August is a time of reflection for many of us as we savor the last full month of summer and anticipate the changes that fall brings. These thought-provoking exhibitions ask us to reconsider art and political history through carefully crafted works of art that elevate often-overlooked stories and materials. Created out of recycled materials, these eye-catching pop art sculptures are by nationally lauded, Seattle-area artist Leavitt, who tackles issues such as excess consumption, gun violence and substance addiction.
Leavitt confronts these themes with humor and ingenuity, letting the trash talk through the 100-plus works of art on view at Mini Mart City Park. This is one of those rare occasions where the content of the work, the site where it's located and how it’s arranged all come together brilliantly. Instead of displaying cases of beer and racks of junk food, this Mini Mart (a former gas station that was itself heavily recycled into an art center) displays Leavitt’s sculptural sneakers on the wall and his fabricated juice boxes grouped on shelves, among many other productlike art products.
There’s even a Leavitt-created fake gas pump outside. Through Aug. 18; Mini Mart City Park, 6525 Ellis Ave.
S., Seattle; free; minimartcitypark.com Sunny August is a great time (and the last time) to experience the huge, beautiful “stained glass” skylights at Henry Art Gallery created by de Nieves, a Michoacán, Mexico-born, Brooklyn, N.
Y.-based multimedia artist. But look clo.