VOL 05 ISSUE
14 
November 14, 2006
BACK ISSUES | ° | ¤ | CURRENT ISSUE
VOL 05 ISSUE
14 BACK ISSUES | ° | ¤ | CURRENT ISSUE |
| TWO SPIRITS:GALLERY SERVES SOCIAL PURPOSES | ||||
 CHIEF'S GREETINGS by Edward
Hofseth, shown at right with a Whaling Captain Mask by Henry Koonook, is part of
the mix of what director/curator Kay Klose sees in the future of the Two Spirits Gallery
located in the post office mall in downtown Anchorage. Klose's persistent efforts to
establish the Gallery over the past year have lead to the success of her funding efforts,
as several granting agencies have seen fit to finance an expansion of her efforts. Early
evidence of change is abundant as more of the small office spaces at the mall are utilized
by the gallery, including one in which Hofseth works daily at an easel. Working from
photographic reference, Hofseth imagines his chief holding both the chief's rattle and a
talking stick. A warm light bathes the weathered totems and pastel blues outline a
distant mountain, giving the impression that the protagonist is alone, addressing the
rising sun rather than a group of people.. |
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THORNBUSHES: LENARD OF WASILLA One of the small spaces is used as an office by Klose, and several more of Hofseth's pieces decorate the walls there. Another space is devoted to hosting fresh exhibitions each month and taking part in the First Friday art walk. This month reproductions of original ink drawings by Wasilla artist James Lenard are presented, including Thorn Bushes shown at left. Typical in style although more pointy than other drawings, Bushes seems to have grown equally from the artists intentions and willingness to draw in and almost automatic way. The works all depict exotic if not alien images with spots of color and detail, like a small length of chain depicted hanging from one of the limbs of the strange thistle plants. Another work, Watering Pipes, not shown, showed a sequence of tubes splashing a single plant with sparkling water and prompted at least one collector to acquisitiveness. Reproduced from notebook sized originals and framed inexpensively by the Gallery, neither the cost nor the value is too great to inhibit anyone who is captured by Lenard's imagery. | |||
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NATIVE DANCER:MOODY
CHARLES Part of the relationship of Gallery to artists is unique to Two Spirits, since their
mission is to serve a specific population recovering from mental health issues, substance
abuse and/or homelessness.. Klose, who self-deprecatingly describes herself as
"a pig-farmer and a bureaucrat", acts as case worker for a variety of
individuals. For some, art may be a way to draw the evil out of their demons, for
others, art allows them to express eloquently concepts that aren't easily verbalized, and
for many, the work of production is as curative as the inspiration of creativity. Two Spirits Gallery is operated by the Cook Inlet Tribal Council and Klose was among those who gathered at the recent Alaska Native Artists Summit. She and artist Moody Charles took part in the discussions about cultural piracy or counterfeit art. Charles' carvings are authentic, made with whalebone, ancient ivory, ptarmigan feathers and other natural elements that help qualify the work as authentic Silver Hand Alaska native handicrafts. His Inupiat Dancer, shown at left, has a solidity that lends dignity to the simple gesture, and the round face with a corona of carved wolverine fur shows an affinity with the sun that adds a spiritual dimension. |
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SPLASH DRIP:EXPERIMENTAL
H2O For fun, the Alaska Watercolor Society and Alaska Pacific
University invited artists in the media of watercolor to show experimentation and
innovation in works submitted to selection by jurist. UAA Professor Garry Kaulitz acted as
Juror, a bit disappointed with a modest response and pleased with the choices he was left
to make, finding an 'intriquing array' of style and concepts, including two small works by
Sherry Lea Short of North Dakota, one of which, Anvil, is shown at left. The
blurry, overwashed images spoke to Kaulitz of the plains states' prominent and moody
skies. Most of the work was by more familiar artists from closer to home, such as two
vividly marbled watercolor 'monotypes' by Jim Evenson and a grid of colored squares with
caligraphic flourishes arranged to represent a Red Tide, by Paula Dickey, shown
as the index image for this issue.
