The artist William T. Wiley has made music and musical references persistent features of his art, whether in performance or in visual references and titles. Selections of his lyrical works have been made available on the American Art Museum's Podcast page through iTunes.

William T. Wiley sits down with the American Art Museum on the occasion of his exhibition, What's It All Mean: William T. Wiley in Retrospect. Wiley, who has created a distinctive body of work during a 50-year career that addresses critical issues of our time. Art, politics, war, global warming, foolishness, ambition, hypocrisy, and irony are summoned by Wiley’s fertile imagination and recorded in the personal vocabulary of symbols, puns and images that fill his objects.

From its early 20th-century roots as the Seattle Fine Arts Society to its growth into an internationally renowned museum with three distinct venues, explore how the Seattle Art Museum evolved into a vital Seattle institution.

Autumn Field 1957, Mark Tobey tempera on paper sheet: 47 x 36 in. (119.4 x 91.5 cm) Smithsonian American Art Museum Gift of S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc. 1968.52.23 View other works in the collection by American Artist Mark Tobey.

Morris Graves was a protégé and close friend of Mark Tobey. Graves grew up in the Northwest and for many years made his home on an island in Puget Sound.

Chigadera / Ratbastard 1962, Bruce Conner assemblage, mixed media: cardboard, aluminum foil, cloth 36 1/4 x 14 1/8 x 3 1/2 in. (92.2 x 36 x 8.9 cm) Smithsonian American Art Museum Bequest of Edith S. and Arthur J. Levin 2005.5.13

Drawing for Sollie 17 1980, Edward Kienholz mixed media construction 97 x 48 x 82 1/2 in. (246.4 x 121.9 x 209.6 cm) Smithsonian American Art Museum Gift of G & W Investments 2001.59

Dada or Dadaism is a cultural movement that began in Zürich, Switzerland, during World War I and peaked from 1916 to 1922.[1] The movement primarily involved visual arts, literature—poetry, art manifestoes, art theory—theatre, and graphic design, and concentrated its anti-war politics through a rejection of the prevailing standards in art through anti-art cultural works.

Chuck Wiley, William Wiley, and Dan Welch filming a scene for The Great Blondino, photographed by Jack Fulton in 1966. Courtesy of the Robert A. Nelson collection of photographs relating to films Plastic Haircut and The Great Blondino, 1963-1966 at the Archives of American Art.

1963, Film, 15 minutes Directed by William T. Wiley and Robert Nelson

The Great Blondino 1967, Directed by William T. Wiley and Robert Nelson 16mm Film, 42 Minutes

A Black Rhinoceros, (Diceros bicornis), at the San Francisco Zoo.

The Off Handed Jape ... and How to Pull it Off 1967, William T. Wiley and Robert Nelson 16mm Film, 16 Minutes

1971, Film, 29 minutes Directed by William T. Wiley

In Man's Nature, Wiley was inspired by Michael Snow's filmWavelength from 1967. A critically acclaimed avant-garde film, Wavelength was awarded the Grand Prix at the 1967 Knokke Experimental Film Festival and is noted as a defining contribution to structural film making.

In the Name of (Not to Worry It's Juxtaposition) 1982 William T. Wiley acrylic and felt-tipped pen and ink and charcoal on canvas 96 1/2 x 127 in. ( 245.1 x 322.6 cm.) Smithsonian American Art Museum Museum purchase 1983.81A

Since time immemorial, the lands of Our People extended in all directions along the Cascade Mountain Range to the Columbia River and beyond. We consider it land given in trust by the Creator to us and a heritage to be held and protected for unborn generations.

Alchemy (Arabic:al-kimia) (Hebrew:אלכימיה al-khimia) is both a philosophy and a practice with an aim of achieving ultimate wisdom as well as immortality, involving the improvement of the alchemist as well as the making of several substances described as possessing unusual properties. The practical aspect of alchemy generated the basics of modern inorganic chemistry, namely concerning procedures, equipment and the identification and use of many current substances.

Mary Hull Webster is a visual artist and writer who lives near San Francisco, California, USA. She works in many media on concurrent long-term projects that explore ideas, inquiries, or concerns

Spooky on the Line 1979, William T. Wiley Fred Gude (Printer) Thomas Blackman (Printer) Landfall Press, Inc. (Publisher) lithograph on paper sheet and image: 30 x 22 in. (76.2 x 55.9 cm) Smithsonian American Art Museum Gift of the artist 2003.68.17

Zen emphasizes experiential prajñā, particularly as realized in the form of meditation, in the attainment of enlightenment. As such, it de-emphasizes theoretical knowledge in favor of direct, experiential realization through meditation and dharma practice.

by author Paul Reps

by author Shunryu Suzuki

Enter the world of artist William T. Wiley, who has created a distinctive body of work during a 50-year career that addresses critical issues of our time. Art, politics, war, global warming, foolishness, ambition, hypocrisy, and irony are summoned by Wiley’s fertile imagination and recorded in the personal vocabulary of symbols, puns and images that fill his objects. His wit and sense of the absurd make his art accessible to all with multiple layers of meaning revealed through careful examination.