Matthew Kangas ’67

In spite of the fact that Northwest artists and arts writers are frequently advised to go to New York or Los Angeles to really make it in the arts, Kangas has chosen to stay in the city he loves – indeed, in Ballard – and has succeeded brilliantly, a compliment to him and to Seattle.

After graduating from Ballard High School in 1967, Kangas earned a B.A. from Reed College in Portland and subsequently added to his stellar academic credentials with a B.A. and M.A. at Oxford University, The Queen’s College.

Kangas has reviewed work by the best-known artists of the Northwest as well as national and international artists brought to such institutions as the Seattle Art Museum, Henry Gallery, Bellevue Arts Museum and a broad array of galleries showing every medium and school of art, from traditional art forms to the Northwest School to designer craftsmen. He has written of sculptors such as George Tsutakawa, Martin Puryear, Philip McCracken, Robert Maki, Everett DuPen, Sherry Markovitz, and many others. Kangas have reviewed outstanding craftspersons showing in the Northwest since the ’70’s: Robert Sperry, Patti Warashina, Jun Kaneko, Joyce Moty, and Meg Ford. Glass artists have included Dale Chihuly, William Morris, Richard Royal, Charles Parriott, Flora Mace and Joey Kirkpatrick, Stanislaus Libensky and Jaroslava Brychtova. These are only a few of the many exhibitions he has reviewed.

The catalogs he has written are astonishing in their breadth, depth, diversity and acumen. Whether discussing a painter, a bead maker or a member of the University Of Washington School Of Art, Kangas has created a broad history and resource of modern art. Kangas has indeed helped to define the development of arts and identify the artists making that art. He helps to put our region in context with what is happening in the rest of the country and the world.

Like good artists and writers everywhere Kangas is an educator as attested to by his experience as an instructor at various universities and colleges but also his prodigious schedule of lectures, workshops and panel discussions.

Kangas has also been responsible for being a curator, juror and organizer of dozens of exhibitions ranging from the annual Seattle Bumbershoot to one-man shows, from painters to craftsmen.

He has been recognized with significant awards and grants including First Place for Distinguished Newspaper Art Criticism (Manufacturers Hanover Art/World Award) Arts and Entertainment Award by the Society for professional Journalism, a number of grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, travel grant from the Royal Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, grants from the Philip Morris Companies and Lila Wallace Readers Digest Foundation.

Kangas’ reputation continues to grow with more invitations from abroad and from American cities across the country. His ability to document art history and maintain a lively interest in new developments and young artists serves all of us well.