Rachel Gallaher
Ai Weiwei’s Biggest U.S. Show Opens at SAM
The retrospective covers 40 years of the conceptual artist’s career
This week, the Seattle Art Museum opened the largest-ever U.S. exhibition featuring the work of Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei. Spanning four decades of the artist’s career, Ai, Rebel: The Art and Activism of Ai Weiwei (March 12–Sept. 7) includes 130 works — a mix of sculpture, video, painting, wallpaper, furniture, and installation —…
Spring Arts in Seattle
Shake off the winter blues with a fresh crop of arts happenings around the Emerald City
Spring brings a vibrant season of arts performances, celebrating renewal and creativity. Here’s a roundup of major arts events happening across Seattle this spring. Dance One of the buzziest performances to hit the Pacific Northwest Ballet stage in years, Crystal Pite’s Emergence returns on March 14, sharing the bill with the late Jerome Robbins’ neoclassical…
A Weekend in Park City with the Best Snow I’ve Ever Skied
Known for its luxury resorts and powder days, this tiny Utah town is a must-visit for outdoor enthusiasts and après-lovers alike.
Last month, I found myself standing at the top of Prospector — a black-diamond run at the Park City Mountain Resort In Utah. I’d just sailed down the first part of Parley’s Park, a straightforward blue, and it was absolutely dumping snow. A fairly new skier for someone who grew up in Seattle (it was…
Most Influential: Amy Tipton
Gallery owner, advocate
Amy Tipton is nothing if not resourceful. In 2013, shortly after opening her now-shuttered Belltown boutique Sassafras, she decided to resurrect the neighborhood’s monthly art walk, which had fizzled after Roq La Rue Gallery moved south to Pioneer Square. “I found an old map of the locations that used to participate, then reached out to…
Secrets of the Sound
A new mystery novel by local author Kirsten Sundberg Lunstrum draws from her personal experiences
Writer Kirsten Sundberg Lunstrum grew up surrounded by words. As children, she and her sister enjoyed falling asleep to their mother’s voice as she read books before bed, and their father — a Lutheran pastor and poet — spent every Sunday working on his sermons, reciting the words aloud as he wrote. “Being around a…
Most Influential: Susan Lieu
Author, Playwright
Last spring, after publishing her first book, Vietnamese American author, playwright, and performer Susan Lieu went on a 30-stop national tour culminating in an event with the Vietnam Society at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art. Along the way, Lieu garnered reviews and praise from media outlets including the New York Times, NPR, Kirkus…
‘Winter ’25’ Explores What Connects Us
Three choreographers premiere powerful new works for Whim W’Him Contemporary Dance Studio
Choreographer Olivier Wevers has always been open about his collaborative process, especially when it comes to working with the members of his contemporary dance company Whim W’Him. From allowing them to help choose the artists they want to work with in the annual Choreographic Shindig to asking for input and feedback during rehearsals, Wevers draws…
Most Influential: Matika Wilbur
Photographer, Activist
When Tidelands Gallery opened last September along Seattle’s rapidly evolving waterfront, it was, in a sense, a full-circle moment for photographer Matika Wilbur. The 6,000-square foot Indigenous-owned creative space, comprising an art gallery, production studio, rental space, and boutique, is just steps away from the Pike Place Hill Climb, where Wilbur had her first studio….
Most Influential: Nia-Amina Minor
Dance
For dancer and choreographer Nia-Amina Minor — a cofounder of Black Collectivity with David Rue, marco farroni leonardo, and Akoiya Harris — collaboration is at the core of her practice. A longtime dancer (Minor moved to Seattle to join Spectrum Dance Theater), it wasn’t until attending grad school at UC Irvine that she seriously dove…
Most Influential: Nick Ferderer
Entrepreneur, Activist
With a background in government relations, legislative advocacy, and business strategy — including stints at the U.S. Department of Commerce and Microsoft — Nick Ferderer admits that he isn’t the first person to come to mind as an art gallery owner. And yet, in just three short years, Ferderer has opened two of the city’s…
Most Influential: Luther Hughes
Poet
Luther Hughes was 12 years old when poetry made its first impact on them. “I was in church, and the choir director read a poem about birds,” recalls Hughes, whose work has appeared in major publications including American Poetry Review, Paris Review, and Poetry Northwest. “It was likening birds to human behavior, and it blew…
The Courage to Move Is All That Matters at Seattle’s PopRox Dance
With two locations and dozens of classes to choose from, the all-are-welcome studios provide a community-centric space to let loose on the dance floor
On a cold, drizzly night in mid-December, despite a laundry list of misgivings, I find myself standing between two large pillars in the Capitol Hill location of PopRox dance studio. Clad in a workout set and tennis shoes, and surrounded by seven or eight similarly dressed individuals, I follow along as our instructor leads us…
Stages Full of Cheer
No matter how you celebrate, these sparkling productions are sure to put a little extra magic into winter’s darkest days
When it comes to the holidays, Andy Williams said it best when he crooned the line, “It’s the most wonderful time of the year.” Williams may have been referring to Christmas trees and festive treats, but we’re particularly jolly over the holiday shows popping up around Seattle this season. Whether you plan to keep it…
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