You can get to know Seattle’s incredibly rich visual arts scene in museums, galleries, and public spaces. Here’s just a sampling of Emerald City highlights—there’s so much more to discover!
Museums
In February, during Seattle Museum Month, guests who stay at participating downtown hotels receive half-price admission to some of the region’s favorite museums. But any time is ideal for gazing at intricate glass sculptures at Chihuly Garden and Glass (305 Harrison St), taking in expertly curated global collection at the Seattle Art Museum (1300 First Ave), and admiring gorgeous ceramics at the Seattle Asian Art Museum (1400 E Prospect St). At the always-free Frye Art Museum (704 Terry Ave) in First Hill, enjoy the permanent collection of oil paintings from late-19th-century and early-20th-century European and American artists, along with rotating modern and contemporary art exhibits.
Galleries
See contemporary art in a variety of mediums at Winston Wächter Fine Art (203 Dexter Ave N) in South Lake Union, works by Black artists in an environment focused on belonging at Wa Na Wari (911 24th Ave) in the Central District, and surrealist paintings of cityscapes at Michael Birawer Gallery (1003 First Ave) downtown. Relatively new on the scene, and co-founded by Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready, the Mutual Arts Collective (94 Pike Street #36) in Pike Place Market showcases works from artists impacted by structural inequities. For the largest concentration of fine arts galleries in the city, don’t miss First Thursday Art Walk in Pioneer Square, the longest-running established art walk in the country.
Chihuly Garden and Glass, photo by Benson Truong/Shutterstock.com
Black Sun, 1969 Isamu Noguchi, photo by Spike Mafford
Public Art
The Fremont Troll (N 36th St) under the Aurora Bridge has been a beloved Seattle resident for more than 30 years, and you’ll see several other whimsical works, including Moss Turtle in adjacent Troll’s Knoll Park and the soaring Fremont Rocket (3420 Evanston Ave N) a few blocks away. Climb to the summit of Kite Hill in Gas Works Park (2101 N Northlake Way) to see the interactive and completely functional Sundial, cast in multicolored concrete. Isamu Noguchi’s granite Black Sun frames the Space Needle for a cool photo op in Volunteer Park (1247 15th Ave E). For more captivating creations, mosey over to Georgetown’s Oxbow Park (6430 Corson Ave S), home to the giant Hat ’n’ Boots sculpture that’s been standing tall since the 1950s. In a cool combo of art and public transit, 60 artists from 20 countries transformed a two-mile corridor visible from the Link light rail 1 Line, known as the SODO Track (Fifth Ave S), into a canvas that explores the ideas of motion, speed, and progress. This past summer, city-funded Hope Corps debuted approximately 40 new murals across downtown, celebrating the city’s vibrant arts, culture, and entertainment.
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