The Georgetown Second Saturday Art Attack welcomes several exciting new participants to our colorful celebration of challenging contemporary art. The June 12 installment promises to maintain the ingenuity and creative diversity that has characterized the Art Attack since its inception.  

Newly minted enterprises debuting on June 12 include: The grand opening of the Georgetown Trailer Park Mall – a cluster of vintage Airstream trailers housing galleries eateries, and boutiques – beginning with the Frida Folk Art Trailer exhibiting Tim Fowler’s paintings of childhood obsessions, bugs and cars, together with a “Trunk Show” by Georgetown metal workers of Steel Toe Studios; the premiere of Yvette Endrijautzki and Jethaniel Peterka’s studio/gallery the Nautilus, featuring an exhibition in the “Steam Room” by the resident artists; the open air Georgetown Marketplace, which in June begins its weekly Saturday appearance, including farm-fresh food, local and imported crafts, antiques, eats and more from over 40 vendors.  

Among the regular Art Attack participants: Megan Kelso’s “Artichoke Tales” book launch party and art exhibition at Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery; new paintings by Rafael E. Caraballo and Ed Craggs at Calamity Jane’s; figurative paintings by Amy Pleasant at Georgetown Art & Cultural Center; students of the Georgetown Atelier present their work at the “End of the Year Show”; Mark Tedin, Kyle Abernethy and Julie Baroh at Krab Jab Studio; Full Throttle Bottles hosts a display of the Hazard Factory’s legendary Power Tool Racers, one of the feature attractions at Georgetown’s Artopia arts festival on June 26.  

Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery hosts an art exhibition and book launch party for Seattle-based cartoonist Megan Kelso’s new graphic novel ARTICHOKE TALES on Saturday, June 12 from 6:00 to 9:00 PM.

A graduate of alternative cartoonist breeding ground The Evergreen State College in Olympia, WA, Megan Kelso burst onto the comics scene in the early 90s with her provocative self-published zine Girlhero. She has since proved herself a master of the cartoon short story with Queen of the Black Black (1998) and The Squirrel Mother (2006), in addition to the weekly serial “Watergate Sue” published in the New York Times Magazine (2007).

ARTICHOKE TALES is a coming of age story about a young girl whose family is caught between the two warring sides of a civil war. Kelso’s visual storytelling, combining delicate line work with rhythmic page compositions, creates a dramatic tension between intimate character studies and the unflinching depiction of the consequences of war, lending cohesion and resonance to a generational epic. The widespread critical acclaim afforded Kelso’s previous work makes Artichoke Tales one of the most eagerly anticipated graphic novels of 2010.

The reception on Saturday, June 12 coincides with the colorful Georgetown Second Saturday Art Attack featuring visual and performing arts presentations throughout the historic industrial arts district. Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery is located at 1201 S. Vale Street at Airport Way S. in the heart of Georgetown. Open daily 11:30 to 8:00 PM, Sundays until 5:00 PM. Phone 206.658.0110. Please join us on June 12 to celebrate the work is this remarkable artist.

Listing Information

MEGAN KELSO: ARTICHOKE TALES

Artist reception and Book signing Saturday, June 12, 6:00 to 9:00 PM

Exhibition continues through July 7, 2010 

Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery
1201 S. Vale St. (at Airport Way S.)
Seattle, WA 98108
Phone 206.658.0110

Open Daily 11:30 – 8:00 PM, Sundays until 5:00 PM

Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery welcomes visionary cartoonist Jim Woodring on Saturday, May 22 from 7:00 to 8:00 PM. He will give a slide presentation focusing on his latest work WEATHERCRAFT and sign copies of the book, which debuts at the event.  

Jim Woodring’s idiosyncratic aesthetic has earned him an international following as both a cartoonist and visual artist. He was a recipient of the prestigious United States Artist Fellowship in 2006 (with frequent collaborator Bill Frisell) and was an Artist Trust-Washington State Artist fellow in 2008. His work is published and exhibited worldwide, finding him traveling to exhibitions in France and Australia last year, a residency in Alaska last month, and to Sweden next month.  

Though Fantagraphics Books has published several wonderful Woodring comic book series and collections, WEATHERCRAFT represents his first full-length graphic novel. Employing mystical motifs and enigmatic characters, the book continues the artist’s tradition of imaginative narratives allowing subjective responses from the reader. In a recent review in Vice magazine, Nick Gazin observes, “There’s not much point in trying to sum up the story of this comic. There’s no text, the art is beautiful, and you’re totally consumed by the world he’s created and you exist inside it while you’re reading it."  

Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery is located at 1201 S. Vale Street, minutes south of downtown Seattle in the center of the historic Georgetown arts community. Open daily 11:30 to 8:00 PM, Sundays until 5:00 PM. Phone 206.658.0110.  

Listing Information: 

Jim Woodring presents WEATHERCRAFT

Saturday May 22, 7:00 to 8:00 PM

Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery

1201 S. Vale Street (at Airport Way S.)

Seattle. Phone 206.658.0110

Come on down to Fantagraphics Bookstore this Saturday, May 8 from 6:00 to 9:00 PM to welcome gifted cartoonist Michael Kupperman to Seattle. He’ll be signing copies of the brand new issue of his sensational TALES DESIGNED TO THRIZZLE comic book and other publications. The appearance includes an exhibition of his dazzling original art and a continuous screening of the animated “Snake ‘n’ Bacon” pilot episode.

Kupperman’s unique graphic sensibility combines elements of anachronistic pulp detective magazines textured with references to contemporary art and popular culture. This results in singularly seductive and hilarious comics.

Michael Kupperman’s appearance coincides with the colorful Georgetown Second Saturday Art Attack. In addition to diverse visual and performing arts, the May 8 installment includes the Georgetown Super 8 Film Festival featuring continuous screenings of over 50 three minute films at venues throughout the historic neighborhood.

Saturday’s event features an extraordinary cartoonist, an esoteric soundtrack by DJ “Fallout” Russ, and complimentary beverages. Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery is located at 1201 S. Vale Street at Airport Way S. only minutes from downtown Seattle. Open daily 11:30 to 8:00 PM, Sundays until 5:00 PM. Phone 206.658.0110.