...by Jas Keimig / CascadePBS.org

For the past year, ALEXANDER CALDER’S mobiles have been gently twisting and swaying in the Seattle Art Museum’s second-floor gallery, thanks to a generous donation of the famed sculptor’s work by the Shirley family. Now, that exhibition has been given a refresh with a new show called FOLLOWING SPACE (through June 1, 2025), which pairs 17 large-scale wooden works by contemporary sculptor THADDEUS MOSLEY with five of Calder’s spindly creations.

Though you’ve probably heard of Calder, it’s imperative to learn about Thaddeus Mosley. The surprisingly spry 98-year-old Pittsburgh native has been a sculptor for more than half a century, originally inspired by art sources including Isamu Noguchi, Constantin Brâncuși and West African tribal masks. 

As a student at the University of Pittsburgh in the 1950s, Mosley encountered the work of big names in sculpture like Giacometti and Calder. After a short stint as a sports journalist covering the Negro League, he decided to throw himself into sculpture in earnest while working at the post office to support his creative pursuits.  

At a recent press preview, the (sharply dressed) Mosley said he thought he and Calder had a “mutual interest in how space works” in their respective art practices. “[The] difference is inorganic versus organic material,” he continued. “I utilize the natural colors of the wood, the natural properties. I try to enhance the grains and color – it can be the same wood but have different tones and thickness.”

Using salvaged wood from sawmills in Pittsburgh, Mosley carefully maneuvers his chisel and gauge to construct abstract works that appear to defy physics in their carefully balanced compositions. 

One untitled work Mosley finished this year greets visitors at the exhibition’s entrance with two angular, perpendicular plinths of wood miraculously balancing on a U-shaped base. (Despite his age, he has no assistants or helpers in his studio. It’s just him, the wood, and his vinyl record collection.) Often he leaves raw tool marks on his sculptures, creating what he calls a rhythm and pattern for viewers’ eyes to follow, which is partially influenced by his love of jazz. 

“Jazz takes a standard tune and they play pretty much on the chord changes of the music,” Mosley said. “I see something in those logs, but I have a concept of weight in space. The idea is that the piece should look like it’s levitating, there’s a floating quality [to it]. ... If there’s an improvisational mood, it’s just from the fact that I take a basic idea and impose my vision on that.”

At first blush, "Following Space" is a study in contrasts. Mosley’s abstract wood sculptures are textured and warm where Calder’s mobiles are smooth and cold. But upon closer inspection, the similarities between the two artists become more clear. Both have a keen understanding of balance and space. And in their visual differences, the works provide a compelling tension for viewers to circumambulate and enjoy.

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The STOR Exhibit spoofs IKEA with inventive housewares made by local artists (Brangien Davis / Cascade PBS)

 

If you’ve sauntered down Third Avenue over the last few weeks, you might have seen a storefront that looks suspiciously like an IKEA — there’s even a giant version of the iconic blue plastic shopping bag hanging in the window. That’s thanks to Seattle artists and curators MARY ANNE CARTER and LILIA DEERING, who’ve transformed Base Camp Studios 2 (in the former Bergman Luggage space) into a spoof of the famed Swedish retailer. Called STÖR (through Jan. 10), the pop-up features highly creative housewares by local artists. 

When I visited on a rainy Saturday afternoon, STÖR had a steady stream of people meandering through the exhibition, taking pictures of a giant Yakult-shaped lamp and giggling at a bus transfer chair. Just like the big box store, this exhibition/art market is split into two parts: a “showroom” with staged layouts of different rooms and a “marketplace” featuring items you can pick up and immediately buy. 

Instead of the cool Scandinavian modernism of IKEA, STÖR leans into the absurd and ridiculous. They’ve staged a bedroom where everything from the bedframe to the lamp to the pillows is made to look like a cigarette. There are bacon and egg soft sculptures, a “teeth mirror” (called CHÖMP), and glass dino-nugget ornaments.

Artists were given free rein to name their pieces as they pleased, but had to use Swedish letters. (Though don’t expect to find HELL YEÅH BRÖTHER and FRÄGILE MÅSCULINITY in your Swedish Duolingo course.)

Co-curator Deering told me that she’d gotten excited about the space’s potential after seeing the Ghosts of Belltown exhibit earlier last year. So she teamed up with Carter to fill it with work by as many local artists as possible, specifically focusing on home-goods makers whose wares might not fit neatly into the gallery system. Deering said IKEA’s practice of staging utopic bedrooms and kitchens serves as something shoppers could project their lives onto. STÖR is hoping for a similar outcome. 

“Your life could be full of exciting local art,” Deering said. “It doesn’t have to be the most minimal, plain things ever.”

STÖR will host a Black Friday event on Nov. 29 featuring live screen printing, flash tattoos, a new product drop, and, of course, Swedish meatballs. While some pieces in the show/market are one of a kind, many artists will refresh their inventory throughout STÖR’s run, so be sure to also check out the online store and think about which of your friends needs a FLÄPPJACK ceramic pancake coaster most.

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In theatrical news, music-based performances are electrifying Seattle stages this month with powerful female archetypes, namely: nanny, witch and matriarch.

     * As Wicked — starring Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo — hits movie theaters this week, it’s a prime moment to revisit the original musical that swept the world by storm. Witches Glinda and Elphaba will be singing their hearts out in the touring Broadway production at the Paramount Theatre (through Dec. 1).

     * Meanwhile at Seattle Opera, Lucidity (Nov. 21 - 24) is Laura Kaminsky’s new chamber opera, on a libretto by David Cote, that explores the powerful connection between memory and music through the story of an elderly musician in the early stages of dementia, her son and a young clarinetist.

Finally, we could all use some tender care right about now. Luckily, MARY POPPINS is coming to The 5th Avenue Theatre (Nov. 22 - Dec. 26) as a reimagined production just for Seattle audiences. There will be new numbers along with old standbys from the Disney version, so you’ll be sure to get your spoonful of sugar. 

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ArtSEA: A 98-year-old sculptor whose art swings with jazz at SAM

Plus, an homage to IKEA (Swedish meatballs included), and Elphaba, Glinda and Mary Poppins take local stages.

By Jas Keimig / CascadePBS.org

      November 21, 2024