month! Every May, the United States recognizes the generations of Asian and Pacific Islanders who have enriched and influenced American history with Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage (AANHPI) Month. To celebrate, we caught up with Simon Tran, SAM Manager of Public Engagement at the Seattle Asian Art Museum, about his journey to SAM, what he’s working on right now, his goals for the growth of Asian art programming at the museum, and more!
Explore artworks from across Asia and the Pacific Islands by planning a visit to the Seattle Asian Art Museum or Seattle Art Museum. Click here to join our mailing list and stay up to date on future programs at all three SAM locations.
SAM: We would love to hear about your journey to SAM and the work that you do here.
SIMON TRAN: It’s been such an unexpected but thrilling full-circle moment! I began my SAM journey in 2016 as one of the first Emerging Arts Leader interns, immediately after graduating from college. I learned a lot about how art institutions can and should partner with education-based organizations—schools and universities—to develop engaging community-oriented programs. After the conclusion of my internship, I spent four years in Chicago, mostly working in public radio. During that time, I cultivated a deep interest in community-based programming and public engagement. Public radio is similar to art museums: So many diverse communities (can) engage with them, but oftentimes these populations feel excluded from the narrative. Before accepting my current role at SAM, I spent a year in Vietnam teaching English on a Fulbright grant, learning how to plan lessons and engage excited, young learners. I’m always trying to find spaces and opportunities where I can build better community coalitions and increase art access. Museums in particular can feel a bit culturally intimidating to some audiences, and I’m hoping to use public engagement as a vehicle to make museums more inviting and mutually participatory.
Simon Tran attends a tour of the Olympic Sculpture Park led by Emerging Arts Leader Intern Sorel Nica.
SAM: What are you working on right now that you’re excited about?
TRAN: The Seattle Art Museum is the largest institution I’ve ever worked at, so it’s been interesting to learn about its goals and existing programs. At the Gardner Center for Asian Art and Ideas, there’s been a rich history of lectures on Asian art and scholarship, and that’s something we want to continue. I’m excited to organize the 2024–2025 season of SAM’s Saturday University Lecture Series kicking off this fall, with scholarly perspectives from Latin America, Bhutan, Mongolia, and the Philippines. Asia as a continent is so vast, and there are so many histories, stories, and cultures that we can represent in our academic programming. I’m hoping to increase the visibility of certain voices that aren’t always reflected in this scholarship.
I’m also excited to plan and execute two upcoming editions of SAM Open House at the Asian Art Museum, activating existing and new partnerships cultivated by SAM’s Public Engagement, Education, and Family Programs teams. SAM Open House is a recurring series that invites the whole community to the museum for a free evening of fun and learning after our usual daytime hours. These events will also highlight the exquisite artworks on view in the museum’s upcoming exhibition Meot: Korean Art from the Frank Bayley Collection.
SAM: What are a few of your favorite memories at SAM so far?
TRAN: I’ve only been in this role for nine months, but I’ve already made so many amazing memories. Here are just a few of the highlights:
In February, I collaborated with Foong Ping, SAM Foster Foundation Curator of Chinese Art, to present “Tides of Times: A Conversation on Maritime Asia in Art and Trade.” This roundtable took place at the Seattle Art Museum and offered visitors an incredible opportunity to witness Ping’s brilliant scholarship and dedication to Asian art.
In March, I had the privilege of introducing Seattle audiences to the work of Nepalese artist Tsherin Sherpa. He spoke about his extraordinary work of fusing traditional thangka painting with contemporary influences. If you missed the conversation, you can watch it here!
Later in March, Anida Yoeu Ali transformed into The Buddhist Bug in the galleries of her ongoing solo exhibition Hybrid Skin, Mythical Presence at the Seattle Asian Art Museum. The museum welcomed over 1,000 visitors that day—it also coincided with Ramadan!
Artist Anida Yoeu Ali interacts with museum visitors as The Buddhist Bug in March 2024.A performer dances at SAM Open House at the Seattle Asian Art Museum in October 2023.
SAM: What short- and long-term goals do you have for programming at the Seattle Asian Art Museum?
