Calendar

Dive deep into the stories and science that surround the magnificent orca, apex predator of all oceans.
Follow the currents of ecological activism, popular culture, and Indigenous beliefs to gain a new appreciation of these sophisticated animals, long feared in Western cultures as “Killer Whales.”
Orcas: Our Shared Future includes more than 100 original artifacts and specimens, featuring life-size Orca replicas, fossils, films, objects from popular culture, and original artwork from the Indigenous peoples of the North American west coast.
Discover the complex social structure of orca society and reflect on the surprising consequences of captivity. Learn which orca populations are thriving and which are at risk, and resurface with a new understanding of how orcas and humans are inextricably connected.

Featuring the work of the Guma’ Gela’, a queer CHamoru art collective made up of members from the Marianas and in the diaspora. The exhibit explores their motto “part land, part sea, all ancestry” through a broad spectrum of media, including sculpture, soundscape, writing, printmaking, weaving, costume design, adornments, and more, to build a connection with CHamoru life, history, and traditions.

Do you ever wonder how Bruce Lee developed the philosophy behind his most iconic quote?

This incredible interactive exhibit invites viewers to step into the mind, body, and spirit of Bruce Lee to see how his unquenchable pursuit of knowledge informed his philosophy and life.

Follow Bruce’s path beginning with his revelations on water, through the wealth of knowledge found in his 2,800-book personal library, to his philosophy on self-understanding and self-expression.

The exhibition’s interactive technology interweaves beautiful imagery with Bruce’s personal objects and books to bring his journey to life.

Considering both the presence and absence of Black artists is critical to understanding the breadth of Black artistic production in Oregon—even in the midst of historic exclusion—as well as how the impact of that history affects our understanding of American art history and the history of the Pacific Northwest. This exhibition serves to deepen our awareness of the talented artists who have shaped and inspired artists regionally and nationally, and it will be the first of its kind to consider the work of Black artists collectively in Oregon.

Beginning in the 1880s and spanning through today, Black Artists of Oregon captures the Black diasporic experiences particular to the Pacific Northwest with 67 artists and over 200 objects. Artists represented in the exhibition will include Thelma Johnson Streat, Al Goldsby, Charlotte Lewis, Isaka Shamsud-Din, Ralph Chessé, Charles Tatum, Arvie Smith, Shedrich Williames, Harrison Branch, Bobby Fouther, and Carrie Mae Weems, among others. The exhibition and programming will also include the works of contemporary and younger artists working now, functioning as bright threads and offering intergenerational conversation throughout the exhibition, including sidony o’neal, Jeremy Okai Davis, damali ayo, Sharita Towne, Melanie Stevens, Lisa Jarrett, Tristan Irving, Ebin Lee, and Jaleesa Johnston.

Through the narrative flow of the exhibition, visitors will experience work by Black artists across decades and generations. Particular attention is given to the works of Black artists who were producing work during the Black Arts Movement of the late 1960s, ’70s, and early ’80s, such as Portland-based painter Isaka Shamsud-Din. The exhibition will also mark regional artistic connections with global movements for Black liberation, as seen in the work of Charlotte Lewis alongside Portlanders Organized for Southern African Freedom and artists like Sadé DuBoise, whose “Resistance” poster series contributed to Portland’s 2020 George Floyd protests. Without chronological constraints, the exhibition is grounded by the work of elder artists, intergenerational conversations, and live activation in the exhibition galleries.

Black Artists of Oregon builds upon exhibition curator Intisar Abioto’s original research since 2018 exploring the lineage and legacy of Black artists in Oregon. The exhibition will continue Abioto’s research, which is grounded in Black American practices of listening, keeping, and passing on each others’ stories.

“Far from isolated or ancillary, Black arts and cultural production in Oregon has been in conversation and interchange with the world, and a part of its arts and cultural movements, all this time,” says Abioto. “Black Artists of Oregon is a heralding of Black presence, interchange, influence, and impact.”

Textile-based art and artwork responsive to social change are gaining prominence across the region and the country. To reflect this confluence, Tacoma Art Museum is proud to present the work of 21 artists in Soft Power, featuring more than 40 textile-based works on view from October 14, 2023, through September 1, 2024.

Soft Power draws its name and inspiration from Joseph Nye’s theory of cultural heritage as a form of non-coercive power. Using traditional processes to create contemporary declarations of resistance, resilience, love, and rebuke, this work explores the dynamic contrast between soft materials and so-called “hard” ideas. This engaging and provocative exhibition explores cultural stereotypes, humanity’s impact on the environment, and healthcare access.

The artists on view express themselves in forms as varied as their ideas: A quilted call to action, meticulously knit abstraction, woven cenotaphs, a stuffed and stitched creature, a scattered gathering of embroidered ephemera.

Thanks to the popularity of the instantly recognizable Great Wave—cited everywhere from book covers and Lego sets to anime and emoji— Katsushika Hokusai (1760–1849) has become one of the most famous and influential artists in the world. This major exhibition organized by the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA), takes a new approach to the work of the versatile master, pairing more than 100 of his woodblock prints, paintings, and illustrated books from the MFA’s renowned collection with more than 200 works by his teachers, students, rivals, and admirers. Join us to explore Hokusai’s impact through the centuries and around the globe, on artists including Yoshitomo Nara, Chiho Aoshima, and Helen Frankenthaler.

Check one, two, three 🎤 “Sound Check! The Music We Make”, is a new exhibit at Wing Luke Museum on view from Sunday October 15, 2023 until September 14, 2024 🎧🎶💿🎹

Sound Check! celebrates the role of music in the lives of AANHPI communities. Dive into community-based stories as well as the experiences of AANHPI professionals in the music industry. Audiophiles and historians will be able to browse archival materials, photos, and artworks while also indulging in interactive audio-visual installations.

Featured artists include Kim Thayil and Hiro Yamamoto of Soundgarden; singer-songwriter Carly Ann Calbero; jazz drummer Akira Tana; musician Roger Rigor; hip hop artist Geo Quibuyen of Blue Scholars and many more.

—
Don’t forget about the perks of becoming a Museum Member like unlimited free general admission and opportunities to see exhibits first at special Museum Member Receptions!

Africa Fashion opens at the Portland Art Museum after acclaimed runs at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum and the Brooklyn Museum of Art. This first-of-its-kind exhibition, making its only West Coast stop at PAM, honors the irresistible creativity, ingenuity, and unstoppable global impact of contemporary African fashions. Garments and textiles dating from the mid-twentieth century to the present day, contextualized by a range of cultural touchstones such as Drum magazines, Fela Kuti record albums, and studio photography from Sanlé Sory, celebrate the transformative and liberatory power of self-fashioning. The New Yorker’s art critic Hilton Als called Africa Fashion a “vital and necessary exhibition.”

On view March 21, 2023 through Spring 2024
Art of the North Galleries, Third Floor, East Wing

Good Medicine brings together Indigenous healers and medicine people to collectively create, share knowledge, and practice in community. Unfolding over the course of a year with the work of different Alaska Native healers, this multi-disciplinary exhibition offers diverse opportunities for gathering and exchange.

Colonialism has attacked and suppressed medicine people and Indigenous knowledge systems for hundreds of years. This exhibition addresses harmful legacies and shows how the revitalization of healing practices and traditions provides ways of being in alignment with oneself, with community, and with our planet.

Curated by Tlingit traditional healer Meda DeWitt, Good Medicine emphasizes spiritual renewal, cultural renascence, and the importance of co-creating futures where nature can thrive.

Frank S. Matsura: Portraits from the Borderland features studio images by Washington-based Japanese photographer Frank Sakae Matsura (1873-1913) alongside period-specific American Indian regalia from the Columbia Plateau. Exploring Indigenous representation through a multi-dimensional lens, the photographs and objects on view detail some of Matsura’s most culturally significant work against a backdrop of regional transformation.

We are excited to announce that we have teamed up with the City of Shoreline and the Spartan Recreation Center to host the Arte de la Raza exhibition running Nov.2nd-Jan. 24th and featuring:
Che Lopez
Iris Sanchez
Jake Prendez
Rolando Avila
Teresa Martinez
Yessica Marquez
The exhibition opens Nov. 2nd which is also the same day as their Dia de los Muertos Festival!!

This show is dedicated to Veterans, past and present and will be held at the Evergreen Gallery from October 16 – December 30, 2023. There will be a Grand Opening on Thursday, October 19 from 3 – 6 pm.

Immerse yourself in the vibrant tapestry of Iranian women’s artistic expressions as they courageously unveil their stories and perspectives through the power of art. From breathtaking paintings to thought-provoking photos, this exhibition is a celebration of resilience and the depth of creative expression.

Don’t miss the chance to witness the diverse talents and narratives of Iranian and Afghan women, beautifully woven into each masterpiece. Join Peyvand in honoring their stories, celebrating their strength, and embracing the richness of Iranian culture through art.

Spread the word and mark your calendars! Let’s come together to appreciate the extraordinary artistry and resilience of Iranian women

We are very excited to announce that the first graduating cohort of our Seattle Black Spatial Histories Institute is ready to share their work with the world. They have spent the last year creating art from the oral histories they recorded, and the upcoming exhibit at Wa Na Wari is the culmination of that work. We invite you to join us for the opening of this exhibit:
“Honored to Tell”: An exhibit of art and oral histories created by the first cohort to graduate from the Seattle Black Spatial Histories Institute
Featured artists: Brenetta Ward, Akoiya Harris, Ariel Paine, Sierra Parsons, Ricky Reyes, Nia Amina Minor, Brea Wilson, Eboni Wyatt
Art Opening & Reception: Saturday, November 4, 2023, from 6-8pm
6:30pm Hear from the artists
7:00pm Dance performance by Akoiya Harris and Nia Amina Minor
At Wa Na Wari, 911 24th Ave. in Seattle’s historic Central District
Refreshments provided
Listen to the stories of Black waterfront workers, Black educators, Black barbers and beauticians, and Black dancers; stories that the artists have incorporated into textile art, dance, film, zines, listening stations, and more.
The exhibit will be on view until January 20, 2024.
More info at https://www.wanawari.org/sbshi_show

Dive deep into the stories and science that surround the magnificent orca, apex predator of all oceans.
Follow the currents of ecological activism, popular culture, and Indigenous beliefs to gain a new appreciation of these sophisticated animals, long feared in Western cultures as “Killer Whales.”
Orcas: Our Shared Future includes more than 100 original artifacts and specimens, featuring life-size Orca replicas, fossils, films, objects from popular culture, and original artwork from the Indigenous peoples of the North American west coast.
Discover the complex social structure of orca society and reflect on the surprising consequences of captivity. Learn which orca populations are thriving and which are at risk, and resurface with a new understanding of how orcas and humans are inextricably connected.

Featuring the work of the Guma’ Gela’, a queer CHamoru art collective made up of members from the Marianas and in the diaspora. The exhibit explores their motto “part land, part sea, all ancestry” through a broad spectrum of media, including sculpture, soundscape, writing, printmaking, weaving, costume design, adornments, and more, to build a connection with CHamoru life, history, and traditions.

Do you ever wonder how Bruce Lee developed the philosophy behind his most iconic quote?

This incredible interactive exhibit invites viewers to step into the mind, body, and spirit of Bruce Lee to see how his unquenchable pursuit of knowledge informed his philosophy and life.

Follow Bruce’s path beginning with his revelations on water, through the wealth of knowledge found in his 2,800-book personal library, to his philosophy on self-understanding and self-expression.

The exhibition’s interactive technology interweaves beautiful imagery with Bruce’s personal objects and books to bring his journey to life.

Considering both the presence and absence of Black artists is critical to understanding the breadth of Black artistic production in Oregon—even in the midst of historic exclusion—as well as how the impact of that history affects our understanding of American art history and the history of the Pacific Northwest. This exhibition serves to deepen our awareness of the talented artists who have shaped and inspired artists regionally and nationally, and it will be the first of its kind to consider the work of Black artists collectively in Oregon.

Beginning in the 1880s and spanning through today, Black Artists of Oregon captures the Black diasporic experiences particular to the Pacific Northwest with 67 artists and over 200 objects. Artists represented in the exhibition will include Thelma Johnson Streat, Al Goldsby, Charlotte Lewis, Isaka Shamsud-Din, Ralph Chessé, Charles Tatum, Arvie Smith, Shedrich Williames, Harrison Branch, Bobby Fouther, and Carrie Mae Weems, among others. The exhibition and programming will also include the works of contemporary and younger artists working now, functioning as bright threads and offering intergenerational conversation throughout the exhibition, including sidony o’neal, Jeremy Okai Davis, damali ayo, Sharita Towne, Melanie Stevens, Lisa Jarrett, Tristan Irving, Ebin Lee, and Jaleesa Johnston.

Through the narrative flow of the exhibition, visitors will experience work by Black artists across decades and generations. Particular attention is given to the works of Black artists who were producing work during the Black Arts Movement of the late 1960s, ’70s, and early ’80s, such as Portland-based painter Isaka Shamsud-Din. The exhibition will also mark regional artistic connections with global movements for Black liberation, as seen in the work of Charlotte Lewis alongside Portlanders Organized for Southern African Freedom and artists like Sadé DuBoise, whose “Resistance” poster series contributed to Portland’s 2020 George Floyd protests. Without chronological constraints, the exhibition is grounded by the work of elder artists, intergenerational conversations, and live activation in the exhibition galleries.

Black Artists of Oregon builds upon exhibition curator Intisar Abioto’s original research since 2018 exploring the lineage and legacy of Black artists in Oregon. The exhibition will continue Abioto’s research, which is grounded in Black American practices of listening, keeping, and passing on each others’ stories.

“Far from isolated or ancillary, Black arts and cultural production in Oregon has been in conversation and interchange with the world, and a part of its arts and cultural movements, all this time,” says Abioto. “Black Artists of Oregon is a heralding of Black presence, interchange, influence, and impact.”

Textile-based art and artwork responsive to social change are gaining prominence across the region and the country. To reflect this confluence, Tacoma Art Museum is proud to present the work of 21 artists in Soft Power, featuring more than 40 textile-based works on view from October 14, 2023, through September 1, 2024.

Soft Power draws its name and inspiration from Joseph Nye’s theory of cultural heritage as a form of non-coercive power. Using traditional processes to create contemporary declarations of resistance, resilience, love, and rebuke, this work explores the dynamic contrast between soft materials and so-called “hard” ideas. This engaging and provocative exhibition explores cultural stereotypes, humanity’s impact on the environment, and healthcare access.

The artists on view express themselves in forms as varied as their ideas: A quilted call to action, meticulously knit abstraction, woven cenotaphs, a stuffed and stitched creature, a scattered gathering of embroidered ephemera.

Thanks to the popularity of the instantly recognizable Great Wave—cited everywhere from book covers and Lego sets to anime and emoji— Katsushika Hokusai (1760–1849) has become one of the most famous and influential artists in the world. This major exhibition organized by the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA), takes a new approach to the work of the versatile master, pairing more than 100 of his woodblock prints, paintings, and illustrated books from the MFA’s renowned collection with more than 200 works by his teachers, students, rivals, and admirers. Join us to explore Hokusai’s impact through the centuries and around the globe, on artists including Yoshitomo Nara, Chiho Aoshima, and Helen Frankenthaler.

Check one, two, three 🎤 “Sound Check! The Music We Make”, is a new exhibit at Wing Luke Museum on view from Sunday October 15, 2023 until September 14, 2024 🎧🎶💿🎹

Sound Check! celebrates the role of music in the lives of AANHPI communities. Dive into community-based stories as well as the experiences of AANHPI professionals in the music industry. Audiophiles and historians will be able to browse archival materials, photos, and artworks while also indulging in interactive audio-visual installations.

Featured artists include Kim Thayil and Hiro Yamamoto of Soundgarden; singer-songwriter Carly Ann Calbero; jazz drummer Akira Tana; musician Roger Rigor; hip hop artist Geo Quibuyen of Blue Scholars and many more.

—
Don’t forget about the perks of becoming a Museum Member like unlimited free general admission and opportunities to see exhibits first at special Museum Member Receptions!

Africa Fashion opens at the Portland Art Museum after acclaimed runs at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum and the Brooklyn Museum of Art. This first-of-its-kind exhibition, making its only West Coast stop at PAM, honors the irresistible creativity, ingenuity, and unstoppable global impact of contemporary African fashions. Garments and textiles dating from the mid-twentieth century to the present day, contextualized by a range of cultural touchstones such as Drum magazines, Fela Kuti record albums, and studio photography from Sanlé Sory, celebrate the transformative and liberatory power of self-fashioning. The New Yorker’s art critic Hilton Als called Africa Fashion a “vital and necessary exhibition.”

On view March 21, 2023 through Spring 2024
Art of the North Galleries, Third Floor, East Wing

Good Medicine brings together Indigenous healers and medicine people to collectively create, share knowledge, and practice in community. Unfolding over the course of a year with the work of different Alaska Native healers, this multi-disciplinary exhibition offers diverse opportunities for gathering and exchange.

Colonialism has attacked and suppressed medicine people and Indigenous knowledge systems for hundreds of years. This exhibition addresses harmful legacies and shows how the revitalization of healing practices and traditions provides ways of being in alignment with oneself, with community, and with our planet.

Curated by Tlingit traditional healer Meda DeWitt, Good Medicine emphasizes spiritual renewal, cultural renascence, and the importance of co-creating futures where nature can thrive.

Frank S. Matsura: Portraits from the Borderland features studio images by Washington-based Japanese photographer Frank Sakae Matsura (1873-1913) alongside period-specific American Indian regalia from the Columbia Plateau. Exploring Indigenous representation through a multi-dimensional lens, the photographs and objects on view detail some of Matsura’s most culturally significant work against a backdrop of regional transformation.

We are excited to announce that we have teamed up with the City of Shoreline and the Spartan Recreation Center to host the Arte de la Raza exhibition running Nov.2nd-Jan. 24th and featuring:
Che Lopez
Iris Sanchez
Jake Prendez
Rolando Avila
Teresa Martinez
Yessica Marquez
The exhibition opens Nov. 2nd which is also the same day as their Dia de los Muertos Festival!!

This show is dedicated to Veterans, past and present and will be held at the Evergreen Gallery from October 16 – December 30, 2023. There will be a Grand Opening on Thursday, October 19 from 3 – 6 pm.

Immerse yourself in the vibrant tapestry of Iranian women’s artistic expressions as they courageously unveil their stories and perspectives through the power of art. From breathtaking paintings to thought-provoking photos, this exhibition is a celebration of resilience and the depth of creative expression.

Don’t miss the chance to witness the diverse talents and narratives of Iranian and Afghan women, beautifully woven into each masterpiece. Join Peyvand in honoring their stories, celebrating their strength, and embracing the richness of Iranian culture through art.

Spread the word and mark your calendars! Let’s come together to appreciate the extraordinary artistry and resilience of Iranian women

We are very excited to announce that the first graduating cohort of our Seattle Black Spatial Histories Institute is ready to share their work with the world. They have spent the last year creating art from the oral histories they recorded, and the upcoming exhibit at Wa Na Wari is the culmination of that work. We invite you to join us for the opening of this exhibit:
“Honored to Tell”: An exhibit of art and oral histories created by the first cohort to graduate from the Seattle Black Spatial Histories Institute
Featured artists: Brenetta Ward, Akoiya Harris, Ariel Paine, Sierra Parsons, Ricky Reyes, Nia Amina Minor, Brea Wilson, Eboni Wyatt
Art Opening & Reception: Saturday, November 4, 2023, from 6-8pm
6:30pm Hear from the artists
7:00pm Dance performance by Akoiya Harris and Nia Amina Minor
At Wa Na Wari, 911 24th Ave. in Seattle’s historic Central District
Refreshments provided
Listen to the stories of Black waterfront workers, Black educators, Black barbers and beauticians, and Black dancers; stories that the artists have incorporated into textile art, dance, film, zines, listening stations, and more.
The exhibit will be on view until January 20, 2024.
More info at https://www.wanawari.org/sbshi_show

Dive deep into the stories and science that surround the magnificent orca, apex predator of all oceans.
Follow the currents of ecological activism, popular culture, and Indigenous beliefs to gain a new appreciation of these sophisticated animals, long feared in Western cultures as “Killer Whales.”
Orcas: Our Shared Future includes more than 100 original artifacts and specimens, featuring life-size Orca replicas, fossils, films, objects from popular culture, and original artwork from the Indigenous peoples of the North American west coast.
Discover the complex social structure of orca society and reflect on the surprising consequences of captivity. Learn which orca populations are thriving and which are at risk, and resurface with a new understanding of how orcas and humans are inextricably connected.

Featuring the work of the Guma’ Gela’, a queer CHamoru art collective made up of members from the Marianas and in the diaspora. The exhibit explores their motto “part land, part sea, all ancestry” through a broad spectrum of media, including sculpture, soundscape, writing, printmaking, weaving, costume design, adornments, and more, to build a connection with CHamoru life, history, and traditions.

Do you ever wonder how Bruce Lee developed the philosophy behind his most iconic quote?

This incredible interactive exhibit invites viewers to step into the mind, body, and spirit of Bruce Lee to see how his unquenchable pursuit of knowledge informed his philosophy and life.

Follow Bruce’s path beginning with his revelations on water, through the wealth of knowledge found in his 2,800-book personal library, to his philosophy on self-understanding and self-expression.

The exhibition’s interactive technology interweaves beautiful imagery with Bruce’s personal objects and books to bring his journey to life.

Considering both the presence and absence of Black artists is critical to understanding the breadth of Black artistic production in Oregon—even in the midst of historic exclusion—as well as how the impact of that history affects our understanding of American art history and the history of the Pacific Northwest. This exhibition serves to deepen our awareness of the talented artists who have shaped and inspired artists regionally and nationally, and it will be the first of its kind to consider the work of Black artists collectively in Oregon.

Beginning in the 1880s and spanning through today, Black Artists of Oregon captures the Black diasporic experiences particular to the Pacific Northwest with 67 artists and over 200 objects. Artists represented in the exhibition will include Thelma Johnson Streat, Al Goldsby, Charlotte Lewis, Isaka Shamsud-Din, Ralph Chessé, Charles Tatum, Arvie Smith, Shedrich Williames, Harrison Branch, Bobby Fouther, and Carrie Mae Weems, among others. The exhibition and programming will also include the works of contemporary and younger artists working now, functioning as bright threads and offering intergenerational conversation throughout the exhibition, including sidony o’neal, Jeremy Okai Davis, damali ayo, Sharita Towne, Melanie Stevens, Lisa Jarrett, Tristan Irving, Ebin Lee, and Jaleesa Johnston.

