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Pioneer Square Festival Hopes to Inspire New Designers

Experience the hands-on, seventh annual Seattle Design Festival this month.

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This article originally appeared in the September 2017 issue of Seattle magazine.

For two weeks this month, exhibits and discussions around town will focus the city’s attention on design as the seventh annual Seattle Design Festival gets underway. Coordinated by Design in Public—a strategic initiative of The American Institute of Architects Seattle—the festival showcases several genres of design (anything from architecture to software) under the theme “Power.” A Block Party from September 9–10 in Occidental Square kicks off festivities with interactive installations from the minds of Seattle designers, community groups and contractors.

The days that follow are filled with exhibits and discussions, including design aficionado George Zatloka’s Braille-inspired installation “Power Duo=Communication+Imagination,” Microsoft-led talks on diversity and inclusion, and the ethical dilemmas surrounding artificial intelligence.

Not a designer? That’s the point. The festival hopes to connect Seattleites with the design community as the city continues to grow into a more design-savvy hub.

9/9–9/22. Times vary. Free (some events require RSVP) throughout Seattle.

 

Rearview Mirror: Spinasse at Home, a New Spa Experience, and Seattle Mag’s Reader’s Choice Awards 

Rearview Mirror: Spinasse at Home, a New Spa Experience, and Seattle Mag’s Reader’s Choice Awards 

Things I did, saw, ate, learned, or read in the past week (or so).

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Studio Sessions: Ling Chun

Studio Sessions: Ling Chun

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For Ling Chun, creating begins with something sensed before it can be named. Working with clay, glass, light, and sometimes synthetic hair, the Hong Kong-born artist gives physical form to things that words cannot always hold. “For me, the magnitude of making goes far beyond the object that is eventually produced,” Chun says. “The object…

The Magic of PAX Is Stronger Than Ever

The Magic of PAX Is Stronger Than Ever

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Your Guide to Bumbershoot 2026

Your Guide to Bumbershoot 2026

Navigate Seattle’s wildest end-of-summer weekend with 20 picks spanning Death Cab for Cutie, Blood Orange, wrestling, skateboarding and—obviously—movies made in 48 hours.

Four years after Bumbershoot returned with its quirkiness revivified, Seattleites broadly acknowledge the two-day multimedia extravaganza as a welcome finale to the summer festival season. Fests like Bumbershoot are designed around a choose-your-own-adventure model, but if you’re the kind of person who looked at this year’s sprawling lineup—featuring multiple bands, artists, and exhibits happening at…