Nancy Worden, "Shackles of Fear." Photo courtesy Traver Gallery.

It's nearly over, the three-month-long metal arts extravaganza called Metal Urge that took over virtually every gallery in town, plus a museum and several outdoor spaces. The official closing date is this Sunday, September 6, so there's just enough time to check out one last exhibit: Traver's five-person mini-show.

Like a very condensed version of the Helen Williams Drutt exhibit at Tacoma Art Museum, Traver displays around three works from each of five contemporary American metal artists. Nancy Worden is represented by a luscious African-style necklace with shaving brushes and tusks; and "Shackles of Fear," a set of two handcuff bangles linked cleverly to a detachable chain necklace. The silver bangles "open up," one with a zipper, one with a shoelace, giving a tongue-in-cheek, DIY practicality to the concept of bondage.

Ron Ho's two necklaces – one with jade butterflies, the other with three silver Chinese deities – are austere, impeccably balanced. Ada Rosman's brooches are delicate but speak clearly of shut-away memories and events. Laurie Hall's "No Rules Apply" is the best kind of mixed-media jewelry, the inch-long sections of aluminum ruler transformed by bronze crosses and numerical buttons into an abstract mathematical pattern.

Most fantastic of all are Catherine Grisez' seed pod life forms, bulging copper and spilling forth garnets and aventurines on delicate silver chains like a shared secret.

Dick Weiss, "Owl Plate no. 19". Photo courtesy Traver Gallery.

In the main gallery, also closing this weekend, are Dick Weiss' owls, painted in dribbles and scratches on ochre-toned earthenware platters. Their eyes are haunted black whirlpools, their swift texture incredibly lifelike and hiding behind hatched black thickets like something trapped.

Dick Weiss: "Something Different" and Metal-Urge both close this Sunday. Open 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, noon-5 p.m. Sunday. Next show is Rik Allen, opening Sept. 12. Traver Gallery, 1821 E. Dock St, Tacoma. 253-383-3685, www.travergallery.com

Zoe Williams, "Genesis Deconstruction". Photo courtesy Two Vaults.

Rabbits are running wild all over Two Vaults gallery. The annual group show "Rabbitual" is on almost every single wall, featuring 77 works by 45 different artists, and there's a huge variety: some what you'd expect, some disappointing, but some really intriguing.

It's impossible to cover such a huge show completely. "Rabbitual" is this year's version of Two Vaults' annual big group show, and the variety of media is great to see: paint, ceramics, concrete, textiles, mixed and digital media.

One of the best has got to be Zoe Williams. Her "Genesis Deconstructed" (above) puts white felted rabbits in a relief triptych. Three wooden-framed panels, just 4x6 inches, cold white furry rabbit parts squirming delightfully out of the picture plane, red-eyed and pink-eared, both lifelike and intensely sculptural. In "Mitosis I-V", 'stuffed' rabbit heads (again in felted white wool) develop mounting by mounting into a multiheaded mutation, disturbing in its white innocence.

Lee Musgrave, "Soft Encounter." Photo courtesy Two Vaults.

The innocence factor is explored also by Lee Musgrove in the "Unwavering Adoration" series of pencil and watercolor drawings. A naked woman and naked rabbit come face to face in matching wide-eyed naivety, hopeful rather than saccharine.

Then innocence turns sinister: Joseph Larkin's "Paladin" embeds a painted portrait of an evil-eyed Medusa in a fascinating tapestry of braided fabric, wool and snakeskin, coiling like Medusa's snaky hair and snaring the trusting rabbit held possesively in her arms.

Of course, rabbits symbolize more than just innocence, and that's what opens up this animal show to all sorts of levels. Artists take on sexual proclivity (Kelly Lyles' "Viagra Falls"), cuteness (Dayton Knipher's rather slow but interesting photo slide show on a reluctant Easter Bunny visitor), magic acts (Dorothy McCuistion's black-printed rabbit half-disappearing into a miasmic sea of red acrylic) and nature (Lynn di Nino's adorably splayed white concrete bunny earnestly seizing a carrot from a fecund, green egg of earth).

There's also the unexpected view. Christopher Mathie's oils are darkly shadowed with sad paint drips, his earth-toned rabbit lean, huge-eared and wistful. Catherine Swanson's bunnies are funky, their white silhouettes outlined in hot pink and black on a candy-striped background like a '70s music video.

And there's a fair amount of the boringly predictable: tame oils and acrylics, sentimental ceramics, not-quite-funny cartoons. But there's so much in "Rabbitual" that these don't matter - you can take the best and munch on that.

"Rabbitual" is on view 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesday-Wednesday, noon-8 p.m. Thursday-Friday and 2-9 p.m. Saturday through Sept. 12. Two Vaults gallery, 602 S. Fawcett St., Tacoma. 253-759-6233, www.twovaults.com

The Grand Impromptu Gallery, in the Merlino building in downtown Tacoma.

