Julian Martin

intermission

Henry Art Gallery

What could T-shirt tributes to former Wu-Tang Clan member Ol’ Dirty Bastard and Victorian-era mourning dresses possibly have in common? For Seattle artist Dawn Cerny, the answer is more complicated then you would first imagine.

The Henry Art Gallery opened two new exhibitions this past weekend, one of which is a collection of work by Cerny entitled Dawn Cerny: We’re all going to die (except for you). The artist utilizes a combination of items from past Henry collections, T-shirt drawings expressing grief in current American music culture, and even seven taxidermy owls from the Burke Museum’s ornithology department to create an exhibit examining the parallels between our current views on death, trauma and war, and those from the past.

“Cerny will be looking at how T-shirts depicting slogans such as ‘R.I.P. Ol’ Dirty Bastard’ function as our modern day mourning rituals,” said Betsey Brock, associate director for communications and outreach at the Henry.

The artist will also be working on the exhibit while it is on display in one of the museum’s galleries, in an effort to create an “evolving sculptural instillation.”

The Henry’s other new exhibition is composed of work by artist Jean-Luc Mylayne. The exhibit marks the French photographer’s first solo exhibition in an American museum. A multitude of bird species is presented in the 30-piece large-scale color collection. The exhibition is brought forth after a two-year effort by Mylayne, who spent weeks at a time in the field in order to photograph the birds in an almost undisturbed environment.

“They become acclimated with him, so there’s a closeness that’s unbelievable,” Brock said.

Both exhibitions will be on display until April 27. Also on display through March is the exhibit “Silver See, a Portfolio of Photography from Los Angeles” and work by artists Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa.

Jacob Lawrence Gallery

On display in the Jacob Lawrence Gallery is the exhibit “Spirit of Mexico/Espíritu de México: Posada, Political Prints & Folk Retablos.” The exhibition contains work by several prominent Mexican artists, as well as a collection of religious devotional paintings known as retablos.

The Jacob Lawrence mostly features work by students and faculty members, making the display “pretty uncommon,” noted Stacey Swanby, an art history major and gallery intern.

The idea for the exhibit came about with the recent publication of a book by one of the exhibit curators, Deborah Caplow, entitled “Leopoldo Méndez, Revolutionary Art and the Mexican Print.” Work by both Mendez and Mexican illustrator José Posada are featured prominently in the exhibit, along with pieces by other influential Mexican artists of the early 20th century. Several designs by recent Mexican artists who were influenced by these figures are also displayed.

“One thing the curators emphasized with this exhibit was bringing in diversity to the campus community,” Swanby said.

The pieces were donated for the exhibit by the Davidson Galleries in Pioneer Square and the exhibition’s second curator, UW alumni Antonio Sanchez.

“One of Antonio’s goals is to bring in more Hispanic culture to the campus galleries,” said Kamiana Gangne, another art major and intern at the gallery.

The exhibit will be on display until Feb. 16. Next month the gallery will be hosting their annual Juried Student Show, showcasing work by students in the school of art from Feb. 27 to Mar. 16.

Frye Art Museum

One of the founders of the Underground Comix movement, Robert (“R.”) Crumb helped to establish a genre that would forever change the way in which comics are viewed. In the Frye’s latest exhibit, “R. Crumb’s Underground,” the museum brings forth the most complete collection of the artist’s work in any one setting to date.

Beginning with Zap Comix in 1968, Crumb’s early work paralleled the many counterculture movements of the 1960s. The artist continues this today, often tackling issues of sex, violence, government suppression and race. Some individuals, however, may find Crumb’s work offensive, as it often contains sexual acts, drug use and violence.

A variety of comics, framed art and covers of The New Yorker from Crumb’s staggering 40-year career make up the exhibition. Also included are several of the artist’s unpublished covers, drawings, sketches, and even one placemat drawing from 2003 entitled “Aline.”

Those attending the exhibit should be sure to explore the section of the museum featuring Crumb’s early sketches, drawn after what was supposedly the artist’s reaction to an intense hit of LSD.

Events relating to the exhibit will be going on throughout the next several months, beginning with a Gallery Talk this Saturday by Robin Held, the Frye’s chief curator

The exhibit will be on display through April 27. The Frye is also featuring the exhibit “Dreaming the Emerald City,” a collection of art owned by museum founders Horace C. Henry and Charles and Emma Frye. The exhibition features a variety of 19th and 20th century artwork, including paintings by French, German and Spanish artists, and will be on display until April 6.