Arts & Culture
How Art Stays Afloat in Iceland
Public funding, creative freedom, and a landscape that refuses to stay in the background have made this Nordic nation an extraordinary place for crafting culture.
“If you don’t have art and theaters—and free speech—it’s no good to live there.” The man telling me this, Guðmundur Kristjánsson, isn’t a curator or painter. He’s the CEO of a seafood company, Brim, and our conversation occurred at Reykjavík’s harbor on Fisherman’s Day. I had just toured one of Brim’s vessels, where framed art…
Rearview Mirror: Flying in Style, A Caviar Martini, and Wine to Start the Week
Things I did, saw, ate, learned, or read in the past week (or so).
SWEET SUITES Last week, I went on a trip to Rome with my mom. I had been once before, about six year ago, but it was my mom’s first trip ever to Europe. I will be writing about the experience in the Travel section of the January/February 2027 issue of the magazine, so stay tuned…
New Murals Make Their Mark on Capitol Hill
Five works by local artists celebrate the neighborhood’s creative history.
More than 30 years after he first started painting graffiti in Capitol Hill, artist Sam Sneke is back, this time with a much bigger canvas. His work is among five new murals that have appeared across the neighborhood, bringing together generations of Seattle artists whose connections to the area stretch back decades. The murals are…
Creative Collections: Destination Museums Worth the Trip
Seeing art in person isn’t just visual; it’s visceral.
Museums will always be destinations, but you don’t need to go to the Met or the Louvre to enjoy the ride. And the thrill isn’t limited to paintings—a fighter jet, a historic cipher machine, or a field full of vintage neon also delivers an emotional impact that can only be experienced with the intimacy of…
Actor and Author Ke Huy Quan Shares His Story at Very Asian Foundation’s Annual Seattle Brunch
From his childhood as a refugee to his decades away from Hollywood, Quan opened up about the experiences behind his new memoir, Never Say Die.
At this point, most people with even a passing interest in film know Ke Huy Quan got his start in Hollywood as a child actor in the mid-1980s. After starring as Short Round in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom opposite Harrison Ford, and as Data in The Goonies, Quan acted in a few…
SENSORIUM Takes on Our Screen Addiction
Dance, drag, and immersive art collide in an eight-week exploration of our phone-obsessed lives, with a few surprises along the way.
What do drag queens, smartphone addiction, art installations, and an old luggage shop have in common? According to longtime Seattle choreographer Alana O’Farrell Rogers, a lot. “There’s no dead time anymore,” says Rogers, explaining how the proliferation of smartphones fills the empty spaces that once served as time for rest or connection. Where we snuggled…
Salt-N-Pepa on Breaking Barriers and Staying Power
Ahead of their performance at Seattle’s Museum of Pop Culture gala, the hip-hop pioneers talk about creative ownership, connecting with new generations, and the songs that still resonate.
The Museum of Pop Culture (MOPOP) will host its annual ICONS of Pop Culture Gala in Seattle on October 22, honoring five artists and institutions whose work has helped shape entertainment and culture. This year’s honorees are martial arts and film legend Bruce Lee, fashion designer Jeremy Scott, the video game franchise Halo, hip-hop pioneers…
Studio Sessions: Christopher Paul Jordan
Drawing on childhood memories, neighborhood history, and salvaged materials, Christopher Paul Jordan’s latest show at Cornish’s Behnke Family Gallery explores how the past stays with us.
Start in the middle. It’s good advice for telling a story, and a way into Christopher Paul Jordan’s paintings. By the time you encounter them, their materials have already been something else, and who knows what they might move on to become. The Tacoma interdisciplinary artist works with salvaged objects, including screens, picture frames, canvas,…
Rearview Mirror: Wedding Bells, A Furniture Launch, and the Symphony’s New Look
Things I did, saw, ate, learned, or read in the past week (or so).
WEDDING BELLS I’ve been a bit absent from this column lately, but I think I have a pretty good excuse: I got married! It’s already been three weeks since my September 19 wedding, but I’m still reflecting on the magic of the day. My fiancé, well husband now (I can’t get used to saying it!),…
Get Blown Away: Seattle’s Glass Art Scene Takes Center Stage
Now in its 8th year, Refract Seattle is the region’s premier celebration of glassblowing—arguably the most famous visual art genre in the Pacific Northwest. Pioneered by names like Dale Chihuly, Ginny Ruffner, Lino Tagliapietra, and Preston Singletary, glassblowing has remained among the area’s most prolific creative outputs, with contemporary talents such as John Hogan, Julie…
Kishi Bashi Is Ready to Feel Everything
Ten years after Sonderlust pushed his music in a new direction, he’s bringing the pivotal album to The Crocodile—and playing it in full for the first time.
Back in March of 2012, I snagged a last-minute ticket to see Of Montreal at the Showbox. As amazing as Kevin Barnes and company were, along with tourmates Deerhoof, the biggest impression made on me was the opener, Kishi Bashi. Armed with little more than a violin, a loop pedal, and a pristine voice, Kishi…
Seattle’s Artists of Color Expo Offers an Inside Look at the Creative Life
The October 9-11 gathering features live art-making and hands-on workshops, with Seattle artist Damon Brown delivering the keynote.
More than 100 artists participate each year in Seattle’s Artists of Color Expo & Symposium (ACES), which brings exhibitions, artist talks, live art-making, and workshops under one roof. Visitors can learn a technique from an artist or hear how a childhood memory became the starting point for a piece. This year’s event takes place October…
Seattle Author Kristen Millares Young Follows Her ‘Desire Lines’
Blurring the lines between desire and expectation, her debut memoir explores what women inherit, sacrifice, and claim for themselves.
In her debut memoir, local author Kristen Millares Young dives straight into precarious experience of being a woman. Blending myth, history, personal essay, and travelogue, Desire Lines (Red Hen Press), out October 6, is an unflinching look at the challenge of balancing one’s own desires with the demands of motherhood, marriage, and work, and the…
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