Brandland
The students of Weiden + Kennedy 12 are back at it with another art show that blurs the line between art, design, and advertising. The press release says that "In art and advertising, a crossover is taboo." This sentence is so misguided that it makes me wonder if it's written in jest. Artists have been exploiting almost every aspect of advertising for over 40 years, and ad agencies pillage "high art" ideas with an astounding frequency. I couldn't begin to list the examples of these phenomena here, because countless museum shows and books have been devoted to the subject. (And don't think that Weiden + Kennedy doesn't know this.) This isn't to say that Brandland won't be any good. It's just to say that the premise of the show is ridiculous. Basil Hallward Gallery at Powell's City of Books, 1005 W Burnside, 228-4651, opens Thurs Oct 5, 7 pm, continues through Oct 31
New Embroidery
New Embroidery: Not Your Grandma's Doily poses a fascinating curatorial question: A full generation after feminist artists like Judy Chicago and Miriam Schapiro subverted traditional women's crafts in the feminist art movement, how are artists using embroidery, hand-sewing, and other fiber crafts in fine art? It turns out that they're doing it with a healthy dose of irony mixed with a deep respect for the social history of the medium. In New Embroidery, you'll find references to tattoos, T&A, patriotism, and even to the memory of Grandma's doily. Contemporary Crafts Museum & Gallery, 3934 SW Corbett Ave, 223-2654, through Nov 12
Peace at Home / The War Never Left"
Here's the entirety of what Wikipedia has to say about Jessica Jackson Hutchins: "Jessica Jackson Hutchins (b. 1971) is an American artist. She is the partner of former Pavement band member and indie superstar Stephen Malkmus." To this I would add: "Her ceramics(steeped in a California funk attitude), papier-mâché sculptures, and collages share a crass aesthetic and a preoccupation with the thin line between disaster and success that disguise a genuine attempt to convey ideas about communion, fear, and loneliness." small A projects, 1430 SE 3rd, 234-7993, closes Sat, Oct 7
This Chicago-based artist is a true subversive type—once the United States Postal authorities regulate your exhibitions, you've clearly earned that flimsy designation. Hernandez de Luna creates his own stamps commemorating contemporary cultural forces (the Pope, Pamela Anderson, etc), and then uses them to send mail—often successfully, and always in violation of federal law. Augen Gallery, 817 SW 2nd, 224-8182, opens Thurs, Oct 5, 5:30-8:30 pm, continues through Oct 25
