Counter-Culture Art

Counter-Culture Art: a Must-See Show at the Seattle Museum

 Every now and then there's something we've just gotta see for the heck (or whatever) of it. It's good news to come across these moments in our routine week, year or life. They spark us, make us laugh a little, turn us away from the usual bla bla bla and make us look at our world of woes and serious preoccupations just a tiny bit differently. Maybe even hopefully .

Must-See Art

Individuals differ in their must-sees. But I'll venture that anyone affected at all by the ruling culture around them will enjoy art that pokes fun at it. That's the theme of this art show, and it's what makes it a "must-see". By its very nature, the artwork included is diverse enough to appeal to lots of different folks. It's notable that what was once "outsider" art is now accepted and even valued by the mainstream culture. But that's what art does!

I've written before about must-see Quirky Museums and Outsider Art. This time, thank you to RC for recommending this current show, Poke in the Eye, at the Seattle Art Museum. (And thanks for thinking of me and some of my art when you saw it). This almost-local Seattle show (I'm in Vancouver, Canada) is all about the counter-culture art of mid-late 20th century. It's a real break from standard "museum" artworks and still feels fresh and inviting.

credit Seattle Art Museum: SAM Stories, Jun 26, 2024, photo by Chloe Collyer

The names of participant west-coast artists in this show are known to me, and I've enjoyed their work for years. Names like Roy Dean De Forest (his work is featured in the photo) and Fay Jones. Their paintings are original, colourful splashes of in-your-face everyday reality, visions of contemporary life in this area. Their art re-imagines the ordinary and paints it into enjoyable takes on the familiar and even the invitingly marginal life at the edges of conformist society. De Forest, Jones, and their contemporary artists work across in various art media, and there are some some wonderfully surprising pokes in the eye. So what you consider "art" needn't be highbrow at all.

Here are some tidbits relating why it's a must-see Poke in the Eye, for me and, I'm sure, for some of you.

• "Playfully Irreverent and Intentionally Weird" (see)

• West Coast and Pacific Northwest Coast Counterculture Art Boom  

• Low and High Art Meet and Have a Ball

• Wit and Humour Play the High Stakes

• Colourful, Sometimes Outrageous but Good-Spirited Reminders of Why We Like Art

Party in Birdland by Janet Strayer

It's important to have a vibrant counter-culture. I know I need to be reminded almost daily not to take it all so dreadfully seriously all the time... even if what's happening in the world IS serious! And especially, I need to remember not to take myself so seriously all the time: It gets ridiculous. Sometimes all we need is a good poke in the eye!