ArtSEA: Press pause on election panic with NW art and nature

The cure is thinking about something else for a spell, so this week my recommendations are of the calmer, more meditative sort — in the hopes of bringing our collective blood pressure down a few notches. It may be Halloween today, but what we need right now is less scream, more serene. 

A walk among trees is a brain wash of the best kind, and the Seattle Japanese Garden happens to be popping off in peak fall colors this week. If you visit, try to be fully present (a challenge!): Listen to your feet crunching along the gravel path, smell the moisture in the air and take in the red-yellow-orange array of leafy fireworks. 

While you’re there, stop into the Tateuchi Community Room, which is currently hosting the art exhibit Flower, Bird, Wind, Moon (through Nov. 30).

This beautiful show of cut-paper (or kirie) scenes by Seattle artist Kanako Abe is both stunning in detail and soothing in philosophy. “Despite the world’s constant change, our innate bond to nature remains steadfast,” Abe writes in her artist statement, “offering us a source of inner peace if we are willing to embrace it.”

Volunteer Park offers another in-city walk, one with soothing pine scents emanating from tall evergreens. It’s also home to the Seattle Asian Art Museum, where the new exhibit Meot: Korean Art from the Frank Bayley Collection (through March 9, 2025) showcases a wealth of ceramics from c. 800 to 2008 — smooth, cool and collected in surefooted stances. 

Guest-curated by Hyonjeong “HJ” Kim Han of the Denver Art Museum, the show features more than 60 artworks bequeathed by Frank Bayley (1939 - 2002), a “son of Seattle,” according to SAM’s Carlos Diaz. (Bayley’s grandmother, Emma Baillargeon Stimson, was the first woman to serve as SAM director.)

Included are works by seven contemporary Korean artists who Bayley befriended over his long collecting career. Seeing these contemporary artworks next to ancient pieces reveals connections that span eras. 

When I visited, I was particularly enchanted by a porcelain “moon jar” (2007) by artist Youngsook Park. Glowing white, large and round, it basically demands that you gaze at it, just like the real thing.

Created by joining two separate ceramic hemispheres — necessitated by the hefty size — moon jars are always slightly non-spherical. During their heyday (the late 17th century to the late 18th century) they were cherished for this imperfection, as are contemporary takes on the form.

Accompanying the works gifted by Bayley is a curated collection of ancient stoneware and celadon vessels from SAM’s collection. There’s something instantly calming about these hazy-green glazes, as well as the natural elements incorporated in the designs. Look for “Bowl with fish and wave design” (ca. 1100), in which the fish is barely perceptible, as if swimming under the glaze.

If not solace, such relics at least bring perspective. These breakable ceramic bowls, vases and bottles have survived multiple centuries of turmoil, to sit before us in a time the original makers could never have imagined. 

Regular ArtSEA readers know I rarely pass up the chance to recommend a trip to the Pacific Bonsai Museum. And this is another perfect time to go! This emerald gem shines on the campus of the old Weyerhaeuser headquarters in Federal Way. A pleasant path from the parking lot through the woods takes you to the all-outdoor collection of tiny, sculpted trees surrounded by towering cedars and Doug firs.

Starting this month, the museum is also featuring Stone Images: XIV (through Dec. 15), an annual display of “viewing stones,” courtesy of the Northwest Viewing Stone Group — aka “the stoners.” 

These large rocks are striated with compelling natural ridges that suggest mountain ranges, animals and sometimes galaxies. Contemplating the stones is a cultural tradition in China, Japan and Korea — and you’re encouraged to try it here. “Viewing stones is a meditative art of the imagination,” say the stoners, “inviting us to discover entire worlds within a single rock.”

Also well worth the drive (and ferry ride) is a trip to Whidbey Island to visit the Earth Sanctuary between Langley and Freeland. This 72-acre preserve features miles of forested pathways that wind among an eclectic collection of art installations and meditation spaces, from stone circles (think mini-Stonehenge) to labyrinths to large abstract metal sculptures. Can’t make it this weekend? You still have some time: Founder Chuck Pettis has a 500-year plan to return the acreage to old-growth forest. 

Take a 25-minute drive north of the Earth Sanctuary to find another, newer sculpture park that I explored recently: the Price Sculpture Forest, near Coupeville. Open since late 2020, this 15-acre expanse features a couple short (less than one mile) trails through evergreens, salal and rhododendrons. 

Around every corner comes the surprise of a new artwork, with very cool ceramic, wood, wire and metal pieces by artists including Maria Wickwire, Boyang Yu, Jenni Ward and Anthony Heinz May.

As with every sculpture park, there are hits and misses, but it’s the arts/outdoors combo that feels rejuvenating. I also enjoyed watching a great big banana slug slowly consume a mushroom on a mossy log — perhaps the Platonic ideal of Northwest relaxation.

If you just want to step away from the news for a few hours this weekend, here are few more ways to escape reality: 

• The Art of Studio Ghibli (Nov. 1 - 14) at SIFF Cinema Downtown. Immerse yourself in the wild worlds of this genius animation studio with popular films like My Neighbor Totoro and Spirited Away along with lesser-known treats — all nestled safely inside the surround-sound and curved screen of the movie theater most of us refuse to call anything but the Cinerama. 

• All Balanchine (Nov. 1 - 10) at Pacific Northwest Ballet. With three works from 1929, 1941 and 1976, this mixed bill showcases the diverse forms of George Balanchine’s legendary choreography. Set to music by Vivaldi, Corelli, Prokofiev and Stravinsky (played live in the pit), these classic ballets have been carrying audiences away for decades. 

• The Stupidest, Scariest Time (through Nov. 9) at 12th Avenue Arts. With a title that certainly feels timely, Swim Pony, a new-to-Seattle performance company, parodies productivity culture in an interactive conference-table comedy. The website warns “This is an entirely interactive show,” and honestly, those italics send shivers down my spine. But for those who love audience participation, time to get onto the stage and out of your head. 

• Vide Poche: Pockets and Their Contents (through Nov. 3; reception Nov. 3 from 4 - 6 p.m.) at Orcas Paley downtown. Translating to “empty pocket,” vide poche also refers to little trays used to catch keys and other ephemera when we walk inside the house. In a new show curated by the beloved housewares shop, local artists offer creative takes on this idea. Lose yourself in finding these treasures around the store — and remind yourself of the relief in putting important things down for a time.