The Seattle Art Museum has hired Michael Darling, assistant curator at the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art, to be its next Jon and Mary Shirley Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art. Michael Darling, assistant curator at MOCA, formerly known as the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art, is the new curator of modern and contemporary art at the Seattle Art Museum. Jen Graves, art critic for the Stranger broke the story about the hire late Monday on the paper's SLOG, and SAM confirmed it. Darling replaces Lisa Corrin, who left earlier this year to become director of the Williams College Museum of Art. Darling has a reputation for openness to the wide range of contemporary art practice. In 2002, he curated Seattle artist Roy McMakin's traveling exhibit, "A Door Meant As Adornment," which appeared at the University of Washington's Henry Art Gallery.

"It's funny when I do studio visits I'm finding a real interest on the part of artists,"... "I'm finding Krazy Kat catalogs on their shelves, or the influence of Winsor McCay on their work". Michael Darling

I have a few studios in mind when you move to Seattle for your first visits.

• Joseph Park
• Mark Takamichi Miller
• Junko Yamamoto
• Francesca Sundsten
• Yuki Nakamura
• Patti Warashina
• Jaq Chartier
• Blake Haygood
• Matt Sellars
• Dan Webb
• Cris Bruch
• [suttonberesculler]
• Manfred Lindenberger
• Annie Han and Daniel Mihalyo
• David Kroll
• Patrick LoCicero

"The things I was seeing in studios were at first confusing, because it seemed all kinds of contradictory work was happening,...These artists seemed to be making a kind of attack on the concept of a signature style and to be engaged in a promiscuous working-through of different genres.... "All of these artists, in one way or another, make painting a central process in their work. But it is not the only process."...It is activated and prodded one way or another,...by other things going on in the artist's mind.
Michael Darling

Places to meet artists informally.

• The Hideout
• The Central Branch of the Seattle Public Library
• The Frye Art Museum [hint it is always free]
• The Joe Bar Cafe
• Two Bells Tavern
• Victrola Cafe

After you have adjusted to living in Seattle, I suggest forays into Georgetown, Beacon Hill, Capitol Hill, and Queen Anne Hill.
Welcome and Good Luck

Read Jen Graves Exclusive interview here