July 12, 2012
Arts Roundup: Henry Art Gallery pays homage to vinyl records
“A Suite of Nine 7-Inch Records with Sound Effects,” part of “The Record: Contemporary Art and Vinyl” at the Henry Art Gallery through Oct. 7.Jack Goldstein
This summer the Henry Art Gallery will pay homage to old-style vinyl in “The Record: Contemporary Art and Vinyl,” opening July 14. The exhibition explores the world of vinyl records from the 1960s to the present through sculpture, installation, drawing, painting, photography, video, performance and — of course — sound.
The exhibit will feature 99 works by 33 artists from around the world who have worked with records as their subject or medium. Press notes from the Henry state: “‘The Record’ combines contemporary art with outsider art, audio with visual, and fine art with popular culture.” Artists featured include Jasper Johns, Ed Ruscha, Laurie Anderson, Christian Marclay and Carrie Mae Weems.
“The Record” was organized by the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University. The Henry presentation of the exhibit, open through Oct. 7, was organized by Curator Sara Krajewski.
An accompanying exhibit, appropriately titled “The B Side,” in the Henry’s Test Site, looks at the history of music production in the Pacific Northwest and will feature live performances, workshops, listening parties, special editions and participation by Northwest recording labels such as Sub Pop and K Records.
Exhibition-related programs:
- Opening celebration, 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, July 13, at the Henry. Admission is $10 but it’s free for Henry members. Performances by Slashed Tires The Hive Dwellers and more.
- “Live to Lathe,” noon to 3 p.m. Saturday, July 21. Join Mike Dixon of People in a Position to Know to learn about the history of record production, followed by an afternoon of live to lathe record-cutting demos. Bring in an MP3 player or your guitar and record your own record for only $5, first come first served. Free with museum admission.
- National Vinyl Record Day, noon to 3 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 12. Northwest labels will sell their wares and talk about the production, distribution and cultural economy of records as both medium and social object.
- Record appreciation series: Artists Brady Cranfield, Kathy Slade, Matthew Green, and Rachel Kessler host a series of casual listening parties to explore the role of vinyl records in contemporary art practice and how vinyl has played a role in their own work. These take place on 6 to 8 p.m. on Aug. 10, Aug. 24 and Sept. 13.
Also, the School of Art has a final exhibition by a graduating student:
School of Art exhibit: David Drake, through July 21. Graduation exhibition by 3D4M (3-Dimensional Forum) bachelor of fine arts student David Drake in the Ceramic and Metal Arts Building. Opening reception 6 to 8 p.m. July 17.
