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Seattle, WA


the Emerald City

Seattle is a city that is easy to fall in love with and we cannot say enough about the beauty we have seen there. Everyone has been so generous in sharing their work and experiences with us. Here are a few glimpses into the life and art that is made and presented in Seattle. Enjoy it all!

...Also, i
f you have a Seattle story about cultural events, institutions, people, and places there, don’t hesitate to let us know. One love letter to Seattle is not enough. We’ll definitely be back to the emerald city... 

Chihuly Garden & Glass


"Do Not Miss"

Located in the heart of Seattle Center, Chihuly Garden and Glass provides a look at the inspiration and influences that inform the career of artist Dale Chihuly. The centerpiece of Chihuly Garden and Glass is the Glasshouse. It is the result of Chihuly’s lifelong appreciation for conservatories with a design that draws inspiration from two of his favorite buildings: Sainte-Chapelle in Paris and the Crystal Palace in London. The suspended sculpture in the Glasshouse is one of Chihuly’s largest suspended sculptures at 100-feet-long with more than 1,300 individual pieces.



The exhibition works with local organizations and the arts community to host a variety of programs and workshops throughout the year.

Upcoming events include:  

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Exploration of Drawing – May 5
Deepen your practice with a focus on color and various drawing styles at the inspiring Chihuly Garden and Glass. 

Stroller Tours – May 11, June 8
Enjoy a special stroller-friendly tour created for parents and caregivers with little ones in tow. Engage in conversation and draw inspiration from the creative environment during an outing where no one minds if kids are chatty or shed a few tears.

Dancing in the Glasshouse – May 15, June 5
Learn basic dance steps and techniques in Dale Chihuly’s beautifully lit Glasshouse. 
 
Yoga Under Glass – May 13, May 27, June 10, June 24
Connect with your community and ignite your mind, body and spirit with the unique experience of yoga in Chihuly Garden and Glass’ inspirational Glasshouse. 

- Amanda Whitver, PR Manager

www.chihulygardenandglass.com

Frye Art Museum


A Legacy

Located on Seattle’s First Hill, the Frye Art Museum first opened its doors in 1952 as the legacy of Charles and Emma Frye, prominent early-twentieth-century Seattle business leaders and art collectors. Admission to the Museum is always free.
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​The collection includes nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century German and American paintings, as well as more contemporary works that bridge visual art, media, and installation. The Museum also hosts a wide variety of rotating exhibitions featuring local, national, and international artists.

All visitors are welcome to join a wide variety of programming and events, from free daily tours to film screenings, concerts, artist lectures, and more. The Museum also features a Café serving made-from-scratch seasonal bites alongside beverages and desserts. The Museum Store features a curated collection of one-of-a-kind items from Pacific Northwest designers and artists.

Exhibitions: May 12-August 5, Towards Impressions: Landscape Painting from Corot to Monet

Events: May 12 & July 22, Towards Impressionism Recital with Deanne Meek

- Tanja Baumann, Interim Communications Manager

fryemuseum.org

Elliot Bay Book Company


Since 1973

Located in the heart of Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood, The Elliott Bay Book Company is a full service bookstore, home to over 150,000 titles, set on cedar shelves in a multi-level, inviting unique atmosphere. We offer one of the region's best selection of new books, as well as a large collection of bargain editions. Elliott Bay presents an unparalleled schedule of author readings and events throughout the year.

Part of the daily life of Elliott Bay for over four decades, our author reading series now hosts more than 500 author readings a year. While we have had the pleasure of hosting some of the world’s preeminent writers, from its inception, our reading series has sought to feature diverse, lesser known, new, famous, infamous and sometimes controversial writers. Cohosting events with other community partners has been fundamental to the series and helped to put writers and readers together throughout the Seattle area to ensure that new, interesting and diverse voices continue to be published and translated. 
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​Daily, we provide a space for our customers to browse, read, eat, drink and discover new and favorite writers. An independent bookstore in the best sense of the term (meaning we're truly interdependent with our community and with our customers), we pride ourselves on being a knowledgeable staff of booksellers who do our best to locate just the books you are seeking. We offer special order services, book group presentations, a fine selection of audiobooks, signed first editions, magazines and journals, cards and more.
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Part of Seattle's literary community since our founding in 1973, Elliott Bay Book Company is sustained by the support, curiosity, and enthusiasm of our community. 