If you want to see the art in the Grand Impromptu Gallery, you only have four more days. The artist co-operative-run gallery next to The Grand Cinema downtown is closing doors for good this Sunday, forced out of their space by planned expansions by The Grand.

The Grand Impromptu opened doors nearly two years ago after Art on Center vacated the space at 608 S. Fawcett. St. Members shifted and joined during the two years, sharing rent and expenses as well as management duties, and showing work in a succession of loosely themed group shows along with guest artists. The Grand's decision to end the gallery's sublease was made when the Grand's own leasefrom Merlino owners P.M. Investments was extended through 2025, and the cinema made plans to build a fourth screen.

"It was never meant to be permanent," said Impromptu founding member Bea Geller. "We came in on a whim, it was impromptu. And hey, it was successful! Who knew?"

While the gallery has sold work and attracted good crowds, says Geller, it has also been a lot of hard work. "It's been good, to find out the selling side of art," says the artist, who teaches photography and printmaking at Pacific Lutheran University.

So what will happen to the Impromptu co-operative? They'll each go different ways, says Geller, who acknowledges that the different artists had different ideas on what they wanted out of the gallery. Some may reform in other spaces downtown, others - like Geller - will just go back to relying on other galleries to show their work.

Meanwhile, the Impromptu's farewell show - "Rear View Forward" - is up until Sunday. There are two guest artists, Jane Martin and Aran Galligan, as part of MetalUrge, along with a good selection of work in a variety of media from members, including some poignant urban digital photographs from Geller herself.
Hours: 4-8 p.m. Thursday, noon-8 p.m. Friday-Saturday and 2-6 p.m. Sunday. 608 S. Fawcett Ave., Tacoma. 253-572-9232, grandimpromptugallery.com

Carolyn Burt, "Sweet Onions." Photo courtesy of the artist.

Promote art and feed the hungry – it's a great combination, and 12 artists from the Proctor Art Gallery will be doing just that this Saturday morning at the Proctor Farmers Market. In a collaboration between the market, the gallery and the FISH Food Bank operating out of Mason United Methodist Church, the artists will create food-themed paintings and wood-carvings for the entire five hours of the market. Market-goers can donate into nearby collecting boxes to support the Art-a-thon, and all donations will buy fresh fruit and veggies from the market to give to patrons at the Food Bank. Art produced will be for sale afterward at the gallery, with some proceeds going back to the Food Bank.

It's a much-needed service. The Mason FISH Food Bank now serves 4,100 individuals per month, up 42 per cent from 2008, says Beth Elliott, executive director of FISH Food Banks of Pierce County. Donations are often in the form of dried or canned goods, but everyone needs fresh produce, and organizers see this as a win-win situation where the Food Bank can get fresh food and support local farmers at the same time.

Donations can also be made online at www.foodbankartathon.com.

Meanwhile, shoppers can watch artists at work right there in the street. They'll be set up in small groups, ideal for demonstrating their art. “It will be a great opportunity for the public to see and talk with artists in action,” says Carolyn Burt, gallery owner. Burt will be one of the participating artist; others include Bonnie Cargol, Andrea Greenfield, Sharon Crocetti, Alexis St. John, Mary Mann, Janyce Sukow, Brad Stave, Penny Grellier, Mary Wolfe, Lucy Schwartz and Sherri Bails.

The Proctor Farmers Market is open 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturdays through October at North 27th and Proctor Streets, Tacoma. www.proctorfarmersmarket.com
The Proctor Art Gallery is open 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Wednesday, 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Thursday-Saturday and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday at 3811 N. 26th St, Tacoma. For more information, call 253-759-4238 or visit www.proctorartgallery.com

The Grand Impromptu Gallery in the Merlino Arts Building in downtown Tacoma has had its lease terminated by The Grand Cinema, which is planning to expand into the space occupied by the gallery. The expansion, which is in the planning stages, has left the members of the co-operative gallery with no immediate home after their final show "Rear View Forward," which runs July 16-August 15.

"We've wanted to expand for years," said Philip Cowan, director of The Grand. What encouraged the decision, Cowan said, was an extension to the year 2025 of the art cinema's own lease from Merlino owners P.M. Investments. The plans are still being drawn up by Belay Architects, and will be finalized by August, at which time bids will be called for. The expansion will create an extra screen for the three-screen independent movie-house, but Cowan said "it was a bit premature" to elaborate further.

Meanwhile, the 11 artist members of Impromptu are debating on where to relocate, and have no immediate ideas. The gallery has been in the space at 608 S. Fawcett Ave. for 20 months, and rotates members' work as well as guest artists in a variety of media.

