Upcoming shows

Full slate of summer showings /  by JW Harrington

Here’s the full schedule of summer showings of my work — come by and say hello!

June 29 - August 18:  21st Annual Juried Local Art Exhibition at the Tacoma Community College Gallery.

June 30 - August 10:  BIMA Spotlight, at the Bainbridge Island Museum of Art. 

July 3 - August 30:  "Portraits & Portals: Revealing & Concealing" solo show at the Tahoma Center Gallery in downtown Tacoma.

July 6 - August 12:  "The Impossibility of Knowing" solo show at the Magnuson Park Gallery in NE Seattle.

July 10 - August 17:  Southwest Washington Juried Exhibition in the Leonor R. Fuller Gallery at South Puget Sound Community College in Olympia.

July 27-30:  Gallery 110 booth at the Seattle Art Fair, Lumen Field Event Center in Seattle.  

Shows all around the Sound /  by JW Harrington

You can view my work in several venues this summer -- Bainbridge, Olympia, Seattle, and Tacoma!  Here are the two shows that open in June:

June 29 - August 18:  21st Annual Juried Local Art Exhibition at the Tacoma Community College Gallery. This attractive building (Building 4) is in the southern part of the TCC Tacoma campus:  enter off S. 12th St., across from S. Whitman St., park in Lot G.  The gallery is open Monday - Friday, 10am - 5pm.  If you live in or near Tacoma, it's a treat to see some of the best art by local artists.  

June 30 - August 10:  BIMA Spotlight, at the Bainbridge Island Museum of Art.  If you haven't seen this beautiful, modern museum (photo below), you owe it to yourself to take the ferry from Seattle to Bainbridge and walk just up the hill from the ferry terminal to Winslow Way.  The museum is right there, at 550 Winslow Way E.  For these six weeks, the entire museum will feature pieces selected from 3400 submissions, including two of paintings in The Impossibility of Knowing series.  Open 10-5 every day;  admission is free.  Linger and have bite in the cafe, or walk down the street to the restaurants, wine bars, brew pubs, and shops along Winslow Way.

What is Black Art? /  by JW Harrington

Friday 24 February brought together a tremendous gathering of artists, educators, and civic leaders for the opening of the Black Art and Black Artists exhibit at the Tacoma Community College Gallery. The exhibit runs through 17 March, open M-F, 10-5.

What is “black art”?  I’ve been pondering that, since before I started painting.  My most fundamental answer is “creative work that results from the African diaspora.”  Simple words, but not straightforward. 

                  For a few centuries, and especially in the US since the beginning of the twentieth century, the phrase “black art” in visual arts has implied some kind of social realism, using representation to depict the struggles and successes of Black people.  For me and other abstract artists, this poses a conundrum. 

                  We can easily circumvent the conundrum by declaring black art to be any creative work produced by a member of the African diaspora, whatever the medium and style – orchestral music, abstract poetry, abstract painting or sculpture.  A diaspora is exactly that – a spreading of people across a wide geographic and cultural territory, resulting in a myriad of experiences and expressions.

                  Can a nonblack artist produce “black art”?  Just last week, at the opening reception for the TCC Gallery show, my very thoughtful colleague Travis Johnson declared that the answer is “yes,” if the art reflects the culture and experiences of the African diaspora.  Contemporary white artists produce hip-hop art that reflects African-American-rooted culture.  Many composers and musicians have added to the jazz world of the twentieth century and beyond.  

                  So I’ll return to that fundamental answer I gave above.