Through the narrative flow of the exhibition, visitors will experience work by Black artists across decades and generations. Particular attention is given to the works of Black artists who were producing work during the Black Arts Movement of the late 1960s, ’70s, and early ’80s, such as Portland-based painter Isaka Shamsud-Din. The exhibition will also mark regional artistic connections with global movements for Black liberation, as seen in the work of Charlotte Lewis alongside Portlanders Organized for Southern African Freedom and artists like Sadé DuBoise, whose “Resistance” poster series contributed to Portland’s 2020 George Floyd protests. Without chronological constraints, the exhibition is grounded by the work of elder artists, intergenerational conversations, and live activation in the exhibition galleries.

Black Artists of Oregon builds upon exhibition curator Intisar Abioto’s original research since 2018 exploring the lineage and legacy of Black artists in Oregon. The exhibition will continue Abioto’s research, which is grounded in Black American practices of listening, keeping, and passing on each others’ stories.

“Far from isolated or ancillary, Black arts and cultural production in Oregon has been in conversation and interchange with the world, and a part of its arts and cultural movements, all this time,” says Abioto. “Black Artists of Oregon is a heralding of Black presence, interchange, influence, and impact.”

Textile-based art and artwork responsive to social change are gaining prominence across the region and the country. To reflect this confluence, Tacoma Art Museum is proud to present the work of 21 artists in Soft Power, featuring more than 40 textile-based works on view from October 14, 2023, through September 1, 2024.

Soft Power draws its name and inspiration from Joseph Nye’s theory of cultural heritage as a form of non-coercive power. Using traditional processes to create contemporary declarations of resistance, resilience, love, and rebuke, this work explores the dynamic contrast between soft materials and so-called “hard” ideas. This engaging and provocative exhibition explores cultural stereotypes, humanity’s impact on the environment, and healthcare access.

The artists on view express themselves in forms as varied as their ideas: A quilted call to action, meticulously knit abstraction, woven cenotaphs, a stuffed and stitched creature, a scattered gathering of embroidered ephemera.

Thanks to the popularity of the instantly recognizable Great Wave—cited everywhere from book covers and Lego sets to anime and emoji— Katsushika Hokusai (1760–1849) has become one of the most famous and influential artists in the world. This major exhibition organized by the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA), takes a new approach to the work of the versatile master, pairing more than 100 of his woodblock prints, paintings, and illustrated books from the MFA’s renowned collection with more than 200 works by his teachers, students, rivals, and admirers. Join us to explore Hokusai’s impact through the centuries and around the globe, on artists including Yoshitomo Nara, Chiho Aoshima, and Helen Frankenthaler.

Check one, two, three 🎤 “Sound Check! The Music We Make”, is a new exhibit at Wing Luke Museum on view from Sunday October 15, 2023 until September 14, 2024 🎧🎶💿🎹

Sound Check! celebrates the role of music in the lives of AANHPI communities. Dive into community-based stories as well as the experiences of AANHPI professionals in the music industry. Audiophiles and historians will be able to browse archival materials, photos, and artworks while also indulging in interactive audio-visual installations.

Featured artists include Kim Thayil and Hiro Yamamoto of Soundgarden; singer-songwriter Carly Ann Calbero; jazz drummer Akira Tana; musician Roger Rigor; hip hop artist Geo Quibuyen of Blue Scholars and many more.

—
Don’t forget about the perks of becoming a Museum Member like unlimited free general admission and opportunities to see exhibits first at special Museum Member Receptions!

Africa Fashion opens at the Portland Art Museum after acclaimed runs at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum and the Brooklyn Museum of Art. This first-of-its-kind exhibition, making its only West Coast stop at PAM, honors the irresistible creativity, ingenuity, and unstoppable global impact of contemporary African fashions. Garments and textiles dating from the mid-twentieth century to the present day, contextualized by a range of cultural touchstones such as Drum magazines, Fela Kuti record albums, and studio photography from Sanlé Sory, celebrate the transformative and liberatory power of self-fashioning. The New Yorker’s art critic Hilton Als called Africa Fashion a “vital and necessary exhibition.”

On view March 21, 2023 through Spring 2024
Art of the North Galleries, Third Floor, East Wing

Good Medicine brings together Indigenous healers and medicine people to collectively create, share knowledge, and practice in community. Unfolding over the course of a year with the work of different Alaska Native healers, this multi-disciplinary exhibition offers diverse opportunities for gathering and exchange.

Colonialism has attacked and suppressed medicine people and Indigenous knowledge systems for hundreds of years. This exhibition addresses harmful legacies and shows how the revitalization of healing practices and traditions provides ways of being in alignment with oneself, with community, and with our planet.

Curated by Tlingit traditional healer Meda DeWitt, Good Medicine emphasizes spiritual renewal, cultural renascence, and the importance of co-creating futures where nature can thrive.

Frank S. Matsura: Portraits from the Borderland features studio images by Washington-based Japanese photographer Frank Sakae Matsura (1873-1913) alongside period-specific American Indian regalia from the Columbia Plateau. Exploring Indigenous representation through a multi-dimensional lens, the photographs and objects on view detail some of Matsura’s most culturally significant work against a backdrop of regional transformation.

We are excited to announce that we have teamed up with the City of Shoreline and the Spartan Recreation Center to host the Arte de la Raza exhibition running Nov.2nd-Jan. 24th and featuring:
Che Lopez
Iris Sanchez
Jake Prendez
Rolando Avila
Teresa Martinez
Yessica Marquez
The exhibition opens Nov. 2nd which is also the same day as their Dia de los Muertos Festival!!

This show is dedicated to Veterans, past and present and will be held at the Evergreen Gallery from October 16 – December 30, 2023. There will be a Grand Opening on Thursday, October 19 from 3 – 6 pm.

Immerse yourself in the vibrant tapestry of Iranian women’s artistic expressions as they courageously unveil their stories and perspectives through the power of art. From breathtaking paintings to thought-provoking photos, this exhibition is a celebration of resilience and the depth of creative expression.

Don’t miss the chance to witness the diverse talents and narratives of Iranian and Afghan women, beautifully woven into each masterpiece. Join Peyvand in honoring their stories, celebrating their strength, and embracing the richness of Iranian culture through art.

Spread the word and mark your calendars! Let’s come together to appreciate the extraordinary artistry and resilience of Iranian women

We are very excited to announce that the first graduating cohort of our Seattle Black Spatial Histories Institute is ready to share their work with the world. They have spent the last year creating art from the oral histories they recorded, and the upcoming exhibit at Wa Na Wari is the culmination of that work. We invite you to join us for the opening of this exhibit:
“Honored to Tell”: An exhibit of art and oral histories created by the first cohort to graduate from the Seattle Black Spatial Histories Institute
Featured artists: Brenetta Ward, Akoiya Harris, Ariel Paine, Sierra Parsons, Ricky Reyes, Nia Amina Minor, Brea Wilson, Eboni Wyatt
Art Opening & Reception: Saturday, November 4, 2023, from 6-8pm
6:30pm Hear from the artists
7:00pm Dance performance by Akoiya Harris and Nia Amina Minor
At Wa Na Wari, 911 24th Ave. in Seattle’s historic Central District
Refreshments provided
Listen to the stories of Black waterfront workers, Black educators, Black barbers and beauticians, and Black dancers; stories that the artists have incorporated into textile art, dance, film, zines, listening stations, and more.
The exhibit will be on view until January 20, 2024.
More info at https://www.wanawari.org/sbshi_show

Dive deep into the stories and science that surround the magnificent orca, apex predator of all oceans.
Follow the currents of ecological activism, popular culture, and Indigenous beliefs to gain a new appreciation of these sophisticated animals, long feared in Western cultures as “Killer Whales.”
Orcas: Our Shared Future includes more than 100 original artifacts and specimens, featuring life-size Orca replicas, fossils, films, objects from popular culture, and original artwork from the Indigenous peoples of the North American west coast.
Discover the complex social structure of orca society and reflect on the surprising consequences of captivity. Learn which orca populations are thriving and which are at risk, and resurface with a new understanding of how orcas and humans are inextricably connected.

Featuring the work of the Guma’ Gela’, a queer CHamoru art collective made up of members from the Marianas and in the diaspora. The exhibit explores their motto “part land, part sea, all ancestry” through a broad spectrum of media, including sculpture, soundscape, writing, printmaking, weaving, costume design, adornments, and more, to build a connection with CHamoru life, history, and traditions.

Do you ever wonder how Bruce Lee developed the philosophy behind his most iconic quote?

This incredible interactive exhibit invites viewers to step into the mind, body, and spirit of Bruce Lee to see how his unquenchable pursuit of knowledge informed his philosophy and life.

Follow Bruce’s path beginning with his revelations on water, through the wealth of knowledge found in his 2,800-book personal library, to his philosophy on self-understanding and self-expression.

The exhibition’s interactive technology interweaves beautiful imagery with Bruce’s personal objects and books to bring his journey to life.

Considering both the presence and absence of Black artists is critical to understanding the breadth of Black artistic production in Oregon—even in the midst of historic exclusion—as well as how the impact of that history affects our understanding of American art history and the history of the Pacific Northwest. This exhibition serves to deepen our awareness of the talented artists who have shaped and inspired artists regionally and nationally, and it will be the first of its kind to consider the work of Black artists collectively in Oregon.

Beginning in the 1880s and spanning through today, Black Artists of Oregon captures the Black diasporic experiences particular to the Pacific Northwest with 67 artists and over 200 objects. Artists represented in the exhibition will include Thelma Johnson Streat, Al Goldsby, Charlotte Lewis, Isaka Shamsud-Din, Ralph Chessé, Charles Tatum, Arvie Smith, Shedrich Williames, Harrison Branch, Bobby Fouther, and Carrie Mae Weems, among others. The exhibition and programming will also include the works of contemporary and younger artists working now, functioning as bright threads and offering intergenerational conversation throughout the exhibition, including sidony o’neal, Jeremy Okai Davis, damali ayo, Sharita Towne, Melanie Stevens, Lisa Jarrett, Tristan Irving, Ebin Lee, and Jaleesa Johnston.

Through the narrative flow of the exhibition, visitors will experience work by Black artists across decades and generations. Particular attention is given to the works of Black artists who were producing work during the Black Arts Movement of the late 1960s, ’70s, and early ’80s, such as Portland-based painter Isaka Shamsud-Din. The exhibition will also mark regional artistic connections with global movements for Black liberation, as seen in the work of Charlotte Lewis alongside Portlanders Organized for Southern African Freedom and artists like Sadé DuBoise, whose “Resistance” poster series contributed to Portland’s 2020 George Floyd protests. Without chronological constraints, the exhibition is grounded by the work of elder artists, intergenerational conversations, and live activation in the exhibition galleries.

Black Artists of Oregon builds upon exhibition curator Intisar Abioto’s original research since 2018 exploring the lineage and legacy of Black artists in Oregon. The exhibition will continue Abioto’s research, which is grounded in Black American practices of listening, keeping, and passing on each others’ stories.

“Far from isolated or ancillary, Black arts and cultural production in Oregon has been in conversation and interchange with the world, and a part of its arts and cultural movements, all this time,” says Abioto. “Black Artists of Oregon is a heralding of Black presence, interchange, influence, and impact.”

Textile-based art and artwork responsive to social change are gaining prominence across the region and the country. To reflect this confluence, Tacoma Art Museum is proud to present the work of 21 artists in Soft Power, featuring more than 40 textile-based works on view from October 14, 2023, through September 1, 2024.

Soft Power draws its name and inspiration from Joseph Nye’s theory of cultural heritage as a form of non-coercive power. Using traditional processes to create contemporary declarations of resistance, resilience, love, and rebuke, this work explores the dynamic contrast between soft materials and so-called “hard” ideas. This engaging and provocative exhibition explores cultural stereotypes, humanity’s impact on the environment, and healthcare access.

The artists on view express themselves in forms as varied as their ideas: A quilted call to action, meticulously knit abstraction, woven cenotaphs, a stuffed and stitched creature, a scattered gathering of embroidered ephemera.

Thanks to the popularity of the instantly recognizable Great Wave—cited everywhere from book covers and Lego sets to anime and emoji— Katsushika Hokusai (1760–1849) has become one of the most famous and influential artists in the world. This major exhibition organized by the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA), takes a new approach to the work of the versatile master, pairing more than 100 of his woodblock prints, paintings, and illustrated books from the MFA’s renowned collection with more than 200 works by his teachers, students, rivals, and admirers. Join us to explore Hokusai’s impact through the centuries and around the globe, on artists including Yoshitomo Nara, Chiho Aoshima, and Helen Frankenthaler.

Check one, two, three 🎤 “Sound Check! The Music We Make”, is a new exhibit at Wing Luke Museum on view from Sunday October 15, 2023 until September 14, 2024 🎧🎶💿🎹

Sound Check! celebrates the role of music in the lives of AANHPI communities. Dive into community-based stories as well as the experiences of AANHPI professionals in the music industry. Audiophiles and historians will be able to browse archival materials, photos, and artworks while also indulging in interactive audio-visual installations.

Featured artists include Kim Thayil and Hiro Yamamoto of Soundgarden; singer-songwriter Carly Ann Calbero; jazz drummer Akira Tana; musician Roger Rigor; hip hop artist Geo Quibuyen of Blue Scholars and many more.

—
Don’t forget about the perks of becoming a Museum Member like unlimited free general admission and opportunities to see exhibits first at special Museum Member Receptions!

Africa Fashion opens at the Portland Art Museum after acclaimed runs at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum and the Brooklyn Museum of Art. This first-of-its-kind exhibition, making its only West Coast stop at PAM, honors the irresistible creativity, ingenuity, and unstoppable global impact of contemporary African fashions. Garments and textiles dating from the mid-twentieth century to the present day, contextualized by a range of cultural touchstones such as Drum magazines, Fela Kuti record albums, and studio photography from Sanlé Sory, celebrate the transformative and liberatory power of self-fashioning. The New Yorker’s art critic Hilton Als called Africa Fashion a “vital and necessary exhibition.”

On view March 21, 2023 through Spring 2024
Art of the North Galleries, Third Floor, East Wing

Good Medicine brings together Indigenous healers and medicine people to collectively create, share knowledge, and practice in community. Unfolding over the course of a year with the work of different Alaska Native healers, this multi-disciplinary exhibition offers diverse opportunities for gathering and exchange.

Colonialism has attacked and suppressed medicine people and Indigenous knowledge systems for hundreds of years. This exhibition addresses harmful legacies and shows how the revitalization of healing practices and traditions provides ways of being in alignment with oneself, with community, and with our planet.

Curated by Tlingit traditional healer Meda DeWitt, Good Medicine emphasizes spiritual renewal, cultural renascence, and the importance of co-creating futures where nature can thrive.

Frank S. Matsura: Portraits from the Borderland features studio images by Washington-based Japanese photographer Frank Sakae Matsura (1873-1913) alongside period-specific American Indian regalia from the Columbia Plateau. Exploring Indigenous representation through a multi-dimensional lens, the photographs and objects on view detail some of Matsura’s most culturally significant work against a backdrop of regional transformation.

We are excited to announce that we have teamed up with the City of Shoreline and the Spartan Recreation Center to host the Arte de la Raza exhibition running Nov.2nd-Jan. 24th and featuring:
Che Lopez
Iris Sanchez
Jake Prendez
Rolando Avila
Teresa Martinez
Yessica Marquez
The exhibition opens Nov. 2nd which is also the same day as their Dia de los Muertos Festival!!

This show is dedicated to Veterans, past and present and will be held at the Evergreen Gallery from October 16 – December 30, 2023. There will be a Grand Opening on Thursday, October 19 from 3 – 6 pm.

Immerse yourself in the vibrant tapestry of Iranian women’s artistic expressions as they courageously unveil their stories and perspectives through the power of art. From breathtaking paintings to thought-provoking photos, this exhibition is a celebration of resilience and the depth of creative expression.

Don’t miss the chance to witness the diverse talents and narratives of Iranian and Afghan women, beautifully woven into each masterpiece. Join Peyvand in honoring their stories, celebrating their strength, and embracing the richness of Iranian culture through art.

Spread the word and mark your calendars! Let’s come together to appreciate the extraordinary artistry and resilience of Iranian women

We are very excited to announce that the first graduating cohort of our Seattle Black Spatial Histories Institute is ready to share their work with the world. They have spent the last year creating art from the oral histories they recorded, and the upcoming exhibit at Wa Na Wari is the culmination of that work. We invite you to join us for the opening of this exhibit:
“Honored to Tell”: An exhibit of art and oral histories created by the first cohort to graduate from the Seattle Black Spatial Histories Institute
Featured artists: Brenetta Ward, Akoiya Harris, Ariel Paine, Sierra Parsons, Ricky Reyes, Nia Amina Minor, Brea Wilson, Eboni Wyatt
Art Opening & Reception: Saturday, November 4, 2023, from 6-8pm
6:30pm Hear from the artists
7:00pm Dance performance by Akoiya Harris and Nia Amina Minor
At Wa Na Wari, 911 24th Ave. in Seattle’s historic Central District
Refreshments provided
Listen to the stories of Black waterfront workers, Black educators, Black barbers and beauticians, and Black dancers; stories that the artists have incorporated into textile art, dance, film, zines, listening stations, and more.
The exhibit will be on view until January 20, 2024.
More info at https://www.wanawari.org/sbshi_show

Dive deep into the stories and science that surround the magnificent orca, apex predator of all oceans.
Follow the currents of ecological activism, popular culture, and Indigenous beliefs to gain a new appreciation of these sophisticated animals, long feared in Western cultures as “Killer Whales.”
Orcas: Our Shared Future includes more than 100 original artifacts and specimens, featuring life-size Orca replicas, fossils, films, objects from popular culture, and original artwork from the Indigenous peoples of the North American west coast.
Discover the complex social structure of orca society and reflect on the surprising consequences of captivity. Learn which orca populations are thriving and which are at risk, and resurface with a new understanding of how orcas and humans are inextricably connected.

Featuring the work of the Guma’ Gela’, a queer CHamoru art collective made up of members from the Marianas and in the diaspora. The exhibit explores their motto “part land, part sea, all ancestry” through a broad spectrum of media, including sculpture, soundscape, writing, printmaking, weaving, costume design, adornments, and more, to build a connection with CHamoru life, history, and traditions.

Do you ever wonder how Bruce Lee developed the philosophy behind his most iconic quote?

This incredible interactive exhibit invites viewers to step into the mind, body, and spirit of Bruce Lee to see how his unquenchable pursuit of knowledge informed his philosophy and life.

Follow Bruce’s path beginning with his revelations on water, through the wealth of knowledge found in his 2,800-book personal library, to his philosophy on self-understanding and self-expression.

The exhibition’s interactive technology interweaves beautiful imagery with Bruce’s personal objects and books to bring his journey to life.

Considering both the presence and absence of Black artists is critical to understanding the breadth of Black artistic production in Oregon—even in the midst of historic exclusion—as well as how the impact of that history affects our understanding of American art history and the history of the Pacific Northwest. This exhibition serves to deepen our awareness of the talented artists who have shaped and inspired artists regionally and nationally, and it will be the first of its kind to consider the work of Black artists collectively in Oregon.

Beginning in the 1880s and spanning through today, Black Artists of Oregon captures the Black diasporic experiences particular to the Pacific Northwest with 67 artists and over 200 objects. Artists represented in the exhibition will include Thelma Johnson Streat, Al Goldsby, Charlotte Lewis, Isaka Shamsud-Din, Ralph Chessé, Charles Tatum, Arvie Smith, Shedrich Williames, Harrison Branch, Bobby Fouther, and Carrie Mae Weems, among others. The exhibition and programming will also include the works of contemporary and younger artists working now, functioning as bright threads and offering intergenerational conversation throughout the exhibition, including sidony o’neal, Jeremy Okai Davis, damali ayo, Sharita Towne, Melanie Stevens, Lisa Jarrett, Tristan Irving, Ebin Lee, and Jaleesa Johnston.

Through the narrative flow of the exhibition, visitors will experience work by Black artists across decades and generations. Particular attention is given to the works of Black artists who were producing work during the Black Arts Movement of the late 1960s, ’70s, and early ’80s, such as Portland-based painter Isaka Shamsud-Din. The exhibition will also mark regional artistic connections with global movements for Black liberation, as seen in the work of Charlotte Lewis alongside Portlanders Organized for Southern African Freedom and artists like Sadé DuBoise, whose “Resistance” poster series contributed to Portland’s 2020 George Floyd protests. Without chronological constraints, the exhibition is grounded by the work of elder artists, intergenerational conversations, and live activation in the exhibition galleries.

Black Artists of Oregon builds upon exhibition curator Intisar Abioto’s original research since 2018 exploring the lineage and legacy of Black artists in Oregon. The exhibition will continue Abioto’s research, which is grounded in Black American practices of listening, keeping, and passing on each others’ stories.

“Far from isolated or ancillary, Black arts and cultural production in Oregon has been in conversation and interchange with the world, and a part of its arts and cultural movements, all this time,” says Abioto. “Black Artists of Oregon is a heralding of Black presence, interchange, influence, and impact.”

Textile-based art and artwork responsive to social change are gaining prominence across the region and the country. To reflect this confluence, Tacoma Art Museum is proud to present the work of 21 artists in Soft Power, featuring more than 40 textile-based works on view from October 14, 2023, through September 1, 2024.

Soft Power draws its name and inspiration from Joseph Nye’s theory of cultural heritage as a form of non-coercive power. Using traditional processes to create contemporary declarations of resistance, resilience, love, and rebuke, this work explores the dynamic contrast between soft materials and so-called “hard” ideas. This engaging and provocative exhibition explores cultural stereotypes, humanity’s impact on the environment, and healthcare access.

The artists on view express themselves in forms as varied as their ideas: A quilted call to action, meticulously knit abstraction, woven cenotaphs, a stuffed and stitched creature, a scattered gathering of embroidered ephemera.

Thanks to the popularity of the instantly recognizable Great Wave—cited everywhere from book covers and Lego sets to anime and emoji— Katsushika Hokusai (1760–1849) has become one of the most famous and influential artists in the world. This major exhibition organized by the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA), takes a new approach to the work of the versatile master, pairing more than 100 of his woodblock prints, paintings, and illustrated books from the MFA’s renowned collection with more than 200 works by his teachers, students, rivals, and admirers. Join us to explore Hokusai’s impact through the centuries and around the globe, on artists including Yoshitomo Nara, Chiho Aoshima, and Helen Frankenthaler.