TRAN: The Seattle Asian Art Museum is finally starting to feel like more of itself. For years, the museum was closed for remodeling and its grand reopening was cut short after just one month by the COVID-19 pandemic.; I’m still learning the history of the museum and the Gardner Center for Asian Art and Ideas—the legacy programs, past partnerships, challenges, etc. This fall, we’re excited to relaunch the film program, which will center on Asian films from different eras and genres. Film is an accessible medium, and we’re hoping to draw connections between the films and artworks in our galleries! I am also hoping to reinvigorate the community partners around Volunteer Park and Seattle. I know that there are so many organizations doing tremendous work around the city, and we have the responsibility to leverage our resources and bring BIPOC groups and audiences to the museum. Establishing a robust list of organizations that we can consistently communicate and/or partner with is my ultimate goal. The Seattle Asian Art Museum can always better serve and represent the public, and I hope I can help other institutions and organizations to coordinate with one another in a manner that’s more beneficial for us all.
SAM: Why is it essential for spaces such as the Seattle Asian Art Museum, and programming devoted to exploring Asian art and culture, to exist?
TRAN: I think about how most people know a bit about Western art and can name at least a few Western artists, but we’re often not taught much about Asian art. As an Asian American, I was really inspired to know that there are many cultural institutions—including the Seattle Asian Art Museum—in Seattle that have showcased Asian art for decades. Having a space dedicated to Asian art helps demystify what we think of Asian art, and it allows all types of audiences to understand and notice its histories and complexities. Not everyone will have the chance to visit Asia themselves, but I love that the Asian Art Museum is dedicated to making itself accessible for people to grow, to appreciate, and even become inspired by Asian art. Seattle has such a rich history of being a home to Asian people and cultures, and I’m excited to find ways to bridge AANHPI communities to come to the Seattle Asian Art Museum through our varied programming.
I’m really hoping that young people, especially other Asian Americans, feel at home at the Seattle Asian Art Museum, both as a place to draw inspiration and build moments with their fellow community members.
SAM staff members attend a tour led by Emerging Arts Leader Sorel Nica at the Olympic Sculpture Park.
SAM: SAM employs a Manager of Public Engagement at each of its three sites. How do you collaborate with the managers for the Seattle Art Museum and Olympic Sculpture Park to ensure that AANHPI stories are being represented across all three sites?
TRAN: This is the first professional experience I’ve had where the organization operates across multiple sites. It can be easy to just focus on my work at the Seattle Asian Art Museum, but I’ve thoroughly enjoyed and relied on the creativity and strengths that my other colleagues bring.
Jesse Jimenez manages public engagement at the Seattle Art Museum, and they bring a foundational knowledge of art history and working at museums. I marvel at their commitment to long-term impact, pay equity, and improving systems, as well as how they purposely move away from the standard lecture/presentation models in event programming. Heaven Quiban manages public engagement at the Olympic Sculpture Park, and is so passionate and skilled at sustaining robust community partnerships, particularly around underrepresented and grassroots communities. Her ability to foster complex event series that bring together art, healing, and other forms of creative expression is indomitable and contagious.
The three of us talk a lot about improving processes at SAM and how we can better include historically excluded groups in the work that we do. Not only have they both worked at SAM longer than I have, but they’ve also both worked at museums before. Luckily for me, they are generous with their time and expertise. They continuously show up to help at my events, and are happy to connect me with artists and groups I could bring to the Asian Art Museum.
Foong Ping, SAM Foster Foundation Curator of Chinese Art addresses museum visitors in “Tides of Times: A Conversation on Maritime Asia in Art and Trade” in February 2024.
SAM: The Gardner Center for Asian Art and Ideas is celebrating its 15th birthday in 2024. How has the center evolved in that time?
TRAN: The Gardner Center for Asian Art and Ideas has a legacy of shaping how Asian art and culture is reflected and able to engage a broad range of audiences. In the past, the Center has organized yoga classes, performances, and interesting lectures and presentations. I’m hoping to extend that legacy by continuing to create a unique space for audience members to deepen their understanding and appreciation of Asian art and culture. Audiences today can look forward to intersectional cultural performances, creative programs that bring in dance, drag, poetry, and storytelling, as well as a heightened activation of the galleries and programs inspired by the exhibitions. We’re aiming to bring more voices and perspectives within the Asian diaspora to our museum and more visibly centered in the work we do.
SAM: SAM’s collection includes nearly 25,000 works of art. What’s one artwork from the collection on view right now that resonates with you? Why?
TRAN: I am obsessed with the Tomb guardian of Lokapala. It’s serving drama, strength, and killing evil spirits! Its static pose tells a hundred stories.
