John Mawurndjul , Mardayin Design , 2006 , natural pigments on eucalyptus bark , 79 15 ⁄ 16 x 28 15 ⁄ 16 in ., promised gift of Margaret Levi and Robert Kaplan to the Seattle Art Museum , T2011.55.14 , © 2016 Artists Rights Society ( ARS ), New York / VISCOPY , Australia Courtesy American Federation of Arts .
Ancestral Modern : Australian Aboriginal Art from the Kaplan & Levi Collection
January 26 – April 22 , 2018 Pleasant T . Rowland Galleries
Ancestral Modern ’ s approximately fifty artworks include paintings on bark strips , hollow logs , and canvases , and a selection of sculptures . In many cases , artists have translated motifs from traditional art forms — such as rock and body painting — to media that can be more easily shared with viewers around the world . Many of the works in this exhibition represent subjects related to the Dreaming , the supertemporal realm of the ancestors . Knowledge of particular Dreamings may be accessible only to certain individuals , kinship groups , or peoples ; artists often adapt or encode existing symbols and motifs to arrive at representations that are appropriate for sharing with outside audiences .
This exhibition introduces audiences to indigenous Australian painting and sculpture , which has blossomed since the 1970s . In the late 1960s , grassroots activism resulted in increased power and visibility for Aboriginal people . The years that followed marked the start of an artistic renaissance in the world ’ s oldest continuous artistic tradition , fueled both by the end of government policies that demanded assimilation into white society , and by the growing desire of Aboriginal artists to share their ancient culture with the wider world .
The exhibition is organized by the American Federation of Arts and the Seattle Art Museum , and was made possible by the generosity of Mrs . Donald M . Cox , the Wolfensohn Family Foundation , and an anonymous donor , with support for the Chazen exhibition from the Brittingham Trust and the Mildred L . Stolberg Fund .
The
Tile Club : Camaraderie and American Plein-Air Painting
Charles Stanley Reinhart ( American 1844 – 1896 ), Woman in Hammock , 1880 , painted and glazed earthenware , 8 x 8 in ., Chazen Museum of Art , gift of D . Frederick Baker from the Baker / Pisano Collection , 2017.27.90
February 23 – May 20 , 2018 | Leslie and Johanna Garfield Galleries
The Tile Club was one of many societies that formed across the United States during the late nineteenth century . Including such well-known artists as Winslow Homer , William Merritt Chase , Augustus Saint-Gaudens , Edwin Austin Abbey , J . Alden Weir , and John H . Twachtman , the club was founded in 1877 riding a wave of interest in the decorative arts . Members met once a week and would each contribute to the “ decorative age ” by painting an eight-by-eight-inch ceramic tile . These meetings became a time to socialize , dine , and enjoy the music performed by guests and honorary members .
Tiles formed only a small part of the Club ’ s output . Members made excursions to Long Island and up the Hudson River to sketch and paint . These trips were lively journeys , and the works completed during them document the first plein-air painting organization in the young nation . Tiles , paintings , sculptures , and sketches — many by distinguished artists working early in their careers — are showcased in this exhibition .