Check one, two, three 🎤 “Sound Check! The Music We Make”, is a new exhibit at Wing Luke Museum on view from Sunday October 15, 2023 until September 14, 2024 🎧🎶💿🎹

Sound Check! celebrates the role of music in the lives of AANHPI communities. Dive into community-based stories as well as the experiences of AANHPI professionals in the music industry. Audiophiles and historians will be able to browse archival materials, photos, and artworks while also indulging in interactive audio-visual installations.

Featured artists include Kim Thayil and Hiro Yamamoto of Soundgarden; singer-songwriter Carly Ann Calbero; jazz drummer Akira Tana; musician Roger Rigor; hip hop artist Geo Quibuyen of Blue Scholars and many more.

—
Don’t forget about the perks of becoming a Museum Member like unlimited free general admission and opportunities to see exhibits first at special Museum Member Receptions!

Africa Fashion opens at the Portland Art Museum after acclaimed runs at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum and the Brooklyn Museum of Art. This first-of-its-kind exhibition, making its only West Coast stop at PAM, honors the irresistible creativity, ingenuity, and unstoppable global impact of contemporary African fashions. Garments and textiles dating from the mid-twentieth century to the present day, contextualized by a range of cultural touchstones such as Drum magazines, Fela Kuti record albums, and studio photography from Sanlé Sory, celebrate the transformative and liberatory power of self-fashioning. The New Yorker’s art critic Hilton Als called Africa Fashion a “vital and necessary exhibition.”

On view March 21, 2023 through Spring 2024
Art of the North Galleries, Third Floor, East Wing

Good Medicine brings together Indigenous healers and medicine people to collectively create, share knowledge, and practice in community. Unfolding over the course of a year with the work of different Alaska Native healers, this multi-disciplinary exhibition offers diverse opportunities for gathering and exchange.

Colonialism has attacked and suppressed medicine people and Indigenous knowledge systems for hundreds of years. This exhibition addresses harmful legacies and shows how the revitalization of healing practices and traditions provides ways of being in alignment with oneself, with community, and with our planet.

Curated by Tlingit traditional healer Meda DeWitt, Good Medicine emphasizes spiritual renewal, cultural renascence, and the importance of co-creating futures where nature can thrive.

Frank S. Matsura: Portraits from the Borderland features studio images by Washington-based Japanese photographer Frank Sakae Matsura (1873-1913) alongside period-specific American Indian regalia from the Columbia Plateau. Exploring Indigenous representation through a multi-dimensional lens, the photographs and objects on view detail some of Matsura’s most culturally significant work against a backdrop of regional transformation.

We are excited to announce that we have teamed up with the City of Shoreline and the Spartan Recreation Center to host the Arte de la Raza exhibition running Nov.2nd-Jan. 24th and featuring:
Che Lopez
Iris Sanchez
Jake Prendez
Rolando Avila
Teresa Martinez
Yessica Marquez
The exhibition opens Nov. 2nd which is also the same day as their Dia de los Muertos Festival!!

This show is dedicated to Veterans, past and present and will be held at the Evergreen Gallery from October 16 – December 30, 2023. There will be a Grand Opening on Thursday, October 19 from 3 – 6 pm.

Immerse yourself in the vibrant tapestry of Iranian women’s artistic expressions as they courageously unveil their stories and perspectives through the power of art. From breathtaking paintings to thought-provoking photos, this exhibition is a celebration of resilience and the depth of creative expression.

Don’t miss the chance to witness the diverse talents and narratives of Iranian and Afghan women, beautifully woven into each masterpiece. Join Peyvand in honoring their stories, celebrating their strength, and embracing the richness of Iranian culture through art.

Spread the word and mark your calendars! Let’s come together to appreciate the extraordinary artistry and resilience of Iranian women

We are very excited to announce that the first graduating cohort of our Seattle Black Spatial Histories Institute is ready to share their work with the world. They have spent the last year creating art from the oral histories they recorded, and the upcoming exhibit at Wa Na Wari is the culmination of that work. We invite you to join us for the opening of this exhibit:
“Honored to Tell”: An exhibit of art and oral histories created by the first cohort to graduate from the Seattle Black Spatial Histories Institute
Featured artists: Brenetta Ward, Akoiya Harris, Ariel Paine, Sierra Parsons, Ricky Reyes, Nia Amina Minor, Brea Wilson, Eboni Wyatt
Art Opening & Reception: Saturday, November 4, 2023, from 6-8pm
6:30pm Hear from the artists
7:00pm Dance performance by Akoiya Harris and Nia Amina Minor
At Wa Na Wari, 911 24th Ave. in Seattle’s historic Central District
Refreshments provided
Listen to the stories of Black waterfront workers, Black educators, Black barbers and beauticians, and Black dancers; stories that the artists have incorporated into textile art, dance, film, zines, listening stations, and more.
The exhibit will be on view until January 20, 2024.
More info at https://www.wanawari.org/sbshi_show

Dive deep into the stories and science that surround the magnificent orca, apex predator of all oceans.
Follow the currents of ecological activism, popular culture, and Indigenous beliefs to gain a new appreciation of these sophisticated animals, long feared in Western cultures as “Killer Whales.”
Orcas: Our Shared Future includes more than 100 original artifacts and specimens, featuring life-size Orca replicas, fossils, films, objects from popular culture, and original artwork from the Indigenous peoples of the North American west coast.
Discover the complex social structure of orca society and reflect on the surprising consequences of captivity. Learn which orca populations are thriving and which are at risk, and resurface with a new understanding of how orcas and humans are inextricably connected.

Featuring the work of the Guma’ Gela’, a queer CHamoru art collective made up of members from the Marianas and in the diaspora. The exhibit explores their motto “part land, part sea, all ancestry” through a broad spectrum of media, including sculpture, soundscape, writing, printmaking, weaving, costume design, adornments, and more, to build a connection with CHamoru life, history, and traditions.

Do you ever wonder how Bruce Lee developed the philosophy behind his most iconic quote?

This incredible interactive exhibit invites viewers to step into the mind, body, and spirit of Bruce Lee to see how his unquenchable pursuit of knowledge informed his philosophy and life.

Follow Bruce’s path beginning with his revelations on water, through the wealth of knowledge found in his 2,800-book personal library, to his philosophy on self-understanding and self-expression.

The exhibition’s interactive technology interweaves beautiful imagery with Bruce’s personal objects and books to bring his journey to life.

Considering both the presence and absence of Black artists is critical to understanding the breadth of Black artistic production in Oregon—even in the midst of historic exclusion—as well as how the impact of that history affects our understanding of American art history and the history of the Pacific Northwest. This exhibition serves to deepen our awareness of the talented artists who have shaped and inspired artists regionally and nationally, and it will be the first of its kind to consider the work of Black artists collectively in Oregon.

Beginning in the 1880s and spanning through today, Black Artists of Oregon captures the Black diasporic experiences particular to the Pacific Northwest with 67 artists and over 200 objects. Artists represented in the exhibition will include Thelma Johnson Streat, Al Goldsby, Charlotte Lewis, Isaka Shamsud-Din, Ralph Chessé, Charles Tatum, Arvie Smith, Shedrich Williames, Harrison Branch, Bobby Fouther, and Carrie Mae Weems, among others. The exhibition and programming will also include the works of contemporary and younger artists working now, functioning as bright threads and offering intergenerational conversation throughout the exhibition, including sidony o’neal, Jeremy Okai Davis, damali ayo, Sharita Towne, Melanie Stevens, Lisa Jarrett, Tristan Irving, Ebin Lee, and Jaleesa Johnston.

Through the narrative flow of the exhibition, visitors will experience work by Black artists across decades and generations. Particular attention is given to the works of Black artists who were producing work during the Black Arts Movement of the late 1960s, ’70s, and early ’80s, such as Portland-based painter Isaka Shamsud-Din. The exhibition will also mark regional artistic connections with global movements for Black liberation, as seen in the work of Charlotte Lewis alongside Portlanders Organized for Southern African Freedom and artists like Sadé DuBoise, whose “Resistance” poster series contributed to Portland’s 2020 George Floyd protests. Without chronological constraints, the exhibition is grounded by the work of elder artists, intergenerational conversations, and live activation in the exhibition galleries.

Black Artists of Oregon builds upon exhibition curator Intisar Abioto’s original research since 2018 exploring the lineage and legacy of Black artists in Oregon. The exhibition will continue Abioto’s research, which is grounded in Black American practices of listening, keeping, and passing on each others’ stories.

“Far from isolated or ancillary, Black arts and cultural production in Oregon has been in conversation and interchange with the world, and a part of its arts and cultural movements, all this time,” says Abioto. “Black Artists of Oregon is a heralding of Black presence, interchange, influence, and impact.”

Textile-based art and artwork responsive to social change are gaining prominence across the region and the country. To reflect this confluence, Tacoma Art Museum is proud to present the work of 21 artists in Soft Power, featuring more than 40 textile-based works on view from October 14, 2023, through September 1, 2024.

Soft Power draws its name and inspiration from Joseph Nye’s theory of cultural heritage as a form of non-coercive power. Using traditional processes to create contemporary declarations of resistance, resilience, love, and rebuke, this work explores the dynamic contrast between soft materials and so-called “hard” ideas. This engaging and provocative exhibition explores cultural stereotypes, humanity’s impact on the environment, and healthcare access.

The artists on view express themselves in forms as varied as their ideas: A quilted call to action, meticulously knit abstraction, woven cenotaphs, a stuffed and stitched creature, a scattered gathering of embroidered ephemera.

Thanks to the popularity of the instantly recognizable Great Wave—cited everywhere from book covers and Lego sets to anime and emoji— Katsushika Hokusai (1760–1849) has become one of the most famous and influential artists in the world. This major exhibition organized by the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA), takes a new approach to the work of the versatile master, pairing more than 100 of his woodblock prints, paintings, and illustrated books from the MFA’s renowned collection with more than 200 works by his teachers, students, rivals, and admirers. Join us to explore Hokusai’s impact through the centuries and around the globe, on artists including Yoshitomo Nara, Chiho Aoshima, and Helen Frankenthaler.

Check one, two, three 🎤 “Sound Check! The Music We Make”, is a new exhibit at Wing Luke Museum on view from Sunday October 15, 2023 until September 14, 2024 🎧🎶💿🎹

Sound Check! celebrates the role of music in the lives of AANHPI communities. Dive into community-based stories as well as the experiences of AANHPI professionals in the music industry. Audiophiles and historians will be able to browse archival materials, photos, and artworks while also indulging in interactive audio-visual installations.

Featured artists include Kim Thayil and Hiro Yamamoto of Soundgarden; singer-songwriter Carly Ann Calbero; jazz drummer Akira Tana; musician Roger Rigor; hip hop artist Geo Quibuyen of Blue Scholars and many more.

—
Don’t forget about the perks of becoming a Museum Member like unlimited free general admission and opportunities to see exhibits first at special Museum Member Receptions!

Africa Fashion opens at the Portland Art Museum after acclaimed runs at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum and the Brooklyn Museum of Art. This first-of-its-kind exhibition, making its only West Coast stop at PAM, honors the irresistible creativity, ingenuity, and unstoppable global impact of contemporary African fashions. Garments and textiles dating from the mid-twentieth century to the present day, contextualized by a range of cultural touchstones such as Drum magazines, Fela Kuti record albums, and studio photography from Sanlé Sory, celebrate the transformative and liberatory power of self-fashioning. The New Yorker’s art critic Hilton Als called Africa Fashion a “vital and necessary exhibition.”

On view March 21, 2023 through Spring 2024
Art of the North Galleries, Third Floor, East Wing

Good Medicine brings together Indigenous healers and medicine people to collectively create, share knowledge, and practice in community. Unfolding over the course of a year with the work of different Alaska Native healers, this multi-disciplinary exhibition offers diverse opportunities for gathering and exchange.

Colonialism has attacked and suppressed medicine people and Indigenous knowledge systems for hundreds of years. This exhibition addresses harmful legacies and shows how the revitalization of healing practices and traditions provides ways of being in alignment with oneself, with community, and with our planet.

Curated by Tlingit traditional healer Meda DeWitt, Good Medicine emphasizes spiritual renewal, cultural renascence, and the importance of co-creating futures where nature can thrive.

Frank S. Matsura: Portraits from the Borderland features studio images by Washington-based Japanese photographer Frank Sakae Matsura (1873-1913) alongside period-specific American Indian regalia from the Columbia Plateau. Exploring Indigenous representation through a multi-dimensional lens, the photographs and objects on view detail some of Matsura’s most culturally significant work against a backdrop of regional transformation.

We are excited to announce that we have teamed up with the City of Shoreline and the Spartan Recreation Center to host the Arte de la Raza exhibition running Nov.2nd-Jan. 24th and featuring:
Che Lopez
Iris Sanchez
Jake Prendez
Rolando Avila
Teresa Martinez
Yessica Marquez
The exhibition opens Nov. 2nd which is also the same day as their Dia de los Muertos Festival!!

This show is dedicated to Veterans, past and present and will be held at the Evergreen Gallery from October 16 – December 30, 2023. There will be a Grand Opening on Thursday, October 19 from 3 – 6 pm.

Immerse yourself in the vibrant tapestry of Iranian women’s artistic expressions as they courageously unveil their stories and perspectives through the power of art. From breathtaking paintings to thought-provoking photos, this exhibition is a celebration of resilience and the depth of creative expression.

Don’t miss the chance to witness the diverse talents and narratives of Iranian and Afghan women, beautifully woven into each masterpiece. Join Peyvand in honoring their stories, celebrating their strength, and embracing the richness of Iranian culture through art.

Spread the word and mark your calendars! Let’s come together to appreciate the extraordinary artistry and resilience of Iranian women

We are very excited to announce that the first graduating cohort of our Seattle Black Spatial Histories Institute is ready to share their work with the world. They have spent the last year creating art from the oral histories they recorded, and the upcoming exhibit at Wa Na Wari is the culmination of that work. We invite you to join us for the opening of this exhibit:
“Honored to Tell”: An exhibit of art and oral histories created by the first cohort to graduate from the Seattle Black Spatial Histories Institute
Featured artists: Brenetta Ward, Akoiya Harris, Ariel Paine, Sierra Parsons, Ricky Reyes, Nia Amina Minor, Brea Wilson, Eboni Wyatt
Art Opening & Reception: Saturday, November 4, 2023, from 6-8pm
6:30pm Hear from the artists
7:00pm Dance performance by Akoiya Harris and Nia Amina Minor
At Wa Na Wari, 911 24th Ave. in Seattle’s historic Central District
Refreshments provided
Listen to the stories of Black waterfront workers, Black educators, Black barbers and beauticians, and Black dancers; stories that the artists have incorporated into textile art, dance, film, zines, listening stations, and more.
The exhibit will be on view until January 20, 2024.
More info at https://www.wanawari.org/sbshi_show

Dive deep into the stories and science that surround the magnificent orca, apex predator of all oceans.
Follow the currents of ecological activism, popular culture, and Indigenous beliefs to gain a new appreciation of these sophisticated animals, long feared in Western cultures as “Killer Whales.”
Orcas: Our Shared Future includes more than 100 original artifacts and specimens, featuring life-size Orca replicas, fossils, films, objects from popular culture, and original artwork from the Indigenous peoples of the North American west coast.
Discover the complex social structure of orca society and reflect on the surprising consequences of captivity. Learn which orca populations are thriving and which are at risk, and resurface with a new understanding of how orcas and humans are inextricably connected.

Featuring the work of the Guma’ Gela’, a queer CHamoru art collective made up of members from the Marianas and in the diaspora. The exhibit explores their motto “part land, part sea, all ancestry” through a broad spectrum of media, including sculpture, soundscape, writing, printmaking, weaving, costume design, adornments, and more, to build a connection with CHamoru life, history, and traditions.

Do you ever wonder how Bruce Lee developed the philosophy behind his most iconic quote?

This incredible interactive exhibit invites viewers to step into the mind, body, and spirit of Bruce Lee to see how his unquenchable pursuit of knowledge informed his philosophy and life.

Follow Bruce’s path beginning with his revelations on water, through the wealth of knowledge found in his 2,800-book personal library, to his philosophy on self-understanding and self-expression.

The exhibition’s interactive technology interweaves beautiful imagery with Bruce’s personal objects and books to bring his journey to life.

Considering both the presence and absence of Black artists is critical to understanding the breadth of Black artistic production in Oregon—even in the midst of historic exclusion—as well as how the impact of that history affects our understanding of American art history and the history of the Pacific Northwest. This exhibition serves to deepen our awareness of the talented artists who have shaped and inspired artists regionally and nationally, and it will be the first of its kind to consider the work of Black artists collectively in Oregon.

Beginning in the 1880s and spanning through today, Black Artists of Oregon captures the Black diasporic experiences particular to the Pacific Northwest with 67 artists and over 200 objects. Artists represented in the exhibition will include Thelma Johnson Streat, Al Goldsby, Charlotte Lewis, Isaka Shamsud-Din, Ralph Chessé, Charles Tatum, Arvie Smith, Shedrich Williames, Harrison Branch, Bobby Fouther, and Carrie Mae Weems, among others. The exhibition and programming will also include the works of contemporary and younger artists working now, functioning as bright threads and offering intergenerational conversation throughout the exhibition, including sidony o’neal, Jeremy Okai Davis, damali ayo, Sharita Towne, Melanie Stevens, Lisa Jarrett, Tristan Irving, Ebin Lee, and Jaleesa Johnston.

Through the narrative flow of the exhibition, visitors will experience work by Black artists across decades and generations. Particular attention is given to the works of Black artists who were producing work during the Black Arts Movement of the late 1960s, ’70s, and early ’80s, such as Portland-based painter Isaka Shamsud-Din. The exhibition will also mark regional artistic connections with global movements for Black liberation, as seen in the work of Charlotte Lewis alongside Portlanders Organized for Southern African Freedom and artists like Sadé DuBoise, whose “Resistance” poster series contributed to Portland’s 2020 George Floyd protests. Without chronological constraints, the exhibition is grounded by the work of elder artists, intergenerational conversations, and live activation in the exhibition galleries.

Black Artists of Oregon builds upon exhibition curator Intisar Abioto’s original research since 2018 exploring the lineage and legacy of Black artists in Oregon. The exhibition will continue Abioto’s research, which is grounded in Black American practices of listening, keeping, and passing on each others’ stories.

“Far from isolated or ancillary, Black arts and cultural production in Oregon has been in conversation and interchange with the world, and a part of its arts and cultural movements, all this time,” says Abioto. “Black Artists of Oregon is a heralding of Black presence, interchange, influence, and impact.”

Textile-based art and artwork responsive to social change are gaining prominence across the region and the country. To reflect this confluence, Tacoma Art Museum is proud to present the work of 21 artists in Soft Power, featuring more than 40 textile-based works on view from October 14, 2023, through September 1, 2024.

Soft Power draws its name and inspiration from Joseph Nye’s theory of cultural heritage as a form of non-coercive power. Using traditional processes to create contemporary declarations of resistance, resilience, love, and rebuke, this work explores the dynamic contrast between soft materials and so-called “hard” ideas. This engaging and provocative exhibition explores cultural stereotypes, humanity’s impact on the environment, and healthcare access.

The artists on view express themselves in forms as varied as their ideas: A quilted call to action, meticulously knit abstraction, woven cenotaphs, a stuffed and stitched creature, a scattered gathering of embroidered ephemera.

Thanks to the popularity of the instantly recognizable Great Wave—cited everywhere from book covers and Lego sets to anime and emoji— Katsushika Hokusai (1760–1849) has become one of the most famous and influential artists in the world. This major exhibition organized by the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA), takes a new approach to the work of the versatile master, pairing more than 100 of his woodblock prints, paintings, and illustrated books from the MFA’s renowned collection with more than 200 works by his teachers, students, rivals, and admirers. Join us to explore Hokusai’s impact through the centuries and around the globe, on artists including Yoshitomo Nara, Chiho Aoshima, and Helen Frankenthaler.

Check one, two, three 🎤 “Sound Check! The Music We Make”, is a new exhibit at Wing Luke Museum on view from Sunday October 15, 2023 until September 14, 2024 🎧🎶💿🎹

Sound Check! celebrates the role of music in the lives of AANHPI communities. Dive into community-based stories as well as the experiences of AANHPI professionals in the music industry. Audiophiles and historians will be able to browse archival materials, photos, and artworks while also indulging in interactive audio-visual installations.

Featured artists include Kim Thayil and Hiro Yamamoto of Soundgarden; singer-songwriter Carly Ann Calbero; jazz drummer Akira Tana; musician Roger Rigor; hip hop artist Geo Quibuyen of Blue Scholars and many more.

—
Don’t forget about the perks of becoming a Museum Member like unlimited free general admission and opportunities to see exhibits first at special Museum Member Receptions!

Africa Fashion opens at the Portland Art Museum after acclaimed runs at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum and the Brooklyn Museum of Art. This first-of-its-kind exhibition, making its only West Coast stop at PAM, honors the irresistible creativity, ingenuity, and unstoppable global impact of contemporary African fashions. Garments and textiles dating from the mid-twentieth century to the present day, contextualized by a range of cultural touchstones such as Drum magazines, Fela Kuti record albums, and studio photography from Sanlé Sory, celebrate the transformative and liberatory power of self-fashioning. The New Yorker’s art critic Hilton Als called Africa Fashion a “vital and necessary exhibition.”

On view March 21, 2023 through Spring 2024
Art of the North Galleries, Third Floor, East Wing

Good Medicine brings together Indigenous healers and medicine people to collectively create, share knowledge, and practice in community. Unfolding over the course of a year with the work of different Alaska Native healers, this multi-disciplinary exhibition offers diverse opportunities for gathering and exchange.

Colonialism has attacked and suppressed medicine people and Indigenous knowledge systems for hundreds of years. This exhibition addresses harmful legacies and shows how the revitalization of healing practices and traditions provides ways of being in alignment with oneself, with community, and with our planet.

Curated by Tlingit traditional healer Meda DeWitt, Good Medicine emphasizes spiritual renewal, cultural renascence, and the importance of co-creating futures where nature can thrive.

Join us for a dreamy night to remember as Pacific Bonsai Museum illuminates its world-renowned collection with soft holiday lights for its annual Winter Bonsai Solstice.

Come for an evening stroll to take in beautiful bonsai twinkling in a vast array of lights, and then stay to shop for goodies at our gift shop and support a local glass ornament artist, sip FREE hot chocolate, and listen to fun holiday favorites.

