Seattle is open and culture is making a big comeback. Add a dose of the arts to your Seattle afternoon by visiting one of three distinct SAM locations. SAM has been the center for world-class visual arts in the Pacific Northwest since 1933. Be sure to catch an upcoming First Free Thursday and plan a date night to dine out nearby! The Seattle Art Museum and the Seattle Asian Art Museum are open at limited capacity, Fridays through Sundays, 10 am–5 pm, and the outdoor spaces at nearby Olympic Sculpture Park along the Seattle waterfront are also open to the public dawn to dusk.
Seattle Art Museum. 1300 First Ave, 0.3 miles from The Emerald.
Located downtown, one block from Pike Place Market, global art collections, temporary installations, and special exhibitions from around the world bridge cultures and centuries. First Thursdays of every month are free to all and First Fridays for seniors.
“SAM has a wide range of art from ancient to modern with everything in between. Their current Impressionist exhibit was very well done and showcased some of the lesser known works and artists. I always appreciate the section devoted to native art in the Pacific Northwest.” – William M.
Upgrade your experience and add the Special Exhibition option to view the Monet at Étretat. Monet at Étretat will be on display from July 1 – October 17, 2021. Meet Monet at a pivotal moment in his pursuit of impressions in Monet at Étretat. This focused exhibition places SAM’s Monet painting, Fishing Boats at Étretat, within the larger landscape of this important painter’s artistic development.
Tickets will be released on a rolling basis every Thursday. Everyone must get tickets online in advance of their visit. General Admission tickets get you into the museum and include access to the collection galleries and Barbara Earl Thomas: The Geography of Innocence. The SAM Shop & Gallery will require a museum ticket for entry. Online orders and curbside pickup will continue to be available to the public. Start your adventure by entering at First and Union.
Olympic Sculpture Park. 2901 Western Avenue, 0.8 miles from The Emerald.
Covered in monumental artworks, this award-winning nine-acre sculpture park on the waterfront is Seattle’s largest downtown green space and is just one mile north of the Seattle Art Museum. Olympic Sculpture Park, open daily 30 minutes prior to sunrise and closing 30 minutes after sunset, offers monumental contemporary sculptures and breathtaking views of the Space Needle, Olympic Mountains, and Puget Sound. Stroll along a 2,200-foot path that zigzags from the pavilion to the water’s edge to tour the park and its surroundings.
“This beautifully constructed park is worth visiting just for the grounds, let alone the artwork. Perhaps the most prominent sculpture is Alexander Calder’s “The Eagle,” not just because it’s a super-sized form with distinctively Calderian sail and wing shapes, but also for its international orange color which matches other prominent Calder works like “Flamingo” in Chicago. Another notable work is Jaume Plensa’s “Echo,” which alternately feels like a three-dimensional or two-dimensional work, depending on which angle you use to look at the face. It evokes, or foreshadows, “Paula,” “Rui Rui,” and “Laura Asia,” three smaller head-shaped works outside the Encore Boston Harbor casino.” – Vincent L.
Follow an audio tour of the Olympic Sculpture Park the next time you find yourself strolling along Seattle’s waterfront. The Changing Sky: Tour Seattle Cloud Cover or Tangible Space: Tour of Wake are ready and waiting.
Asian Art Museum. 1400 East Prospect Street, 2.1 miles from The Emerald.
The newly renovated and expanded museum is welcoming visitors once more, breaking boundaries to offer a thematic exploration of art from the world’s largest continent (rather than a geographic or chronological one). The restoration of the historic Art Deco building, expanded gallery and education spaces, and a new park lobby that connects the museum to the surrounding Volunteer Park are just some of the ways the museum has been transformed and preserved as a cultural and community resource for future generations.
You will no longer find galleries labeled China, Japan, or India. Instead, vibrant artworks from Vietnam to Iran, and everywhere in between, come together to tell stories of human experiences across time and place. From themes of worship and celebration to clothing and identity, nature and power to birth and death, the new collection installation reveals the complexity and diversity of Asia—a place of distinct cultures, histories, and belief systems that help shape our world today.
“The Seattle Asian Art Museum is housed in a art-deco building that’s almost worth coming to visit simply on its exterior merits; if you actually enter the museum then you’ve completely amortized the time investment.” – Clarice O.
To enter, follow marked entrance and exit signs at front doors to maintain one-way visitor traffic and physical distancing. Reserve your timed tickets today and revisit the original home in Volunteer Park. The last Friday of every month the Asian Art Museum is free for all and Free First Fridays are reserved for seniors.
