Emerging from the pandemic has been a messy, serpentine journey filled with oft-depressing headlines. Amid the upheaval, plenty of local artists and art groups are producing or presenting art in fresh ways or skewing traditional models. From new approaches to brand-new art spaces, we’ve spotlighted some of the many inventive projects that prove Seattle’s still got plenty of creative juice. (Note: Event details are subject to change. Please check websites for the latest.)
Art in surprising locations
On a recent, chilly June afternoon, about a dozen people in brightly colored overalls — cherry red, banana yellow — slowly slithered down the concrete courtyard steps of an office tower in downtown Seattle. Under tall pillars and over austere benches, the dancers moved like melted ice cream, fluid and cool, as part of a five-hour dance performance by local choreographer Alice Gosti.
Site-specific art isn’t new, but Seattle artists have used the city as an intriguing backdrop in recent months, including an auto repair shop and the decommissioned Georgetown Steam Plant, which has emerged as a popular locale for local artists who use the church-like acoustics and steampunk interior to great effect. (Up next: a spooky show from local theater outfit Cafe Nordo.)
Outside, we’ve spotted captivating park performances by dance company Whim W’Him and Kelsey Fernkopf’s minimalist neon artworks. During this year’s Refract glass art festival, Fernkopf takes over the deck of downtown Seattle’s Pier 69.
Last but not least: Wa Na Wari’s annual Walk the Block festival brings art installations and lively performances to porches, streets and local parks in the Central District.
Up next:
- Whim W’Him pop-up performance: 6:30 p.m. Sep. 5; AIDS Memorial Pathway, 920 E. Barbara Bailey Way, Seattle, free; whimwhim.org
- Wa Na Wari’s Walk the Block: Sept. 27-28: various locations; free; wanawari.org/wtb
- “Far West” by Kelsey Fernkopf during Refract: 5-9 p.m. Oct. 18; Pier 69, 2711 Alaskan Way, Seattle; free, reservation required; refractseattle.org
- “Ghosts of Nebula” by Cafe Nordo: Oct. 18-Nov. 2; Georgetown Steam Plant, 6605 13th Ave. S., Seattle; cafenordo.com
Innovative art spaces
A few local spaces, in many cases artist-run outfits operating on relatively small budgets and lots of hard work, punch above their weight when it comes to bringing us the best new art from here and beyond.
Wa Na Wari is chief among them. The Central District Craftsman is literally a house for art — courtesy of curator and co-founder Elisheba Johnson — where artists from across the African diaspora showcase their work in former bedrooms. The space is also a hub for community meals, oral history projects, performances and much more.
Similarly, Mini Mart City Park, a gas station converted into a contemporary art center founded by the artistic trio SuttonBeresCuller, hosts high-caliber art exhibits and fun neighborhood events. (Think: Printmaking workshops! Video screenings! Tree giveaways!)
Speaking of trees: With a cool curatorial eye, Gage Hamilton of nonprofit art organization Forest For The Trees and Dominic Nieri of art production house ARTXIV have sown something new in Pioneer Square, with excellent exhibits and a yearly art festival in and around the RailSpur development. Among the recent blooms: a slate of murals across the neighborhood.
Up next:
- Art exhibit “The Golden Cage: Trapped at Work”: Sep. 6-Oct. 13 (opening night during Georgetown Art Attack Sep. 14); Mini Mart City Park, 6525 Ellis Ave. S., Seattle; free; minimartcitypark.com
Unexpected audience experiences
We’ve all heard a million times that folks got very attached to their couches during COVID. To change up the couch-reminiscent “sit and watch” energy of much live art, groups like the collaborative dance outfit CO–, run by dancers Emma Lawes and Maya Tacon, are bringing a party element to their performances. At a CO- show, audiences move around the space and dancers for a 360-degree view with a dance-club feel. After the bows are taken, the borders between dancer and audience dissolve into a good-time free-for-all.
Then there’s Dacha, which likes to keep things fresh. The theater company is perhaps best known for its “Shakespeare Dice” shows, where cast members find out just before showtime which character they’ll play, but they’ve also sent audiences exploring interactive shows. Their new immersive piece, “The Pomegranate Tree,” is “a show disguised as a party” that invites audiences to the union of Hades and Persephone.
Pushing the definition of theater even further is new-to-Seattle company Swim Pony. Their TrailOff app provides what is essentially on-demand, site-specific theater — users download a story to their phone, head to the attendant walking route, and once there, the phone’s GPS will trigger an audio story connected to the location. Seattle’s first TrailOff experience, debuting this fall, will be a two-mile loop around Capitol Hill set to a story by local author Clare Johnson.
For a low-pressure participatory evening, belting your heart out with Crowdsource Choir might be for you — no experience required, just show up, learn your part, and sing sing sing.
Up next:
- Crowdsource Choir, A Night of Chappell Roan: 7 p.m. Sept. 27, Town Hall, 1119 Eighth Ave., Seattle; $25-$50; townhallseattle.org
- Dacha’s “The Pomegranate Tree”: Oct. 25-Nov. 9; Theatre Off Jackson, 409 Seventh Ave. S., Seattle; tickets on sale soon; dachatheatre.com
- CO–’s “SHOW8”: 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. Nov. 8; venue and ticket price to be announced; coseattle.dance
Sharing resources
Joining forces seems to be the watchword of Seattle arts today, but that idea can take many forms. After closing in March, music venue Conor Byrne Pub reopened last month using a cooperative model billed as “Ballard’s first community-owned venue.” Anyone over 21 can apply to become a member, to enjoy a few perks and keep the venue sustainable for all.
