Do you ever think about what you will dream before you ultimately fall asleep?

In Seattle poet Seth Jani’s poetry collection Night Fable, Jani guides the reader on a journey through a world of ethereal dreams, both playful and melancholy. Through these poetic dreams, the reader sifts through their own self-reflection while gaining new discoveries about the world. Jani serves as a herald and guardian through the extensive and vast dream world.

The film asks us to remember the early days of isolation in the COVID-19 pandemic, to recall times when we felt particularly isolated from our communities. One particularly poignant section of the film asks us to consider, in those early days, what it felt like to try and hold someone from afar, to try to build connection when physically coming together and sharing space was impossible.

Before attending the interactive experience, Leave Only Footprints, I was unsure about what to expect: A haunted house? A murder mystery? But this spooky, fun, campy, mystery experience by The Emilys (Emily Pike and Emily Sershon), along with a dynamic cast of 40+ performers and multiple writers, did not disappoint.

Since the dawn of humanity, music has been a vital condition for what it means to be human. From animal skin drums crafted by the neolithic people to every instrument which has followed since, we as a species have sought to give voice to the parts of us words cannot express. We danced to communicate emotion and what little understanding we had of the world. We sang wordlessly long before language bound us to its form. We made music: The thump of the drum like a heartbeat, the trill of the flute like hope, and the deep drawl of the cello like despair.

. POTUS… is an in-your-face farce, a dramatic comedy filled with crude jokes and slapstick bits. Fillinger probably wrote this play during the shutdown either as a reflection of American society’s relationship to women or as a gift of permission to laugh in the face of extreme anxiety. And because many of us are gripped by the haunting return of all those feelings as we anxiously careen towards this November’s election where (and you can’t make this stuff up!) the very guy who caused all the aforementioned horror and chaos is on the ballot and wants to be president… again!

Art comes in many different mediums, bodies, and passions. Art is Everywhere offered people new ways to allow them to experience creation and its many forms on their own terms without it turning into an overwhelming and strenuous process. Instead of making one rise to the challenge, art meets a person where they are, not where they will be. Whether you are an artist, an art critic, or art appreciator, Pacific Place’s Art is Everywhere offered an enthralling experience centered around inclusivity and community. Art may be everywhere whether you look for it or not. A key component I learned while spending my time at Pacific Place is that because art is always everywhere, art is and should be accessible for everyone.

There are people who exist within human society who wear the mask of respectability, but are in actuality monsters.  Most of these people will never face their reckoning, but those who live their lives and work as public figures will eventually have a light shown on their behavior. In 2017, the social media movement #MeToo sought to oust the monsters from the shadows in every industry, but especially the monsters of the arts. 

The dance floor was brimming with people grooving to the beat, but making sure to give each other enough space to move around easily. As Tokita shifted smoothly between lilting, airy disco and harder, grittier techno, people in the crowd took turns coming up on stage to swing a red lamp that hung above the DJ table in what appeared to be a longstanding tradition. People’s faces were lit up in the red glow of the stage lights. A glittering disco ball swung overhead. Beyond these details, there was minimal decoration. The emphasis was on the music. 

If you’ve never been to a burlesque show before, welcome! If you have, I guarantee you’ve never seen anything like What The Funk?! Fest. One of the wonderful aspects to this art form is that there’s always something new to behold, a new story to be told, and moves like you’ve never dreamed of. 

In an oppressive society that polices bodies, judges abilities, and is generally icky to anyone outside the cis-heteronormative mainstream, living out loud as your authentic self with bodily agency is an act of the purest resistance. 

In this parody of the movie, Titanish turns the tragic tale into a comedy for the ages. Rose and Jack, played by the charismatic Julia Kuzmich and Kooper Campbell, venture aboard the totally unsinkable RMS Titanic along with a series of comedically iconic passengers and crewmates. The show is jam-packed with perfectly delivered jokes, many that are easy to miss, somehow making them even funnier. With irony and innuendos around every corner, every moment is a treat to experience.

The Seattle Center hosted Seattle’s annual tattoo expo showcasing over 200 artists across the world, some local to the Puget Sound, our Eastern Washington neighbors, and our neighbors on the other coast. Attendees viewed portfolio after portfolio within the long rows of talented tattoo studios. The varieties of styles and inspirations were put on full display from the artists. Expansive geometric patterns stretched across bodies. Shadowed creatures from the occult appear to creep out of body parts. Flowers were stuck in the most perfect moment of bloom.

One of the most remarkable aspects of the festival was the sense of community. People of all ethnicities, gender identities, and ages—from kids to adults—came together in a welcoming and inclusive atmosphere. It was a true reflection of the diverse and vibrant community that calls the Duwamish River home.

In the heart of Seattle’s International District, the stage is set and ready to captivate the audience with Yun Theatre’s summer production, June is the First Fall. This 90-minute play hosts themes of personal and cultural identity, defying tradition, the complexity of family relationships, and so many other themes that everyone is bound to find a connection with in the show. At this intimate venue operated by Theater Off Jackson, audiences will be absorbed into a heartfelt, empathetic story that is sure to leave you entertained and immersed.

Did you know there is an art gallery at the top floor of the King Street Station in Pioneer Square? If not, add it to your stop during the First Thursday art walk. ARTS at King Street Station is a free art gallery open Wednesday through Saturday, 11am to 5pm, and closes at 8pm for the monthly art walk.

Fruit Bowl is a recently developed art production series bringing local artists’ designs to life with a set of runway shows—and yes, you’re right: it’s fruit-themed. Fruit Bowl is very queer and closed the show on Pride weekend; this last show’s theme was “Chimera Fruit: The Mutant Fruit.”

The Japanese Film Festival Online streams a diverse catalog of cinema from Japan. As an entirely free festival, viewers from around the world can instantly gain access to many movies and TV shows, including some archival films. The Japan Foundation started this festival, known as JFF, in 2016 to highlight and share Japanese culture through film, and has since expanded its access to 27 countries with subtitle options in over a dozen languages. These facets of JFF make it a fantastic chance to experience all kinds of Japanese cinema from almost anywhere around the world.

The City of Auburn’s Juneteenth event at Les Gove Park in Auburn, WA, promised to be a vibrant celebration of freedom and culture. Located right in downtown Auburn, adjacent to the King County Library Auburn Branch, the event was set against a backdrop that should have been inviting and accessible. My experience, however, revealed several areas that needed improvement.

The story transports the audience to the year 2065, where Planet Earth is a post-apocalyptic, dystopian hell, and the rulers are odd, sponge-like aliens who oversee a Big Brother-style world, and the humans who have somehow survived live in constant fear of being disappeared in the night if they don’t openly demonstrate their fealty to their authoritarian rulers.

Congratulations to the Gage graduates for completing their programs and their final showcase as students at Gage Academy of Art! This Best Of showcase was Gage’s last show in their Capitol Hill location, as they’ll be moving to a new spot soon. Gage’s gallery hallway will expand with more space for art, students, and learning. Many of these recent graduates have had their pieces shown across Seattle, including a contemporary showcase held at AXIS a few months ago. The showcase grouped the different art pieces by categories: still life, nature, figures, sculpture, portrait, narrative, and abstract.

The Ethnic Heritage Gallery hosts several paintings across the third floor of SMT. One of the paintings, Wat’sa with a Pearl Earring (2014), by Allison Marks, puts a mask on a version of the famous Girl with a Pearl Earring piece. While the alluded painting gently remains unchanged, the mask brings a dark and violent feeling to the scene with red eyes and fire across the face.