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FOLLOW THE WOLF: BEEBEE POETRY The search for experimentation in such a well explored media as watercolor is a daunting challenge, and John Beebee accepted that as merely one element in a bravura painting called Following the Wolf, shown at left. Bugbee, who has been working productively in retirement, chose a watercolor receptive canvas to depict a transcendent interpretation and illustration of a free verse poem by his son, Adrian Beebee. "Rabbits, mice, and moose calves/ gather their scattered bones back together/ and flee out of the wolf's jaws." The special canvas allows color to be erased from the surface, and a dramatic wash of blue gray at the left of the picture adds to the impression of four seasons of Alaska wilderness depicted by Beebee. One puzzling element is the oval of yellow glow hovering over the mountains in the background on the right. The carefully handlettered poem overprinted on the canvas wavers between the enthusiasm of an amateur and the cynicism of a fashion artist by its inclusion as part of the visual image. Contemporary artists using text rarely infuse the copy with meaning relevant to apparent subject matter, which can be unsatisfactory. Not everything Beebee attempted in this painting succeeded, yet with the depth of his efforts he has still accomplished much. | |||
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MOOSE-O-MATIC:ART TO START The International Gallery of Contemporary Art is open most weekday afternoons this month for seasonal shoppers looking to start or expand their collections of local, original, contemporary art by offering 100 pieces at $100 each, or as close to that as artists could lower themselves. Responses from several artists were generous, including the Bin Laden Moose-O-Matic by Bill Sabo, shown at left, which includes currency as part of it's mixed media construction, and was offered at a modest price. Kay Marshall contributed two large encaustics and several small oil pastels from her Angel series, not shown, and others including Scott MacDonald, Beth Blankenship, Sheila Wyne, contributed multiple works on a theme where individual pieces can be purchased for $100. Some of the works are a little disconcerting in their rough quality, and others seem to be outtakes from the Carr collection recently donated to the Gallery for sales. This concept of the secondary art market and the reliance on collectors for contributions to fund-raising art sales is a camel that should be let into the tent. Meanwhile, discriminating collectors owe themselves a close look at those works still unsold during the time this exhibit is up in November. Real value and compelling pieces will compensate those who take the time to do some early Holiday shopping. | |||
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BAGGAGE OF
TRADITION:SEAMSTER An Anchorage artist who has been selling out
solo shows of her small works provides a look at some pieces done in oil at the IGCA this
month also. Wanda Seamster, whose Baggage of Tradition is shown at left, combines
a trained draughtsman's talents with a penchant for experimental surfaces and presentation
to transform a mundane image into a sensitive pet portrait. The frame cobbled
together from window framing is a purposeful declasée-fication Seamster is fond of which
helps lend a faux aura of age to these new works. Included among the choices of surfaces
Seamster embellishes are wine bottles, wooden boxes, wood block puzzles, and even the head
of a hoe, decorated with a painted garlic press and titled Terrific Personality,
not shown. Working from her second story studio in Rogers Park, Seamster is an extremely prolific artist who uses her representational skills in the service of politics, joke-telling, decoration, or just mystification. Her choice of titles, while intriquing, are non-descriptive and sometimes evoke a 'huh' response without involving actual curiosity about the non-sequiters. A title is not a work of art, however, and the visual rewards of Seamster's pieces are more than sufficient. Two pieces in the show are birds painted on clipboards, Criminal Mind, shown at right, includes the eye tricking shadow and the wooden perch portraying a little blue bird against a summarily gessoed background. Here the charm of the portrait overcomes the mundane support. A diligent researcher and respected writer who