The best part about art—be it a painting, dance, play, book, film or rock show—is that it has the power to change your perspective, maybe on something small, such as earthworm mating rituals, or maybe something conceptually huge, such as what sort of bodies make for excellent dancers. Free your mind and let the season’s…

!–paging_filter–pstrongMust Picnica href=”http://bit.ly/18t4an5” target=”_blank”brAuction of Washington Wines Picnic Barrel Eventbr/a/strongThursday (8/15, 4 p.m.) — Behold, the Top 10 tips for making the most of your time at the Auction of Washington Wines Picnic event.strongbrbrMust Fete Fashiona href=”http://bit.ly/19iKS4X” target=”_blank”brW Hotel’s Wear Wednesdaysbr/a/strongWednesday (8/21, 5 to 7 p.m.) — Join the fun this week at the W…

This month, Gray Matters takes up the subject of gray areas. Seattle is a tidy city for the most part, without the huge slums and decay of some older cities. But for all our Scando-Asian embrace of neatness, it is not so much our sense of order that defines us but rather along our messy…

Dance performances are often loosely described as “entrancing,” the word implying something akin to “compelling.” But viewers watching the work of Seattle choreographer Kate Wallich often actually feel as if they are going into a trance. “I hear that a lot,” says Wallich, 24. Whether a hypnotist or just highly skilled (maybe both), the 2010…

Writer Peter Mountford has a bone to pick with American literature. The Ballard-based father of two young girls, whose debut novel, A Young Man’s Guide to Late Capitalism, won the 2012 Washington State Book Award, is baffled by the fact that one subject remains taboo in fiction writing: money. Sitting in his wedge of an…

You could say Lacey Leavitt is OK with getting hit from all angles—especially since the shy and steady Ballard-based filmmaker has spent time as a local roller derby skater for the Tilted Thunder Rail Birds and Rat City Rollergirls. Her competitive name, Rambo Connection, says it all: On the track and on the set, Leavitt,…

Klara Glosova makes ceramic sculptures that look like tube socks. She flattens clay with a rolling pin from her kitchen, cuts it into sock shapes and fires it in the kiln in the basement studio of her Beacon Hill home, then precisely paints the forms in colors that look straight off a soccer field. In…

On a sweltering day in June, Jerick Hoffer is carefully stretching a second pair of nude-colored dance tights from his toes up to his waist. The Portland-raised, First Hill–based drag performer customarily wears four pairs of these thick pantyhose on stage, plus a couple of Spanx undergarments to make his form more feminine. But for…

!–paging_filter–pstrongMust Hit the Streets/stronga href=”http://\/\/seattlemag.com/events/phinneywood-summer-streets-festival“strongbrPhinneyWood Summer Streets Festival/strong/abrFriday (8/9, 6 to 10 p.m.) — Walkers and wheelers reign supreme during this evening-long closure of Phinney and Greenwood avenues (between 67th and 87th streets). A celebration of the season’s long, warm nights, the temporary pedestrian paradise will be punctuated with art, live music, circus performers—and, of…

Stefan Bisciglia is selling tickets to space, and if you’ve got the cash, you’ve got a seat. The 27-year-old from Gig Harbor is one of only three accredited “space agents” in the Northwest trained by Virgin Galactic, the world’s first “commercial spaceline,” spearheaded by Richard Branson. Having begun his career working for his family’s luxury…

!–paging_filter–pstrongMust Bravoa href=”http://bit.ly/17jxNEU” target=”_blank”brThe Ring Cycle/a/strongbr(8/4 to 8/25, times vary) — Running times for The Ring might make your blood run cold (the four mini-epic operas are Das Rheingold: 2.5 hours; Die Walküre: 4.5 hours; Siegfried: 5 hours; and Götterdämmerung: 5.25 hours), but the pros know all this tush time is worth it. There’s simply…

Hooray for August, when we can finally say it’s summer without feeling the impulse to knock on wood. After spending most of the year complaining about the rain, we find ourselves seeking out precipitation—in the form of spray parks and fountains. While the International Fountain at Seattle Center wins big for, well, sheer bigness, there’s…