"Rear View Forward" opens at The Grand Impromptu on July 16, with an artist reception from 5-8 p.m. July 17. Hours: 4-8 p.m. Thursday, noon-8 p.m. Friday-Saturday and 2-6 p.m. Sunday. 608 S. Fawcett Ave., Tacoma. 253-572-9232, grandimpromptugallery.com

The Grand Cinema is located at 606 S. Fawcett Ave., Tacoma. 253-593-4474, www.grandcinema.com

Margaret Bullock, Tacoma Art Museum's new curator for Kittredge Gallery at UPS. Photo courtesy UPS.

As of yesterday, Tacoma Art Museum is now managing and curating Kittredge Gallery at the University of Puget Sound. The gallery had previously been run by a part-time curator--most recently Carol Adelman--and featured mostly contemporary Northwest artists, with occasional student and faculty shows. Margaret Bullock, TAM's curator of collections and special exhibitions, will now oversee both the gallery and the university's small collection, including the nationally-significant Abby Williams Hill collection.

“This offers an opportunity to bring the knowledge and expertise of key individuals at Tacoma Art Museum to the benefit of our students and art department,” said Kris Bartanen, academic vice president and dean of UPS.

Stephanie Stebich, director of Tacoma Art Museum, said the partnership is an important and unusual collaboration that will give her institution opportunities to pursue different kinds of exhibitions.

=> Read more!

Barbara De Pirro, "fungi plastica" and "vine plastica." Photo courtesy Barbara De Pirro.

If you're up Seattle way, drop in at Carkeek Park, where the Center on Contemporary Art (CoCA) has teamed up with Parks and Rec and various neighborhood councils to produce a really great summer art event: environmental art in the park. "Heaven and Earth" features sculpture by 11 regional artists that links both the idea of heaven (or haven, a safe, relaxing place) and earth (natural materials.) Sculptures had to leave no trace in the park, either by decomposing or by leaving no mark when they're removed on August 10 at the exhibition's close.

Barbara De Pirro is one semi-local artist on show. The Shelton artist is known in Tacoma, showing her tightly-woven, elegantly-curved bio-forms made of plastic bags at the Envirohouse and recently served as artist in residence at the Museum of Glass (her installation "Plastic and Light" is still on view there through the end of the year.) For the Carkeek Park show, De Pirro constructed four biomorphic structures with recycled plastic bags and bottles: In her words, "An environmental statement through the juxtaposition of material, form and location." They're located on three sites: the apple orchard, near the bridge over Pipers Creek and tucked near the stairs at the model airplane field.

How about something like that in Wright Park, with Tacoma artists? Sounds fun.

"Heaven and Earth" is on view at Carkeek Park, 950 NW Carkeek Park Road, Seattle, through August 10. Entry is free. www.heavenandearthexhibition.org

Justin Hahn, "Dresden A and B." Photo courtesy David Domkoski.

Don't look now, but there are aliens in the library.

Facetious, maybe, but on first sight, that's what Justin Hahn's sculptures in the main branch's Handforth Gallery look like. Four of them have skeletons of steel rod, draped with melted green or white plastic with the texture of goop. Another is a chunky bronze with clunky white polycarbonate hands like minstrel gloves. A bunch of others are tiny stick-figure people about a foot high with steel rod bodies.

Fun for the kids, maybe. But Hahn's work is more than just a sci-fi film set. His skill at working metal and polymers shows in the delicate machinery of the Dresden figures--two adult-and-child couples built of bent rods attached with hinges, clips, wires and whatnot to achieve a slightly apologetically hunched look. Taller than humans, with protruding round alien bug-eyes, the figures wear melted plastic for flesh, their anatomy just deformed enough to make you look twice. Their brains look carefully sculpted out of red shiny play-dough. Benevolent, they're frozen in the act of wandering through life, slightly bemused and almost pitiable in their warped plasticity.

Justin Hahn, "BPA Hyatt." Photo courtesy David Domkoski.

Across the room, "BPA Hyatt" is a bronze man with plastic-coated hands. Hahn, who works daytimes in the Bronze Works, has manipulated the metal into Cubist chunks, the man faceless and chestless, with cancerous protuberances. The white coating on his hands, held out as if desperately begging, is the contaminant Bisphenol-A polycarbonate.

What's the point here? Hahn, a plastics engineer and self-confessed plastic geek, is showing us ourselves. Deformed and diseased, our bodies have taken on our plastic consumption.

In the corner of the gallery is a different set of bodies. In collaboration with Steve Kanick, Hahn has created tiny stick figures of steel, who earnestly rearrange Kanick's polymer chairs, pressed and molded like bronze relief.

Also on show is metal sculpture by Marsha Glaziere and Steve Barnard. The show is part of MetalUrge, and is open 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays through August 29. The Handforth Gallery is at the Tacoma Public Library's main branch, 1102 Tacoma Ave. S., Tacoma. 253-591-5666, www.tacomapubliclibrary.org</div>