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Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Visual Art What Happens When You're Seattle: Galleries Move to LA

Posted by Jen Graves on Wed, Mar 2, 2011 at 9:59 AM

Ron Van Der Ende, Still-Life, represented by Ambach & Rice at the Armory Show this week.

Ron Van Der Ende, Still-Life, represented by Ambach & Rice at the Armory Show this week.

Ambach & Rice, the A-list gallery that grew over the last three years out of a former art-on-the-walls anime toy store in Ballard, is at this minute exhibiting as part of the Armory Show in New York—and this spring, is relocating permanently down the street from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

Ambach & Rice got hot locally when it snagged Jeffry Mitchell and Roy McMakin for its roster away from James Harris Gallery, but it's continuously been putting its private money toward a solid membership in the Art World, setting up at fairs from Miami to New York despite the recession that's kept other galleries at home.

The art at the gallery has been strong and varied, ranging in tone from Seattle artist Grant Barnhart's loose, cocky, bright paintings to the current show of a cinematic piece comprised of black-and-white slides with audio narration, by Berlin-based Brazilian artist Pablo Pijnappel, in his first US solo show.

Ambach & Rice in Ballard.

For Art World credibility, it's impossible to argue Seattle over LA. LA's a haven for collectors, artists, curators, writers, and teachers, and the artists represented by Ambach & Rice will almost certainly benefit from the gallery's move. I only hope owners Charlie and Amanda Kitchings will continue to look at Seattle—if not a place for selling art—in order to find, and elevate, deserving artists.

After Pijnappel's show (through March 27), the next, and last, exhibition at the gallery will be The Strong, Star-Bright Companions, by Betty Bowen winner Ellen Lesperance. It will run April 2 to May 15; Ambach & Rice will open at 6148 Wilshire Boulevard with an installation of new works by Alon Levin on September 10.

At this point, Seattle's got a sizable gap opening up in contemporary art galleries: Closed in the last couple years are Howard House, folk-art redoubt Garde Rail, and Crawl Space; Lawrimore Project has downsized, and Western Bridge and 619 Western are on their way out. Folks like these are keeping the flame alive—without a dime to their names. Fun with recessionism.

Comments (5) RSS

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I too find this and the inevitable list you have conjoined into the article deeply distressing. And while my personal loss is small in comparison (I was the former curator for TwoWall Gallery on Vashon, which was the recent victim of homophobic censorship by the building owner) it too still leaves a hole in my aesthetic heart. I so often found visiting all of thes places listed here (and of course others) a remarkably stimulating trip off island just after the chaos of first friday, when owners and attendant staff were eager for conversation. It is difficult to stop rationalizing what is feeling like an inevitable move for me as well. Over the years I've been in this area , several theater venues that stimulated me as well have disappeared. I can't help but think it is more than merely the recession. I was having this very conversation with people I've shown over the years, from the likes of Seattle warhorse Ries Niemi, on down to young new upstarts about who will carry the ball. Unfortunately, for Vashon work with little vision short of the ability to match the wallpaper and sofa cusions will be the survivors. Best of the Northwest, even though it fills that same bill on a grander scale, is also in fragile mutability; even standard functional craft is having its own death throws.

Posted by Jack Strubbe on March 2, 2011 at 10:20 AM

I hear things like this (galleries moving away) and have to wonder why so many people in Seattle will go to BedBathandBeyond or what have you and buy some piece of crap knock-off art for $40 but they won't go into a gallery and buy an original piece of crap art (which it is but if you love it it's your crap) for $200 or something close to that price. I do understand there are alot of crap makers that are called artists. But hey don't buy that crap. There is alot of good cheap art in Seattle, but again for some odd reason people just love BBB stuff.

Posted by Sargon Bighorn on March 2, 2011 at 10:28 AM

Give'em hell in LA!

These kids get IT and I expect to see great things from this move. I'm sad to see them go but this is the right time to make this move.

Posted by drew on March 2, 2011 at 12:09 PM