But on a serious note, this piece of artwork is so rich in detail and folklore. I love how iconography can signify questions about the afterlife, and how central mythical subjects were and are to Asian culture. It’s a mixture of spirituality, mystery, and science—Lokapala is a figure of cardinal directions. There are other Lokapala figures at the Asian Art Museum, ranging from different regions, eras, and made of different materials. There’s no “correct” interpretation of the same figure, and I find myself in awe when admiring each of the artworks.
Celebrate Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month by supporting one of these AANHPI small businesses and/or attending one of these upcoming events.
mam’s books The only independent Asian American bookstore in Seattle and the entire Pacific Northwest, mam’s books brings rejuvenating and community-centered programs like book readings, film screenings, community gatherings, dance parties, and so much more.
On Sunday, May 19, mam’s books will host a screening of the documentary short Made in Cambodia. The film follows contemporary artists in Cambodia, where an explosion of creativity, vibrance, and genius is currently taking place. Through the artists’ own voices, we learn about the state of the arts, what inspires them, and what it’s like to be an artist in Cambodia today. The event will begin at 1 pm with an art sale featuring works by the artists in the documentary with the screening beginning at 2 pm. Stick around from 2 to 3:30 pm for a live Q&A with the filmmakers.
Wing Luke Museum Located in Seattle’s International District and established in 1967, the Wing Luke Museum has a legacy of highlighting local artists and vendors through community-driven programs. The museum is a Smithsonian Institution affiliate and the only pan-Asian Pacific American community-based museum in the United States.
Attend the second annual Spring Market on Saturday, May 25 in the museum’s Community Hall to meet local AANHPI artisans, creatives, and vendors. Local businesses and artists Melted Porcelain, Heliaki Co, and Roldy Aguero Ablao will all be in attendance and visitors can participate in a free lei-making art activity presented by community partner United Territories of Pacific Islanders Alliance Washington.
Amy Tan: The Backyard Bird Chronicles Amy Tan is the author of several novels including The Joy Luck Club, The Bonesetter’s Daughter, and most recently, The Backyard Bird Chronicles. On Wednesday, May 29, the Seattle Public Library, in partnership with Elliott Bay Book Company, will welcome Tan to the Central Library as she shares stories and images from her latest book.
The Backyard Bird Chronicles maps the passage of time through daily entries, thoughtful questions, and gorgeous original sketches. With boundless charm and wit, Tan charts her foray into birding and the natural wonders of the world. is a gorgeous, witty account of birding, nature, and the beauty around us that hides in plain sight.
Since the debut of Hybrid Skin, Mythical Presencein January, visitors to the Seattle Asian Art Museum have been enthralled by Anida Yoeu Ali’s dynamic performance-based artworks. Now, we speak with the Tacoma-based international artist with the activation of The Buddhist Bug behind her and the activation of The Red Chador taking place on Saturday, June 1.
SAM: Something that connects The Buddhist Bug and The Red Chador is their incredible visual impact that sparks immediate curiosity and delight: the humor and vivid color of the bug and the entrancing sequins of the chadors in all colors of the rainbow. Is this an artistic strategy?
ANIDA YOEU ALI: I know people in general don’t expect to see my specific Asiatic face, with its stoic countenance—which I have inherited from my mother and grandmother—as the visage of The Buddhist Bug or The Red Chador. I’m interested in hypervisibility and an acknowledgement of my presence. I tend to place my body in colors that evoke some kind of joy and pleasure or an infusion of “fabulousness.” For me, performance allows for a magic of reinventing the self and projecting a larger-than-life persona that isn’t imprisoned by oppressive representations. There’s an awareness of the spectacle and ultimately a power in reclaiming the gaze, which has trapped and dehumanized so many of us and our communities.
SAM: You’ve said that the sculptural garments are “artifacts” when not being performed. Tell us about the exhibition space experience you’ve hoped to create for visitors to the museum.
ALI: Many of my installations, whether wearable garments or otherwise, require activation in which the live body completes the artwork. My art form is performance-installation where meters and meters of textile act as skin, as a way for the surface of my body to extend into public spaces, and as a metaphoric device for stories to spread across an expanse. But those stories aren’t literal or spoken; they are experienced through performances and encounters. The audience will need to do the hard work of figuring out what all this might mean to them: personally, politically, and/or spiritually.
I want visitors to pay attention to the encounter they are having with the colors on the walls, the colors of the textile, the highlighted text quotations, the artifacts of performance through exhibited videos, photographs, and installations. In the end, visitors will feel something and they might even be provoked.