This is a family-friendly tradition that warmly embraces the generous spirit of the holidays. Suggested donation: $12 for adults. No reservations or advance tickets are needed.

Frank S. Matsura: Portraits from the Borderland features studio images by Washington-based Japanese photographer Frank Sakae Matsura (1873-1913) alongside period-specific American Indian regalia from the Columbia Plateau. Exploring Indigenous representation through a multi-dimensional lens, the photographs and objects on view detail some of Matsura’s most culturally significant work against a backdrop of regional transformation.

We are excited to announce that we have teamed up with the City of Shoreline and the Spartan Recreation Center to host the Arte de la Raza exhibition running Nov.2nd-Jan. 24th and featuring:
Che Lopez
Iris Sanchez
Jake Prendez
Rolando Avila
Teresa Martinez
Yessica Marquez
The exhibition opens Nov. 2nd which is also the same day as their Dia de los Muertos Festival!!

This show is dedicated to Veterans, past and present and will be held at the Evergreen Gallery from October 16 – December 30, 2023. There will be a Grand Opening on Thursday, October 19 from 3 – 6 pm.

Immerse yourself in the vibrant tapestry of Iranian women’s artistic expressions as they courageously unveil their stories and perspectives through the power of art. From breathtaking paintings to thought-provoking photos, this exhibition is a celebration of resilience and the depth of creative expression.

Don’t miss the chance to witness the diverse talents and narratives of Iranian and Afghan women, beautifully woven into each masterpiece. Join Peyvand in honoring their stories, celebrating their strength, and embracing the richness of Iranian culture through art.

Spread the word and mark your calendars! Let’s come together to appreciate the extraordinary artistry and resilience of Iranian women

We are very excited to announce that the first graduating cohort of our Seattle Black Spatial Histories Institute is ready to share their work with the world. They have spent the last year creating art from the oral histories they recorded, and the upcoming exhibit at Wa Na Wari is the culmination of that work. We invite you to join us for the opening of this exhibit:
“Honored to Tell”: An exhibit of art and oral histories created by the first cohort to graduate from the Seattle Black Spatial Histories Institute
Featured artists: Brenetta Ward, Akoiya Harris, Ariel Paine, Sierra Parsons, Ricky Reyes, Nia Amina Minor, Brea Wilson, Eboni Wyatt
Art Opening & Reception: Saturday, November 4, 2023, from 6-8pm
6:30pm Hear from the artists
7:00pm Dance performance by Akoiya Harris and Nia Amina Minor
At Wa Na Wari, 911 24th Ave. in Seattle’s historic Central District
Refreshments provided
Listen to the stories of Black waterfront workers, Black educators, Black barbers and beauticians, and Black dancers; stories that the artists have incorporated into textile art, dance, film, zines, listening stations, and more.
The exhibit will be on view until January 20, 2024.
More info at https://www.wanawari.org/sbshi_show

Dive deep into the stories and science that surround the magnificent orca, apex predator of all oceans.
Follow the currents of ecological activism, popular culture, and Indigenous beliefs to gain a new appreciation of these sophisticated animals, long feared in Western cultures as “Killer Whales.”
Orcas: Our Shared Future includes more than 100 original artifacts and specimens, featuring life-size Orca replicas, fossils, films, objects from popular culture, and original artwork from the Indigenous peoples of the North American west coast.
Discover the complex social structure of orca society and reflect on the surprising consequences of captivity. Learn which orca populations are thriving and which are at risk, and resurface with a new understanding of how orcas and humans are inextricably connected.

Featuring the work of the Guma’ Gela’, a queer CHamoru art collective made up of members from the Marianas and in the diaspora. The exhibit explores their motto “part land, part sea, all ancestry” through a broad spectrum of media, including sculpture, soundscape, writing, printmaking, weaving, costume design, adornments, and more, to build a connection with CHamoru life, history, and traditions.

Do you ever wonder how Bruce Lee developed the philosophy behind his most iconic quote?

This incredible interactive exhibit invites viewers to step into the mind, body, and spirit of Bruce Lee to see how his unquenchable pursuit of knowledge informed his philosophy and life.

Follow Bruce’s path beginning with his revelations on water, through the wealth of knowledge found in his 2,800-book personal library, to his philosophy on self-understanding and self-expression.

The exhibition’s interactive technology interweaves beautiful imagery with Bruce’s personal objects and books to bring his journey to life.

Considering both the presence and absence of Black artists is critical to understanding the breadth of Black artistic production in Oregon—even in the midst of historic exclusion—as well as how the impact of that history affects our understanding of American art history and the history of the Pacific Northwest. This exhibition serves to deepen our awareness of the talented artists who have shaped and inspired artists regionally and nationally, and it will be the first of its kind to consider the work of Black artists collectively in Oregon.

Beginning in the 1880s and spanning through today, Black Artists of Oregon captures the Black diasporic experiences particular to the Pacific Northwest with 67 artists and over 200 objects. Artists represented in the exhibition will include Thelma Johnson Streat, Al Goldsby, Charlotte Lewis, Isaka Shamsud-Din, Ralph Chessé, Charles Tatum, Arvie Smith, Shedrich Williames, Harrison Branch, Bobby Fouther, and Carrie Mae Weems, among others. The exhibition and programming will also include the works of contemporary and younger artists working now, functioning as bright threads and offering intergenerational conversation throughout the exhibition, including sidony o’neal, Jeremy Okai Davis, damali ayo, Sharita Towne, Melanie Stevens, Lisa Jarrett, Tristan Irving, Ebin Lee, and Jaleesa Johnston.

Through the narrative flow of the exhibition, visitors will experience work by Black artists across decades and generations. Particular attention is given to the works of Black artists who were producing work during the Black Arts Movement of the late 1960s, ’70s, and early ’80s, such as Portland-based painter Isaka Shamsud-Din. The exhibition will also mark regional artistic connections with global movements for Black liberation, as seen in the work of Charlotte Lewis alongside Portlanders Organized for Southern African Freedom and artists like Sadé DuBoise, whose “Resistance” poster series contributed to Portland’s 2020 George Floyd protests. Without chronological constraints, the exhibition is grounded by the work of elder artists, intergenerational conversations, and live activation in the exhibition galleries.

Black Artists of Oregon builds upon exhibition curator Intisar Abioto’s original research since 2018 exploring the lineage and legacy of Black artists in Oregon. The exhibition will continue Abioto’s research, which is grounded in Black American practices of listening, keeping, and passing on each others’ stories.

“Far from isolated or ancillary, Black arts and cultural production in Oregon has been in conversation and interchange with the world, and a part of its arts and cultural movements, all this time,” says Abioto. “Black Artists of Oregon is a heralding of Black presence, interchange, influence, and impact.”

Textile-based art and artwork responsive to social change are gaining prominence across the region and the country. To reflect this confluence, Tacoma Art Museum is proud to present the work of 21 artists in Soft Power, featuring more than 40 textile-based works on view from October 14, 2023, through September 1, 2024.

Soft Power draws its name and inspiration from Joseph Nye’s theory of cultural heritage as a form of non-coercive power. Using traditional processes to create contemporary declarations of resistance, resilience, love, and rebuke, this work explores the dynamic contrast between soft materials and so-called “hard” ideas. This engaging and provocative exhibition explores cultural stereotypes, humanity’s impact on the environment, and healthcare access.

The artists on view express themselves in forms as varied as their ideas: A quilted call to action, meticulously knit abstraction, woven cenotaphs, a stuffed and stitched creature, a scattered gathering of embroidered ephemera.

Thanks to the popularity of the instantly recognizable Great Wave—cited everywhere from book covers and Lego sets to anime and emoji— Katsushika Hokusai (1760–1849) has become one of the most famous and influential artists in the world. This major exhibition organized by the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA), takes a new approach to the work of the versatile master, pairing more than 100 of his woodblock prints, paintings, and illustrated books from the MFA’s renowned collection with more than 200 works by his teachers, students, rivals, and admirers. Join us to explore Hokusai’s impact through the centuries and around the globe, on artists including Yoshitomo Nara, Chiho Aoshima, and Helen Frankenthaler.

Check one, two, three 🎤 “Sound Check! The Music We Make”, is a new exhibit at Wing Luke Museum on view from Sunday October 15, 2023 until September 14, 2024 🎧🎶💿🎹

Sound Check! celebrates the role of music in the lives of AANHPI communities. Dive into community-based stories as well as the experiences of AANHPI professionals in the music industry. Audiophiles and historians will be able to browse archival materials, photos, and artworks while also indulging in interactive audio-visual installations.

Featured artists include Kim Thayil and Hiro Yamamoto of Soundgarden; singer-songwriter Carly Ann Calbero; jazz drummer Akira Tana; musician Roger Rigor; hip hop artist Geo Quibuyen of Blue Scholars and many more.

—
Don’t forget about the perks of becoming a Museum Member like unlimited free general admission and opportunities to see exhibits first at special Museum Member Receptions!

Africa Fashion opens at the Portland Art Museum after acclaimed runs at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum and the Brooklyn Museum of Art. This first-of-its-kind exhibition, making its only West Coast stop at PAM, honors the irresistible creativity, ingenuity, and unstoppable global impact of contemporary African fashions. Garments and textiles dating from the mid-twentieth century to the present day, contextualized by a range of cultural touchstones such as Drum magazines, Fela Kuti record albums, and studio photography from Sanlé Sory, celebrate the transformative and liberatory power of self-fashioning. The New Yorker’s art critic Hilton Als called Africa Fashion a “vital and necessary exhibition.”

On view March 21, 2023 through Spring 2024
Art of the North Galleries, Third Floor, East Wing

Good Medicine brings together Indigenous healers and medicine people to collectively create, share knowledge, and practice in community. Unfolding over the course of a year with the work of different Alaska Native healers, this multi-disciplinary exhibition offers diverse opportunities for gathering and exchange.

Colonialism has attacked and suppressed medicine people and Indigenous knowledge systems for hundreds of years. This exhibition addresses harmful legacies and shows how the revitalization of healing practices and traditions provides ways of being in alignment with oneself, with community, and with our planet.

Curated by Tlingit traditional healer Meda DeWitt, Good Medicine emphasizes spiritual renewal, cultural renascence, and the importance of co-creating futures where nature can thrive.

Frank S. Matsura: Portraits from the Borderland features studio images by Washington-based Japanese photographer Frank Sakae Matsura (1873-1913) alongside period-specific American Indian regalia from the Columbia Plateau. Exploring Indigenous representation through a multi-dimensional lens, the photographs and objects on view detail some of Matsura’s most culturally significant work against a backdrop of regional transformation.

We are excited to announce that we have teamed up with the City of Shoreline and the Spartan Recreation Center to host the Arte de la Raza exhibition running Nov.2nd-Jan. 24th and featuring:
Che Lopez
Iris Sanchez
Jake Prendez
Rolando Avila
Teresa Martinez
Yessica Marquez
The exhibition opens Nov. 2nd which is also the same day as their Dia de los Muertos Festival!!

This show is dedicated to Veterans, past and present and will be held at the Evergreen Gallery from October 16 – December 30, 2023. There will be a Grand Opening on Thursday, October 19 from 3 – 6 pm.

Immerse yourself in the vibrant tapestry of Iranian women’s artistic expressions as they courageously unveil their stories and perspectives through the power of art. From breathtaking paintings to thought-provoking photos, this exhibition is a celebration of resilience and the depth of creative expression.

Don’t miss the chance to witness the diverse talents and narratives of Iranian and Afghan women, beautifully woven into each masterpiece. Join Peyvand in honoring their stories, celebrating their strength, and embracing the richness of Iranian culture through art.

Spread the word and mark your calendars! Let’s come together to appreciate the extraordinary artistry and resilience of Iranian women

We are very excited to announce that the first graduating cohort of our Seattle Black Spatial Histories Institute is ready to share their work with the world. They have spent the last year creating art from the oral histories they recorded, and the upcoming exhibit at Wa Na Wari is the culmination of that work. We invite you to join us for the opening of this exhibit:
“Honored to Tell”: An exhibit of art and oral histories created by the first cohort to graduate from the Seattle Black Spatial Histories Institute
Featured artists: Brenetta Ward, Akoiya Harris, Ariel Paine, Sierra Parsons, Ricky Reyes, Nia Amina Minor, Brea Wilson, Eboni Wyatt
Art Opening & Reception: Saturday, November 4, 2023, from 6-8pm
6:30pm Hear from the artists
7:00pm Dance performance by Akoiya Harris and Nia Amina Minor
At Wa Na Wari, 911 24th Ave. in Seattle’s historic Central District
Refreshments provided
Listen to the stories of Black waterfront workers, Black educators, Black barbers and beauticians, and Black dancers; stories that the artists have incorporated into textile art, dance, film, zines, listening stations, and more.
The exhibit will be on view until January 20, 2024.
More info at https://www.wanawari.org/sbshi_show

Dive deep into the stories and science that surround the magnificent orca, apex predator of all oceans.
Follow the currents of ecological activism, popular culture, and Indigenous beliefs to gain a new appreciation of these sophisticated animals, long feared in Western cultures as “Killer Whales.”
Orcas: Our Shared Future includes more than 100 original artifacts and specimens, featuring life-size Orca replicas, fossils, films, objects from popular culture, and original artwork from the Indigenous peoples of the North American west coast.
Discover the complex social structure of orca society and reflect on the surprising consequences of captivity. Learn which orca populations are thriving and which are at risk, and resurface with a new understanding of how orcas and humans are inextricably connected.

Featuring the work of the Guma’ Gela’, a queer CHamoru art collective made up of members from the Marianas and in the diaspora. The exhibit explores their motto “part land, part sea, all ancestry” through a broad spectrum of media, including sculpture, soundscape, writing, printmaking, weaving, costume design, adornments, and more, to build a connection with CHamoru life, history, and traditions.

Do you ever wonder how Bruce Lee developed the philosophy behind his most iconic quote?

This incredible interactive exhibit invites viewers to step into the mind, body, and spirit of Bruce Lee to see how his unquenchable pursuit of knowledge informed his philosophy and life.

Follow Bruce’s path beginning with his revelations on water, through the wealth of knowledge found in his 2,800-book personal library, to his philosophy on self-understanding and self-expression.

The exhibition’s interactive technology interweaves beautiful imagery with Bruce’s personal objects and books to bring his journey to life.

Considering both the presence and absence of Black artists is critical to understanding the breadth of Black artistic production in Oregon—even in the midst of historic exclusion—as well as how the impact of that history affects our understanding of American art history and the history of the Pacific Northwest. This exhibition serves to deepen our awareness of the talented artists who have shaped and inspired artists regionally and nationally, and it will be the first of its kind to consider the work of Black artists collectively in Oregon.

Beginning in the 1880s and spanning through today, Black Artists of Oregon captures the Black diasporic experiences particular to the Pacific Northwest with 67 artists and over 200 objects. Artists represented in the exhibition will include Thelma Johnson Streat, Al Goldsby, Charlotte Lewis, Isaka Shamsud-Din, Ralph Chessé, Charles Tatum, Arvie Smith, Shedrich Williames, Harrison Branch, Bobby Fouther, and Carrie Mae Weems, among others. The exhibition and programming will also include the works of contemporary and younger artists working now, functioning as bright threads and offering intergenerational conversation throughout the exhibition, including sidony o’neal, Jeremy Okai Davis, damali ayo, Sharita Towne, Melanie Stevens, Lisa Jarrett, Tristan Irving, Ebin Lee, and Jaleesa Johnston.

Through the narrative flow of the exhibition, visitors will experience work by Black artists across decades and generations. Particular attention is given to the works of Black artists who were producing work during the Black Arts Movement of the late 1960s, ’70s, and early ’80s, such as Portland-based painter Isaka Shamsud-Din. The exhibition will also mark regional artistic connections with global movements for Black liberation, as seen in the work of Charlotte Lewis alongside Portlanders Organized for Southern African Freedom and artists like Sadé DuBoise, whose “Resistance” poster series contributed to Portland’s 2020 George Floyd protests. Without chronological constraints, the exhibition is grounded by the work of elder artists, intergenerational conversations, and live activation in the exhibition galleries.

Black Artists of Oregon builds upon exhibition curator Intisar Abioto’s original research since 2018 exploring the lineage and legacy of Black artists in Oregon. The exhibition will continue Abioto’s research, which is grounded in Black American practices of listening, keeping, and passing on each others’ stories.

“Far from isolated or ancillary, Black arts and cultural production in Oregon has been in conversation and interchange with the world, and a part of its arts and cultural movements, all this time,” says Abioto. “Black Artists of Oregon is a heralding of Black presence, interchange, influence, and impact.”

Textile-based art and artwork responsive to social change are gaining prominence across the region and the country. To reflect this confluence, Tacoma Art Museum is proud to present the work of 21 artists in Soft Power, featuring more than 40 textile-based works on view from October 14, 2023, through September 1, 2024.

Soft Power draws its name and inspiration from Joseph Nye’s theory of cultural heritage as a form of non-coercive power. Using traditional processes to create contemporary declarations of resistance, resilience, love, and rebuke, this work explores the dynamic contrast between soft materials and so-called “hard” ideas. This engaging and provocative exhibition explores cultural stereotypes, humanity’s impact on the environment, and healthcare access.

The artists on view express themselves in forms as varied as their ideas: A quilted call to action, meticulously knit abstraction, woven cenotaphs, a stuffed and stitched creature, a scattered gathering of embroidered ephemera.

Thanks to the popularity of the instantly recognizable Great Wave—cited everywhere from book covers and Lego sets to anime and emoji— Katsushika Hokusai (1760–1849) has become one of the most famous and influential artists in the world. This major exhibition organized by the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA), takes a new approach to the work of the versatile master, pairing more than 100 of his woodblock prints, paintings, and illustrated books from the MFA’s renowned collection with more than 200 works by his teachers, students, rivals, and admirers. Join us to explore Hokusai’s impact through the centuries and around the globe, on artists including Yoshitomo Nara, Chiho Aoshima, and Helen Frankenthaler.

Check one, two, three 🎤 “Sound Check! The Music We Make”, is a new exhibit at Wing Luke Museum on view from Sunday October 15, 2023 until September 14, 2024 🎧🎶💿🎹

Sound Check! celebrates the role of music in the lives of AANHPI communities. Dive into community-based stories as well as the experiences of AANHPI professionals in the music industry. Audiophiles and historians will be able to browse archival materials, photos, and artworks while also indulging in interactive audio-visual installations.

Featured artists include Kim Thayil and Hiro Yamamoto of Soundgarden; singer-songwriter Carly Ann Calbero; jazz drummer Akira Tana; musician Roger Rigor; hip hop artist Geo Quibuyen of Blue Scholars and many more.

—
Don’t forget about the perks of becoming a Museum Member like unlimited free general admission and opportunities to see exhibits first at special Museum Member Receptions!

Africa Fashion opens at the Portland Art Museum after acclaimed runs at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum and the Brooklyn Museum of Art. This first-of-its-kind exhibition, making its only West Coast stop at PAM, honors the irresistible creativity, ingenuity, and unstoppable global impact of contemporary African fashions. Garments and textiles dating from the mid-twentieth century to the present day, contextualized by a range of cultural touchstones such as Drum magazines, Fela Kuti record albums, and studio photography from Sanlé Sory, celebrate the transformative and liberatory power of self-fashioning. The New Yorker’s art critic Hilton Als called Africa Fashion a “vital and necessary exhibition.”

On view March 21, 2023 through Spring 2024
Art of the North Galleries, Third Floor, East Wing

Good Medicine brings together Indigenous healers and medicine people to collectively create, share knowledge, and practice in community. Unfolding over the course of a year with the work of different Alaska Native healers, this multi-disciplinary exhibition offers diverse opportunities for gathering and exchange.

Colonialism has attacked and suppressed medicine people and Indigenous knowledge systems for hundreds of years. This exhibition addresses harmful legacies and shows how the revitalization of healing practices and traditions provides ways of being in alignment with oneself, with community, and with our planet.

Curated by Tlingit traditional healer Meda DeWitt, Good Medicine emphasizes spiritual renewal, cultural renascence, and the importance of co-creating futures where nature can thrive.

Frank S. Matsura: Portraits from the Borderland features studio images by Washington-based Japanese photographer Frank Sakae Matsura (1873-1913) alongside period-specific American Indian regalia from the Columbia Plateau. Exploring Indigenous representation through a multi-dimensional lens, the photographs and objects on view detail some of Matsura’s most culturally significant work against a backdrop of regional transformation.

We are excited to announce that we have teamed up with the City of Shoreline and the Spartan Recreation Center to host the Arte de la Raza exhibition running Nov.2nd-Jan. 24th and featuring:
Che Lopez
Iris Sanchez
Jake Prendez
Rolando Avila
Teresa Martinez
Yessica Marquez
The exhibition opens Nov. 2nd which is also the same day as their Dia de los Muertos Festival!!

This show is dedicated to Veterans, past and present and will be held at the Evergreen Gallery from October 16 – December 30, 2023. There will be a Grand Opening on Thursday, October 19 from 3 – 6 pm.

Immerse yourself in the vibrant tapestry of Iranian women’s artistic expressions as they courageously unveil their stories and perspectives through the power of art. From breathtaking paintings to thought-provoking photos, this exhibition is a celebration of resilience and the depth of creative expression.

Don’t miss the chance to witness the diverse talents and narratives of Iranian and Afghan women, beautifully woven into each masterpiece. Join Peyvand in honoring their stories, celebrating their strength, and embracing the richness of Iranian culture through art.

Spread the word and mark your calendars! Let’s come together to appreciate the extraordinary artistry and resilience of Iranian women

We are very excited to announce that the first graduating cohort of our Seattle Black Spatial Histories Institute is ready to share their work with the world. They have spent the last year creating art from the oral histories they recorded, and the upcoming exhibit at Wa Na Wari is the culmination of that work. We invite you to join us for the opening of this exhibit:
“Honored to Tell”: An exhibit of art and oral histories created by the first cohort to graduate from the Seattle Black Spatial Histories Institute
Featured artists: Brenetta Ward, Akoiya Harris, Ariel Paine, Sierra Parsons, Ricky Reyes, Nia Amina Minor, Brea Wilson, Eboni Wyatt
Art Opening & Reception: Saturday, November 4, 2023, from 6-8pm
6:30pm Hear from the artists
7:00pm Dance performance by Akoiya Harris and Nia Amina Minor
At Wa Na Wari, 911 24th Ave. in Seattle’s historic Central District
Refreshments provided
Listen to the stories of Black waterfront workers, Black educators, Black barbers and beauticians, and Black dancers; stories that the artists have incorporated into textile art, dance, film, zines, listening stations, and more.
The exhibit will be on view until January 20, 2024.
More info at https://www.wanawari.org/sbshi_show

Dive deep into the stories and science that surround the magnificent orca, apex predator of all oceans.
Follow the currents of ecological activism, popular culture, and Indigenous beliefs to gain a new appreciation of these sophisticated animals, long feared in Western cultures as “Killer Whales.”
Orcas: Our Shared Future includes more than 100 original artifacts and specimens, featuring life-size Orca replicas, fossils, films, objects from popular culture, and original artwork from the Indigenous peoples of the North American west coast.
Discover the complex social structure of orca society and reflect on the surprising consequences of captivity. Learn which orca populations are thriving and which are at risk, and resurface with a new understanding of how orcas and humans are inextricably connected.

