SO MUCH MATERIAL, SO LITTLE TIME >>>

There's a lot of stuff out there in the world of art that I will never be able to cover in my column.  The following are some suggestions of a few things in the South Sound you might want to take a look at.

Local students are being highlighted in the latest show at the Kenneth J. Minnaert Center for the Arts Gallery at South Puget Sound Community College. The exhibition featuring local high school artists begins today and runs through March 23 with a special closing reception March 23 from 6-8 p.m. The gallery will feature extended hours for the exhibit. The exhibit will be open Monday through Friday from noon to 5 p.m. As a cool added feature, the show is part of a state art competition, and if you go you can vote for your favorite pieces. Your vote just might be the one to start some future art star on the road to fame.

Also in Olympia, M.W.Lindenmeyer will be showing Olympia cityscapes in pastel and watercolor at the Lieutenant Governor's Office, Room 220 in the Legislative Building on the Capitol Campus. The show opened March 7 and continues through May 5. Lindenmeyer has been painting West Coast cityscapes for more than 30 years in a variety of media. In 2004 he began visiting Olympia looking for a fresh inspiration, and the works in this show have been done since then. He e-mailed me a couple of images from the show. They're kind of fun and playful. I enjoyed them a lot.

In Tacoma, photographer Jim Oliver is having a show at The Tahoma Center Gallery called Your Table is Waiting. I previewed photos from the show and was very impressed with their formal simplicity and elegance. There will be a reception March 17 from 5-7:30 p.m. Gallery hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday and 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday. The gallery is located on the 2nd floor of the old St Leo's School at 1323 S. Yakima Ave., Tacoma.

Also in Tacoma, Sandpiper Gallery is having a show called Round in Circles with painter J. Neils Harvey and bead sculptor Indian Owen. Curator Lynn Di Nino said of Harvey, "Inspired by the pointillist paintings of Georges Seurat and a fascination with mosaics, (Harvey) has pioneered a unique style. Harvey layers ‘bubbles' of bold colors creating a spectacular optical effect. Using acrylic paint as her preferred medium, (she) uses a self-taught technique to juxtapose thousands of precisely placed colors."

The show runs through March 26. Sandpiper Gallery is at 2221 N 30^th St, Old Town Tacoma. They're open every day except Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. or by appointment. Call 253.627.6667.

Finally, there's the Artisan Tile NorthWest show at Handforth Gallery in the downtown Tacoma Public Library featuring tiles by Claudia Riedener, Debra Bacianga, John McCuistion, Steve Moon, Allison Moore, and many more tile artists. The show runs through April 12. There will be an opening reception March 12 from 1-3 p.m.