Local Art - Columbia City

A day out with a circle of friends looking at art is a day well spent....
I visited the revitalized Columbia City sector of Seattle with a small circle of friends the other day. We enjoyed two galleries and a delicious lunch at Geraldine's on the corner.

Columbia City Gallery is an artist's co-op with a mix of art: encautics, enamels, paintings, jewelry, small fiber works, and some wonderful 3D recycled map-paper constructed figures.

The most eye catching exhibit was in their Guest Gallery, "Retablos: Mexican Folk Art" by three brothers: Daniel, Hugo, Daniel & Luis Angel Vilchis from Mexico City who have international recognition as well as their famous father. Their's was a charming collection of oil paintings on sheet metal (about 10"x10") that depicted ordinary daily problems of living (we all seemed to notice the viagra ones!) and giving thanks to an intervening saint for their help. The miracle stories were captured both in the picture and short summary in handwritten words in the bottom of the paintings. I liked the way the words and pictures blend together and the real stories they tell. Learn more about this Mexican painting tradition by visiting the gallery website, or better yet going to the gallery itself. Go here to see the gallery web page.

Gather is a smaller gallery but had an interesting exhibit called 100 Dresses. The artist, Kumiko Ishida, made 100 one-of-a-kind little girl dresses using reclaimed textiles all displayed on hangers against one wall. I had to laugh and could relate, as I overheard a nearby conversation, one woman saying to another, "now, see! this does justify my 35 years of collecting in my basement... look what she did with recycled textiles."