Featuring the work of the Guma’ Gela’, a queer CHamoru art collective made up of members from the Marianas and in the diaspora. The exhibit explores their motto “part land, part sea, all ancestry” through a broad spectrum of media, including sculpture, soundscape, writing, printmaking, weaving, costume design, adornments, and more, to build a connection with CHamoru life, history, and traditions.

Do you ever wonder how Bruce Lee developed the philosophy behind his most iconic quote?

This incredible interactive exhibit invites viewers to step into the mind, body, and spirit of Bruce Lee to see how his unquenchable pursuit of knowledge informed his philosophy and life.

Follow Bruce’s path beginning with his revelations on water, through the wealth of knowledge found in his 2,800-book personal library, to his philosophy on self-understanding and self-expression.

The exhibition’s interactive technology interweaves beautiful imagery with Bruce’s personal objects and books to bring his journey to life.

Considering both the presence and absence of Black artists is critical to understanding the breadth of Black artistic production in Oregon—even in the midst of historic exclusion—as well as how the impact of that history affects our understanding of American art history and the history of the Pacific Northwest. This exhibition serves to deepen our awareness of the talented artists who have shaped and inspired artists regionally and nationally, and it will be the first of its kind to consider the work of Black artists collectively in Oregon.

Beginning in the 1880s and spanning through today, Black Artists of Oregon captures the Black diasporic experiences particular to the Pacific Northwest with 67 artists and over 200 objects. Artists represented in the exhibition will include Thelma Johnson Streat, Al Goldsby, Charlotte Lewis, Isaka Shamsud-Din, Ralph Chessé, Charles Tatum, Arvie Smith, Shedrich Williames, Harrison Branch, Bobby Fouther, and Carrie Mae Weems, among others. The exhibition and programming will also include the works of contemporary and younger artists working now, functioning as bright threads and offering intergenerational conversation throughout the exhibition, including sidony o’neal, Jeremy Okai Davis, damali ayo, Sharita Towne, Melanie Stevens, Lisa Jarrett, Tristan Irving, Ebin Lee, and Jaleesa Johnston.

Through the narrative flow of the exhibition, visitors will experience work by Black artists across decades and generations. Particular attention is given to the works of Black artists who were producing work during the Black Arts Movement of the late 1960s, ’70s, and early ’80s, such as Portland-based painter Isaka Shamsud-Din. The exhibition will also mark regional artistic connections with global movements for Black liberation, as seen in the work of Charlotte Lewis alongside Portlanders Organized for Southern African Freedom and artists like Sadé DuBoise, whose “Resistance” poster series contributed to Portland’s 2020 George Floyd protests. Without chronological constraints, the exhibition is grounded by the work of elder artists, intergenerational conversations, and live activation in the exhibition galleries.

Black Artists of Oregon builds upon exhibition curator Intisar Abioto’s original research since 2018 exploring the lineage and legacy of Black artists in Oregon. The exhibition will continue Abioto’s research, which is grounded in Black American practices of listening, keeping, and passing on each others’ stories.

“Far from isolated or ancillary, Black arts and cultural production in Oregon has been in conversation and interchange with the world, and a part of its arts and cultural movements, all this time,” says Abioto. “Black Artists of Oregon is a heralding of Black presence, interchange, influence, and impact.”

Textile-based art and artwork responsive to social change are gaining prominence across the region and the country. To reflect this confluence, Tacoma Art Museum is proud to present the work of 21 artists in Soft Power, featuring more than 40 textile-based works on view from October 14, 2023, through September 1, 2024.

Soft Power draws its name and inspiration from Joseph Nye’s theory of cultural heritage as a form of non-coercive power. Using traditional processes to create contemporary declarations of resistance, resilience, love, and rebuke, this work explores the dynamic contrast between soft materials and so-called “hard” ideas. This engaging and provocative exhibition explores cultural stereotypes, humanity’s impact on the environment, and healthcare access.

The artists on view express themselves in forms as varied as their ideas: A quilted call to action, meticulously knit abstraction, woven cenotaphs, a stuffed and stitched creature, a scattered gathering of embroidered ephemera.

Thanks to the popularity of the instantly recognizable Great Wave—cited everywhere from book covers and Lego sets to anime and emoji— Katsushika Hokusai (1760–1849) has become one of the most famous and influential artists in the world. This major exhibition organized by the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA), takes a new approach to the work of the versatile master, pairing more than 100 of his woodblock prints, paintings, and illustrated books from the MFA’s renowned collection with more than 200 works by his teachers, students, rivals, and admirers. Join us to explore Hokusai’s impact through the centuries and around the globe, on artists including Yoshitomo Nara, Chiho Aoshima, and Helen Frankenthaler.

Check one, two, three 🎤 “Sound Check! The Music We Make”, is a new exhibit at Wing Luke Museum on view from Sunday October 15, 2023 until September 14, 2024 🎧🎶💿🎹

Sound Check! celebrates the role of music in the lives of AANHPI communities. Dive into community-based stories as well as the experiences of AANHPI professionals in the music industry. Audiophiles and historians will be able to browse archival materials, photos, and artworks while also indulging in interactive audio-visual installations.

Featured artists include Kim Thayil and Hiro Yamamoto of Soundgarden; singer-songwriter Carly Ann Calbero; jazz drummer Akira Tana; musician Roger Rigor; hip hop artist Geo Quibuyen of Blue Scholars and many more.

—
Don’t forget about the perks of becoming a Museum Member like unlimited free general admission and opportunities to see exhibits first at special Museum Member Receptions!

Africa Fashion opens at the Portland Art Museum after acclaimed runs at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum and the Brooklyn Museum of Art. This first-of-its-kind exhibition, making its only West Coast stop at PAM, honors the irresistible creativity, ingenuity, and unstoppable global impact of contemporary African fashions. Garments and textiles dating from the mid-twentieth century to the present day, contextualized by a range of cultural touchstones such as Drum magazines, Fela Kuti record albums, and studio photography from Sanlé Sory, celebrate the transformative and liberatory power of self-fashioning. The New Yorker’s art critic Hilton Als called Africa Fashion a “vital and necessary exhibition.”

On view March 21, 2023 through Spring 2024
Art of the North Galleries, Third Floor, East Wing

Good Medicine brings together Indigenous healers and medicine people to collectively create, share knowledge, and practice in community. Unfolding over the course of a year with the work of different Alaska Native healers, this multi-disciplinary exhibition offers diverse opportunities for gathering and exchange.

Colonialism has attacked and suppressed medicine people and Indigenous knowledge systems for hundreds of years. This exhibition addresses harmful legacies and shows how the revitalization of healing practices and traditions provides ways of being in alignment with oneself, with community, and with our planet.

Curated by Tlingit traditional healer Meda DeWitt, Good Medicine emphasizes spiritual renewal, cultural renascence, and the importance of co-creating futures where nature can thrive.

Frank S. Matsura: Portraits from the Borderland features studio images by Washington-based Japanese photographer Frank Sakae Matsura (1873-1913) alongside period-specific American Indian regalia from the Columbia Plateau. Exploring Indigenous representation through a multi-dimensional lens, the photographs and objects on view detail some of Matsura’s most culturally significant work against a backdrop of regional transformation.

We are excited to announce that we have teamed up with the City of Shoreline and the Spartan Recreation Center to host the Arte de la Raza exhibition running Nov.2nd-Jan. 24th and featuring:
Che Lopez
Iris Sanchez
Jake Prendez
Rolando Avila
Teresa Martinez
Yessica Marquez
The exhibition opens Nov. 2nd which is also the same day as their Dia de los Muertos Festival!!

This show is dedicated to Veterans, past and present and will be held at the Evergreen Gallery from October 16 – December 30, 2023. There will be a Grand Opening on Thursday, October 19 from 3 – 6 pm.

Immerse yourself in the vibrant tapestry of Iranian women’s artistic expressions as they courageously unveil their stories and perspectives through the power of art. From breathtaking paintings to thought-provoking photos, this exhibition is a celebration of resilience and the depth of creative expression.

Don’t miss the chance to witness the diverse talents and narratives of Iranian and Afghan women, beautifully woven into each masterpiece. Join Peyvand in honoring their stories, celebrating their strength, and embracing the richness of Iranian culture through art.

Spread the word and mark your calendars! Let’s come together to appreciate the extraordinary artistry and resilience of Iranian women

We are very excited to announce that the first graduating cohort of our Seattle Black Spatial Histories Institute is ready to share their work with the world. They have spent the last year creating art from the oral histories they recorded, and the upcoming exhibit at Wa Na Wari is the culmination of that work. We invite you to join us for the opening of this exhibit:
“Honored to Tell”: An exhibit of art and oral histories created by the first cohort to graduate from the Seattle Black Spatial Histories Institute
Featured artists: Brenetta Ward, Akoiya Harris, Ariel Paine, Sierra Parsons, Ricky Reyes, Nia Amina Minor, Brea Wilson, Eboni Wyatt
Art Opening & Reception: Saturday, November 4, 2023, from 6-8pm
6:30pm Hear from the artists
7:00pm Dance performance by Akoiya Harris and Nia Amina Minor
At Wa Na Wari, 911 24th Ave. in Seattle’s historic Central District
Refreshments provided
Listen to the stories of Black waterfront workers, Black educators, Black barbers and beauticians, and Black dancers; stories that the artists have incorporated into textile art, dance, film, zines, listening stations, and more.
The exhibit will be on view until January 20, 2024.
More info at https://www.wanawari.org/sbshi_show

Dive deep into the stories and science that surround the magnificent orca, apex predator of all oceans.
Follow the currents of ecological activism, popular culture, and Indigenous beliefs to gain a new appreciation of these sophisticated animals, long feared in Western cultures as “Killer Whales.”
Orcas: Our Shared Future includes more than 100 original artifacts and specimens, featuring life-size Orca replicas, fossils, films, objects from popular culture, and original artwork from the Indigenous peoples of the North American west coast.
Discover the complex social structure of orca society and reflect on the surprising consequences of captivity. Learn which orca populations are thriving and which are at risk, and resurface with a new understanding of how orcas and humans are inextricably connected.

Featuring the work of the Guma’ Gela’, a queer CHamoru art collective made up of members from the Marianas and in the diaspora. The exhibit explores their motto “part land, part sea, all ancestry” through a broad spectrum of media, including sculpture, soundscape, writing, printmaking, weaving, costume design, adornments, and more, to build a connection with CHamoru life, history, and traditions.

Do you ever wonder how Bruce Lee developed the philosophy behind his most iconic quote?

This incredible interactive exhibit invites viewers to step into the mind, body, and spirit of Bruce Lee to see how his unquenchable pursuit of knowledge informed his philosophy and life.

Follow Bruce’s path beginning with his revelations on water, through the wealth of knowledge found in his 2,800-book personal library, to his philosophy on self-understanding and self-expression.

The exhibition’s interactive technology interweaves beautiful imagery with Bruce’s personal objects and books to bring his journey to life.

Considering both the presence and absence of Black artists is critical to understanding the breadth of Black artistic production in Oregon—even in the midst of historic exclusion—as well as how the impact of that history affects our understanding of American art history and the history of the Pacific Northwest. This exhibition serves to deepen our awareness of the talented artists who have shaped and inspired artists regionally and nationally, and it will be the first of its kind to consider the work of Black artists collectively in Oregon.

Beginning in the 1880s and spanning through today, Black Artists of Oregon captures the Black diasporic experiences particular to the Pacific Northwest with 67 artists and over 200 objects. Artists represented in the exhibition will include Thelma Johnson Streat, Al Goldsby, Charlotte Lewis, Isaka Shamsud-Din, Ralph Chessé, Charles Tatum, Arvie Smith, Shedrich Williames, Harrison Branch, Bobby Fouther, and Carrie Mae Weems, among others. The exhibition and programming will also include the works of contemporary and younger artists working now, functioning as bright threads and offering intergenerational conversation throughout the exhibition, including sidony o’neal, Jeremy Okai Davis, damali ayo, Sharita Towne, Melanie Stevens, Lisa Jarrett, Tristan Irving, Ebin Lee, and Jaleesa Johnston.

Through the narrative flow of the exhibition, visitors will experience work by Black artists across decades and generations. Particular attention is given to the works of Black artists who were producing work during the Black Arts Movement of the late 1960s, ’70s, and early ’80s, such as Portland-based painter Isaka Shamsud-Din. The exhibition will also mark regional artistic connections with global movements for Black liberation, as seen in the work of Charlotte Lewis alongside Portlanders Organized for Southern African Freedom and artists like Sadé DuBoise, whose “Resistance” poster series contributed to Portland’s 2020 George Floyd protests. Without chronological constraints, the exhibition is grounded by the work of elder artists, intergenerational conversations, and live activation in the exhibition galleries.

Black Artists of Oregon builds upon exhibition curator Intisar Abioto’s original research since 2018 exploring the lineage and legacy of Black artists in Oregon. The exhibition will continue Abioto’s research, which is grounded in Black American practices of listening, keeping, and passing on each others’ stories.

“Far from isolated or ancillary, Black arts and cultural production in Oregon has been in conversation and interchange with the world, and a part of its arts and cultural movements, all this time,” says Abioto. “Black Artists of Oregon is a heralding of Black presence, interchange, influence, and impact.”

Textile-based art and artwork responsive to social change are gaining prominence across the region and the country. To reflect this confluence, Tacoma Art Museum is proud to present the work of 21 artists in Soft Power, featuring more than 40 textile-based works on view from October 14, 2023, through September 1, 2024.

Soft Power draws its name and inspiration from Joseph Nye’s theory of cultural heritage as a form of non-coercive power. Using traditional processes to create contemporary declarations of resistance, resilience, love, and rebuke, this work explores the dynamic contrast between soft materials and so-called “hard” ideas. This engaging and provocative exhibition explores cultural stereotypes, humanity’s impact on the environment, and healthcare access.

The artists on view express themselves in forms as varied as their ideas: A quilted call to action, meticulously knit abstraction, woven cenotaphs, a stuffed and stitched creature, a scattered gathering of embroidered ephemera.

Thanks to the popularity of the instantly recognizable Great Wave—cited everywhere from book covers and Lego sets to anime and emoji— Katsushika Hokusai (1760–1849) has become one of the most famous and influential artists in the world. This major exhibition organized by the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA), takes a new approach to the work of the versatile master, pairing more than 100 of his woodblock prints, paintings, and illustrated books from the MFA’s renowned collection with more than 200 works by his teachers, students, rivals, and admirers. Join us to explore Hokusai’s impact through the centuries and around the globe, on artists including Yoshitomo Nara, Chiho Aoshima, and Helen Frankenthaler.

Check one, two, three 🎤 “Sound Check! The Music We Make”, is a new exhibit at Wing Luke Museum on view from Sunday October 15, 2023 until September 14, 2024 🎧🎶💿🎹

Sound Check! celebrates the role of music in the lives of AANHPI communities. Dive into community-based stories as well as the experiences of AANHPI professionals in the music industry. Audiophiles and historians will be able to browse archival materials, photos, and artworks while also indulging in interactive audio-visual installations.

Featured artists include Kim Thayil and Hiro Yamamoto of Soundgarden; singer-songwriter Carly Ann Calbero; jazz drummer Akira Tana; musician Roger Rigor; hip hop artist Geo Quibuyen of Blue Scholars and many more.

—
Don’t forget about the perks of becoming a Museum Member like unlimited free general admission and opportunities to see exhibits first at special Museum Member Receptions!

Africa Fashion opens at the Portland Art Museum after acclaimed runs at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum and the Brooklyn Museum of Art. This first-of-its-kind exhibition, making its only West Coast stop at PAM, honors the irresistible creativity, ingenuity, and unstoppable global impact of contemporary African fashions. Garments and textiles dating from the mid-twentieth century to the present day, contextualized by a range of cultural touchstones such as Drum magazines, Fela Kuti record albums, and studio photography from Sanlé Sory, celebrate the transformative and liberatory power of self-fashioning. The New Yorker’s art critic Hilton Als called Africa Fashion a “vital and necessary exhibition.”

On view March 21, 2023 through Spring 2024
Art of the North Galleries, Third Floor, East Wing

Good Medicine brings together Indigenous healers and medicine people to collectively create, share knowledge, and practice in community. Unfolding over the course of a year with the work of different Alaska Native healers, this multi-disciplinary exhibition offers diverse opportunities for gathering and exchange.

Colonialism has attacked and suppressed medicine people and Indigenous knowledge systems for hundreds of years. This exhibition addresses harmful legacies and shows how the revitalization of healing practices and traditions provides ways of being in alignment with oneself, with community, and with our planet.

Curated by Tlingit traditional healer Meda DeWitt, Good Medicine emphasizes spiritual renewal, cultural renascence, and the importance of co-creating futures where nature can thrive.

Frank S. Matsura: Portraits from the Borderland features studio images by Washington-based Japanese photographer Frank Sakae Matsura (1873-1913) alongside period-specific American Indian regalia from the Columbia Plateau. Exploring Indigenous representation through a multi-dimensional lens, the photographs and objects on view detail some of Matsura’s most culturally significant work against a backdrop of regional transformation.

We are excited to announce that we have teamed up with the City of Shoreline and the Spartan Recreation Center to host the Arte de la Raza exhibition running Nov.2nd-Jan. 24th and featuring:
Che Lopez
Iris Sanchez
Jake Prendez
Rolando Avila
Teresa Martinez
Yessica Marquez
The exhibition opens Nov. 2nd which is also the same day as their Dia de los Muertos Festival!!

This show is dedicated to Veterans, past and present and will be held at the Evergreen Gallery from October 16 – December 30, 2023. There will be a Grand Opening on Thursday, October 19 from 3 – 6 pm.

Immerse yourself in the vibrant tapestry of Iranian women’s artistic expressions as they courageously unveil their stories and perspectives through the power of art. From breathtaking paintings to thought-provoking photos, this exhibition is a celebration of resilience and the depth of creative expression.

Don’t miss the chance to witness the diverse talents and narratives of Iranian and Afghan women, beautifully woven into each masterpiece. Join Peyvand in honoring their stories, celebrating their strength, and embracing the richness of Iranian culture through art.

Spread the word and mark your calendars! Let’s come together to appreciate the extraordinary artistry and resilience of Iranian women

We are very excited to announce that the first graduating cohort of our Seattle Black Spatial Histories Institute is ready to share their work with the world. They have spent the last year creating art from the oral histories they recorded, and the upcoming exhibit at Wa Na Wari is the culmination of that work. We invite you to join us for the opening of this exhibit:
“Honored to Tell”: An exhibit of art and oral histories created by the first cohort to graduate from the Seattle Black Spatial Histories Institute
Featured artists: Brenetta Ward, Akoiya Harris, Ariel Paine, Sierra Parsons, Ricky Reyes, Nia Amina Minor, Brea Wilson, Eboni Wyatt
Art Opening & Reception: Saturday, November 4, 2023, from 6-8pm
6:30pm Hear from the artists
7:00pm Dance performance by Akoiya Harris and Nia Amina Minor
At Wa Na Wari, 911 24th Ave. in Seattle’s historic Central District
Refreshments provided
Listen to the stories of Black waterfront workers, Black educators, Black barbers and beauticians, and Black dancers; stories that the artists have incorporated into textile art, dance, film, zines, listening stations, and more.
The exhibit will be on view until January 20, 2024.
More info at https://www.wanawari.org/sbshi_show

Dive deep into the stories and science that surround the magnificent orca, apex predator of all oceans.
Follow the currents of ecological activism, popular culture, and Indigenous beliefs to gain a new appreciation of these sophisticated animals, long feared in Western cultures as “Killer Whales.”
Orcas: Our Shared Future includes more than 100 original artifacts and specimens, featuring life-size Orca replicas, fossils, films, objects from popular culture, and original artwork from the Indigenous peoples of the North American west coast.
Discover the complex social structure of orca society and reflect on the surprising consequences of captivity. Learn which orca populations are thriving and which are at risk, and resurface with a new understanding of how orcas and humans are inextricably connected.

Featuring the work of the Guma’ Gela’, a queer CHamoru art collective made up of members from the Marianas and in the diaspora. The exhibit explores their motto “part land, part sea, all ancestry” through a broad spectrum of media, including sculpture, soundscape, writing, printmaking, weaving, costume design, adornments, and more, to build a connection with CHamoru life, history, and traditions.

Do you ever wonder how Bruce Lee developed the philosophy behind his most iconic quote?

This incredible interactive exhibit invites viewers to step into the mind, body, and spirit of Bruce Lee to see how his unquenchable pursuit of knowledge informed his philosophy and life.

Follow Bruce’s path beginning with his revelations on water, through the wealth of knowledge found in his 2,800-book personal library, to his philosophy on self-understanding and self-expression.

The exhibition’s interactive technology interweaves beautiful imagery with Bruce’s personal objects and books to bring his journey to life.

Considering both the presence and absence of Black artists is critical to understanding the breadth of Black artistic production in Oregon—even in the midst of historic exclusion—as well as how the impact of that history affects our understanding of American art history and the history of the Pacific Northwest. This exhibition serves to deepen our awareness of the talented artists who have shaped and inspired artists regionally and nationally, and it will be the first of its kind to consider the work of Black artists collectively in Oregon.

Beginning in the 1880s and spanning through today, Black Artists of Oregon captures the Black diasporic experiences particular to the Pacific Northwest with 67 artists and over 200 objects. Artists represented in the exhibition will include Thelma Johnson Streat, Al Goldsby, Charlotte Lewis, Isaka Shamsud-Din, Ralph Chessé, Charles Tatum, Arvie Smith, Shedrich Williames, Harrison Branch, Bobby Fouther, and Carrie Mae Weems, among others. The exhibition and programming will also include the works of contemporary and younger artists working now, functioning as bright threads and offering intergenerational conversation throughout the exhibition, including sidony o’neal, Jeremy Okai Davis, damali ayo, Sharita Towne, Melanie Stevens, Lisa Jarrett, Tristan Irving, Ebin Lee, and Jaleesa Johnston.

