It's been a long week...and it's only Monday. That kitty drinking tea while the world is on fire? We're channeling her for the rest of the month. Or, as my yoga teacher is fond of saying when he's got the room upside down trying to balance on one leg: whatever you're doing, remember to breathe! Funny how often you realize in that moment that you aren't breathing at all. We've got some choice art happenings in the coming days that will help you reconnect with that breath, by way of the beauty, nature, and art that persists despite the blistering fuckery. And tea—there's also some actual tea!
OUR PICKS:
Hugh Hayden: American Vernacular
Frye Art Museum
Hugh Hayden is master of material and a bit of a provocateur, with installations and objects that will bend your brain while delighting the senses. Lucky for us, the Dallas-born artist/surrealist sculptor is coming to the Frye, where he'll be unvieling his first solo museum exhibition on the West Coast, American Vernacular. The show, including a pair of Louboutin high heels refashioned with tree bark and basketball hoops made from woven grain, explores the tensions underlying American culture and consumerism: environmental distress, racial injustice, and the power dynamics of class struggle. At times veering toward darkly humorous, the work feels right on trend for right now. June 28
Through the Light: The Sublime in Contemporary Northwest Art
Museum of Northwest Art
“The sublime” in art is a kind of ineffable aura, often used to describe a profound sense of spiritual and emotional awe, wonder, or terror inspired by nature. (Caspar David Friedrich’s painting of a brooding dude standing above a sea of fog is a classic example of artwork trying capture the vibe.) In Through the Light, this theme is explored through the lens of some amazing contemporary Northwest artists, including Drie Chapek, Ellen George, Weston Lambert, Camas Logue, Adam Sorensen, and KCJ Szwedzinski. Also opening at MoNA this week: Aaron Loveitt’s Succession, Within a Landscape Unfolding showcases three of the artist’s breathtaking, large-scale metal sculptures. If you haven’t made the drive up to La Conner in a while, this is the perfect excuse for a day trip to immerse yourself in the bucolic sublime of the Skagit. June 28
Vent!
Georgetown Steam Plant
Given the headlines of the past few days, we could all probably use a chance to let off steam. Georgetown Steam Plant comes to the rescue with a one-day-only exhibition of immersive installation and art, Vent! The show brings 40 PNW artists together as an act of collective catharsis, inviting the viewer to join in and let out that breath you’ve been holding since who knows when. From 2-6 p.m., head to the backdrop of industrial urban decay to lean into all the emotions, good and bad. It’s the perfect antidote to your Sunday (and general existential) scaries. June 29
Into the Archive: A Cocktail Party ARCADE NW X West Canal Yards ARCADE—one of our favorite local publications dedicated to exploring all things architecture and design (and beyond)—is throwing a party this Thursday to introduce their new community space, Living Room. Located in the spectacular, newly-minted West Canal Yards, the space is designed to be a community hangout and work-share for artists, writers, designers, architects, and everyone between. Summer programming planned for the space includes cocktail hours, writer hangs, panel discussions, and other one-off events tailored for the community. In addition to enjoying chic ambiance and erudite company, while there you can explore ARCADE's entire print archive, as well as an extended library of regional and national arts-adjacent publications (including yours truly). It all kicks off this week (RSVP here). June 26
Ten Thousand Things and DISplace
Wing Luke Museum Shin Yu Pai wears many hats—writer (a former Seattle Civic Poet), photographer, bookmaker, podcaster, and curator (she holds a degree in Museology). With Ten Thousand Things, she brings her unique style of storytelling to the museum in an exhibition that shares its name with her award-winning podcast. This intimate and evocative show explores the objects that shape our identities, histories, and cultural narratives, featuring personal and culturally resonant artifacts like kapa cloth, abacuses, and brooms, each imbued with stories of memory and belonging. Another recently-debuted exhibit at Wing Luke, DISplace explores the deep-rooted yet often-overlooked histories linking Hawai'i and the Pacific Northwest. Co-curated by Native Hawaiian artist Lehuauakea and artist-educator Kanani Miyamoto, DISplace features work by regional Native Hawaiian creatives whose images and objects weave a story of Hawaiian presence in our city, while speaking to broader themes of migration, identity, and historical continuity. Through Jan 2027
Last chance to see: June edition
Tempus fugit and it's the final week to catch some really DMI shows: Anthony White's Somethin' Somethin and Christopher Derek Bruno's if/then/yes/and at Greg Kucera and the fever dream of figurative painting at Common Ground: Grab. Hold. Release, featuring works by Seattle-based painters Sofya Belinskaya, Grace Athena Flott, and Alyssa Zoe Putnam. Finally, this Friday, June 27 (3-8 p.m) is the closing reception for t4t at The Factory—a group show featuring mosaics, audio installations, and lots of tea. Friday also kicks off the grand finale of Pride month, and you can catch even more tea at the celebration of Trans Pride, taking place from 5-10 p.m. at Volunteer Park Amphitheater. This event features a stacked line-up of trans performers as well as a tabling fair with over 100 trans-led orgs and artists for your perusing pleasure. (Masks are required, so don’t forget yours!) Then on Sunday, it’s time for the Parade that travels from Westlake Park to Seattle Center. Go show your support for the community organizations who work tirelessly to put on this event with or without donations from big corporations. And remember to breathe.◼
