A Guide to South End and BIPOC Artists at the Seattle Art Fair

by Jas Keimig

The eighth annual Seattle Art Fair is upon us. From Thursday, July 25, to Sunday, July 28, around 100 galleries from both near and far are taking over the Lumen Field Event Center to display thought-provoking, interesting artwork from artists around the world.

You can gawk at paintings, photographs, monoprints, and sculptures from far-off locales, like Seoul and Paris, and check out the Fair's bespoke art installations and events. But there are also over two dozen Seattle art galleries that will be posted up at the Art Fair, representing our city and art scene. We've gone through the extensive list and pulled a few galleries based in the South End (or adjacent) and exhibiting works by artists of color. Add these booths to your Seattle Art Fair crawl — you won't be disappointed.

TASWIRA Gallery (Booth A02)

For its first Seattle Art Fair, TASWIRA Gallery is bringing its focus on contemporary African fine art to the foreground. TASWIRA's Art Fair booth will feature the surreal paintings of Olumide Oresegun, work from Seattle-based multidisciplinary artist Damon Brown, and vibrant paintings by Rodney H. King. Additionally, the gallery is collaborating in partnership with South African artist Ralph Ziman, who will be showing work at the Fair and then settling at TASWIRA for an exclusive exhibition from Aug. 1—25.

SlipStitch Studio (Booth D20)

Another gallery making its Seattle Art Fair debut is SlipStitch Studio. And it's got a dazzling lineup of artists to put on display: new media work from Phillip Hua; frenetic and fun works that mash graffiti and paper collage by Joseph Castronova; Stephen Rock's unique melding of digital and traditional techniques; textile and silkscreen works by Peter Hristoff that celebrate traditional Turkish (Anatolian) rug making; highly detailed drawings by Lordy Rodriguez; and the always great, abstract paintings by Moses Sun. Hats off to you, SlipStitch!

J. Rinehart Gallery (Booth C09)

A cornerstone of the Art Fair is J. Rinehart Gallery's booth, featuring a curated selection of Seattle-based artists across a range of mediums. Among them is Romson Bustillo, who will present new glass vessels made during his residencies at Museum of Glass and Pilchuck Glass School. Also make sure to check out works by painter, draftsman, and printmaker Emily Gherard, sculptor Jan Hoy, painter and printmaker Kippi Leonard, and photographer and printmaker Amanda Knowles, as well as new work by abstract painter Jaq Chartier and painter Kate Protage.

studio e (Booth B17)

Georgetown gallery studio e's Art Fair offerings are always a little quirked up and colorful, offering a distinctly Seattle feel to the proceedings. While there are a lot of cool artists on its docket (don't miss Polina Bertou's exuberant paintings or Emily Counts' evocative ceramic sculptures), take care to admire the work of Joe Feddersen (Arrow Lakes/Okanogan). Across his 40-year career, he has created monoprints, twine baskets, and blown glass work made with bright colors that reflect the natural world, his lived experiences, and other recognizable symbols and forms. The work is entrancing — take a long look!

Greg Kucera Gallery (Booth A07)

The always impeccable Greg Kucera Gallery is presenting a powerhouse exhibition of artists for the Fair. Among them are Columbia City-based artists, like painter Margie Livingston (with some gorgeous works in acrylic on paper) and sculptors Sherry Markovitz and Peter Millett. Additionally, the gallery will also present works by sculptor Humaira Abid, mixed-media artist Juventino Aranda, sculptor Mark Calderon, and painters Roger Shimomura and Anthony White. Keep your eyes peeled for an incredibly carved stone by the Central District's own James Washington Jr. and stellar lithographic prints from the legendary Jacob Lawrence.

Veronica (Booth G01)

Over in the G section, Rainier Avenue's Veronica Project Space will have its own booth featuring the work of local and international artists. Check out the thoughtful painting and photography-based work of the Oslo-based Doris Guo, Vancouver-based Sol Hashemi's multimodal photography, Stephanie Simek's experimental interventions, Isaac Layman's large-scale photographs, and paintings by Tacoma-based Christopher Paul Jordan. (Note: Veronica is also hosting a suite of new work by Jordan called "THE END," a "queer comic-tract in the tradition of Fred Carter, the uncredited African American illustrator behind one of the world's most prolific religious publications." The show is open at its gallery from now through Aug. 31.)

Stonington Gallery (Booth B15)

This is Stonington Gallery's second Art Fair and it is bringing its talented cadre of contemporary Indigenous art with it. Go gawk at glassworks by artists like Preston Singletary, Raya Friday, Raven Skyriver, and Dan Friday, as well as a husky brother drum and carved red cedar paddle by Ty Juvinel, a vibrant limited-edition serigraph by Maynard Johnny Jr., a medicine man mask by Robin Rorick, painted works by Joe (wahalatsu?) Seymour Jr. and Rande Cook, and an abstract woven work by Ursala Hudson. Stonington Gallery is also extending its Pioneer Square location's hours to be open on Sunday, July 28, from 11—5 p.m.

Featured Image: Tariqa Waters presents "Thank You, MS PAM!" filmed in front of a live studio audience at last year's Seattle Art Fair. (Photo courtesy of AMP.)