SAM: It turns out that The Buddhist Bug and The Red Chador have both been performed at least 16 times. What new discoveries have you made as you’ve enacted the works at different times and places around the world?
ALI: As a performance artist, I put my body into public spaces and take on people’s reactions and responses. If my work provokes, then that means people are not only thinking but they are feeling. I create out of feelings and I want others to feel as well. With every live performance, my body is so publicly accessible that I must engage in a lot of visualization and meditative activities in preparation for a worst-case-scenario situation. However, what grounds me is knowing that someone will be positively affected, whether it’s the ability to bring warmth and smiles to them for a brief moment or offering something unexpected that they will think about beyond the live moment. For me, in every location around the world children and youth have responded with the most joy, curiosity, and genuine wonder. Children have disarmed rare situations in which adult reactions have been alarming or hurtful.
SAM: And what are you excited about for the upcoming performance of The Red Chador on June 1?
ALI: Because my works are more known outside of the US context, I am excited to finally bring this epic performance to the Seattle area. There’s a freedom I feel with performing in public spaces and enacting fantastical/mythical heroines that’s extremely powerful and necessary. All I want to do is to be able to offer people inside and outside my communities an opportunity to witness, engage, and experience a glimpse of the world that I have worked so rigorously to hone.
– Rachel Eggers, SAM Associate Director of Public Relations
This article first appeared in the February through May 2024 edition of SAM Magazine and has been edited for our online readers. Become a SAM member today to receive our quarterly magazine delivered directly to your mailbox and other exclusive member perks!
“It feels like a never-ending labyrinth of discovery; ducking into each room reveals something exciting, with pieces juxtaposed against each other, such as a swirling bronze sculpture by Gerard Tsutakawa placed near work by Ann Hamilton made from deconstructed books.”
“That, in the end, is the message of Gibson’s art: Everything is multifaceted. His over-the-top aesthetic is a joyful revolt against the reductiveness of fixed categories and the pressure he’s felt, both externally and internally, to always show up on behalf of Native Americans.”
“Ali’s presence is thrilling and completely engrossing: what will these colorful entities do next? Where will they go? Where can they go?”
Check this out: Last week, The Seattle Seahawks and Delta Airlines visited the Seattle Art Museum to surprise Yaoyao Liu, SAM Manager of School & Educator Programs, naming her a “Delta Community Captain” for making a difference with her work to support arts education.
Sarah Stackhouse for Seattle Magazine reports back from Visit Seattle’s annual meeting that the city of Seattle is “again the place to be,” with an increase in visitors nearing pre-pandemic levels.
“Narrowed at the base of what might be the prow and stern, the five rusted steel forms seem to move as a flotilla, impossibly balanced as a giant ship on water — how does it stay afloat?”
“I’m an artist-craftsperson. I don’t separate them. I’m always doing both. It’s the same impulse, the same creative feeling or setting that makes me make a cup and makes me make a piece of sculpture. There’s not a hierarchy that I ascribe to.”
“Jaune Quick-to-See Smith (citizen of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Nation) has been a force in the art world for over five decades, creating deeply impactful work and opening doors for the increasing recognition of contemporary art by Native Americans.”
And don’t miss Elizabeth Hunter’s “mother-daughter review” of the exhibition for Seattle’s Child, featuring insights from Smith, reflections on the works on view, and tips for how to make the most of a museum visit with your family.
Spring is here, and so is a new edition of The Stranger’s Art and Performance Magazine featuring a dazzling Anida Yoeu Ali on the cover. Inside the magazine—which you can pick up around the city—catch the interview with Ali that covers “absurdity, grief, the diasporic dilemma, cosmogonies, and Dune.” (Jaune Quick-to-See Smith: Memory Map is also among the mag’s recommendations.)
“The collection—which spans more than six centuries and contains prime examples of Western art history—will serve as a resource for students, faculty and art enthusiasts across the city, said Seattle University President Eduardo Peñalver. ‘I think it’s a win-win for Seattle University and for Seattle,’ he said.”
Inter/National News
The New York Times sends a chorus of three critics—Jason Farago, Travis Diehl, Martha Schwendener—to the Whitney Biennial.
“In a press interview regarding the new display, Musée Picasso President Cécile Debray noted that Gilot was at last ‘being given her rightful place as an artist’ at the Parisian institution through this special exhibition of her work.”
