The View from Here

Category: Arts + Events Articles

Is there a “Northwest” artistic mindset? The question is as contentious as the debate about whether there ever was or is a “Seattle sound.” The Northwest Biennial doesn’t take sides on the matter—it simply pulls together a regional collection of artists’ works for viewers to ponder, compare and contrast. And a stellar collection at that. For this year’s event—the ninth annual—jurors selected the work of 24 artists from 543 applicants hailing from Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana. The chosen artists’ mediums represent an array of visual arts, including Seattleite Gala Bent’s delicate and strange cut-paper illustrations (seen here) and fellow Seattleite Isaac Layman’s eerie large-scale digital photograph composites. Only work created since January 2007 was considered, so the show is brimming with fresh pieces that offer if not an answer to the question of Northwest art, then at least an intriguing microcosm of it. Times and prices vary. Tacoma Art Museum, 1701 Pacific Ave.; 253.272.4258; tacomaartmuseum.org.