Ah, those hectic post-Thanksgiving days. Brimming over with pumpkin spice aromas and holiday tunes, they’re more likely to involve a hunt for deep discounts or a bucket of movie popcorn than a new gallery exhibit. That’s why this edition of Culture Shock brings you the future. While you’re wrestling for parking places and elbowing through crowds, look forward in blissful anticipation to these arts events taking place in the first week of December.
Culture Shock: Pop Rumpus Pop Rumpus
“Where the Wild Things Are” by Matthew J. Fletcher
“Leo” by C.P. Wilson III
Stocked with Thor watercolors, Batman book sculptures and pop culture-inspired objets d’art all year long, Downtown gallery Metropolis Comic Art (1102 Mountain NW) doesn’t seek to show you something you’ve never seen before. On the contrary, its showroom offers artwork that taps into the quasi-mythological personalities popularized by comic books, anime and TV shows. In December, the gallery cranks up the fun another notch with their new show, Everyone’s a Kid. Thanks to pieces like Matthew J. Fletcher’s freewheeling watercolor “Where the Wild Things Are” and C.P. Wilson III’s “Leo” of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, adorably rendered with katana swords and all, the show should appeal to anyone who doesn’t completely reject their childhood. Opening reception happens Friday, Dec. 6, from 7 to 10:30pm, and the show stays up until Jan. 2. Try metropoliscomicart.com or a call to 255-0793 if you’ve got questions.
Culture Shock: Toy With Me Toy With Me
“Heuzo,” hand-blown glass marble by Nathan Snyder
courtesy of Palette Contemporary
Speaking of the collision between art and play, let’s talk about marbles. For millennia, the toy orbs were usually made with stone or clay, until German artisans began commercially producing handcrafted glass marbles in the mid-19th century. Today, the fashioning of these spherical masterpieces has blossomed into a stylish art form. On Friday, Dec. 6, from 5 to 8pm and Saturday, Dec. 7, from 1 to 4pm, glass artists Nathan Snyder and Doug Harroun fire up their torches for Marble Vision, an annual demonstration put on by Palette Contemporary Art & Craft (7400 Montgomery NE). Come and see how these gleaming glass gems—often shot through with colorful matrices, glimmering caverns and cosmic panoplies—are formed through impressive rituals of patience and heat. There’s a door prize drawing, too, for anyone who attends one of the demos; get details at 855-7777 or palettecontemporary.com.
Culture Shock: All The Prints Fit To News All The Prints Fit To News
“Lady Kangaroo’s Chair,” linoleum cut by Michalina Malolepsza
courtesy of New Grounds
The printmaking champions at New Grounds (3812 Central SE) are serving up a double shot of graphic gusto with two December events. Their first-ever International Juried Printmaking Exhibition brings in 25 sublime prints from around the world, winnowed down by judges from a pool five times that size. Mezzotints, serigraphs, gravures and other works explore the breadth of printmaking possibility with subjects both figurative and abstract. Check out the furry-friendly “Lady Kangaroo” series of linoleum cuts from Dutch artist Michalina Malolepsza or the jazz frenzy of Star Varner’s “Crossed Paths” engravings. The exhibition opens on Saturday, Dec. 7, but you can get a sneak preview starting Dec. 3. Saturday’s a great day to stop by, though, since New Grounds’ holiday print sale kicks off at the Nob Hill Shop and Stroll. With heaps of prints ranging from $25 to $125, it’s an art lover’s winter paradise. The reception for the show and the sale happens from 5 to 8pm on Dec. 7; call 268-8952 or visit newgroundsprintshop.com for more info.
