Spring Hatchings

In preparation for a few months off with our new baby, who is expected in early April, I have turned over Cullom Gallery's curatorial work to three Seattle artists who I have had the pleasure of getting to know over the past few years.  In what we are calling the HATCHINGS series, I have invited these artists to each curate a show of works on or of paper, and in crafting their shows, lead with their own knowledge, interests, and connections.  Though at its heart, Cullom Gallery looks at the connection between Japan and the West through traditions of paper arts, there was no requirement that these curators connect to any part of that narrative.  I stressed that my only curation in the project was the selection of the three of them.  The rest would be whatever they came up with.

For me the process of "hatching" this series of exhibits has been another positive reminder of the 'letting go' refrain that is such a part of preparing for parenting.  I am deeply grateful for the commitment these talented artists and curators have given me.  They have embraced the concept of these exhibits and really run with it, allowing me time and space to hatch in other ways.  And as the exhibit release describes, these three diverse shows also "explore personal, artistic, and textural hatchings and cross hatchings."

Curator of the April HATCHINGS exhibit, Robert Hardgrave, designed the sumi ink design below to illustrate the series postcard and poster.  The shape of the image was intended to represent the intentions of the exhibit series: a texture of drawn hatching marks, and a five sided form representing the five of us involved - one gallerist, three curators, and one baby-to-be.  

All HATCHINGS shows will be up on Cullom Gallery's website.  Openings are on the first Thursday of each month from 6 to 8 pm.  More on each show to come in the following days and weeks.  

HATCHINGS March - May, 2012

Three Exhibits Curated by

Rumi Koshino - Open Interval, March

Three Seattle artists use visual form as part of their non-visual practice as writer (D.W. Burnam), mother (Gala Bent), and musician (Garek Druss) in works on paper. 

Robert Hardgrave - Refable, April

Twelve black and white works by notable Northwest artists based on Jacob Lawrence's classic renditions of Aesop's Fables.

Brian Lane - Texture of Being, May

Seattle's Print Zero Studios founder dips into his pool of local and national woodcut artists to explore facets of personal experience and the dream world.