occasionally reviews art for the Anchorage Daily News and published the Vizual Dog broadsheet in the past, Seamster continues to combine intellect and impishness in her personal work, presented with a straight face. Seamster is an artist whose influence on the local scene merits inclusion of her work in any nascent Alaskan contemporary art collection. READERS CHOICES:NOMINEES ArtSceneAK was pleased to receive a number of excellent nominations for various visual arts categories we posited. Thanks for the response. Readers are encouraged to consider the list and share their opinions about their favorites with us. 2D VISUAL ARTISTS: David Rosenthal, JenAnn Kirschmier, Jim Fowler, William Heath, Marcello Muñoz, Harold Wallin, Beverly Cover, Gwenn Jester, Kay Marshall, Rod Weigant, Michele Usibelli, Kim Marcucci 3D VISUAL ARTISTS: Joan Bugbee Jackson, Teresa Napolitano, Mark Fejes, Steve Godfrey, Heidi Helling, Don Mohr, Mike Sirl, Paul Dungan, Sheila Wyne EXHIBITION/INSTALLATION: Quonset: Metal Living for a Modern Age (AMHA: nominated twice), The Kenai Experience (Kenai Visitor and Cultural Center), Tools as Art: the Hechinger Collection (AMRC), Rachelle Dowdy characters at Key Bank plaza downtown Anchorage, Alaska Design Forum Lecture Series CURATORS: Chris Chiei (Quonset), Julie Decker (AMHA Childrens Gallery), Zirrius Vandiver (nee Marty Hapeman), Bruce Farnsworth, Duke Russell (AMHA collection through artists eyes), Asia Freeman (American Masterpieces from the Alaskan Contemporary Art Bank) ADMINISTRATOR: Dave Nicholls (AMRC), Natasha Ala Johnson (KVCC), Jocelyn Young (MOA), Yikes!! INSTITUTION/ORGANIZATION: Kenai Peninsula Photographer's Guild, Museum of the North (Fairbanks), Anchorage Museum at the Rasmuson Center PRESENTING VENUES: Gary Freeburg Gallery at Kenai Peninsula College, Mobile Trailer Supply Gallery in Mountain View, Bunnell Street Gallery in Homer, PaintSpot Gallery in Anchorage, Harbor Art Gallery, NEMOART gallery in Anchorage (nominated twice), Artique Ltd in Anchorage, Virtu in Anchorage ART ADVOCACY: Zirrius Vandiver, Donald R Ricker, Hmnmn, What is that???: ART CRITICISM: Art Scene AK baby!, Anybody BUT the Deckers & ADN, Mark Baechtel arts editor of the Anchorage Daily News, Dr Julie Decker, Don Decker Anchorage Daily News correspondent (nominated three times) ART EDUCATOR: William Heath (KPC Soldotna), Garry Kaulitz (UAA), Katherine Coons (UAA), Mariano Gonzalez (UAA), Tom Sqouros (Rhode Island School of Design) Congratulations to all of these worthies mentioned for recognition by their peers. Readers are encouraged to send us their choices from this list in each category to announce next month. By way of disclosure, ArtSceneAK publisher Donald R Ricker claims that he did not submit his own nominations... do you believe that?
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- ARTIST OPPORTUNITIES-
11/15/06 deadline MINNESOTA STATE ARTS BOARD open to entry in their state Artist Registry. Guidelines online. 11/15/06 deadline SIOUX FALLS SCULPTURE WALK accepting applications $500 stipend, 0% commission, $24,000 prizes plus $15,000 purchase award. Contact Jim Clark 605-339-8359 SculptureWalk, PO Box 1165, Sioux Falls, SD 57101 11/30/06 deadline ANCHORAGE ARTS ADVISORY COUNCIL accepting applications from local non-profit arts organizations with requests to share in $50,000. Innumerable restrictions. Guidelines online. Contact Susan Olson (907) 743-0334 11/30/06 deadline SCOTTSDALE AZ ARTS FESTIVAL seeking proposals for temporary public sculpture. Budget $12,00. Guidelines online. Contact Diana Fisher 480-874-4667. 12/29 deadline SOA SITKA HIGH SCHOOL AIPP call for proposals, budget $75,000. four sites selected by committee. RFP online for this FY04 project. Contact Andrea Noble 907-269-6605 ART: A NEW HISTORY by Paul Johnson Having surveyed the history of Christianity and biographied George Washington, Johnson turns his gimlet eye on the doppelganger of war history: art history. Shrewd and very insightful, he still seems to confuse what century this is in his last chapter. ArtSceneAK recommends a college textbook as a refresher course... NEXT: PARTY ART SHORTCUTS: Aggravated again?! Ecstatic?! Let us know you love us or hate us. Help correct attribution errors that you suspect. Tell us about your upcoming event or artist opportunity. Let us know about your website. Form makes it easy to try your hand at pumping or dumping. cf also ART IN ALASKA