Upcoming Event Highlights (full descriptions at the links)
May 1: Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner with Rep. Pramila Jayapal with Rowe-Finkbeiner's new book, Keep Marching
May 2: Alex Prud'homme and Katie Pratt on Julia & Paul Child in Feast of France
May 5: Nikhil Pal Singh, Race and America's Long War, co-presented with Red May Seattle
May 16: Award-winning novelist Nicola Griffith, So Lucky
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- Julia


www.elliottbaybook.com

Greg Kucera Gallery


With The Same Promise It Began

Greg Kucera Gallery in Seattle opened in 1983 and represents emerging, mid-career, and well-established artists working in painting, sculpture, and works on paper. From time to time, the gallery produces thematic exhibits about the political climate or artistic culture in which we live. The gallery’s new ground-floor condominium location occupies over 6,500 square feet of space, comprising three separate exhibition galleries, an upstairs sculpture loft and an outdoor sculpture deck. The gallery has been a regular participant in art fairs in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Miami, San Francisco and elsewhere.



​Greg Kucera Gallery is pleased to announce our participation in an unprecedented three gallery exhibition of work by revered Seattle artist Michael Spafford. Paintings and works on paper, from various periods of his career, will be exhibited at Greg Kucera Gallery and Woodside/Braseth Gallery, and prints at Davidson Galleries. 

Exploring the images and stories of Greco-Roman and Mexican mythology, Spafford abstracts the figures in the various narratives creating a body of work both emotionally and physically expressive. Themes of heroic struggle and violent creation and metamorphosis are investigated repeatedly in multiple paintings. Myths of Hercules engaged in the twelve labors, the minotaur’s battle with Theseus, and Perseus’ slaying of Medusa are all presented in energetic brushstrokes and bold shapes and colors. Other works show Icarus falling through space in a gracefully curving set of panels and Bellerophon’s fall from Pegasus in a dramatic telling of the story.

MICHAEL SPAFFORD: EPIC WORKS April 5 - May 26, 2018.  

May 3, 2018, from 6:00-8:00 p.m - “First Thursday” artist reception with Michael Spafford  
May 5, at noon - “Saturday After” walk-through with Bruce Guenther, curator and writer

- Greg Kucera, the Owner


www.gregkucera.com

Creatura House


Fine Art, Decor, Good Works

Formerly Roq La Rue Gallery (1998-2016), Creatura House Gallery is the new project from Roq founder Kirsten Anderson. Creatura House is a new gallery devoted to contemporary art that features exceptionally crafted visual work showcasing fantastical imagery and visually dynamic narratives. We focus our themes on work that explores living in the era of the Anthropocene, and our disconnects to, longing for, and celebration of the natural world.
We feature monthly exhibitions, as well as offering special events. We also have a small, tightly curated “museum gift shop” in the space that showcases like minded art pieces, decorative objects, and books.

Current show : Josie Morway “Adaptations”
Upcoming show: “Le Carnaval Des Animaux” group show open May 10th
Upcoming event: “Bloodmilk” jewelry pop up  July 7th

- Kirsten Anderson


creatura.house
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I Will Line My Nest With Your Bones
by Peter Ferguson

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shop examples

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Fortify
by Josie Morway

Henry Art Gallery


Where Arts Expands Hearts & Minds

A museum of contemporary art and ideas, Henry Art Gallery presents exhibitions by a multi-national roster of emerging and mid-career artists. Known for taking risks and for allowing space for uncertain outcome, we anticipate the conversations and opinions that will be important and relevant in the field.
 
Exhibition to definitely see: The Brink: Demian DinéYazhi´  
 
Upcoming: Artist Talk: Sharon Lockhart and our May ArtVenture

- Dana Van Nest, Associate Director of Marketing, Communications & PR

henryart.org

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Photo Credit: Jonathan Vanderweit

Starbucks Reserve 


Roastery & Tasting Room

The Starbucks Reserve Roastery represents our uncompromising pursuit of coffee innovation. It is our passion for coffee come to life, with immersive, all-sensory experiences bringing our customers closer to their coffee – and to Starbucks – than ever before. From small-batch roasting to single-cup brewing, coffee education, delicious food from Princi, thoughtful merchandise and intentional design, the Starbucks Reserve Roastery is the future of Starbucks.

Following ground breaking openings in Seattle & Shanghai, the company plans to open 20-30 Roasteries around the world, over time, with the next locations including:  Milan and NY in 2018, Chicago and Tokyo in 2019. 

- Sarah, Starbucks Media Relations

www.starbucksreserve.com


Music Center of the Northwest


Celebrate in Harmony

Music Center of the Northwest is a non-profit community music school located in North Seattle. We believe in the transformative power of music in the lives of people and our community. With a commitment to music education and live performance, Music Center provides access to exceptional musical experiences for people of all ages and abilities.

​Founded in 1989 by musician and educator Janice Gockel, Music Center of the Northwest is Seattle's oldest community music school, a member of the National Guild for Community Arts Education, and an associate member of the Washington Music Educators Association. 

