Gallery4Culture
2007-2008 Season

Dennis Oppenheim
From Here
May 1 - 30

reception May 1, 2008, 6 – 8 p.m.

Gallery4Culture is pleased to announce the opening of From Here, an exhibit by nationally recognized sculptor Dennis Oppenheim.

Featuring models, drawings and photos of Oppenheim's work at Gallery4Culture, the exhibit will be complemented by a temporary installation of his large-scale fiberglass traffic cones, Safety Cones (2007), at the Seattle Art Museum's Olympic Sculpture Park. The installation is a collaboration between Gallery4Culture and SAM.

According to the artist, the 18 foot high fiberglass cones are "…enlargements of standard safety cones that have many uses in security and in controlling traffic… By increasing the dimensions of this simple and familiar geometric structure, the form begins a dialogue with architecture rather than object. Because of the considerable presence of the fluorescent conic markers, they have become contemporary totems which immediately repel proximity to them. As architectural structure they say 'stay away, beware, danger".

Safety Cones are expected to be installed by mid May, and will remain on exhibit through early Fall 2008. The installation is part of SAM's 75th anniversary celebration.

A native of Washington State, Oppenheim was recently recognized for Lifetime Achievement at the 2007 Vancouver Sculpture Biennale, and has received international attention for a body of conceptual work that includes performance, sculpture and photographs. Oppenheim has received fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts; and has exhibited his works internationally in galleries and museums including the Tate Gallery, London; Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam; Whitney Museum of American Art and The Museum of Modern Art, New York; Musee d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris; Galerie Pro Arte, Germany; and the Joseph Helman Gallery, New York.

A reception will be held at Gallery4Culture on May 1, 2008, the first Thursday of the month, during the Downtown Artwalk, from 6:00 – 8:00 P.M. The public is encouraged to attend. The exhibition will run from May 1-30, 2008.

Gallery4Culture is located within 4Culture offices at 101 Prefontaine PL S, at the corner of Third and Prefontaine, in the Tashiro/Kaplan Building. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m., closed government holidays; the gallery is open and free to the public.

In 1979, King County Arts Commission's visual arts coordinator, Mickey Gustin Hardman, began a gallery with little more than some foam core and linen and a visionary spirit. Sadly, Mickey died this year. Her legacy continues through the Gallery 4Culture program which provides artists not represented by commercial galleries with opportunities for one-person shows. She will be remembered as a fierce advocate for artists and a pivotal figure in shaping the Seattle arts community.

For more information on Gallery4Culture or other 4Culture programs, contact 206 296.7580 or visit www.4culture.org. For more information on the Olympic Sculpture Park or the Seattle Art Museum, contact 206 654.3100 or www.seattleartmuseum.org.