About
A busy night at “the Art of the Nude”
Mission
Great figurative (and, more broadly, representational) artists are emerging from atelier training with technical brilliance and fresh vision; they constitute a global, grassroots resurgence in the figurative arts. Our mission is to support them, to help bring about a flourishing art culture in our time.
Our monthly rotating shows have amazed Seattle gallery goers with consistently excellent work, obtained locally and from around the world. We have seen a tremendous turn-out at our events and we have demonstrated our true colors to the art world - we are here to support great art. We are a for-profit business entity that is volunteer run.
Team
Brett Holverstott, Founder & Director
brett@figuregroundgallery.com
Brett is an architect, author, hobby sculptor, founder of the gallery, and chief curator. He seeks out fresh, gestural, painterly works that are technically brilliant and feel alive. Brett curated the first year of shows to establish the mood. More about Brett…
Jen Dale, Curator
jen@figuregroundgallery.com
Jen is an artist, art historian & writer, lecturer, and curator. She prefers narrative works that bring story, history, humor, and intrigue, and she brings a motley crew of artist connections from the greater Portland area. More about Jen…
Guest Curators
Eric Elliot, Guest Curator
Eric is an artist, instructor at Colorado Mesa University, curator, and a widely connected artist who brought us our August-September 2022 group show “Beyond Description.”
Danny Samuels, Guest Curator
Danny is a sculptor, model-maker, digital sculptor, Director of Curriculum and Instruction for K12 programs at Digipen, and Art Director at Trans Atlantis Games. He brought us the Digipen faculty show: “Convergent Voices” in March 2023.
Cyra Jane, Guest Curator
Cyra is a painter, sculptor, and installation artist who runs a group stone carving studio in Georgetown. Cyra curated the “Construct” show in August of 2023.
Elisabeth Lawson Koehler, Guest Curator
Elisabeth is a painter, instructor and owner of ArtStudioLife.Com. She studied at the Jerusalem Studio School and the University of Washington. Elisabeth curated the “Shapes of Light” show in Dec 2022 - Jan 2023.
About the Space
The gallery is a beautiful 850 sq. ft. upstairs space with 13-ft high ceilings overlooking Occidental Avenue. It is most comfortable for about 30 guests but often supports hundreds of gallery goers on an art walk night. We have a wine bar with the capacity for serving 100 guests, comfortable seating for about 8 and additional stools for 15.
Normal access is from the callbox on Jackson Street. For special events enter via the backdoor on Occidental Avenue (look for our tent). We have one restroom. Wheelchair access can be accommodated by special arrangement via the freight elevator. We have an overhead speaker system capable of knocking your hat off.
First Thursday Art Walk
The gallery opens every new show on the first Thursday of every month coinciding with the Pioneer Square Art Walk. Join us!
Other Events
The gallery is available to host pop-up shows that support our mission, such as the Social Atelier Networking Event, the Createur Magazine Fundraising Gala, and the Magrath Atelier Pop-Up Show (scheduled for July 30th). The cost is often waived.
The gallery occasionally hosts figure drawing events. Let us know if you would like to be added to the list.
The gallery is available for happy-hours and networking events for local professionals.
We also host VIP collector nights and other events associated with our active shows.
Contact
To reach us please send us an inquiry with the form below, or reach out via brett@figuregroundgallery.com or call 206-641-7254.