Music Center works to develop programs with participation being the central goal. Our key initiatives include: 1) Private Lessons for all ages, including Suzuki Method lessons; 2) Group Classes & Ensembles for infants – adults; 3) Live Concerts for listening or performing; 4) Off-site activities, including partnerships with public schools and community organizations such as Classical ​King FM and Seattle Chamber Music Society. 
​Our students range in age from infants to retirees. School programs remain focused primarily in our North Seattle neighborhood. Consistent across all programs is the commitment to remove the financial barrier to participation through our tuition assistance program.

This year, Music Center will grant nearly $40,000 in need-based scholarships for classes and private lessons.​
Upcoming events:​

Sunday, April 29 at 1:00 PM - Breathing for Performance Class

Friday, May 4th at 7:30 PM - Guest Artist Recital, Brittany Boulding Breeden, violin
Saturday, May 5th at 7:30 PM- Honors Recital​
Sunday, May 6th at 2:00 PM - Donor & Volunteer Appreciation
Friday, May 11th at 5:00 PM - Masterclass with Mark Salman, piano
Saturday, May 12th at 5:30 PM - Kerry Blanton violin/viola studio recital

- Kendal Keyes

www.musiccenternw.org

Phinney Books


Across the Street

Phinney Books is mainly a small, general-interest bookstore in the Phinney/Greenwood neighborhood of Seattle. We'll celebrate our fourth anniversary in June (we took over for Santoro's Books, which was here for 10 years before that). Aside from our main job of bringing in the books our neighborhood customers want, we do a few ongoing things that make us distinctive:

Our Phinney by Post and Phinney by Post Kids - our monthly subscription for grown-ups, is unique (or at least rare) for focusing on older books, usually "lost classics" we love but think our subscribers likely haven't read.

Our Resist List - ever since the inauguration, we've featured a rotating list of twelve books "that in some way—through education, inspiration, or infuriation—speak to the idea of resistance". We donate 20% of all sales for those books, while they are on the list, to the ACLU.

Our weekly store Newsletter - people seem to like it (and actually read and forward it.) Be part of our feature "Cover Crop Quiz" at the bottom of the newsletter, in which we crop a square from the cover of a well-known book and ask you to identify the title.

Our "TRUE" and "MADE-UP" signs. We have the two sides of our store marked, with giant wooden letters, "TRUE" (for nonfiction) and "MADE-UP" (for fiction).

It may also be worth noting that I worked for Amazon for ten years before opening the store, and I won eight games on Jeopardy. In 2010 I didn't directly use the winnings to buy the store, but it certainly did start me on the path that has ended (for now) at the store.

Here you can find our events for the next month: www.phinneybooks.com/upcoming-events

- Tom Nissley

KidsQuest Children's Museum


Explore, Play & Learn Together

A hands-on, interactive children’s museum, KidsQuest encourages learning through play with an emphasis on science, technology, engineering, art, and math. Exhibits and programs are geared towards children 0-10 and their families. KidsQuest offers over 200 unique programs throughout the year including early learning classes, summer camps, school age workshops, free art and science programs, and many special events including holiday programs.


KidsQuest's Art Studio focuses on traditional art practices such as drawing, painting, multimedia sculpture, collage, and ceramics that are fired on site in the museum with a kiln right inside the studio. The museum regularly hosts free and nominal fee programming for all ages like Play with Paint, Play with Clay, and Fired Up Fridays, plus special events like An Art-tastic Evening on May 9th. Adult-only arts programming is also offered. Upcoming adult workshops include Clay & Cocktails on April 27th and Beer Gardening on June 8th.
 
- Cassie Ronish, Marketing Manager

www.kidsquestmuseum.org

Oxbow 


A Story to Tell

Oxbow Seattle is a place where diverse disciplines cross and collaborate—experimenting through art installations, performances, workshops, music, films, and lectures.
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Oxbow's artist-in-residence program was established to provide a unique platform for site-specific installations and performance. Openings and artist lectures are held regularly in the central gallery space.

- Ruth Keating Lockwood


www.oxbowseattle.com
Michelle de la Vega's "The Sugar Project"
Artist-in-residence Mary Ann Peters
Artist-in-residence Katy Stone working in Oxbow's gallery space on her site-specific work titled "More Light".

