Arts
Studio Sessions: Lauren Boilini
Seattle artist Lauren Boilini talks about animal behavior, field research, and the whale fall installation she counts among her proudest works.
Lauren Boilini has spent years building dense, teeming painted worlds full of animals, movement, and tension. Her work often starts with close observation—time in the field and conversations with scientists—and turns that research into large-scale paintings that feel charged, layered, and alive. Born and raised in Bloomington, Indiana, Boilini studied painting and art history at…
Washington’s Spring Festivals Go Way Beyond Tulips
From cherry blossoms in Seattle to shorebirds on the coast, these spring festivals celebrate the state’s natural abundance.
From our rivers flowing with snowmelt and salmon to valleys dotted with wildflowers and berries, to forests filled with mossy trees and mushrooms, nature is an inseparable part of Washington’s culture and ecosystem. It shapes what we eat and drink, what inspires our art and outdoor lifestyle, and even our cities. Nature is part of…
The Story Behind the Bing Cherry
A new picture book follows Ah Bing from orchard history into folklore.
Seattle illustrator Julia Kuo first came across Ah Bing in a history book. She was reading The Making of Asian America: A History when a detail caught her attention: the Bing cherry, the most popular sweet cherry in the United States and a signature fruit of the Pacific Northwest, was tied to a Chinese immigrant….
Staying in the Pocket with True Loves
The Seattle funk powerhouse heads to Jazz Alley for five soulful nights.
If you were to pull aside any casual music fan and ask them to cite quintessential Seattle music, you’d get a lot of grunge, the indie-rock explosion and folk revival of the ‘00s and ‘10s, and maybe some of the hip-hop that came bursting from the underground in the last 15 years. Your average person…
Woven Wonders
Coast Salish weaving, past and present, on view at the Burke Museum.
On display now at the University of Washington’s Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, Woven in Wool: Resilience in Coast Salish Weaving examines the traditional art form and its importance to Coast Salish communities. “This exhibition broadens the definition of American art by incorporating Indigenous voices and artistic practices historically marginalized due to biases…
Lifting the Fog
Beyond Mysticism at Seattle Art Museum broadens the old story of Northwest art.
For a long time, Northwest Modernism got boxed into one idea: mysticism—a way of describing the region’s art as inward-looking, spiritual, and closely tied to nature. That goes back to a 1953 Life magazine story about Mark Tobey, Kenneth Callahan, Guy Anderson, and Morris Graves, the four artists most associated with the Northwest School. Beyond…
Henry Mansfield Wins a Spot at Northwest Tune-Up
A new contest for Washington musicians wrapped earlier this month in Bellingham. Nearly 200 artists entered, and it came down to five finalists.
Earlier this month, Seattle-based queer indie artist Henry Mansfield won the final round of Doc Swinson’s Opening Act Contest at Wild Buffalo House of Music, earning a slot on the Northwest Tune-Up Festival main stage this July. Mansfield makes loud, anthemic pop rooted in storytelling, with songs that move between grief and joy and pull…
Studio Sessions: Cristina Martinez
On the cusp of a new group show, Northwest artist Cristina Martinez reflects on storytelling, motherhood, and personal success.
Artistically inclined from a young age, Cristina Martinez was attending fashion school when she had a realization: Her passion wasn’t necessarily sparked by the clothes she was sketching, but by the stories behind her work. Drawing from her Black and Mexican roots, and from the lives, histories, and cultures of the community around her, Martinez…
Curmudgeonly Hope
The UK punk heroes Mclusky have returned, loud and pointed as ever.
When you listen to the sardonic, whip-smart, and perennially ornery UK band Mclusky, you get a certain impression of the type of person that must be behind it all. Frontman and founder Andrew Falkous was just home from having seen his daughter perform at a choir recital when he got on the phone, and he…
Artist Dylan Neuwirth Explores His Past in a New Short Novel
Known best for his neon and sculpture work, the Tacoma-based creative has released his rawest work to date—in written-word form.
Dylan Neuwirth approaches life with the intensity of someone who seems to think they are always on the verge of losing it all. Whether making music, cycling hundreds of miles without stopping, or bending large-format neon pieces—all of which he’s done—there’s an all-in attitude that borders on obsession. Luckily for Neuwirth, he possesses the talent,…
Taste of Iceland Returns to Seattle
The three-day festival brings Icelandic food, music, art, and culture to venues across the city.
I have always been mesmerized by Iceland. It probably started in high school, when I was listening to Icelandic musician Björk. In the video for “Jóga,” she sings about her home country with such intensity while sweeping cliffs, mossy rocks, and jagged coastlines move across the screen. I remember thinking: what an incredible place. And then…
Studio Sessions: Tininha Silva
Brazilian-born fiber artist Tininha Silva talks about building a life in the Pacific Northwest and the coastal landscape that influences her work.
Along the shores of the Salish Sea, textures are everywhere—seaweed tangled in the tide, stones worn smooth by water, the strange geometry of coral and barnacles. Those details are finding their way into the work of artist Tininha Silva. Silva grew up in Brazil’s rugged Pernambuco region before moving to Seattle in 1999 after earning…
Spring Arts Preview: Film
Festivals keep the region’s movie scene busy this season.
Spring is festival season for Seattle movie lovers. For a few weeks each year, film festivals take over the city’s theaters, turning them into gathering spots for audiences eager to see what’s new on screen. Here are some worth catching. Seattle Jewish Film Festival The 31st annual Seattle Jewish Film Festival is a celebration of…
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