Through the narrative flow of the exhibition, visitors will experience work by Black artists across decades and generations. Particular attention is given to the works of Black artists who were producing work during the Black Arts Movement of the late 1960s, ’70s, and early ’80s, such as Portland-based painter Isaka Shamsud-Din. The exhibition will also mark regional artistic connections with global movements for Black liberation, as seen in the work of Charlotte Lewis alongside Portlanders Organized for Southern African Freedom and artists like Sadé DuBoise, whose “Resistance” poster series contributed to Portland’s 2020 George Floyd protests. Without chronological constraints, the exhibition is grounded by the work of elder artists, intergenerational conversations, and live activation in the exhibition galleries.

Black Artists of Oregon builds upon exhibition curator Intisar Abioto’s original research since 2018 exploring the lineage and legacy of Black artists in Oregon. The exhibition will continue Abioto’s research, which is grounded in Black American practices of listening, keeping, and passing on each others’ stories.

“Far from isolated or ancillary, Black arts and cultural production in Oregon has been in conversation and interchange with the world, and a part of its arts and cultural movements, all this time,” says Abioto. “Black Artists of Oregon is a heralding of Black presence, interchange, influence, and impact.”

Textile-based art and artwork responsive to social change are gaining prominence across the region and the country. To reflect this confluence, Tacoma Art Museum is proud to present the work of 21 artists in Soft Power, featuring more than 40 textile-based works on view from October 14, 2023, through September 1, 2024.

Soft Power draws its name and inspiration from Joseph Nye’s theory of cultural heritage as a form of non-coercive power. Using traditional processes to create contemporary declarations of resistance, resilience, love, and rebuke, this work explores the dynamic contrast between soft materials and so-called “hard” ideas. This engaging and provocative exhibition explores cultural stereotypes, humanity’s impact on the environment, and healthcare access.

The artists on view express themselves in forms as varied as their ideas: A quilted call to action, meticulously knit abstraction, woven cenotaphs, a stuffed and stitched creature, a scattered gathering of embroidered ephemera.

Thanks to the popularity of the instantly recognizable Great Wave—cited everywhere from book covers and Lego sets to anime and emoji— Katsushika Hokusai (1760–1849) has become one of the most famous and influential artists in the world. This major exhibition organized by the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA), takes a new approach to the work of the versatile master, pairing more than 100 of his woodblock prints, paintings, and illustrated books from the MFA’s renowned collection with more than 200 works by his teachers, students, rivals, and admirers. Join us to explore Hokusai’s impact through the centuries and around the globe, on artists including Yoshitomo Nara, Chiho Aoshima, and Helen Frankenthaler.

Check one, two, three 🎤 “Sound Check! The Music We Make”, is a new exhibit at Wing Luke Museum on view from Sunday October 15, 2023 until September 14, 2024 🎧🎶💿🎹

Sound Check! celebrates the role of music in the lives of AANHPI communities. Dive into community-based stories as well as the experiences of AANHPI professionals in the music industry. Audiophiles and historians will be able to browse archival materials, photos, and artworks while also indulging in interactive audio-visual installations.

Featured artists include Kim Thayil and Hiro Yamamoto of Soundgarden; singer-songwriter Carly Ann Calbero; jazz drummer Akira Tana; musician Roger Rigor; hip hop artist Geo Quibuyen of Blue Scholars and many more.

—
Don’t forget about the perks of becoming a Museum Member like unlimited free general admission and opportunities to see exhibits first at special Museum Member Receptions!

Africa Fashion opens at the Portland Art Museum after acclaimed runs at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum and the Brooklyn Museum of Art. This first-of-its-kind exhibition, making its only West Coast stop at PAM, honors the irresistible creativity, ingenuity, and unstoppable global impact of contemporary African fashions. Garments and textiles dating from the mid-twentieth century to the present day, contextualized by a range of cultural touchstones such as Drum magazines, Fela Kuti record albums, and studio photography from Sanlé Sory, celebrate the transformative and liberatory power of self-fashioning. The New Yorker’s art critic Hilton Als called Africa Fashion a “vital and necessary exhibition.”

On view March 21, 2023 through Spring 2024
Art of the North Galleries, Third Floor, East Wing

Good Medicine brings together Indigenous healers and medicine people to collectively create, share knowledge, and practice in community. Unfolding over the course of a year with the work of different Alaska Native healers, this multi-disciplinary exhibition offers diverse opportunities for gathering and exchange.

Colonialism has attacked and suppressed medicine people and Indigenous knowledge systems for hundreds of years. This exhibition addresses harmful legacies and shows how the revitalization of healing practices and traditions provides ways of being in alignment with oneself, with community, and with our planet.

Curated by Tlingit traditional healer Meda DeWitt, Good Medicine emphasizes spiritual renewal, cultural renascence, and the importance of co-creating futures where nature can thrive.

Frank S. Matsura: Portraits from the Borderland features studio images by Washington-based Japanese photographer Frank Sakae Matsura (1873-1913) alongside period-specific American Indian regalia from the Columbia Plateau. Exploring Indigenous representation through a multi-dimensional lens, the photographs and objects on view detail some of Matsura’s most culturally significant work against a backdrop of regional transformation.

We are excited to announce that we have teamed up with the City of Shoreline and the Spartan Recreation Center to host the Arte de la Raza exhibition running Nov.2nd-Jan. 24th and featuring:
Che Lopez
Iris Sanchez
Jake Prendez
Rolando Avila
Teresa Martinez
Yessica Marquez
The exhibition opens Nov. 2nd which is also the same day as their Dia de los Muertos Festival!!

This show is dedicated to Veterans, past and present and will be held at the Evergreen Gallery from October 16 – December 30, 2023. There will be a Grand Opening on Thursday, October 19 from 3 – 6 pm.

Immerse yourself in the vibrant tapestry of Iranian women’s artistic expressions as they courageously unveil their stories and perspectives through the power of art. From breathtaking paintings to thought-provoking photos, this exhibition is a celebration of resilience and the depth of creative expression.

Don’t miss the chance to witness the diverse talents and narratives of Iranian and Afghan women, beautifully woven into each masterpiece. Join Peyvand in honoring their stories, celebrating their strength, and embracing the richness of Iranian culture through art.

Spread the word and mark your calendars! Let’s come together to appreciate the extraordinary artistry and resilience of Iranian women

We are very excited to announce that the first graduating cohort of our Seattle Black Spatial Histories Institute is ready to share their work with the world. They have spent the last year creating art from the oral histories they recorded, and the upcoming exhibit at Wa Na Wari is the culmination of that work. We invite you to join us for the opening of this exhibit:
“Honored to Tell”: An exhibit of art and oral histories created by the first cohort to graduate from the Seattle Black Spatial Histories Institute
Featured artists: Brenetta Ward, Akoiya Harris, Ariel Paine, Sierra Parsons, Ricky Reyes, Nia Amina Minor, Brea Wilson, Eboni Wyatt
Art Opening & Reception: Saturday, November 4, 2023, from 6-8pm
6:30pm Hear from the artists
7:00pm Dance performance by Akoiya Harris and Nia Amina Minor
At Wa Na Wari, 911 24th Ave. in Seattle’s historic Central District
Refreshments provided
Listen to the stories of Black waterfront workers, Black educators, Black barbers and beauticians, and Black dancers; stories that the artists have incorporated into textile art, dance, film, zines, listening stations, and more.
The exhibit will be on view until January 20, 2024.
More info at https://www.wanawari.org/sbshi_show

Dive deep into the stories and science that surround the magnificent orca, apex predator of all oceans.
Follow the currents of ecological activism, popular culture, and Indigenous beliefs to gain a new appreciation of these sophisticated animals, long feared in Western cultures as “Killer Whales.”
Orcas: Our Shared Future includes more than 100 original artifacts and specimens, featuring life-size Orca replicas, fossils, films, objects from popular culture, and original artwork from the Indigenous peoples of the North American west coast.
Discover the complex social structure of orca society and reflect on the surprising consequences of captivity. Learn which orca populations are thriving and which are at risk, and resurface with a new understanding of how orcas and humans are inextricably connected.

Featuring the work of the Guma’ Gela’, a queer CHamoru art collective made up of members from the Marianas and in the diaspora. The exhibit explores their motto “part land, part sea, all ancestry” through a broad spectrum of media, including sculpture, soundscape, writing, printmaking, weaving, costume design, adornments, and more, to build a connection with CHamoru life, history, and traditions.

Do you ever wonder how Bruce Lee developed the philosophy behind his most iconic quote?

This incredible interactive exhibit invites viewers to step into the mind, body, and spirit of Bruce Lee to see how his unquenchable pursuit of knowledge informed his philosophy and life.

Follow Bruce’s path beginning with his revelations on water, through the wealth of knowledge found in his 2,800-book personal library, to his philosophy on self-understanding and self-expression.

The exhibition’s interactive technology interweaves beautiful imagery with Bruce’s personal objects and books to bring his journey to life.

Considering both the presence and absence of Black artists is critical to understanding the breadth of Black artistic production in Oregon—even in the midst of historic exclusion—as well as how the impact of that history affects our understanding of American art history and the history of the Pacific Northwest. This exhibition serves to deepen our awareness of the talented artists who have shaped and inspired artists regionally and nationally, and it will be the first of its kind to consider the work of Black artists collectively in Oregon.

Beginning in the 1880s and spanning through today, Black Artists of Oregon captures the Black diasporic experiences particular to the Pacific Northwest with 67 artists and over 200 objects. Artists represented in the exhibition will include Thelma Johnson Streat, Al Goldsby, Charlotte Lewis, Isaka Shamsud-Din, Ralph Chessé, Charles Tatum, Arvie Smith, Shedrich Williames, Harrison Branch, Bobby Fouther, and Carrie Mae Weems, among others. The exhibition and programming will also include the works of contemporary and younger artists working now, functioning as bright threads and offering intergenerational conversation throughout the exhibition, including sidony o’neal, Jeremy Okai Davis, damali ayo, Sharita Towne, Melanie Stevens, Lisa Jarrett, Tristan Irving, Ebin Lee, and Jaleesa Johnston.

Through the narrative flow of the exhibition, visitors will experience work by Black artists across decades and generations. Particular attention is given to the works of Black artists who were producing work during the Black Arts Movement of the late 1960s, ’70s, and early ’80s, such as Portland-based painter Isaka Shamsud-Din. The exhibition will also mark regional artistic connections with global movements for Black liberation, as seen in the work of Charlotte Lewis alongside Portlanders Organized for Southern African Freedom and artists like Sadé DuBoise, whose “Resistance” poster series contributed to Portland’s 2020 George Floyd protests. Without chronological constraints, the exhibition is grounded by the work of elder artists, intergenerational conversations, and live activation in the exhibition galleries.

Black Artists of Oregon builds upon exhibition curator Intisar Abioto’s original research since 2018 exploring the lineage and legacy of Black artists in Oregon. The exhibition will continue Abioto’s research, which is grounded in Black American practices of listening, keeping, and passing on each others’ stories.

“Far from isolated or ancillary, Black arts and cultural production in Oregon has been in conversation and interchange with the world, and a part of its arts and cultural movements, all this time,” says Abioto. “Black Artists of Oregon is a heralding of Black presence, interchange, influence, and impact.”

Textile-based art and artwork responsive to social change are gaining prominence across the region and the country. To reflect this confluence, Tacoma Art Museum is proud to present the work of 21 artists in Soft Power, featuring more than 40 textile-based works on view from October 14, 2023, through September 1, 2024.

Soft Power draws its name and inspiration from Joseph Nye’s theory of cultural heritage as a form of non-coercive power. Using traditional processes to create contemporary declarations of resistance, resilience, love, and rebuke, this work explores the dynamic contrast between soft materials and so-called “hard” ideas. This engaging and provocative exhibition explores cultural stereotypes, humanity’s impact on the environment, and healthcare access.

The artists on view express themselves in forms as varied as their ideas: A quilted call to action, meticulously knit abstraction, woven cenotaphs, a stuffed and stitched creature, a scattered gathering of embroidered ephemera.

Thanks to the popularity of the instantly recognizable Great Wave—cited everywhere from book covers and Lego sets to anime and emoji— Katsushika Hokusai (1760–1849) has become one of the most famous and influential artists in the world. This major exhibition organized by the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA), takes a new approach to the work of the versatile master, pairing more than 100 of his woodblock prints, paintings, and illustrated books from the MFA’s renowned collection with more than 200 works by his teachers, students, rivals, and admirers. Join us to explore Hokusai’s impact through the centuries and around the globe, on artists including Yoshitomo Nara, Chiho Aoshima, and Helen Frankenthaler.

Check one, two, three 🎤 “Sound Check! The Music We Make”, is a new exhibit at Wing Luke Museum on view from Sunday October 15, 2023 until September 14, 2024 🎧🎶💿🎹

Sound Check! celebrates the role of music in the lives of AANHPI communities. Dive into community-based stories as well as the experiences of AANHPI professionals in the music industry. Audiophiles and historians will be able to browse archival materials, photos, and artworks while also indulging in interactive audio-visual installations.

Featured artists include Kim Thayil and Hiro Yamamoto of Soundgarden; singer-songwriter Carly Ann Calbero; jazz drummer Akira Tana; musician Roger Rigor; hip hop artist Geo Quibuyen of Blue Scholars and many more.

—
Don’t forget about the perks of becoming a Museum Member like unlimited free general admission and opportunities to see exhibits first at special Museum Member Receptions!

Africa Fashion opens at the Portland Art Museum after acclaimed runs at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum and the Brooklyn Museum of Art. This first-of-its-kind exhibition, making its only West Coast stop at PAM, honors the irresistible creativity, ingenuity, and unstoppable global impact of contemporary African fashions. Garments and textiles dating from the mid-twentieth century to the present day, contextualized by a range of cultural touchstones such as Drum magazines, Fela Kuti record albums, and studio photography from Sanlé Sory, celebrate the transformative and liberatory power of self-fashioning. The New Yorker’s art critic Hilton Als called Africa Fashion a “vital and necessary exhibition.”

On view March 21, 2023 through Spring 2024
Art of the North Galleries, Third Floor, East Wing

Good Medicine brings together Indigenous healers and medicine people to collectively create, share knowledge, and practice in community. Unfolding over the course of a year with the work of different Alaska Native healers, this multi-disciplinary exhibition offers diverse opportunities for gathering and exchange.

Colonialism has attacked and suppressed medicine people and Indigenous knowledge systems for hundreds of years. This exhibition addresses harmful legacies and shows how the revitalization of healing practices and traditions provides ways of being in alignment with oneself, with community, and with our planet.

Curated by Tlingit traditional healer Meda DeWitt, Good Medicine emphasizes spiritual renewal, cultural renascence, and the importance of co-creating futures where nature can thrive.

Frank S. Matsura: Portraits from the Borderland features studio images by Washington-based Japanese photographer Frank Sakae Matsura (1873-1913) alongside period-specific American Indian regalia from the Columbia Plateau. Exploring Indigenous representation through a multi-dimensional lens, the photographs and objects on view detail some of Matsura’s most culturally significant work against a backdrop of regional transformation.

We are excited to announce that we have teamed up with the City of Shoreline and the Spartan Recreation Center to host the Arte de la Raza exhibition running Nov.2nd-Jan. 24th and featuring:
Che Lopez
Iris Sanchez
Jake Prendez
Rolando Avila
Teresa Martinez
Yessica Marquez
The exhibition opens Nov. 2nd which is also the same day as their Dia de los Muertos Festival!!

This show is dedicated to Veterans, past and present and will be held at the Evergreen Gallery from October 16 – December 30, 2023. There will be a Grand Opening on Thursday, October 19 from 3 – 6 pm.

Immerse yourself in the vibrant tapestry of Iranian women’s artistic expressions as they courageously unveil their stories and perspectives through the power of art. From breathtaking paintings to thought-provoking photos, this exhibition is a celebration of resilience and the depth of creative expression.

Don’t miss the chance to witness the diverse talents and narratives of Iranian and Afghan women, beautifully woven into each masterpiece. Join Peyvand in honoring their stories, celebrating their strength, and embracing the richness of Iranian culture through art.

Spread the word and mark your calendars! Let’s come together to appreciate the extraordinary artistry and resilience of Iranian women

We are very excited to announce that the first graduating cohort of our Seattle Black Spatial Histories Institute is ready to share their work with the world. They have spent the last year creating art from the oral histories they recorded, and the upcoming exhibit at Wa Na Wari is the culmination of that work. We invite you to join us for the opening of this exhibit:
“Honored to Tell”: An exhibit of art and oral histories created by the first cohort to graduate from the Seattle Black Spatial Histories Institute
Featured artists: Brenetta Ward, Akoiya Harris, Ariel Paine, Sierra Parsons, Ricky Reyes, Nia Amina Minor, Brea Wilson, Eboni Wyatt
Art Opening & Reception: Saturday, November 4, 2023, from 6-8pm
6:30pm Hear from the artists
7:00pm Dance performance by Akoiya Harris and Nia Amina Minor
At Wa Na Wari, 911 24th Ave. in Seattle’s historic Central District
Refreshments provided
Listen to the stories of Black waterfront workers, Black educators, Black barbers and beauticians, and Black dancers; stories that the artists have incorporated into textile art, dance, film, zines, listening stations, and more.
The exhibit will be on view until January 20, 2024.
More info at https://www.wanawari.org/sbshi_show

Dive deep into the stories and science that surround the magnificent orca, apex predator of all oceans.
Follow the currents of ecological activism, popular culture, and Indigenous beliefs to gain a new appreciation of these sophisticated animals, long feared in Western cultures as “Killer Whales.”
Orcas: Our Shared Future includes more than 100 original artifacts and specimens, featuring life-size Orca replicas, fossils, films, objects from popular culture, and original artwork from the Indigenous peoples of the North American west coast.
Discover the complex social structure of orca society and reflect on the surprising consequences of captivity. Learn which orca populations are thriving and which are at risk, and resurface with a new understanding of how orcas and humans are inextricably connected.

Featuring the work of the Guma’ Gela’, a queer CHamoru art collective made up of members from the Marianas and in the diaspora. The exhibit explores their motto “part land, part sea, all ancestry” through a broad spectrum of media, including sculpture, soundscape, writing, printmaking, weaving, costume design, adornments, and more, to build a connection with CHamoru life, history, and traditions.

Do you ever wonder how Bruce Lee developed the philosophy behind his most iconic quote?

This incredible interactive exhibit invites viewers to step into the mind, body, and spirit of Bruce Lee to see how his unquenchable pursuit of knowledge informed his philosophy and life.

Follow Bruce’s path beginning with his revelations on water, through the wealth of knowledge found in his 2,800-book personal library, to his philosophy on self-understanding and self-expression.

The exhibition’s interactive technology interweaves beautiful imagery with Bruce’s personal objects and books to bring his journey to life.

Considering both the presence and absence of Black artists is critical to understanding the breadth of Black artistic production in Oregon—even in the midst of historic exclusion—as well as how the impact of that history affects our understanding of American art history and the history of the Pacific Northwest. This exhibition serves to deepen our awareness of the talented artists who have shaped and inspired artists regionally and nationally, and it will be the first of its kind to consider the work of Black artists collectively in Oregon.

Beginning in the 1880s and spanning through today, Black Artists of Oregon captures the Black diasporic experiences particular to the Pacific Northwest with 67 artists and over 200 objects. Artists represented in the exhibition will include Thelma Johnson Streat, Al Goldsby, Charlotte Lewis, Isaka Shamsud-Din, Ralph Chessé, Charles Tatum, Arvie Smith, Shedrich Williames, Harrison Branch, Bobby Fouther, and Carrie Mae Weems, among others. The exhibition and programming will also include the works of contemporary and younger artists working now, functioning as bright threads and offering intergenerational conversation throughout the exhibition, including sidony o’neal, Jeremy Okai Davis, damali ayo, Sharita Towne, Melanie Stevens, Lisa Jarrett, Tristan Irving, Ebin Lee, and Jaleesa Johnston.

Through the narrative flow of the exhibition, visitors will experience work by Black artists across decades and generations. Particular attention is given to the works of Black artists who were producing work during the Black Arts Movement of the late 1960s, ’70s, and early ’80s, such as Portland-based painter Isaka Shamsud-Din. The exhibition will also mark regional artistic connections with global movements for Black liberation, as seen in the work of Charlotte Lewis alongside Portlanders Organized for Southern African Freedom and artists like Sadé DuBoise, whose “Resistance” poster series contributed to Portland’s 2020 George Floyd protests. Without chronological constraints, the exhibition is grounded by the work of elder artists, intergenerational conversations, and live activation in the exhibition galleries.

Black Artists of Oregon builds upon exhibition curator Intisar Abioto’s original research since 2018 exploring the lineage and legacy of Black artists in Oregon. The exhibition will continue Abioto’s research, which is grounded in Black American practices of listening, keeping, and passing on each others’ stories.

“Far from isolated or ancillary, Black arts and cultural production in Oregon has been in conversation and interchange with the world, and a part of its arts and cultural movements, all this time,” says Abioto. “Black Artists of Oregon is a heralding of Black presence, interchange, influence, and impact.”

Textile-based art and artwork responsive to social change are gaining prominence across the region and the country. To reflect this confluence, Tacoma Art Museum is proud to present the work of 21 artists in Soft Power, featuring more than 40 textile-based works on view from October 14, 2023, through September 1, 2024.

Soft Power draws its name and inspiration from Joseph Nye’s theory of cultural heritage as a form of non-coercive power. Using traditional processes to create contemporary declarations of resistance, resilience, love, and rebuke, this work explores the dynamic contrast between soft materials and so-called “hard” ideas. This engaging and provocative exhibition explores cultural stereotypes, humanity’s impact on the environment, and healthcare access.

The artists on view express themselves in forms as varied as their ideas: A quilted call to action, meticulously knit abstraction, woven cenotaphs, a stuffed and stitched creature, a scattered gathering of embroidered ephemera.

