ArtSEA: Nirvana’s back on stage in a new photobook and art show

Several current Seattle art stars are shining on the national stage this month — though hopefully aren’t yet experiencing the complications of fame that Cobain famously struggled with. 

I remember several years ago, when I first heard Netflix was doing a glassblowing reality series called Blown Away, I thought it was a silly idea. Yet here I am, totally addicted and amped for Season 4 (which premieres March 8). And why not? Beyond the standard reality show pulp there are inherent thrills in the artmaking process — including gloopy molten glass and meticulous creations slipping and crashing to the ground. 

Plus, thanks to Seattle’s status as a haven for glass art, there are always local competitors to cheer on. 

This year the field of 10 includes three Puget Sounders: Karen Willenbrink-Johnson, from Bow, creator of delicate bird sculptures; Ryan Blythe, from Vashon Island, known for his collaborations with Tiffany & Co.; and Morgan Peterson, from Seattle, whose edgy creations include “Modern Day Fabergé” egg sculptures featuring images of Kurt Cobain, Jimi Hendrix, and Laura Palmer from Twin Peaks. 

In addition to rooting for this local crew, watch for a special guest judge appearance by Michelle Bufano, executive director of Chihuly Garden and Glass.

And we may have another reality star in our midst: fleet-footed local tap dancer Cipher Goings, who is one of 100 hopefuls in the new season of So You Think You Can Dance (on Fox). Goings wasn’t among the auditions shown during the premiere last week, but keep an eye out — and fingers crossed — for him as the auditions proceed on Monday nights. Meanwhile, catch a glimpse of this talented tapper.

Lest we forget: The Oscars are this weekend (March 10), and up for a Best Actress Award is Lily Gladstone, who took her first acting classes as a preteen at Seattle’s Stone Soup Theatre, studied drama at Mountlake Terrace High School and later directed summer shows for local Native youth theater group Red Eagle Soaring. 

Gladstone, who is Blackfeet and Nimi’iipu, has already won Screen Actors Guild and Golden Globe awards for her performance as Osage woman Mollie Burkhart in Killers of the Flower Moon. Could the first Native American nominated for a competitive Oscar take home a golden statuette? Her Mountlake Terrace classmates thought so — 20 years ago she was named “Most Likely to Win an Oscar” and has the yearbook photo to prove it.