Fall Arts Guide | Art exhibits not to be missed

"S'abadeb — The Gifts: Pacific Coast Salish Art and Artists": With consultants from the Salish First Nations, SAM curator Barbara Brotherton has organized a major exhibition devoted to the 40 groups that make up the Coast Salish people. Placing historic and contemporary works together, "S'abadeb" (pronounced Sah-BAH-deb) proclaims the rich culture heritage of the Pacific Northwest. Accompanied by a 300-page catalog, the show will travel to the Heard Museum in Phoenix and the Royal British Columbia Museum in Victoria, B.C. Oct. 24, 2008 — Jan. 11, 2009, Seattle Art Museum.

"Empire": The five video installations of "Empire," selected by Frye Art Museum curator Robin Held, act as a conceptual counterpoint to the historic images of "Napoleon on the Nile: Soldiers, Artists, and the Rediscovery of Egypt," an exhibition from the Dahesh Museum of Art that opened last month at the Frye. The installations are said to look at "the mechanisms of empire building and destruction, modernity and its discontents," and were created by artists Runa Islam; Paul Pfeiffer; Janos Reverz and Norbert Szirmai; Halil Altindere and collaborators Dias & Riedweg. Sept. 20, 2008 — Jan. 4, 2009, Frye Art Museum.

"Oasis: Western Dreams of the Ottoman Empire from the Dahesh Museum of Art": The infatuation of Europe with the East resulted in a lot of artwork that speculated on the opulent, seductive strangeness of it all. Featuring some 60 paintings, "Oasis" will "offer important historical and cultural perspectives on the challenging questions of the 'Orient' and its representation in art." Sept. 20, 2008-Jan. 4, 2009, Tacoma Art Museum.

"Adaptation: Video Installations by Ben-Ner, Herrera, Sullivan, and Sussman & The Rufus Corporation": What do classic narratives like "Moby Dick" and "The Rape of the Sabine Women," or the modernist ballet "Les Noces," (choreographed by Bronislava Nijinska to music by Stravinsky), look like re-visioned for a contemporary video screen? "Adaptation" will "explore questions of fidelity and creativity while examining adaptation as a practice in contemporary art." Organized by Stephanie Smith for the Smart Museum of Art, University of Chicago. Nov. 22, 2008 — March 22, 2009, Henry Art Gallery.

"Edward Hopper's Women": A sure crowd-pleaser, this small but juicy show centers on Seattle Art Museum's promised gift of Hopper's iconic "Chop Suey," surrounding it with nine other paintings, a few etchings and a selection of related photographs from the era, by Imogen Cunningham, Walker Evans, Ben Shahn and others. Nov. 13, 2008 — May 4, 2009, Seattle Art Museum.

Sheila Farr: sfarr@seattletimes.com