Bellevue , WA   –   Bellevue Arts Museum offers a fresh perspective on contemporary portraiture with its new exhibition ÜberPortrait , on view through October 18, 2009. Comprised of over 30 works by locally, nationally and internationally celebrated artists, this unique exhibit examines the ‘portrait’ in all its facets – from individual likeness to overarching cultural identity. Working in a broad range of media such as sculpture, ceramics, photography, fiber, performance art and film, artists highlighted in ÜberPortrait share a common interest: exploring the age-old fascination with capturing a person’s likeness and/or recreating his or her identity, both as individual and a collective entity.

Sacramento, CA – The Crocker Art Museum has received a gift of an encyclopedic collection of 20^th-century ceramics, comprised of nearly 800 works by more than 300 artists. The collection, given by Syndey Swidler, brings to the Museum a fully developed view of the medium from the early-20^th-century to the present. Works by some of the most prominent artists in contemporary international ceramics are featured in the collection, including Curtis Benzle, Colin Pearson, Angela Verdon, Val Cushing and Jeffrey Swindell. The Swidler Collection will be showcased as one of the inaugural exhibits when the Crocker opens its 125,000-square-foot expansion in 2010.