This season, we are traveling to more places than ever before to explore the rich and diverse selection of art in the Seattle community. We are committed to highlighting exhibitions and performances across various artistic mediums, produced by organizations both big and small.
Join KUOW’s Marcie Sillman as she pulls back the curtain on the creative process, giving participants a glimpse of why and how an artist creates work, and we hope, a greater appreciation for the rich and diverse cultural community in our region.
FULL SEASON
Barbara Earl Thomas: Heaven on Fire
Sept. 11, 2016 at 2 p.m.
Bainbridge Island Museum of Art
Special Guest: Barbara Earl Thomas
"Heaven on Fire" features over 60 artworks by Barbara Earl Thomas, with work spanning from the early 1980s to present. Included in this exhibition are paintings, prints, glass sculpture, paper cuts and a site-specific installation including the artist’s writings. Heaven on Fire is curated by Greg Robinson (BIMA Executive Director & Curator) with assistance from Amy Sawyer (Curatorial Associate) and Scott Farwell (Facilities Manager).
Clear and Sweet
Oct. 21, 2016 at 8 p.m.
On the Boards
Special Guests: Zoe Scofield and Juniper Shuey
Duo Zoe Scofield (choreographer) and Juniper Shuey (videography) return to On the Boards with a powerful and visually stunning search for redemption. The uniquely American folk tradition of Shape Note Singing is incorporated live into this physically demanding new work. Singers join the dancers and vice versa in a fascinating world of constantly shifting perspectives.
Virginia Wright: A Legacy in Arts
Dec. 1, 2016 at 6:30 p.m.
Seattle Art Museum
Special Guest: Virginia Wright
Bagley Wright built the Space Needle, but the Wrights also built things that aren’t as visible: arts institutions. In 2008, the Wrights donated their collection of modern and contemporary art, the largest in the Pacific Northwest, to the Seattle Art Museum.
See Virginia Wright, now in her late 80s, in a stage interview at Seattle Art Museum, where she’ll reflect on her childhood in Seattle, her entrée into the arts and the legacy she leaves behind.
Big Picture celebrates the tremendous gift of Seattle collectors Virginia and Bagley Wright. This exhibition will feature many of these works, which have transformed SAM’s modern and contemporary art collection.
Emanuel Ax: Beethoven Emperor
Feb. 2, 2017 at 7:30 p.m.
Seattle Symphony
Benaroya Hall
Special Guest: Ludovic Morlot
From Ives and his celebration of Washington’s Birthday and the Fourth of July to Beethoven and the epic “Emperor” Concerto, this is one explosive collision of two powerhouse composers. Superstar Emanuel Ax unfurls Beethoven’s Fifth Piano Concerto in all its glory.
Bring Down the House
Feb. 12, 2017; Part I begins at 2 p.m., Part II begins at 7:30 p.m.
Seattle Shakespeare Company
Center Theatre at Seattle Center
"Bring Down the House" is an epic, two-part adaptation of Shakespeare’s Henry VI trilogy. From chaos springs opportunity. No one knows this better than the scheming noble families in the houses of York and Lancaster. The power struggle for the crown of England thunders onstage with an all-female ensemble. From battlefield betrayals to court deceptions, the collapse of a kingdom gets reimagined in this epic premiere adaptation.
Director's Choice
March 18, 2017 at 2 p.m.
Pacific Northwest Ballet
Discover Jessica Lang’s arresting original work inspired by the landscapes of Georgia O’Keeffe, alongside a work created for the Dutch National Ballet just last year by David Dawson, plus the return of New Suite; William Forsythe’s refreshing collage of duets. An enticing mix by three of the most relevant and innovative dance-makers working today.
Front Row Center subscribers receive a 50% discount. Use this link to purchase tickets.
Approaching Ecstasy
June 3, 2017 at 8 p.m.
Whim W'Him and The Esoterics
Cornish Playhouse at Seattle Center
Special Guests: Olivier Wevers and Eric Banks
"Approaching Ecstasy" features choreography from artistic director, Olivier Wevers in collaboration with Eric Banks and The Esoterics. It incorporates 40 singers, five instrumentalists and seven dancers and is inspired by the poems of Constantine Cavafy, who lived as a closeted gay man in Egypt at the end of the 19th century.
Welcome to Braggsville
June 17, 2017 at 2 p.m.
Book-It Repertory Theatre
Center Theatre at Seattle Center
Born and raised in the heart of old Dixie, 19-year-old good ol’ boy D’aron Davenport must navigate unfamiliar territory when he lands in his freshman year at UC Berkeley. T. Geronimo Johnson has written an astonishing, razor-sharp satire. His panoply of styles, from tragicomic to Southern Gothic, skewers issues of class, race, intellectual and political chauvinism and social media.
A literary coming-of-age novel for a new generation, written with tremendous social insight and a unique, generous heart, Welcome to Braggsville reminds us of the promise and perils of youthful exuberance, while painting an indelible portrait of contemporary America.