Thanks to the popularity of the instantly recognizable Great Wave—cited everywhere from book covers and Lego sets to anime and emoji— Katsushika Hokusai (1760–1849) has become one of the most famous and influential artists in the world. This major exhibition organized by the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA), takes a new approach to the work of the versatile master, pairing more than 100 of his woodblock prints, paintings, and illustrated books from the MFA’s renowned collection with more than 200 works by his teachers, students, rivals, and admirers. Join us to explore Hokusai’s impact through the centuries and around the globe, on artists including Yoshitomo Nara, Chiho Aoshima, and Helen Frankenthaler.

Check one, two, three 🎤 “Sound Check! The Music We Make”, is a new exhibit at Wing Luke Museum on view from Sunday October 15, 2023 until September 14, 2024 🎧🎶💿🎹

Sound Check! celebrates the role of music in the lives of AANHPI communities. Dive into community-based stories as well as the experiences of AANHPI professionals in the music industry. Audiophiles and historians will be able to browse archival materials, photos, and artworks while also indulging in interactive audio-visual installations.

Featured artists include Kim Thayil and Hiro Yamamoto of Soundgarden; singer-songwriter Carly Ann Calbero; jazz drummer Akira Tana; musician Roger Rigor; hip hop artist Geo Quibuyen of Blue Scholars and many more.

—
Don’t forget about the perks of becoming a Museum Member like unlimited free general admission and opportunities to see exhibits first at special Museum Member Receptions!

Africa Fashion opens at the Portland Art Museum after acclaimed runs at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum and the Brooklyn Museum of Art. This first-of-its-kind exhibition, making its only West Coast stop at PAM, honors the irresistible creativity, ingenuity, and unstoppable global impact of contemporary African fashions. Garments and textiles dating from the mid-twentieth century to the present day, contextualized by a range of cultural touchstones such as Drum magazines, Fela Kuti record albums, and studio photography from Sanlé Sory, celebrate the transformative and liberatory power of self-fashioning. The New Yorker’s art critic Hilton Als called Africa Fashion a “vital and necessary exhibition.”

On view March 21, 2023 through Spring 2024
Art of the North Galleries, Third Floor, East Wing

Good Medicine brings together Indigenous healers and medicine people to collectively create, share knowledge, and practice in community. Unfolding over the course of a year with the work of different Alaska Native healers, this multi-disciplinary exhibition offers diverse opportunities for gathering and exchange.

Colonialism has attacked and suppressed medicine people and Indigenous knowledge systems for hundreds of years. This exhibition addresses harmful legacies and shows how the revitalization of healing practices and traditions provides ways of being in alignment with oneself, with community, and with our planet.

Curated by Tlingit traditional healer Meda DeWitt, Good Medicine emphasizes spiritual renewal, cultural renascence, and the importance of co-creating futures where nature can thrive.

Frank S. Matsura: Portraits from the Borderland features studio images by Washington-based Japanese photographer Frank Sakae Matsura (1873-1913) alongside period-specific American Indian regalia from the Columbia Plateau. Exploring Indigenous representation through a multi-dimensional lens, the photographs and objects on view detail some of Matsura’s most culturally significant work against a backdrop of regional transformation.

We are excited to announce that we have teamed up with the City of Shoreline and the Spartan Recreation Center to host the Arte de la Raza exhibition running Nov.2nd-Jan. 24th and featuring:
Che Lopez
Iris Sanchez
Jake Prendez
Rolando Avila
Teresa Martinez
Yessica Marquez
The exhibition opens Nov. 2nd which is also the same day as their Dia de los Muertos Festival!!

This show is dedicated to Veterans, past and present and will be held at the Evergreen Gallery from October 16 – December 30, 2023. There will be a Grand Opening on Thursday, October 19 from 3 – 6 pm.

Immerse yourself in the vibrant tapestry of Iranian women’s artistic expressions as they courageously unveil their stories and perspectives through the power of art. From breathtaking paintings to thought-provoking photos, this exhibition is a celebration of resilience and the depth of creative expression.

Don’t miss the chance to witness the diverse talents and narratives of Iranian and Afghan women, beautifully woven into each masterpiece. Join Peyvand in honoring their stories, celebrating their strength, and embracing the richness of Iranian culture through art.

Spread the word and mark your calendars! Let’s come together to appreciate the extraordinary artistry and resilience of Iranian women

We are very excited to announce that the first graduating cohort of our Seattle Black Spatial Histories Institute is ready to share their work with the world. They have spent the last year creating art from the oral histories they recorded, and the upcoming exhibit at Wa Na Wari is the culmination of that work. We invite you to join us for the opening of this exhibit:
“Honored to Tell”: An exhibit of art and oral histories created by the first cohort to graduate from the Seattle Black Spatial Histories Institute
Featured artists: Brenetta Ward, Akoiya Harris, Ariel Paine, Sierra Parsons, Ricky Reyes, Nia Amina Minor, Brea Wilson, Eboni Wyatt
Art Opening & Reception: Saturday, November 4, 2023, from 6-8pm
6:30pm Hear from the artists
7:00pm Dance performance by Akoiya Harris and Nia Amina Minor
At Wa Na Wari, 911 24th Ave. in Seattle’s historic Central District
Refreshments provided
Listen to the stories of Black waterfront workers, Black educators, Black barbers and beauticians, and Black dancers; stories that the artists have incorporated into textile art, dance, film, zines, listening stations, and more.
The exhibit will be on view until January 20, 2024.
More info at https://www.wanawari.org/sbshi_show

Dive deep into the stories and science that surround the magnificent orca, apex predator of all oceans.
Follow the currents of ecological activism, popular culture, and Indigenous beliefs to gain a new appreciation of these sophisticated animals, long feared in Western cultures as “Killer Whales.”
Orcas: Our Shared Future includes more than 100 original artifacts and specimens, featuring life-size Orca replicas, fossils, films, objects from popular culture, and original artwork from the Indigenous peoples of the North American west coast.
Discover the complex social structure of orca society and reflect on the surprising consequences of captivity. Learn which orca populations are thriving and which are at risk, and resurface with a new understanding of how orcas and humans are inextricably connected.

Featuring the work of the Guma’ Gela’, a queer CHamoru art collective made up of members from the Marianas and in the diaspora. The exhibit explores their motto “part land, part sea, all ancestry” through a broad spectrum of media, including sculpture, soundscape, writing, printmaking, weaving, costume design, adornments, and more, to build a connection with CHamoru life, history, and traditions.

Do you ever wonder how Bruce Lee developed the philosophy behind his most iconic quote?

This incredible interactive exhibit invites viewers to step into the mind, body, and spirit of Bruce Lee to see how his unquenchable pursuit of knowledge informed his philosophy and life.

Follow Bruce’s path beginning with his revelations on water, through the wealth of knowledge found in his 2,800-book personal library, to his philosophy on self-understanding and self-expression.

The exhibition’s interactive technology interweaves beautiful imagery with Bruce’s personal objects and books to bring his journey to life.

Considering both the presence and absence of Black artists is critical to understanding the breadth of Black artistic production in Oregon—even in the midst of historic exclusion—as well as how the impact of that history affects our understanding of American art history and the history of the Pacific Northwest. This exhibition serves to deepen our awareness of the talented artists who have shaped and inspired artists regionally and nationally, and it will be the first of its kind to consider the work of Black artists collectively in Oregon.

Beginning in the 1880s and spanning through today, Black Artists of Oregon captures the Black diasporic experiences particular to the Pacific Northwest with 67 artists and over 200 objects. Artists represented in the exhibition will include Thelma Johnson Streat, Al Goldsby, Charlotte Lewis, Isaka Shamsud-Din, Ralph Chessé, Charles Tatum, Arvie Smith, Shedrich Williames, Harrison Branch, Bobby Fouther, and Carrie Mae Weems, among others. The exhibition and programming will also include the works of contemporary and younger artists working now, functioning as bright threads and offering intergenerational conversation throughout the exhibition, including sidony o’neal, Jeremy Okai Davis, damali ayo, Sharita Towne, Melanie Stevens, Lisa Jarrett, Tristan Irving, Ebin Lee, and Jaleesa Johnston.

Through the narrative flow of the exhibition, visitors will experience work by Black artists across decades and generations. Particular attention is given to the works of Black artists who were producing work during the Black Arts Movement of the late 1960s, ’70s, and early ’80s, such as Portland-based painter Isaka Shamsud-Din. The exhibition will also mark regional artistic connections with global movements for Black liberation, as seen in the work of Charlotte Lewis alongside Portlanders Organized for Southern African Freedom and artists like Sadé DuBoise, whose “Resistance” poster series contributed to Portland’s 2020 George Floyd protests. Without chronological constraints, the exhibition is grounded by the work of elder artists, intergenerational conversations, and live activation in the exhibition galleries.

Black Artists of Oregon builds upon exhibition curator Intisar Abioto’s original research since 2018 exploring the lineage and legacy of Black artists in Oregon. The exhibition will continue Abioto’s research, which is grounded in Black American practices of listening, keeping, and passing on each others’ stories.

“Far from isolated or ancillary, Black arts and cultural production in Oregon has been in conversation and interchange with the world, and a part of its arts and cultural movements, all this time,” says Abioto. “Black Artists of Oregon is a heralding of Black presence, interchange, influence, and impact.”

Textile-based art and artwork responsive to social change are gaining prominence across the region and the country. To reflect this confluence, Tacoma Art Museum is proud to present the work of 21 artists in Soft Power, featuring more than 40 textile-based works on view from October 14, 2023, through September 1, 2024.

Soft Power draws its name and inspiration from Joseph Nye’s theory of cultural heritage as a form of non-coercive power. Using traditional processes to create contemporary declarations of resistance, resilience, love, and rebuke, this work explores the dynamic contrast between soft materials and so-called “hard” ideas. This engaging and provocative exhibition explores cultural stereotypes, humanity’s impact on the environment, and healthcare access.

The artists on view express themselves in forms as varied as their ideas: A quilted call to action, meticulously knit abstraction, woven cenotaphs, a stuffed and stitched creature, a scattered gathering of embroidered ephemera.

Thanks to the popularity of the instantly recognizable Great Wave—cited everywhere from book covers and Lego sets to anime and emoji— Katsushika Hokusai (1760–1849) has become one of the most famous and influential artists in the world. This major exhibition organized by the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA), takes a new approach to the work of the versatile master, pairing more than 100 of his woodblock prints, paintings, and illustrated books from the MFA’s renowned collection with more than 200 works by his teachers, students, rivals, and admirers. Join us to explore Hokusai’s impact through the centuries and around the globe, on artists including Yoshitomo Nara, Chiho Aoshima, and Helen Frankenthaler.

Check one, two, three 🎤 “Sound Check! The Music We Make”, is a new exhibit at Wing Luke Museum on view from Sunday October 15, 2023 until September 14, 2024 🎧🎶💿🎹

Sound Check! celebrates the role of music in the lives of AANHPI communities. Dive into community-based stories as well as the experiences of AANHPI professionals in the music industry. Audiophiles and historians will be able to browse archival materials, photos, and artworks while also indulging in interactive audio-visual installations.

Featured artists include Kim Thayil and Hiro Yamamoto of Soundgarden; singer-songwriter Carly Ann Calbero; jazz drummer Akira Tana; musician Roger Rigor; hip hop artist Geo Quibuyen of Blue Scholars and many more.

—
Don’t forget about the perks of becoming a Museum Member like unlimited free general admission and opportunities to see exhibits first at special Museum Member Receptions!

Africa Fashion opens at the Portland Art Museum after acclaimed runs at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum and the Brooklyn Museum of Art. This first-of-its-kind exhibition, making its only West Coast stop at PAM, honors the irresistible creativity, ingenuity, and unstoppable global impact of contemporary African fashions. Garments and textiles dating from the mid-twentieth century to the present day, contextualized by a range of cultural touchstones such as Drum magazines, Fela Kuti record albums, and studio photography from Sanlé Sory, celebrate the transformative and liberatory power of self-fashioning. The New Yorker’s art critic Hilton Als called Africa Fashion a “vital and necessary exhibition.”

On view March 21, 2023 through Spring 2024
Art of the North Galleries, Third Floor, East Wing

Good Medicine brings together Indigenous healers and medicine people to collectively create, share knowledge, and practice in community. Unfolding over the course of a year with the work of different Alaska Native healers, this multi-disciplinary exhibition offers diverse opportunities for gathering and exchange.

Colonialism has attacked and suppressed medicine people and Indigenous knowledge systems for hundreds of years. This exhibition addresses harmful legacies and shows how the revitalization of healing practices and traditions provides ways of being in alignment with oneself, with community, and with our planet.

Curated by Tlingit traditional healer Meda DeWitt, Good Medicine emphasizes spiritual renewal, cultural renascence, and the importance of co-creating futures where nature can thrive.

Frank S. Matsura: Portraits from the Borderland features studio images by Washington-based Japanese photographer Frank Sakae Matsura (1873-1913) alongside period-specific American Indian regalia from the Columbia Plateau. Exploring Indigenous representation through a multi-dimensional lens, the photographs and objects on view detail some of Matsura’s most culturally significant work against a backdrop of regional transformation.

We are excited to announce that we have teamed up with the City of Shoreline and the Spartan Recreation Center to host the Arte de la Raza exhibition running Nov.2nd-Jan. 24th and featuring:
Che Lopez
Iris Sanchez
Jake Prendez
Rolando Avila
Teresa Martinez
Yessica Marquez
The exhibition opens Nov. 2nd which is also the same day as their Dia de los Muertos Festival!!

This show is dedicated to Veterans, past and present and will be held at the Evergreen Gallery from October 16 – December 30, 2023. There will be a Grand Opening on Thursday, October 19 from 3 – 6 pm.

Immerse yourself in the vibrant tapestry of Iranian women’s artistic expressions as they courageously unveil their stories and perspectives through the power of art. From breathtaking paintings to thought-provoking photos, this exhibition is a celebration of resilience and the depth of creative expression.

Don’t miss the chance to witness the diverse talents and narratives of Iranian and Afghan women, beautifully woven into each masterpiece. Join Peyvand in honoring their stories, celebrating their strength, and embracing the richness of Iranian culture through art.

Spread the word and mark your calendars! Let’s come together to appreciate the extraordinary artistry and resilience of Iranian women

We are very excited to announce that the first graduating cohort of our Seattle Black Spatial Histories Institute is ready to share their work with the world. They have spent the last year creating art from the oral histories they recorded, and the upcoming exhibit at Wa Na Wari is the culmination of that work. We invite you to join us for the opening of this exhibit:
“Honored to Tell”: An exhibit of art and oral histories created by the first cohort to graduate from the Seattle Black Spatial Histories Institute
Featured artists: Brenetta Ward, Akoiya Harris, Ariel Paine, Sierra Parsons, Ricky Reyes, Nia Amina Minor, Brea Wilson, Eboni Wyatt
Art Opening & Reception: Saturday, November 4, 2023, from 6-8pm
6:30pm Hear from the artists
7:00pm Dance performance by Akoiya Harris and Nia Amina Minor
At Wa Na Wari, 911 24th Ave. in Seattle’s historic Central District
Refreshments provided
Listen to the stories of Black waterfront workers, Black educators, Black barbers and beauticians, and Black dancers; stories that the artists have incorporated into textile art, dance, film, zines, listening stations, and more.
The exhibit will be on view until January 20, 2024.
More info at https://www.wanawari.org/sbshi_show

Dive deep into the stories and science that surround the magnificent orca, apex predator of all oceans.
Follow the currents of ecological activism, popular culture, and Indigenous beliefs to gain a new appreciation of these sophisticated animals, long feared in Western cultures as “Killer Whales.”
Orcas: Our Shared Future includes more than 100 original artifacts and specimens, featuring life-size Orca replicas, fossils, films, objects from popular culture, and original artwork from the Indigenous peoples of the North American west coast.
Discover the complex social structure of orca society and reflect on the surprising consequences of captivity. Learn which orca populations are thriving and which are at risk, and resurface with a new understanding of how orcas and humans are inextricably connected.

Featuring the work of the Guma’ Gela’, a queer CHamoru art collective made up of members from the Marianas and in the diaspora. The exhibit explores their motto “part land, part sea, all ancestry” through a broad spectrum of media, including sculpture, soundscape, writing, printmaking, weaving, costume design, adornments, and more, to build a connection with CHamoru life, history, and traditions.

Do you ever wonder how Bruce Lee developed the philosophy behind his most iconic quote?

This incredible interactive exhibit invites viewers to step into the mind, body, and spirit of Bruce Lee to see how his unquenchable pursuit of knowledge informed his philosophy and life.

Follow Bruce’s path beginning with his revelations on water, through the wealth of knowledge found in his 2,800-book personal library, to his philosophy on self-understanding and self-expression.

The exhibition’s interactive technology interweaves beautiful imagery with Bruce’s personal objects and books to bring his journey to life.

Considering both the presence and absence of Black artists is critical to understanding the breadth of Black artistic production in Oregon—even in the midst of historic exclusion—as well as how the impact of that history affects our understanding of American art history and the history of the Pacific Northwest. This exhibition serves to deepen our awareness of the talented artists who have shaped and inspired artists regionally and nationally, and it will be the first of its kind to consider the work of Black artists collectively in Oregon.

Beginning in the 1880s and spanning through today, Black Artists of Oregon captures the Black diasporic experiences particular to the Pacific Northwest with 67 artists and over 200 objects. Artists represented in the exhibition will include Thelma Johnson Streat, Al Goldsby, Charlotte Lewis, Isaka Shamsud-Din, Ralph Chessé, Charles Tatum, Arvie Smith, Shedrich Williames, Harrison Branch, Bobby Fouther, and Carrie Mae Weems, among others. The exhibition and programming will also include the works of contemporary and younger artists working now, functioning as bright threads and offering intergenerational conversation throughout the exhibition, including sidony o’neal, Jeremy Okai Davis, damali ayo, Sharita Towne, Melanie Stevens, Lisa Jarrett, Tristan Irving, Ebin Lee, and Jaleesa Johnston.

Through the narrative flow of the exhibition, visitors will experience work by Black artists across decades and generations. Particular attention is given to the works of Black artists who were producing work during the Black Arts Movement of the late 1960s, ’70s, and early ’80s, such as Portland-based painter Isaka Shamsud-Din. The exhibition will also mark regional artistic connections with global movements for Black liberation, as seen in the work of Charlotte Lewis alongside Portlanders Organized for Southern African Freedom and artists like Sadé DuBoise, whose “Resistance” poster series contributed to Portland’s 2020 George Floyd protests. Without chronological constraints, the exhibition is grounded by the work of elder artists, intergenerational conversations, and live activation in the exhibition galleries.

Black Artists of Oregon builds upon exhibition curator Intisar Abioto’s original research since 2018 exploring the lineage and legacy of Black artists in Oregon. The exhibition will continue Abioto’s research, which is grounded in Black American practices of listening, keeping, and passing on each others’ stories.

“Far from isolated or ancillary, Black arts and cultural production in Oregon has been in conversation and interchange with the world, and a part of its arts and cultural movements, all this time,” says Abioto. “Black Artists of Oregon is a heralding of Black presence, interchange, influence, and impact.”

Textile-based art and artwork responsive to social change are gaining prominence across the region and the country. To reflect this confluence, Tacoma Art Museum is proud to present the work of 21 artists in Soft Power, featuring more than 40 textile-based works on view from October 14, 2023, through September 1, 2024.

Soft Power draws its name and inspiration from Joseph Nye’s theory of cultural heritage as a form of non-coercive power. Using traditional processes to create contemporary declarations of resistance, resilience, love, and rebuke, this work explores the dynamic contrast between soft materials and so-called “hard” ideas. This engaging and provocative exhibition explores cultural stereotypes, humanity’s impact on the environment, and healthcare access.

The artists on view express themselves in forms as varied as their ideas: A quilted call to action, meticulously knit abstraction, woven cenotaphs, a stuffed and stitched creature, a scattered gathering of embroidered ephemera.

Thanks to the popularity of the instantly recognizable Great Wave—cited everywhere from book covers and Lego sets to anime and emoji— Katsushika Hokusai (1760–1849) has become one of the most famous and influential artists in the world. This major exhibition organized by the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA), takes a new approach to the work of the versatile master, pairing more than 100 of his woodblock prints, paintings, and illustrated books from the MFA’s renowned collection with more than 200 works by his teachers, students, rivals, and admirers. Join us to explore Hokusai’s impact through the centuries and around the globe, on artists including Yoshitomo Nara, Chiho Aoshima, and Helen Frankenthaler.

Check one, two, three 🎤 “Sound Check! The Music We Make”, is a new exhibit at Wing Luke Museum on view from Sunday October 15, 2023 until September 14, 2024 🎧🎶💿🎹

Sound Check! celebrates the role of music in the lives of AANHPI communities. Dive into community-based stories as well as the experiences of AANHPI professionals in the music industry. Audiophiles and historians will be able to browse archival materials, photos, and artworks while also indulging in interactive audio-visual installations.

Featured artists include Kim Thayil and Hiro Yamamoto of Soundgarden; singer-songwriter Carly Ann Calbero; jazz drummer Akira Tana; musician Roger Rigor; hip hop artist Geo Quibuyen of Blue Scholars and many more.

—
Don’t forget about the perks of becoming a Museum Member like unlimited free general admission and opportunities to see exhibits first at special Museum Member Receptions!

Africa Fashion opens at the Portland Art Museum after acclaimed runs at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum and the Brooklyn Museum of Art. This first-of-its-kind exhibition, making its only West Coast stop at PAM, honors the irresistible creativity, ingenuity, and unstoppable global impact of contemporary African fashions. Garments and textiles dating from the mid-twentieth century to the present day, contextualized by a range of cultural touchstones such as Drum magazines, Fela Kuti record albums, and studio photography from Sanlé Sory, celebrate the transformative and liberatory power of self-fashioning. The New Yorker’s art critic Hilton Als called Africa Fashion a “vital and necessary exhibition.”

On view March 21, 2023 through Spring 2024
Art of the North Galleries, Third Floor, East Wing

Good Medicine brings together Indigenous healers and medicine people to collectively create, share knowledge, and practice in community. Unfolding over the course of a year with the work of different Alaska Native healers, this multi-disciplinary exhibition offers diverse opportunities for gathering and exchange.

Colonialism has attacked and suppressed medicine people and Indigenous knowledge systems for hundreds of years. This exhibition addresses harmful legacies and shows how the revitalization of healing practices and traditions provides ways of being in alignment with oneself, with community, and with our planet.

Curated by Tlingit traditional healer Meda DeWitt, Good Medicine emphasizes spiritual renewal, cultural renascence, and the importance of co-creating futures where nature can thrive.

