Honored artists, art enthusiasts, PONCHO IFA committee, and honorary curators Susan Grover from Grover Thurston Gallery, and Barbara Shaiman from Seattle Art Museum Gallery Art Sales and Rental gathered at the ever-amazing Escala Sales Center last Wednesday night to celebrate the stand-out works of this years Merit Award Winners.

The evening's backdrop was the lush and rich scenery from Escala's penthouse presentation center. The walls were deliciously adorned gallery style with the fresh and diverse art pieces, treating attendees to a multi-dimensional tour of their artistic senses.

In terms of the art selected for this year's upcoming and SOLD OUT Art Auction, Juan Alonso, PONCHO's 2007 Artist of the Year says "The quality of the art in this year's auction is top notch. This is going to be one fun party."

Thank you to Escala and Real Property Investors for the support of this evening.

To see photos of the evening, visit here.

Photo credit: PONCHO Merit Award Winner Alan Marts and wife Kayano Tokuzato by Lori Call for Team Photogenic.

The Henry Art Gallery – Moving Forward, Staying Contemporary

The Henry Art Gallery is Seattle’s oldest art museum (founded in 1927!), presenting the newest art! Widely recognized as the Pacific Northwest’s premier venue for contemporary art, the Henry provides direct experiences with the art of our time, and frames historical works from its diverse permanent collections in a contemporary context. Exhibitions at the Henry bring important works of art to Seattle from throughout the world and bring into public view works of art from the Northwest. Local artists, emerging artists, and internationally recognized artists are all part of the Henry’s wide-ranging exhibition program.

This Spring is a particularly exciting for the Henry, great new exhibitions, exciting changes in leadership, and special museum events abound in March, April, and May!

Spring exhibitions include new installation work by internationally –recognized French Algerian artist Kader Attia; Josiah McElheny’s The Last Scattering Surface weds the artists remarkable skill in glass sculpture and his interests in astronomy, astrophysics, design, and architecture. Seattle artist Dawn Cerny is working at the Henry in the open studio format, every Saturday – through April 27th.

Richard Andrews, who has led the Henry Art Gallery as Director, through two decades of impressive growth and significantly advanced the Henry’s national reputation as an innovative center for contemporary art, will leave his post in April.

Incoming Director Sylvia Wolf (coming from an eight year tenure at the Whitney Museum of American Art) expressed her excitement her upcoming move to Seattle, “The Henry’s rich collections and its location in Seattle—a gateway to artistic innovation in Canada and Asia—make it a vital resource and a lively venue for artists, scholars, and the public. Future programming will be devoted to pushing boundaries and setting standards in the spirit of boldness with which Horace C. Henry founded the Gallery in 1927. In the years ahead, I look forward to engaging with university students and faculty, with the Seattle cultural community, and with the art world at large in building upon the strengths of the Henry Art Gallery."

Photo: Josiah McElheny. The Last Scattering Surface. 2006. Handblown glass, chrome plated aluminum, rigging, and electric lighting. Courtesy of the artist and Donald Young Gallery, Chicago.