The Must List: Uncode at the Forum, Ray Troll at Seattle Aquarium, Realism in Edmonds
What to do in the days ahead: A cool film series at Northwest Film Forum, sub-aquatic rock at Seattle Aquarium and glimpse into the void at On the Boards
By Seattle Magazine Staff February 23, 2017
Must Watch
UNCODE at the Forum
(2/23, 7 p.m.) UNCODE is an ongoing series made up of short, documentary style films created by African American artists and storytellers. Each month, the series premieres a new collection of stories related to art, tech, food, health and travel. In celebration of Black History Month, UNCODE will debut a new short film and share some exciting news about its upcoming film screening tour at Northwest Film Forum in this special event, a great place to meet the UNCODE creators and support Black art and filmmaking. $8, nwfilmforum.org
Must Trawl
Ray Troll and the Ratfish Wranglers
(2/23, 8 p.m.) Ray Troll is the most celebrated visual artist from Ketchikan, Alaska, known for his colorful, playful images of fish and prehistoric creatures, various books like The Sharkabet (26 different sharks, A-Z) and iconic graphics that can be found among the t-shirt collections of approximately 1 out of 5 dads (re: “Spawn or die”). The artist is lesser known what he calls his “sub-aquatic, neo-folk, fishy-funk punk-rock for the masses,” but certainly there’s no better place to hear it than in the company of the Seattle Aquarium’s underwater inhabitants. Prices vary, seattleaquarium.org
Must Contemplate
Awaiting Oblivion: Temporary Solutions for Surviving the Dystopian Future We Find Ourselves Within at Present
(2/23-2/26, times vary) A show that answers the eternal question “What would you do if an anonymous street artist asked you to use your art to solve the problems of an uncertain world with a crumbling political system?” Tim Smith-Stewart and Jeffrey Azevedo answer by using performance, street art and secret messages. Prices vary, ontheboards.org
Must Get Real
Northwest Social Realism and the American Scene 1930-1950
(Through 3/26, times vary) Time travel with the Cascadia Art Museum as it brings us to the Northwest art scene that covered the industrial, political and social era of the Great Depression and World War II. Art around the nation was changing from themes of hope and idealism to work that portrayed everyday aspects of life, urban and rural environments and industrial activities. At the time, Postmaster General James Fareley dubbed the region the “Soviet of Washington,” as some artists used communist and socialist ideologies for inspiration, often depicting social class, labor issues and racial injustice in their work. Prices vary, cascadiaartmuseum.org
Must Sit In
Town Hall Past and Future
(2/26, 2 p.m.) Join Town Hall founder/Seattle media guru David Brewster and the venue’s former scholar in residence Steve Scher for a panel discussion that includes experts in architecture and history who will tell the story of the site, a former Seattle Fourth Church of Christian Science, “and how it was uniquely suited to transform from an expression of 20th century religious community into a 21st century home for civic, intellectual, and cultural life.” The program will include tours of the century-old building as well as a preview of what’s ahead for the non-profit as a major renovation project gets underway. Free, townhallseattle.org
Follow Us
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…
Holiday Hunt in Pioneer Square
A daily ornament drop turns December into a neighborhood-wide scavenger hunt.
The holidays tend to bring out the kid in all of us. And if opening presents and eating too many treats weren’t enough, there’s also a scavenger hunt in Seattle’s oldest neighborhood. Pioneer Square’s Holiday Ornament Scavenger Hunt has returned for its third year. Twenty-five handblown glass ornaments—all made at Glasshouse Studio—are hidden across 25…