Every March, the United States recognizes women’s past and present contributions to society with Women’s History Month. On International Women’s Day on Friday, March 8, we took to social media to highlight the five ongoing and upcoming solo SAM exhibitions by remarkable contemporary women artists. They include:
Now, our celebration of Women’s History Month continues with this round-up of five artworks by women artists you can currently see on view in SAM’s galleries. The five artworks discussed below represent only a few of the many works by women artists in SAM’s collection, but show the range of different techniques, subject matter, and ideas they bring to their art. Women have always been artists and craftspeople, but they have not always been celebrated or acknowledged for their contributions. Plan your next visit to the Seattle Art Museum to appreciate these artworks in person and learn more about the historical and contemporary artists who made them.
Yunarla, 2010 Yukultji Napangati
The precisely painted dots of Yunarlaform patterns and undulations that take on a meditative, entrancing quality. Curving lines radiate out from the central knot, suggestive of a topographic map in some ways, but also referring to the vines of the bush banana. Also called the silky pear vine, the bush banana (marsdenia australis) only grows in Australia and serves as food with edible fruit, roots, leaves, seeds and flowers. The name Yunarla also signifies a particular rockhole and soakage site where ancestral women camped to replenish their energy near these places in the desert where water is stored beneath the surface of the sand.
Yukultji Napangati (born ca. 1970) lived with her family in the Gibson Desert until 1984, when she and several others from her Pintupi tribe made contact with non-Indigenous Australians for the first time. The “Pintupi Nine” became a media sensation as a “lost tribe,” while they insisted they were not lost, as they were living as their ancestors had for millennia. While adjusting to culture shock, Napangati became aware of the Papunya Tula’s community art center, which established a thriving business for Australian Aboriginal people to create and sell their art in 1972. Women began painting in the mid-1990s, and Napangati quickly adopted the ethos of educating outsiders by conveying extensive knowledge about her community and culture through this restrained mark making. Don’t miss your chance to see this work in Honoring 50 Years of Papunya Tula Painting, which closes after April 14.
The First People, 2008 Susan Point
The First Peoplewas commissioned for the Seattle Art Museum and stands twelve feet tall, greeting visitors to the museum’s Native American art galleries. Prominent Northwest Coast artist Susan Point (born 1951) brings traditional Salish forms and techniques to contemporary and often public settings to share the history and culture of First Nation people. Point has been credited with single-handedly reviving a unique Salish style that laid dormant for nearly 100 years; she is among only a handful of Native female artists working in the media of woodcarving.
In this work, the eight faces connecting via flowing tendrils refer to the hereditary roots and extended families of the Salish people. These root-like forms also signify the fjords and meandering pathways that punctuate the traditional homelands of her own people, the Musqueam of the Fraser Delta in present-day Vancouver. These pathways are the lifelines that yield salmon and other foods for Salish people. Looking closely at the carving, we can see the perfectly smooth surface of the faces, in contrast to the visible chisel marks of the roots, both showcasing the natural beauty of the cedar wood itself, a material highly valued by First Peoples.
Dug Up from Kitchen Weeds, 2014 Ebony Patterson
In its barrage of color, pattern, and glittering textures, Dug Up from the Kitchen Weeds, on view in Remember the Rain, hides a more somber image. The black-and-white stripes at the center clothe a figure that is lying face down. Though this form is camouflaged within the pink floral background, rhinestones, and tropical birds and plants, it is also hypervisible. Once you notice the stripes, leopard print pants, and red shirt, you can’t overlook them.
Ebony Patterson (born 1981) cites bling funerals, an increasingly popular occurrence in Kingston, Jamaica, as a source of reference, as “the glitter and bling shines light on things.” These lavish celebrations held for working class people say, “You may not have noticed me when I was alive, but you will damn well see me before I leave.” Patterson is interested in bringing people on the margins into focus in her work—first by catching the eye with striking color and imagery, and then by asking viewers to look more closely and see what they find embedded within and protruding from the surface of her collages. Her aesthetic of ornamentation and ostentation often takes on qualities of both disguise and hypervisibility to engage with issues one might rather ignore, such as wealth disparity, high murder rates, and police-related deaths in Jamaica.
