First Thursday & August Programs

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Virtual and In-Person Happenings at Blue Sky - August 2021

As you enjoy the last weeks of summer, we invite you to find respite from the heat and take a visual trip across the West with us.

 
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Fist Thursday, August 5: Ingeborg Gerdes: Out West

This month also brings our FIRST First Thursday since March 2020. We’ll have extended hours on August 5, from 12 - 7 PM.

Blue Sky is pleased to announce a special memorial exhibition for acclaimed photographer, Ingeborg Gerdes (German-American, 1938 - 2020). This retrospective exhibition, Out West, comprises work from several of Gerdes’ series spanning a 50-year period, including photographs from San Francisco in the 70s, Out West Across the Basin, Out West in Color, Eastern Washington, The Mission District, and Autobiography.

 
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Sunday, August 8: Out West with Owen Gump

2 - 3:30 PM. Doors will open at 1:30 PM Space is limited. RSVP and Masks required.

Owen Gump, a representative from the Ingeborg L. Gerdes Trust and close friend of Gerdes’ will introduce the exhibition and discuss Gerdes’ long association with Blue Sky dating back to its founding in the 1970s. Gump is now working with the Trust to prepare her archives and manage her artistic legacy. He worked closely with Ann Jastrab of the Center for Photographic Art, Carmel, CA, in planning Out West and is currently preparing an additional exhibition of Ingeborg's work for the Museum of Photography in Braunschweig, Germany this fall.

 
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Wednesday, August 11: Postcards from Yesteryear: Refocusing, A Free Salon From Anywhere

5 - 6:30 PM

What exactly is the attraction of a roadside attraction? What makes a settler decide to settle for this particular place? Why is Americana especially compelling when seen through the lens of an immigrant? Does nostalgia inevitably bleed into kitsch? Jois us as Lois Leveen leads a discussion of photographs from Out West.

REFOCUSING is a Free Salon-From-Anywhere program from Blue Sky Gallery, in which we explore ways to redefine and strengthen community by engaging online with photographs and with each other.


Take a Look & Take a Listen

  • Catch recordings of July programs on our YouTube Channel, including Artist Talks with ML Casteel and Justyna Badach, and our Salon From Anywhere program.

  • Visit Nine Gallery @ Blue Sky this Month. Take in photographs by Bill Will in Things I found when I was looking for something else.

  • Enjoy an array of thematic online exhibitions, curated From the Exhibition Archives.

  • Pay a visit to the South Wall of the historic DeSoto Building, to see the first public art project in the state dedicated to LGBTQ+ community achievements and progress! We celebrate Never Look Away, a project supported and sponsored by PrideNW.

  • View and Support your 2021 Pacific NW Drawers Artists. See works and read artist statements on the website, or buy a photograph to start or build your collection! Take in a thematic exhibition from Out of the Drawers, also on view in the Blue Sky Library. Did you know you can also catch a slideshow of our 2021 Drawers Artists from our front window monitor?

  • Catalogs for purchase! When you stop by the gallery, you can go away with a new book for your collection. On sale this month: Justyna Badach’s Blue Sky Book, Land of Epic Battles and Proxy War ($16); Ingeborg Gerdes’ Blue Sky Book from the 1976 Exhibition, Early Travels ($20); and ML Casteel’s American Interiors (signed, $40). Visit Blue Sky Books for many more options!

  • Blue Sky Hours: Regular Hours Wednesday - Saturday 12 - 5 PM. Closed for installation the Wednesday before First Thursday. We ask you to please wear a mask as we continue to take measures to keep our staff and visitors safe.

  • Upcoming Exhibitions: September 2–October 2, 2021

    • Gary Burnley: 2020 Critical Mass Solo Show Award Winner

    • Al J. Thompson: Remnants of an Exodus


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