Gayle Clemans

Seattle

Writer at Seattle Times

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Articles

Holly Ballard Martz makes art out of bra straps in exhibition on aging

3 weeks ago | seattletimes.com | Gayle Clemans

When is a bra strap not just a bra strap? When Holly Ballard Martz meticulously weaves hundreds of them together to create beautiful works of art that challenge the incessant anti-aging messages confronting women.
Legendary dissident artist takes over Seattle museums starting in March

1 month ago | seattletimes.com | Gayle Clemans

You might expect a world-famous artist like Ai Weiwei — who has poked critically at value systems and institutions for decades with his provocative, interrogating art — to be more bombastic. But in a recent conversation ahead of a major exhibition at Seattle Art Museum, a soft-spoken Ai spoke of vulnerability, humor and whether a tomato tastes like a tomato.
The biggest stories of 2024 in Seattle’s visual art scene

Dec 26, 2024 | seattletimes.com | Gayle Clemans

Seattle’s art scene flowed like a gurgling stream in 2024, with currents and whirlpools keeping things lively. Below, we recapped some of the most remarkable exhibitions of the year, the most notable comings and goings, and other big moments from this year in the local visual art scene. Perhaps the story of the year: Bellevue Arts Museum announced its closure on Sept. 4. The news followed leadership turnover, financial woes and emergency fundraising efforts.
Why you should see the honest, vibrant Joyce J. Scott exhibition at SAM

Dec 20, 2024 | seattletimes.com | Gayle Clemans

Talking with Joyce J. Scott is like encountering her art — it’s an experience that twists and sparkles with stories, ferocious honesty and humor. “I’m an imp,” Scott said. “Humor is part of who I am and how I rid myself of things, too.” For decades, the 76-year-old Baltimore artist has tackled brutal topics — racism, violence, misogyny — with humor, creating forthright art that thrums with beauty.
This WA art sleuth showcases almost-forgotten artists

Dec 6, 2024 | seattletimes.com | Gayle Clemans

Meet David Martin, historian and PNW art sleuth. Via chance encounters, hot tips and old-fashioned detective work, Martin has spotlighted hundreds of works by Pacific Northwest artists whose stories have been underrepresented in museum collections and left out of history books. Ever since crossing paths with a late artist’s son in the 1980s, Martin has been on a mission to rewrite that history.
You’ll recognize this WA artist’s work even if you don’t know her name

Nov 22, 2024 | seattletimes.com | Gayle Clemans

If you live in the Pacific Northwest, chances are you’ve seen art by Ryan Feddersen. Thousands catch glimpses of Feddersen’s work in transportation hubs, on the streets of Seattle and Tacoma, and in the interiors of banks and university buildings. This audience doesn’t necessarily seek out Feddersen’s work, but they thoughtfully engage with it during their daily lives. That’s just the way the artist likes it.
Trash-talking art and other must-see Seattle shows in August 2024

Jul 22, 2024 | seattletimes.com | Gayle Clemans

Staff PicksAugust is a time of reflection for many of us as we savor the last full month of summer and anticipate the changes that fall brings. These thought-provoking exhibitions ask us to reconsider art and political history through carefully crafted works of art that elevate often-overlooked stories and materials.
During Seattle Art Fair week 2024, don’t miss these satellite art shows

Jul 16, 2024 | seattletimes.com | Gayle Clemans

The Seattle Art Fair, which takes place this year July 25-28, is a huge deal, with thousands of art lovers, collectors, curators and gallerists — many from out of state or overseas — converging on Lumen Field Event Center. Local art organizers hope fairgoers will also venture into the streets, galleries, museums and alternative spaces to experience some of Seattle’s vibrant creative energy. Here is a sampling of some “satellite shows” that promise to sparkle.
Seattle Art Fair 2024: Tips, highlights for navigating the big event

Jul 15, 2024 | seattletimes.com | Gayle Clemans

Art fairs come in all shapes and sizes, from neighborhood festivals where artists set up tables with their work to huge, international fairs like Art Basel and Frieze, where galleries compete for the chance to pay tens of thousands of dollars for a booth that gets their art in front of jet-setting collectors and in-the-know art lovers.
5 highlights from Seattle Art Museum’s fun ‘Poke in the Eye’ exhibit

Jul 8, 2024 | seattletimes.com | Gayle Clemans

Highfalutin taste, the exclusiveness of art history, the total abstraction beloved by post-World War II art critics in New York City: These were prime targets for counterculture artists on the West Coast who poked fun at it all. Poking art in the eye, you might say.