Codigo Desconhecido #5, 2015 Marilá Dardot
Marilá Dardot (born 1972) often works with text-based materials—including books, printed cards, and magazines—to explore ideas of language, communication, and memory. In Codigo Desconhecido #5(which translates to “unknown code”), books are cut down to their spines, rendering them illegible. Instead of reading and accessing the books’ knowledge, the viewer is left to see these books as objects or artifacts. Each book is cut or ripped to reveal its unique paper and binding materials rather than its words, making its structure but not its content visible.
This work, on view in SAM’s modern and contemporary art galleries, is part of a series that Dardot began during an artist’s residency in Vienna, when she was surrounded by books in a language she could not read. Words are powerful, but here she removes them and in doing so, opens up many avenues for interpretation. Dardot’s work plays with books as our main source and conduit of knowledge—questioning which stories get told or repressed, how translation and language can limit our understanding of others, and possibilities for political resistance on the page and outside of it.
The Sink, 1956 Joan Mitchell
The Sink(1956) is nearly ten feet in length; its size engulfs the viewer in a range of colors, textures, and feelings. Joan Mitchell (1925–1992) was an artist who used her memories, experiences, and environment as inspiration for her abstract works, seeking, in her own words, “to define a feeling.” The Sink, also on view in SAM’s modern and contemporary art galleries, is an abstracted landscape of sorts, with its pools of green and blue interrupted by swirls, drips, and jagged lines in yellow and red and interspersed with thick applications of white paint. Rather than capturing a strictly realistic image of nature, this painting seems more like a memory or impression of a place built up with emotive brushstrokes and applications of paint.
Mitchell grew up in Chicago with strong interests in athletics, art, and literature, thanks to her mother, the poet Marion Strobel Mitchell. She studied art at the School of the Art Institute and then in France on a fellowship. She moved to New York in 1949 and joined the artistic scene there, becoming one of the few female Abstract Expressionists celebrated in her own time. About a decade later, she settled in France where she found artistic inspiration in Impressionists like Paul Cézanne and Claude Monet, continuing a long tradition of artists observing nature and finding her own unique visual language.
– Compiled by Nicole Block, SAM Collections Associate
Photos: Jo Cosme, Chloe Collyer, and Alborz Kamalizad.
“Ali notes that the themes in her work, like the history of war, trauma and genocide, are not frequently presented in mainstream cultural institutions. She seeks to be politically provocative and aesthetically remarkable while also conveying playfulness and joy.”
Elizabeth Hunter and her daughter Cora continue their explorations of cultural spaces; this time, they visit Wa Na Wari in the Central District to enjoy art…and cookies.
“These little reminders of home—a claw foot bathtub, the smell of food cooking in the kitchen—are what make Wa Na Wari such a memorable art venue. No matter where you are, you are reminded: This is a home.”
“Like an antidote to the avant-garde, Sargent’s paintings have a timeless charm owed to his uncanny ability to bring subjects to life on canvas… Walking through the galleries, one feels almost like they are stepping into a century-old conversation between fully sentient figures.”
“As a society, we don’t talk enough about the heroism of artists. Of what an artist like Ali risks in order to ask the hard questions—and to force the public to ask them as well. Strip searches, theft, violence…These interactions, though surreal, are real. They give the artist and the audience insight into who the artist is—but also into who we are.”
In the latest edition of “Artists to Know,” The Seattle Times’ Margo Vansynghel profiles Marita Dingus and her sculptures made of discarded materials. Her work is in SAM’s collection.
“Saving these materials from the landfill isn’t just a means to a waste-reducing end: Dingus considers herself an environmental, feminist artist steeped in African American art traditions and a belief in ecological and racial justice.”
“The museum isn’t framing the show as an institutional correction, though how can it be viewed otherwise? At the same time, it’s more than just that. It’s the start — or could be — in moving a still-neglected art history out of the wings and onto the main stage.”
On Seattle Met’s list of “Things to Do in Seattle”: Last week’s Saturday University on February 10, which features a lecture and performance exploring the transmission of spiritual knowledge, or ilmu, in East Javanese performing arts.
“It’s February, which means it’s time to highlight and uplift the rich history, culture, and traditions of Black people in the United States. We even have one extra day this year (Feb. 29, it’s a Leap Year!), which means you have ample time to make your plans…”
Jonathan Landreth for the New York Times interviews Ai Weiwei about Zodiac, the artist’s new “graphic memoir.”
“The idea was to gather things from my memory, like a timeline, and offer mystical stories from China’s past. I explained it as a mix of memory and mythology.”
