The Must List: Merry Mutts and Meows, Fantagraphics Turns 40 and Geekcraft Expo
By Seattle Magazine Staff December 8, 2016
Must Meow
Merry Mutts and Meows
(12/10, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.) Hosted by Pawsitive Alliance, a local nonprofit that seeks “to help end the killing of adoptable dogs and cats in Washington by increasing adoptions, supporting spay and neuter program and improving pet retention,” this free holiday adoption event at Magnuson Hangar will feature over 100 homeless dogs and cats looking for their furever home. Prospective pets will be up to date on vaccinations, spayed or neutered and those adopted go home with a goodie bag. Purrfect! pawsitivealliance.org
Must Party
Fantagraphics Turns 40
(12/10, 6-9 p.m.) The 40th birthday bash for Fantagraphics Books celebrates the publication of the 600-page printed oral history We Told You So: Comics as Art with live music and wild stories from or about famous artists, such as Peter Bagge, Ellen Forney, Jim Woodring, Art Spiegelman, and Gilbert and Jaime Hernandez, whose Love & Rockets was ranked number one by Rolling Stone as the greatest graphic novel of all time (excluding superhero comics). The comics art show stays up through January 11. fantagraphics.com
Must Craft
Geekcraft Expo
(12/10–12/11, times vary) Not just a crafts show, this is a curated show of handmade creations by and for geeks: Star Wars undies, Scooby-Doo wallets, outrageous heels, Chain Saw Massacre pillows and mugs that read, “I’m just saying nobody has ever seen me and Wonder Woman at the same time.” geekcraftexpo.com
Must Sniff
Willy Wonka in Smell-O-Vision
(Through 1/2, times vary) Enjoy Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory in Smell-O-Vision. Sing along with such classics as “The Candy Man” and “Pure Imagination” while devouring bags of treats, and reflect on how the film might have played if it had starred Peter Sellers—whom author Roald Dahl wanted to cast—rather than Gene Wilder. siff.net SARAH MURPHY
Must Behold
Winterfest Ice Sculpting
(Saturdays through 12/31) “Art is not eternal,” said author Ken Kesey, and that’s extremely true of sculptures by Chan Kitburi, the Marysville postman who won the 2015 World Ice Art Championship, and Janson Iwakami of Renton’s Amazing Ice Sculptures. Kitburi and Iwakami carve their visions—quickly—into specially made crystalline ice outside Seattle Center’s Fisher Pavilion each Saturday between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve, creating new designs every time. You can watch them carve from noon to 2 p.m., and then contemplate the finished sculptures, which remain on display throughout the day. seattlecenter.com/winterfest JAKE LAYCOCK
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Little Ways to December in Seattle
A few (mostly) local things worth picking up, wandering through, or falling into as the year wraps.
December always sneaks up on me even though every year I convince myself I’m going to be organized (I’m not). So I’ve been collecting these simple outings and local spots that feel like unwrapped gifts. If you’re looking for a way to escape or lean in, here are some recommendations. A sip of history You…
Back to Gander
Seattle Rep revisits its original world premiere with a new staging that pulls you straight into the heart of the story.
When you walk into the theater, the cast is already onstage in what looks like a Gander high school gym—setting out dishes for a potluck, chatting, and then cleaning up. It feels like you’ve arrived in the middle of a reunion, which is the point. This run marks 10 years since Come From Away first…
Seattle’s Big Holiday Arts Guide
A full lineup of seasonal performances across local theaters and venues.
In the words of William Shakespeare, “All’s well that ends well.” Local theater and arts organizations are hoping for exactly that. Holiday productions often account for as much as half of their annual ticket sales. A 2018 Dance/USA survey found that The Nutcracker alone represented 48% of yearly revenue for many companies producing the Tchaikovsky…
Outside the Frame
In their first solo museum exhibition in Seattle, artist Camille Trautman uses photography to reclaim history, narrative, and self-expression.
You have probably seen Camille Trautman’s work without even realizing it. A huge photograph—20 feet wide—is currently hanging across the exterior of the Frye Art Museum, visible to passersby driving along Boren Avenue. The image is of a wooded landscape in black and white. Its edges are vacuous, with trees swallowed by darkness, but the…