Museum reception draws 200 people
Cheryl Schweizer/Columbia Basin Herald Museum patrons had a chance to paint their own wineglass during the opening of the "Uncorked" exhibit at the Moses Lake Museum & Art Center Friday.
Cheryl Schweizer/Columbia Basin Herald Museum patrons had a chance to paint their own wineglass during the opening of the "Uncorked" exhibit at the Moses Lake Museum & Art Center Friday.
Cheryl Schweizer/Columbia Basin Herald
Cheryl Schweizer/Columbia Basin Herald Seattle artist Kelly Paik talks with a gallery patron during opening of the "Uncorked" exhibit at the Moses Lake Museum & Art Center Friday.
Fabric sculptures are among the works on display at “Uncorked,” which opened Friday at the Moses Lake Museum & Art Center.
Cheryl Schweizer/Columbia Basin Herald Art lovers filled the Moses Lake Museum & Art Center Friday night for the opening of the wine-themed show “Uncorked.”
Art lovers filled the Moses Lake Museum & Art Center Friday night for the opening of the wine-themed show “Uncorked.”
‘Uncorked’ on display through Feb. 27
MOSES LAKE — Tacoma artist Emily Atkinson said the “Uncorked” art show tempted her to step outside her usual range of subjects.
“When I saw this show (the request for proposals) posted, I said, ‘I’ve got to do something for that,’” she said. Atkinson uses old maps as her canvas, but normally her subjects are animals. For the “Uncorked” show she depicted grapes and a wine glass over a map of central Washington.
All the artworks in “Uncorked” depict wine in one form or another, whether it’s grapes or vineyards, wine bottles, making wine or enjoying the finished product. “Uncorked” opened Friday at the Moses Lake Museum & Art Center, and will be on display through Feb. 27.
The show includes paintings and drawings, brass and fabric sculptures, three-dimensional paintings, photographs, collage and painted eggs, among other techniques.
Friday night’s opening reception drew about 200 people. Of course there was wine, which was served by Columbia Basin Allied Arts. “Wine, good art – what’s not to like?” said Erika Kovalenko, the museum’s artistic director.
It was a big turnout of artists, their families and friends, and museum supporters. “It’s been awesome,” Kovalenko said.
The show includes works from 33 different artists. Some were local, with submissions also coming from throughout Washington, and a few from Oregon and California. Some of the artists have exhibited at the museum previously while this was the first show for others. Some created artworks just for the “Uncorked” exhibition.
Seattle artist Kelly Paik submitted two original works, acrylic on paper – but paper that was folded before she started painting. “Tesselation,” she said.
The three-dimensional nature of the painted surface means the artist faces an entirely new set of challenges, she said. The artist has to think about subjects that will fit in the available space. The colors change depending on where the viewer is standing. One painting depicts a vineyard in summer, and it has to be discernible by the viewer no matter the angle. “Challenging, but fun,” she said.
Sometimes the experiment doesn’t work, she said. “This time it works.”
Admission to “Uncorked” is free. The museum is located at 401 South Balsam St.
Cheryl Schweizer can be reached via email at education@columibasinherald.com.