Jessi Harvey


Things That Break

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photo: courtesy of the artist

Seattle's musical scene, is one of a small big city - people you meet in one circle overlap with another and the more events attended, naturally develop and grow into a thriving ecosystem of music contacts and friends. There are a wide variety of music venues here from the delightfully eccentric Chapel at Good Shepherd Center with its Wayward Music Series so from one night to the next you can find works in progress from local Seattle composers, performers from around the globe, new operas, etc; established institutions such as the Seattle Symphony, Seattle Opera, and Pacific Northwest Ballet that offer the classics and tried and true alongside world premieres; the Royal Room which houses everything from mainstream bands to jazz to 
new classical music; On the Boards goes for the combos of art and performance, music and light, drama and dance; small venues that house the gamut of everything from professionals to a band started yesterday; the list goes on. ​
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People here care not just about one particular vein of music but all music and getting people to listen to it; Shaya Lyon with the Live Music Project sends out a list of free arts events and concerts in general; Maggie Malloy and Seth Tompkins at Second Inversion help spread the word about the abstract end of classical music, and them with Kevin Clark and Jim Holt helped start the NUMUS Northwest Music conference two years ago modeled after the New Music Gathering which I have been lucky enough to speak at; there are endless meet ups and conversations about the various types of new music. Again, the list goes on.
 
While all of this may happen in many cities, what I find most invigorating about Seattle and unique is the balance of the city scene with the awareness and dialogue with the natural surroundings around it. Concerts and events take place not just outside on stages but on paths and beaches and within the forests. People write music and create and listen to works inspired by the nature around them. Drive in most directions for not even an hour and you find yourself in a new landscape sans civilization which informs and inspires the creators here. This fact includes myself in one of my latest pieces, Song for a Harbor which uses a condensed form of the semidiurnal tidal pattern of the Puget Sound for its structure. 

Check my website for new videos from my latest project, THINGS THAT BREAK.
 
jessiharveymusic.com

Mr. West Cafe Bar


morning, noon, night

Could you please describe Mr. West Cafe/Bar?

Mr. WEST serves as a cool casual and inviting café bar in Seattle's growing downtown Denny triangle neighborhood, where one can find exceptional drinks, food, and conversation. MrWEST strives to be an inviting atmosphere where people can connect for social engagements, work meetings, and casual drinks. The MrWEST café/bar offers a choice between caffeinated or alcoholic beverages throughout out the day, while a flexible dining space serves as a full table-service menu for happy hour and dinner at night.

What was the inspiration behind your shop's design?  

The design for MrWEST takes its inspiration from husband and wife team and owners, Henri Schock and Soni Davé-Schock, in their understanding that a restaurant is not only a place to eat, but also a functioning community space for its city. A café/bar where locals would commune, take their during or after work refreshment and chat up the news of the day, the space features warm walnut furniture, a central marble coffee counter and wine bar, plenty of plug ins for devices, and leather + tweed banquettes and benches.

The interior design and brand is by RCL Design. RCL design is a seattle-based design and concept firm led by MrWEST co-owner, Soni Davé-Schock. Throughout the space of MrWEST, one of RCL Design’s latest self-propelled projects, a retro sensibility is blended with a adventure-travel theme, inspired by the owner's fathers - their journey and aspirations moving to the 'great west'. Elements of the ‘photography, journaling, and travel’ are found throughout the cafe/bar: photo journal wall with photogrrahgy inspired by owner's fathers and friends; plants and flora in ceramic vessels for decor and sale; magazines and publications on food, wine, travel, and art lined up retail shop.



There are many coffee shops around the country and in Seattle. How does Mr. West Cafe/Bar create a unique experience? 

Two main things we focus on to ensure an unique experience for our customers:

1) Our attention to the details - from our curated high quality coffee program to our ever changing wine, beer, and low-proof cocktail program, to the beautiful open inspiring space. We create a culture around our food and beverage, ensuring high quality and standards in all ingredients and practices. Our coffee cafe program takes pride in house made syrups, seasonal speciality drinks, and high performing skilled baristas, while our bar wine + beer program focuses on pacific northwest and European rotating selections. Other personalized details include: our MrWEST postcard service, custom wine or beer flights, custom

2) As a local small business, MrWEST is able to curate a more personalized experience for each guest. From our MrWEST postcard service (we will provide MrWEST postcards and mail them off for you!), custom wine or beer flights out our rotation menu, custom pickle platters (from daily house made pickles), and curated cheesemonger paired cheese and meat boards which pair with the beverage you are drinking.  

What kind of environment and atmosphere are you focused in offering?

​We are very focused on developing a sense of community and ensuring every guest feels as if they are part of the Mr. West family, which is emboldened within our team culture. We focus on creating a supremely cool casual and inviting atmosphere with a friendly staff, and amazing array of the beverages and bites. Developing a sense of community while enjoying the best coffee, wine & beer, cheese & charcuterie offered in the city is our gold standard practice.

- Tess


mrwestcafebar.com
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  • VSW ArtHouse
    • Market
  • vis.A.
  • Sounds
  • Words
  • VIBES
    • #BeatTheBlues
    • #ForTheLoveOfPoetry
    • #WhatMatters
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