Frank S. Matsura: Portraits from the Borderland features studio images by Washington-based Japanese photographer Frank Sakae Matsura (1873-1913) alongside period-specific American Indian regalia from the Columbia Plateau. Exploring Indigenous representation through a multi-dimensional lens, the photographs and objects on view detail some of Matsura’s most culturally significant work against a backdrop of regional transformation.

We are excited to announce that we have teamed up with the City of Shoreline and the Spartan Recreation Center to host the Arte de la Raza exhibition running Nov.2nd-Jan. 24th and featuring:
Che Lopez
Iris Sanchez
Jake Prendez
Rolando Avila
Teresa Martinez
Yessica Marquez
The exhibition opens Nov. 2nd which is also the same day as their Dia de los Muertos Festival!!

This show is dedicated to Veterans, past and present and will be held at the Evergreen Gallery from October 16 – December 30, 2023. There will be a Grand Opening on Thursday, October 19 from 3 – 6 pm.

Immerse yourself in the vibrant tapestry of Iranian women’s artistic expressions as they courageously unveil their stories and perspectives through the power of art. From breathtaking paintings to thought-provoking photos, this exhibition is a celebration of resilience and the depth of creative expression.

Don’t miss the chance to witness the diverse talents and narratives of Iranian and Afghan women, beautifully woven into each masterpiece. Join Peyvand in honoring their stories, celebrating their strength, and embracing the richness of Iranian culture through art.

Spread the word and mark your calendars! Let’s come together to appreciate the extraordinary artistry and resilience of Iranian women

We are very excited to announce that the first graduating cohort of our Seattle Black Spatial Histories Institute is ready to share their work with the world. They have spent the last year creating art from the oral histories they recorded, and the upcoming exhibit at Wa Na Wari is the culmination of that work. We invite you to join us for the opening of this exhibit:
“Honored to Tell”: An exhibit of art and oral histories created by the first cohort to graduate from the Seattle Black Spatial Histories Institute
Featured artists: Brenetta Ward, Akoiya Harris, Ariel Paine, Sierra Parsons, Ricky Reyes, Nia Amina Minor, Brea Wilson, Eboni Wyatt
Art Opening & Reception: Saturday, November 4, 2023, from 6-8pm
6:30pm Hear from the artists
7:00pm Dance performance by Akoiya Harris and Nia Amina Minor
At Wa Na Wari, 911 24th Ave. in Seattle’s historic Central District
Refreshments provided
Listen to the stories of Black waterfront workers, Black educators, Black barbers and beauticians, and Black dancers; stories that the artists have incorporated into textile art, dance, film, zines, listening stations, and more.
The exhibit will be on view until January 20, 2024.
More info at https://www.wanawari.org/sbshi_show

Dive deep into the stories and science that surround the magnificent orca, apex predator of all oceans.
Follow the currents of ecological activism, popular culture, and Indigenous beliefs to gain a new appreciation of these sophisticated animals, long feared in Western cultures as “Killer Whales.”
Orcas: Our Shared Future includes more than 100 original artifacts and specimens, featuring life-size Orca replicas, fossils, films, objects from popular culture, and original artwork from the Indigenous peoples of the North American west coast.
Discover the complex social structure of orca society and reflect on the surprising consequences of captivity. Learn which orca populations are thriving and which are at risk, and resurface with a new understanding of how orcas and humans are inextricably connected.

Featuring the work of the Guma’ Gela’, a queer CHamoru art collective made up of members from the Marianas and in the diaspora. The exhibit explores their motto “part land, part sea, all ancestry” through a broad spectrum of media, including sculpture, soundscape, writing, printmaking, weaving, costume design, adornments, and more, to build a connection with CHamoru life, history, and traditions.

Do you ever wonder how Bruce Lee developed the philosophy behind his most iconic quote?

This incredible interactive exhibit invites viewers to step into the mind, body, and spirit of Bruce Lee to see how his unquenchable pursuit of knowledge informed his philosophy and life.

Follow Bruce’s path beginning with his revelations on water, through the wealth of knowledge found in his 2,800-book personal library, to his philosophy on self-understanding and self-expression.

The exhibition’s interactive technology interweaves beautiful imagery with Bruce’s personal objects and books to bring his journey to life.

Considering both the presence and absence of Black artists is critical to understanding the breadth of Black artistic production in Oregon—even in the midst of historic exclusion—as well as how the impact of that history affects our understanding of American art history and the history of the Pacific Northwest. This exhibition serves to deepen our awareness of the talented artists who have shaped and inspired artists regionally and nationally, and it will be the first of its kind to consider the work of Black artists collectively in Oregon.

Beginning in the 1880s and spanning through today, Black Artists of Oregon captures the Black diasporic experiences particular to the Pacific Northwest with 67 artists and over 200 objects. Artists represented in the exhibition will include Thelma Johnson Streat, Al Goldsby, Charlotte Lewis, Isaka Shamsud-Din, Ralph Chessé, Charles Tatum, Arvie Smith, Shedrich Williames, Harrison Branch, Bobby Fouther, and Carrie Mae Weems, among others. The exhibition and programming will also include the works of contemporary and younger artists working now, functioning as bright threads and offering intergenerational conversation throughout the exhibition, including sidony o’neal, Jeremy Okai Davis, damali ayo, Sharita Towne, Melanie Stevens, Lisa Jarrett, Tristan Irving, Ebin Lee, and Jaleesa Johnston.

Through the narrative flow of the exhibition, visitors will experience work by Black artists across decades and generations. Particular attention is given to the works of Black artists who were producing work during the Black Arts Movement of the late 1960s, ’70s, and early ’80s, such as Portland-based painter Isaka Shamsud-Din. The exhibition will also mark regional artistic connections with global movements for Black liberation, as seen in the work of Charlotte Lewis alongside Portlanders Organized for Southern African Freedom and artists like Sadé DuBoise, whose “Resistance” poster series contributed to Portland’s 2020 George Floyd protests. Without chronological constraints, the exhibition is grounded by the work of elder artists, intergenerational conversations, and live activation in the exhibition galleries.

Black Artists of Oregon builds upon exhibition curator Intisar Abioto’s original research since 2018 exploring the lineage and legacy of Black artists in Oregon. The exhibition will continue Abioto’s research, which is grounded in Black American practices of listening, keeping, and passing on each others’ stories.

“Far from isolated or ancillary, Black arts and cultural production in Oregon has been in conversation and interchange with the world, and a part of its arts and cultural movements, all this time,” says Abioto. “Black Artists of Oregon is a heralding of Black presence, interchange, influence, and impact.”

Textile-based art and artwork responsive to social change are gaining prominence across the region and the country. To reflect this confluence, Tacoma Art Museum is proud to present the work of 21 artists in Soft Power, featuring more than 40 textile-based works on view from October 14, 2023, through September 1, 2024.

Soft Power draws its name and inspiration from Joseph Nye’s theory of cultural heritage as a form of non-coercive power. Using traditional processes to create contemporary declarations of resistance, resilience, love, and rebuke, this work explores the dynamic contrast between soft materials and so-called “hard” ideas. This engaging and provocative exhibition explores cultural stereotypes, humanity’s impact on the environment, and healthcare access.

The artists on view express themselves in forms as varied as their ideas: A quilted call to action, meticulously knit abstraction, woven cenotaphs, a stuffed and stitched creature, a scattered gathering of embroidered ephemera.

Thanks to the popularity of the instantly recognizable Great Wave—cited everywhere from book covers and Lego sets to anime and emoji— Katsushika Hokusai (1760–1849) has become one of the most famous and influential artists in the world. This major exhibition organized by the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA), takes a new approach to the work of the versatile master, pairing more than 100 of his woodblock prints, paintings, and illustrated books from the MFA’s renowned collection with more than 200 works by his teachers, students, rivals, and admirers. Join us to explore Hokusai’s impact through the centuries and around the globe, on artists including Yoshitomo Nara, Chiho Aoshima, and Helen Frankenthaler.

Check one, two, three 🎤 “Sound Check! The Music We Make”, is a new exhibit at Wing Luke Museum on view from Sunday October 15, 2023 until September 14, 2024 🎧🎶💿🎹

Sound Check! celebrates the role of music in the lives of AANHPI communities. Dive into community-based stories as well as the experiences of AANHPI professionals in the music industry. Audiophiles and historians will be able to browse archival materials, photos, and artworks while also indulging in interactive audio-visual installations.

Featured artists include Kim Thayil and Hiro Yamamoto of Soundgarden; singer-songwriter Carly Ann Calbero; jazz drummer Akira Tana; musician Roger Rigor; hip hop artist Geo Quibuyen of Blue Scholars and many more.

—
Don’t forget about the perks of becoming a Museum Member like unlimited free general admission and opportunities to see exhibits first at special Museum Member Receptions!

Africa Fashion opens at the Portland Art Museum after acclaimed runs at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum and the Brooklyn Museum of Art. This first-of-its-kind exhibition, making its only West Coast stop at PAM, honors the irresistible creativity, ingenuity, and unstoppable global impact of contemporary African fashions. Garments and textiles dating from the mid-twentieth century to the present day, contextualized by a range of cultural touchstones such as Drum magazines, Fela Kuti record albums, and studio photography from Sanlé Sory, celebrate the transformative and liberatory power of self-fashioning. The New Yorker’s art critic Hilton Als called Africa Fashion a “vital and necessary exhibition.”

On view March 21, 2023 through Spring 2024
Art of the North Galleries, Third Floor, East Wing

Good Medicine brings together Indigenous healers and medicine people to collectively create, share knowledge, and practice in community. Unfolding over the course of a year with the work of different Alaska Native healers, this multi-disciplinary exhibition offers diverse opportunities for gathering and exchange.

Colonialism has attacked and suppressed medicine people and Indigenous knowledge systems for hundreds of years. This exhibition addresses harmful legacies and shows how the revitalization of healing practices and traditions provides ways of being in alignment with oneself, with community, and with our planet.

Curated by Tlingit traditional healer Meda DeWitt, Good Medicine emphasizes spiritual renewal, cultural renascence, and the importance of co-creating futures where nature can thrive.

Frank S. Matsura: Portraits from the Borderland features studio images by Washington-based Japanese photographer Frank Sakae Matsura (1873-1913) alongside period-specific American Indian regalia from the Columbia Plateau. Exploring Indigenous representation through a multi-dimensional lens, the photographs and objects on view detail some of Matsura’s most culturally significant work against a backdrop of regional transformation.

We are excited to announce that we have teamed up with the City of Shoreline and the Spartan Recreation Center to host the Arte de la Raza exhibition running Nov.2nd-Jan. 24th and featuring:
Che Lopez
Iris Sanchez
Jake Prendez
Rolando Avila
Teresa Martinez
Yessica Marquez
The exhibition opens Nov. 2nd which is also the same day as their Dia de los Muertos Festival!!

This show is dedicated to Veterans, past and present and will be held at the Evergreen Gallery from October 16 – December 30, 2023. There will be a Grand Opening on Thursday, October 19 from 3 – 6 pm.

Immerse yourself in the vibrant tapestry of Iranian women’s artistic expressions as they courageously unveil their stories and perspectives through the power of art. From breathtaking paintings to thought-provoking photos, this exhibition is a celebration of resilience and the depth of creative expression.

Don’t miss the chance to witness the diverse talents and narratives of Iranian and Afghan women, beautifully woven into each masterpiece. Join Peyvand in honoring their stories, celebrating their strength, and embracing the richness of Iranian culture through art.

Spread the word and mark your calendars! Let’s come together to appreciate the extraordinary artistry and resilience of Iranian women

We are very excited to announce that the first graduating cohort of our Seattle Black Spatial Histories Institute is ready to share their work with the world. They have spent the last year creating art from the oral histories they recorded, and the upcoming exhibit at Wa Na Wari is the culmination of that work. We invite you to join us for the opening of this exhibit:
“Honored to Tell”: An exhibit of art and oral histories created by the first cohort to graduate from the Seattle Black Spatial Histories Institute
Featured artists: Brenetta Ward, Akoiya Harris, Ariel Paine, Sierra Parsons, Ricky Reyes, Nia Amina Minor, Brea Wilson, Eboni Wyatt
Art Opening & Reception: Saturday, November 4, 2023, from 6-8pm
6:30pm Hear from the artists
7:00pm Dance performance by Akoiya Harris and Nia Amina Minor
At Wa Na Wari, 911 24th Ave. in Seattle’s historic Central District
Refreshments provided
Listen to the stories of Black waterfront workers, Black educators, Black barbers and beauticians, and Black dancers; stories that the artists have incorporated into textile art, dance, film, zines, listening stations, and more.
The exhibit will be on view until January 20, 2024.
More info at https://www.wanawari.org/sbshi_show

Dive deep into the stories and science that surround the magnificent orca, apex predator of all oceans.
Follow the currents of ecological activism, popular culture, and Indigenous beliefs to gain a new appreciation of these sophisticated animals, long feared in Western cultures as “Killer Whales.”
Orcas: Our Shared Future includes more than 100 original artifacts and specimens, featuring life-size Orca replicas, fossils, films, objects from popular culture, and original artwork from the Indigenous peoples of the North American west coast.
Discover the complex social structure of orca society and reflect on the surprising consequences of captivity. Learn which orca populations are thriving and which are at risk, and resurface with a new understanding of how orcas and humans are inextricably connected.

Featuring the work of the Guma’ Gela’, a queer CHamoru art collective made up of members from the Marianas and in the diaspora. The exhibit explores their motto “part land, part sea, all ancestry” through a broad spectrum of media, including sculpture, soundscape, writing, printmaking, weaving, costume design, adornments, and more, to build a connection with CHamoru life, history, and traditions.

Do you ever wonder how Bruce Lee developed the philosophy behind his most iconic quote?

This incredible interactive exhibit invites viewers to step into the mind, body, and spirit of Bruce Lee to see how his unquenchable pursuit of knowledge informed his philosophy and life.

Follow Bruce’s path beginning with his revelations on water, through the wealth of knowledge found in his 2,800-book personal library, to his philosophy on self-understanding and self-expression.

The exhibition’s interactive technology interweaves beautiful imagery with Bruce’s personal objects and books to bring his journey to life.

Considering both the presence and absence of Black artists is critical to understanding the breadth of Black artistic production in Oregon—even in the midst of historic exclusion—as well as how the impact of that history affects our understanding of American art history and the history of the Pacific Northwest. This exhibition serves to deepen our awareness of the talented artists who have shaped and inspired artists regionally and nationally, and it will be the first of its kind to consider the work of Black artists collectively in Oregon.

Beginning in the 1880s and spanning through today, Black Artists of Oregon captures the Black diasporic experiences particular to the Pacific Northwest with 67 artists and over 200 objects. Artists represented in the exhibition will include Thelma Johnson Streat, Al Goldsby, Charlotte Lewis, Isaka Shamsud-Din, Ralph Chessé, Charles Tatum, Arvie Smith, Shedrich Williames, Harrison Branch, Bobby Fouther, and Carrie Mae Weems, among others. The exhibition and programming will also include the works of contemporary and younger artists working now, functioning as bright threads and offering intergenerational conversation throughout the exhibition, including sidony o’neal, Jeremy Okai Davis, damali ayo, Sharita Towne, Melanie Stevens, Lisa Jarrett, Tristan Irving, Ebin Lee, and Jaleesa Johnston.

Through the narrative flow of the exhibition, visitors will experience work by Black artists across decades and generations. Particular attention is given to the works of Black artists who were producing work during the Black Arts Movement of the late 1960s, ’70s, and early ’80s, such as Portland-based painter Isaka Shamsud-Din. The exhibition will also mark regional artistic connections with global movements for Black liberation, as seen in the work of Charlotte Lewis alongside Portlanders Organized for Southern African Freedom and artists like Sadé DuBoise, whose “Resistance” poster series contributed to Portland’s 2020 George Floyd protests. Without chronological constraints, the exhibition is grounded by the work of elder artists, intergenerational conversations, and live activation in the exhibition galleries.

Black Artists of Oregon builds upon exhibition curator Intisar Abioto’s original research since 2018 exploring the lineage and legacy of Black artists in Oregon. The exhibition will continue Abioto’s research, which is grounded in Black American practices of listening, keeping, and passing on each others’ stories.

“Far from isolated or ancillary, Black arts and cultural production in Oregon has been in conversation and interchange with the world, and a part of its arts and cultural movements, all this time,” says Abioto. “Black Artists of Oregon is a heralding of Black presence, interchange, influence, and impact.”

Textile-based art and artwork responsive to social change are gaining prominence across the region and the country. To reflect this confluence, Tacoma Art Museum is proud to present the work of 21 artists in Soft Power, featuring more than 40 textile-based works on view from October 14, 2023, through September 1, 2024.

Soft Power draws its name and inspiration from Joseph Nye’s theory of cultural heritage as a form of non-coercive power. Using traditional processes to create contemporary declarations of resistance, resilience, love, and rebuke, this work explores the dynamic contrast between soft materials and so-called “hard” ideas. This engaging and provocative exhibition explores cultural stereotypes, humanity’s impact on the environment, and healthcare access.

The artists on view express themselves in forms as varied as their ideas: A quilted call to action, meticulously knit abstraction, woven cenotaphs, a stuffed and stitched creature, a scattered gathering of embroidered ephemera.

Thanks to the popularity of the instantly recognizable Great Wave—cited everywhere from book covers and Lego sets to anime and emoji— Katsushika Hokusai (1760–1849) has become one of the most famous and influential artists in the world. This major exhibition organized by the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA), takes a new approach to the work of the versatile master, pairing more than 100 of his woodblock prints, paintings, and illustrated books from the MFA’s renowned collection with more than 200 works by his teachers, students, rivals, and admirers. Join us to explore Hokusai’s impact through the centuries and around the globe, on artists including Yoshitomo Nara, Chiho Aoshima, and Helen Frankenthaler.

Check one, two, three 🎤 “Sound Check! The Music We Make”, is a new exhibit at Wing Luke Museum on view from Sunday October 15, 2023 until September 14, 2024 🎧🎶💿🎹

Sound Check! celebrates the role of music in the lives of AANHPI communities. Dive into community-based stories as well as the experiences of AANHPI professionals in the music industry. Audiophiles and historians will be able to browse archival materials, photos, and artworks while also indulging in interactive audio-visual installations.

Featured artists include Kim Thayil and Hiro Yamamoto of Soundgarden; singer-songwriter Carly Ann Calbero; jazz drummer Akira Tana; musician Roger Rigor; hip hop artist Geo Quibuyen of Blue Scholars and many more.

—
Don’t forget about the perks of becoming a Museum Member like unlimited free general admission and opportunities to see exhibits first at special Museum Member Receptions!

Africa Fashion opens at the Portland Art Museum after acclaimed runs at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum and the Brooklyn Museum of Art. This first-of-its-kind exhibition, making its only West Coast stop at PAM, honors the irresistible creativity, ingenuity, and unstoppable global impact of contemporary African fashions. Garments and textiles dating from the mid-twentieth century to the present day, contextualized by a range of cultural touchstones such as Drum magazines, Fela Kuti record albums, and studio photography from Sanlé Sory, celebrate the transformative and liberatory power of self-fashioning. The New Yorker’s art critic Hilton Als called Africa Fashion a “vital and necessary exhibition.”

On view March 21, 2023 through Spring 2024
Art of the North Galleries, Third Floor, East Wing

Good Medicine brings together Indigenous healers and medicine people to collectively create, share knowledge, and practice in community. Unfolding over the course of a year with the work of different Alaska Native healers, this multi-disciplinary exhibition offers diverse opportunities for gathering and exchange.

Colonialism has attacked and suppressed medicine people and Indigenous knowledge systems for hundreds of years. This exhibition addresses harmful legacies and shows how the revitalization of healing practices and traditions provides ways of being in alignment with oneself, with community, and with our planet.

Curated by Tlingit traditional healer Meda DeWitt, Good Medicine emphasizes spiritual renewal, cultural renascence, and the importance of co-creating futures where nature can thrive.

Frank S. Matsura: Portraits from the Borderland features studio images by Washington-based Japanese photographer Frank Sakae Matsura (1873-1913) alongside period-specific American Indian regalia from the Columbia Plateau. Exploring Indigenous representation through a multi-dimensional lens, the photographs and objects on view detail some of Matsura’s most culturally significant work against a backdrop of regional transformation.

We are excited to announce that we have teamed up with the City of Shoreline and the Spartan Recreation Center to host the Arte de la Raza exhibition running Nov.2nd-Jan. 24th and featuring:
Che Lopez
Iris Sanchez
Jake Prendez
Rolando Avila
Teresa Martinez
Yessica Marquez
The exhibition opens Nov. 2nd which is also the same day as their Dia de los Muertos Festival!!

This show is dedicated to Veterans, past and present and will be held at the Evergreen Gallery from October 16 – December 30, 2023. There will be a Grand Opening on Thursday, October 19 from 3 – 6 pm.

Immerse yourself in the vibrant tapestry of Iranian women’s artistic expressions as they courageously unveil their stories and perspectives through the power of art. From breathtaking paintings to thought-provoking photos, this exhibition is a celebration of resilience and the depth of creative expression.

Don’t miss the chance to witness the diverse talents and narratives of Iranian and Afghan women, beautifully woven into each masterpiece. Join Peyvand in honoring their stories, celebrating their strength, and embracing the richness of Iranian culture through art.

Spread the word and mark your calendars! Let’s come together to appreciate the extraordinary artistry and resilience of Iranian women

We are very excited to announce that the first graduating cohort of our Seattle Black Spatial Histories Institute is ready to share their work with the world. They have spent the last year creating art from the oral histories they recorded, and the upcoming exhibit at Wa Na Wari is the culmination of that work. We invite you to join us for the opening of this exhibit:
“Honored to Tell”: An exhibit of art and oral histories created by the first cohort to graduate from the Seattle Black Spatial Histories Institute
Featured artists: Brenetta Ward, Akoiya Harris, Ariel Paine, Sierra Parsons, Ricky Reyes, Nia Amina Minor, Brea Wilson, Eboni Wyatt
Art Opening & Reception: Saturday, November 4, 2023, from 6-8pm
6:30pm Hear from the artists
7:00pm Dance performance by Akoiya Harris and Nia Amina Minor
At Wa Na Wari, 911 24th Ave. in Seattle’s historic Central District
Refreshments provided
Listen to the stories of Black waterfront workers, Black educators, Black barbers and beauticians, and Black dancers; stories that the artists have incorporated into textile art, dance, film, zines, listening stations, and more.
The exhibit will be on view until January 20, 2024.
More info at https://www.wanawari.org/sbshi_show