Laura and I have returned from a week in Seattle. We covered a lot of ground, saw a lot of beautiful things (landscape and art), ate a lot of food, drank gallons of coffee, and had a terrific time with my brother and his wife – thanks, Ted and Cheri for making the trip happen.
On the art scene, Laura and I made a bee-line to the William Traver Gallery. As Seattle is something of a Mecca for art glass, and Traver is the gallery, we had to stop and see the beautiful things on display. Ben Rosenblatt, the gallery manager, gave us a first class tour, and we had a good time sharing gallery fair war-stories. Laura and I were wowed by the sand cast glass pieces by Bertil Vallien, Ethen Stern's blown and carved minimalist work, and Davide Salvatore's "instruments". It was also nice to reconnect with the work of one of my long-time favorite glass artists, Hiroshi Yamono.
[Images include: Left, Moro 1 by Bertil Vallien; Middle, Caotica by Bertil Vallien; Right, Russett Islet by Ethan Stern]
[Images include: Left, Springarpa by Davide Salvadore; Middle, Fish Hanger #136 by Hiroshi Yamano; Right, From East to West-Nagare #39 by Hiroshi Yamano]
Laura and I also paid the $15 each for admission to the Seattle Art Museum and spent a half day touring the newly re-designed galleries. I have always considered SAM a particularly excellent and well thought of mid-sized museum. But, after this visit, I have to bump it up to one of my absolute favorite art museums – period. As I said, the size of the museum is modest and the collections, although diverse, will not set the world on fire. But it is the curation and impeccable display of the collections that made me see and appreciate things at a much greater level than I have in any other museum I've visited in the last 20 years.
SAM's mid-century modern work was perfectly displayed – not too much, not too little. Standing in the large gallery populated with both sculpture and paintings was thoroughly fulfilling. It wasn't much, but it covered it all. Strolling through the Australian Aboriginal galleries, however, is where it hit me... Here, displayed side-by-side with the traditional and historic pieces were contemporary pieces. I now have a brand new appreciation for the beauty of this genre. Another touching exhibit was in the African Art galleries – 18th and 19th century work surrounded by a William Kentridge film titled "Shadow Procession" (1999). It was an incredible experience. Oh... and, I'll never look at a porcelain display again without comparing it to the outrageous and dazzling display in SAM's Porcelain Room – it's a must see for every visitor. This is what a museum experience is all about.
[Image above: Inopportune-Stage One by Cai Guo-Qiang]
Another museum that we visited was the Woodland Park Zoo – yes, zoos are museums too. My brother, a Zoo docent par excellence, gave us the grand tour. We were able to see the real thing and learn far more than from your standard National Geographic special or text books. Woodland Park Zoo has made it their mission to save animals and their habitats through conservation leadership and engaging experiences, inspiring people to learn, care and act. It was particularly gratifying to have such up-close experiences with the monkeys, apes and the raptors.
Other "flavors" of Seattle we enjoyed were found at Freemont Coffee (our best coffee experience while in Seattle), Nana's Soup House (rocking soup menu), and Capitol Hill artist Jesse Edwards is one to keep an eye on.
[Image: Tyrone Biggums-Dave Chapelle Show by Jesse Edwards]
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