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Madrona Gets a New Gallery
Interior designer Michelle Dirkse and artist Jeremy Prim bring a new art-centered space to the neighborhood.
This article originally appeared in the May/June 2026 issue of Seattle magazine.
Interior designer Michelle Dirkse has centered art in her work for more than a decade. Since launching her firm in 2013, Dirkse has earned a reputation for building projects around unique, cheeky, and ultimately striking pieces. Even as a new designer, she supported local artists, often handing over the keys to her studio.
“When I had my first design space in Belltown, I hosted a show during art walk once a month,” Dirkse says. “I broke down my entire office and hung the work. After the opening, the work remained until the next month, when I did it all again with a new artist.”
This spring, Dirkse came full circle, opening Dirkse/Prim Gallery with her husband, artist Jeremy Prim, in the leafy Madrona neighborhood. “It’s a smaller, carefully curated space with wonderful natural light, large windows, and high ceilings,” says Prim of the ground-floor gallery. (The upper levels serve as a design lab of sorts, where Dirkse can experiment with interiors.) “We’ll focus on solo and two-person exhibitions, which suits the space perfectly.” The first show, held in April-May 31, featured work from Zak Helenske and Mya Kerner. The latter was one of the first artists Dirkse invited to her Belltown studio.
“Dirkse/Prim is a chance to build something around the art we genuinely believe in, and to introduce artists we love to Seattle,” says Prim. “We want to make a real contribution to the arts community here, not just occupy a space in it.”
The gallery’s next exhibition, Cut/Construct, features work from Jordan Clark and Joey Bates and runs June 4-28, with an opening reception from 5-8 p.m. on June 4.
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