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GONE GRAY:POSTHUMOUS SOLO Ken Gray, a civil engineer with an accute sensitivity to the
interstices of science and art, is celebrated this month at the Anchorage Museum at the
Rasmuson Center. A bounty of previously warehoused works have been presented in a
posthumous retrospective exhibition first conceived of thirteen years ago at the time of
his early demise. At last, opportunity has arisen and Gray's widow Anne Gray has
generously lent much of the work for exhibition from the bulk of Gray's production which
rested in his estate. Twin Axes to Grind, shown at right, is just one of several
kinetic pieces powered by twelve volt batteries. Review the LARGE .avi file to see the sparks fly. An enthusiastic crowd celebrated Gray's seminal approach, echoes of which are cataloged in Julie Decker's 2001 book, Found and Assembled in Alaska. Few of the many who studied under the blindingly intelligent Gray have achieved the vitality of his originals. This exhibition re-illuminates the source, including several large panels of reconstructed hand tools, the original pentangle from his infamous beach burn, and the unique Zodiacal series. The Museum also hosts black and white photographs by Beverly Cover. Delightfully, she prevailed on the institution to paint the old skin colored cloth wallpaper in the gallery a grey made from white and black. It's a little K-heavy on the CYMK scale and still it is a thousand percent improvement on the presentation quality for art in general and for Cover's misty paeans to nature in particular. Construct your own grey battle robot in the BACK ISSUE Index.
Thanks and Welcome to a generous subscriber who recently renewed. Wasilla and one in Palmer. "Keep up the good work with ArtSceneAk. I was traveling all summer and enjoyed reading it on the road. " Carol Lambert sends word of her solo show in Girdwood at the Visual Arts Center during November:"a big show, with over 25 paintings and drawings. If you live in another state or country and can't make the trip to Alaska just now, please visit my website " Word came in about some hot photographs in a cold country:" Sol Lang has become known for his country landscapes, intimate rural scenes and controversial social and environmental subjects. Now he is showing his versatility and mastery of the medium with this new work. Two photographs from his series of art nudes will be on view at ArtsSutton ". That's Sutton as in out the Alaska Highway past Palmer. From Sheary Clough Suiter: "Our local Border's Books and Music is committed to promoting local artists and as many of you know, hosts our annual Alaska Watercolor Society Members' Show each December. Their coordinator, Ashley Sullivan invited me to be their feature artist for the month of November. You can see examples of my watermedia under mat and glass paintings hanging in their stairway gallery." Bruce Farnsworth sends: ": Bring your "favorite" Mark Baechtel article and burn it in the Sputnik Grill behind the the mobile trailer supply. Mark is outta here after thanksgiving so let's say goodbye and wish him well. Dress warm, bring, a pot luck-ish item or a beverage and some fire wood (if you got it)." SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 19TH. 6:00---9:00 PM. 3142 MT. VIEW DRIVE FYI: The Valley Fine Arts Association is working on a "Second Saturday" concept so as to not interfere with Anchorage's First Fridays. We have been sponsoring a new show of valley artists for the past year now at Bagels Alaska on the Palmer Wasilla Highway. Don't let the name of the restaurant fool you, they have a wonderfully large space and the art looks spectacular! We will have a new group show featuring a winter theme starting Saturday December 9th with a reception from 5:30 to 7:30PM. The works will hang through January and represent all mediums. We are hoping on getting more business involved next year! Thanks for you interest on art happenings in the Valley.
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text & photos © 2006 Donald R Ricker; artist's works pictured ©2006 to artists credited.
ArtSceneAK is published by Donald R Ricker and sponsored by
BETTER LETTERS, PO Box 103554, Anchorage AK 99510-3554
, a partial listing of links to Museums,
Galleries, and individual Artists around the state.
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