With local performance space at a premium, busy, eclectic spaces like Theatre Off Jackson are increasingly critical arts hubs. The Chinatown International District theater is a regular venue for smaller theater companies. This fall, it’ll present Reboot Theatre Company’s “Damn Yankees,” Dacha’s “The Pomegranate Tree”; Noveltease Theatre’s “Hamlet: a Literary Burlesque”; and recurring events like “Salon of Shame,” a howlingly funny show in which people read cringeworthy writing from their past; a puppet-centric variety show; and “The Sunday Night Shuga Shaq,” a burlesque revue featuring all people of color.
Up next:
- “Damn Yankees”: Sept. 6-21; Reboot Theatre Company at Theatre Off Jackson, 409 Seventh Ave. S., Seattle, $5.49-$103; reboottheatre.org
- “Hamlet: a Literary Burlesque”: Sept. 27-Oct. 5; Noveltease at Theatre Off Jackson, 409 Seventh Ave. S., Seattle; pay what you can-$53.50; novelteasetheatre.org
Intimacy upgrades
Other antidotes to the formality of Art with a capital A are intimate settings and intentionally relaxed environments. Emerald City Music, a company built on chillness within the traditionally un-chill (at least by reputation) classical music world, focuses on presenting high-quality chamber music in a fun and social environment — an open bar, included with every Seattle show, helps.
Introverts will appreciate the relaxing vibes of Abbey Arts Presents’ Cathedrals Concerts series at St. Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral, where “quiet picnics” are welcome, bringing cushions and blankets is recommended, and audience members can sit or lie down anywhere around the stage (there are also chairs and benches available). At the Fremont Abbey Arts Center, try one of the group’s “nap concerts,” where you can enjoy the music horizontally, buried in blankets and pillows.
Intiman Theatre, arguably the local poster child for reinvention, this season launches the Intiman Cabaret, a series highlighting smaller groups and solo performers (including local faves like Justin Huertas, Cherdonna Shinatra and Scott Shoemaker) for short, intimate runs. For these 21+ performances, Intiman will turn the Erickson Theater into a cabaret venue with table and bar seating and cocktail lounge service.
Up next:
- “Interrupt The Loop: Canvas Rose, Shelby Natasha, Daniel Nelson,” part of Abbey Arts Presents’ nap concerts: 7:30 p.m. Sep. 20; Fremont Abbey Arts Center, 4272 Fremont Ave. N., Seattle; $15-$35; fremontabbey.org
- Vienna Teng featuring Founders, part of Abbey Arts’ Cathedrals Concerts: Oct. 12; St. Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral, 1245 10th Ave. E., Seattle; $30-$50; fremontabbey.org
- “Hotel Gatsby” at Intiman Cabaret: Oct. 31-Nov. 2; Erickson Theatre, 1524 Harvard Ave., Seattle; $160-$300 for tables seating two to six; intimantheatre.org
- Next Seattle show for Emerald City Music — Pauline Oliveros’ Sound Meditations: Nov. 8; 415 on Westlake, 415 Westlake Ave. N., Seattle; $49-$69, $10 students; 206-250-5510, emeraldcitymusic.org
Downtown art spaces
On a recent morning, a 12.5-foot-tall confessional booth made from wood, concrete and chipped rock rose up to the arched ceilings of the former Banana Republic store in downtown Seattle. The installation’s creator, Rachael Comer, is one of 30 artists who have a studio in the historic Coliseum Theater, which has been transformed into an exciting new art creation hub called Actualize AiR.
The space is home to more than two dozen white-walled booths filled with quilts, in-progress sculptures, sewing machines, painting supplies and camera gear as well as a gallery space, coworking area and tool shop. Actualize AiR is meant to help grow the careers of emerging local artists by providing free studio space — a rarity! — and opportunities to connect with curators, collectors and each other, according to Kate Bailey, who co-founded the venture with longtime philanthropists and art supporters Shari D. Behnke and Edie Adams.
It’s an exciting moment for downtown spaces as grassroots ventures build out art studios and exhibition spaces in other vacant properties, such as the recent expansions of Base Camp Studios (at the former Bergman Luggage), and Common Area Maintenance (into a second location with a performance space and bookstore for indie publishers), where you can catch theater, 16mm film and live experimental music this fall.
Up next:
- Actualize AiR’s next exhibit and open house will happen this fall, specific dates to be announced; 500 Pike St., Seattle; actualize.space
- “The Ever Expanding Moment,” Sept. 5-22, $5-$40; and “Ambient Chamber” film and live music, 7-9 p.m. Sept., free10; Common Area Maintenance Annex, 2601 First Ave., Seattle; camseattle.org
- “Walls Out” closing reception, noon-4 p.m. Sep. 14 and the immersive exhibit “STÖR” Oct. 25- Jan. 10, 2025; Base Camp Studios 2, 1901 Third Ave., Seattle; basecamp206.com
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This coverage is partially underwritten by the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust. The funder plays no role in editorial decision making and The Seattle Times maintains editorial control over this and all its coverage.