“We’re told that fragmentation is having to split our Asian-ness or our American-ness, our bicultural identities—that we have to become more whole. What I’m teasing out is what I call the diasporic dilemma. What I’ve figured out for myself, is that the in-between space, working in fragmentation is how I’m whole.”
The Seattle Times’ Margo Vansynghel reports on new NAGPRA regulations that require institutions to conduct more consultations with Native tribes before exhibiting or researching Native cultural objects. At SAM, five objects in the Native American galleries have been taken off view and information has been posted in the galleries to encourage dialogue on this important process.
“For now, SAM says it is committed to working with tribes in reviewing its collection. This process is to ensure the institution is in compliance with the new law, a spokesperson said, as well as the museum’s own policies around ethical collecting and display and its goal of strengthening its relationships with Indigenous communities and other ‘communities of origin.’”
Rachel Gallaher for Seattle Magazine on how Totem Star, a non-profit music organization for youth, is filling up its new location in STATION SPACE at King Street Station.
“‘Music is the hook,’ [Totem co-founder Daniel] Pak says. ‘It’s what you see. It’s what we do. But Totem Star is also a place for our artists to find who they are. We’re creating a safe space for people to be loved, build community, and find each other. We want to help these young people grow into the best versions of themselves.’”
“Inspired by one of art history’s best known paintings, Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper (ca. 1495–98), the mammoth bronze sculpture imagines a convivial gathering between notable historical figures from Africa and its Diaspora who, in reality, never met because they were separated by time and place.”
“Vibrant images, breathtaking videography, and genuine artifacts from the performances are on display to demonstrate their influence and cultural significance.”
“‘There was something about the gum I thought was so funny,’ Willingham said. ‘He always had gum in his mouth, running up the sidelines, it reminded me of a little kid. I loved how much he enjoyed the job and his childlike enthusiasm.’”
“Some artists, however, have taken these interests a step further, elevating the idea of gardening to an expansive, awe-inspiring effect. These artists combine ambitious organic or digital plants with music, poetry, and scientific collaboration.”
“‘I’m constantly fluctuating between the insider/outsider perspective at any one point,’ she explained Tuesday during a press preview of the show. ‘I’m never quite the person that people expect me to be, whether that’s a local or a foreigner, an insider to a culture, or an outsider, whether I’m here or there.’”
Conde Nast Traveler includes the Seattle Art Museum on its list of “The 16 Best Things to Do in Seattle,” calling out the “well-curated” exhibitions throughout the space.
“Alongside the city’s constant expansion, arts venues tend to be in flux, always coming and going. Many take a hermit crab approach, making homes in old buildings that lost their original purpose amid the changing times.”
The Olympic Sculpture Park is nominated for Best Sculpture Park in USA Today 10Best’s annual readers’ choice awards. Public voting takes place now until February 19. Maybe you’d like to make your voice heard?
“…Cornell seems perfect for the nation’s capital because his story is so archetypally American. He was obstinate, cranky and consumed with the beauty of common objects; he persisted with his art in the face of enormous loneliness. Living with his mother and his disabled brother, he found his inspiration in the work of other artists and dedicated his boxes to figures ranging from the composer Franz Schubert to the poet Emily Dickinson to the television actress Patty Duke.”
“‘This humorous creature provides a lot of joy to people,’ Ali said in a recent interview. ‘It’s really beautiful to see how approachable this entity is, especially amongst children and families. ‘The Buddhist Bug’ has a way of softening people and eliciting curiosity.’”
“Ukiyo-e was considered low-brow art due to the highly reproducible nature of woodblock prints, which reigned supreme during the movement. Woodblock prints allowed artists to create a high volume of prints that they could sell cheaply. Even so, the level of detail and sophistication of technique found in woodblock prints is awe-inspiring.”
“…We experience a powerful feminism that looks at women holding each other and life size masks transformed from historical traditions to suggest the many sides of strong women.”
“‘Joyce J. Scott’s sophisticated and virtuosic use of a wide range of materials brings beauty and biting irony to bear on subjects ranging from the traumatic to the transcendental,’ the show’s co-curators, Cecilia Wichmann and Catharina Manchanda, said upon announcing the show last summer.”
– Rachel Eggers, SAM Associate Director of Public Relations
Image: Live Performance of The Buddhist Bug at Wei-Ling Contemporary Gallery, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 2019, Anida Yoeu Ali, Cambodian American, b. 1974, Image courtesy of the artist, photo: Nina Ikmal.
