Through Oct. 28
SOUTH AFRICA: BETWEEN THE SHADOW AND THE LIGHT
Artists and educators from six African countries and the United States joined together for this exhibit on display in Whitworth University's Bryan Oliver Gallery. For two weeks in 2013, they came from Ghana, Botswana, Kenya, South Africa, Nigeria, Zimbabwe and America to live, learn and create together in South Africa. The project, called R5: A Visual Arts Studio and Seminar in South Africa, explores South Africa's culture, history and current reality, addressing themes of resistance, reconciliation, remembrance, representation and re-visioning. Whitworth University, Lied Art Center, Mon-Fri, 10 am-6 pm; Sat, 10 am-2 pm (JO MILLER)
Sept. 17-Dec. 17
ROMAN MYTH AND MYTHMAKING
This show is far from typical for Gonzaga's Jundt Art Museum, and that's not just because it collects 115 artifacts to tell the story of how the Roman Empire spread its religious and cultural beliefs. Roman Myth and Mythmaking is a unique collaboration between the school and the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, the American Numismatic Society and Emory University's Michael C. Carlos Museum, and in addition to the ongoing exhibit, there will be a series of lectures each Thursday (save Thanksgiving) through the fall from experts in Roman mythology, politics and art. Jundt Art Museum, free admission, open Mon-Sat, 10 am-4 pm (DAN NAILEN)
Sept. 26-Dec. 17
NORTHWEST ALTERNATIVE COMICS
The Northwest served as a unique breeding ground for so-called "alternative" comic book artists in the '80s and '90s, and this new show at Washington State University's Museum of Art pays tribute to that history while also shining a light on emerging artists from the area. Alternative comics had some of the countercultural edge of the '60s but turned into something new as it intermingled with the Northwest's punk and indie music scene. As it's developed further, the artists have pushed visual boundaries as well as storylines unheard of in superhero comics. WSU Museum of Art, free admission, open Mon-Sat, 10 am-4 pm; Thursdays until 7 pm (DN)
Oct. 1-31
CREATE SPOKANE ARTS MONTH
The third annual Create Spokane Arts Month packs the calendar with tons of art displays — including the Fall Arts Tour, the first full weekend, Oct. 7-9 — and opportunities to get in touch with your creative side through classes, workshops and demos. To cap it off, the Spokane Arts Awards and Costume Ball happens on Nov. 5 at the restored Washington Cracker Co. Building. The awards recognize people and organizations that contribute to the arts, with awards presented in the categories of leadership, collaboration, imagination and inclusion. For more details, visit spokanearts.org. Arts Month events through all of October, locations and prices vary. (CHEY SCOTT)
Oct. 7-29
THE CITY IS MY CANVAS
No doubt you've noticed the remarkable murals and public art pieces popping up throughout the region, turning the Inland Northwest into a canvas full of man-made beauty to go along with our stunning natural environment. The Spokane Art School is paying tribute to some of the artists who have made the region more visually appealing — specifically Tiffany Patterson, Ellen Picken and brothers Todd and Cain Benson — through an exhibit that documents how large-scale public art pieces are conceived and ultimately executed, bringing art directly to the people. Spokane Art School (DN)
Oct. 15
STEVE GIBBS BENEFIT SHOW
Few folks in the Inland Northwest's visual arts community are as beloved as Steve Gibbs, the longtime owner of Coeur d'Alene's Art Spirit Gallery, where some of the region's most influential artists have been showing their wares for nearly 20 years. Known equally for his friendly and inviting demeanor as his expansive art collection housed in his gallery's cellar, Gibbs recently revealed that he's been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. To help Gibbs in his battle against the devastating disease, his friends have organized a benefit concert, giving everyone a chance to cut a rug with Gibbs, a guy who likes to dance. 9 pm, the Rocker Room, $20, tickets at Art Spirit Gallery, 208-765-6006 (MIKE BOOKEY)
Oct. 27
EMERGE DAY OF THE DEAD FIESTA
You have to love a delicious way to support the arts, and Coeur d'Alene's Emerge has that figured out. The nonprofit community arts program is hosting a Day of the Dead Festival again this year, where art lovers (or the merely hungry) can sample traditional and modern dishes from the American Southwest, Mexico and Latin America, check out some artwork and a chef cook-off, dance a bit and bid on auction items, with the proceeds going to keep Emerge doing great work. Emerge, $55, 6 pm (DN)
Nov. 12-Jan. 8, 2017
MY SPOKANE
You may have seen one of Chris Bovey's screen-printed posters around town or in your friend's home, or maybe for sale at a local store. The distinctively styled posters feature either iconic landmarks or local businesses that have become renowned in Spokane, or perhaps were once adored, but have since gone by the wayside. He's made prints of Mt. Spokane and the Ridpath Hotel, as well as Jack & Dan's and Dick's Hamburgers. Now, with My Spokane: A Vintage Look at Spokane Through the Screenprints of Chris Bovey, the former longtime Inlander art director takes his collection to the walls of the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture (MAC) for this season-long show that will feature prints you haven't yet seen on display. Posters will be for sale at the museum's gift shop, too. Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture, see museum rates and hours at northwestmuseum.org (MB)
Dec. 2-31
REBEKAH WILKINS-PEPITON: A STORY OF AMERICA GOES WALKING
Spokane-based artist Rebekah Wilkins-Pepiton uses her work to explore humans' ongoing relationship with the natural world, and how that relationship affects how we treat each other. A regular collaborator with other artists, finding inspiration in other visual artists as well as writers, this solo show of Wilkins-Pepiton's mixed-media work involving printmaking, graphic design and photography should offer a unique insight into the artist. Kolva-Sullivan Gallery, opening First Friday, Dec. 2, 5 pm (DN) ♦
