What's New

Nirvana: Taking Punk to the Masses
Traces the band’s rise with rarities including candid snapshots, never displayed artwork, smashed guitars, signed lyrics and more. More than two years in the making, the exhibit will feature 200 artifacts tied to the band and the independent punk rock music community that nurtured it. Concurrently with the exhibit launch, renowned Seattle publisher Fantagraphics Books will release Taking Punk to the Masses: From Nowhere to Nevermind, a 250-page, full-color exploration of grunge’s explosion, set within the cultural environs of the punk underground that developed in the U.S. in 1970s and ‘80s.

For more information visit www.empmuseum.org.

New King Tut Exhibition to Make West Coast Debut at Pacific Science Center
Pacific Science Center has announced that it will host the West Coast debut of Tutankhamun:The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs, May 24, 2012 - Jan. 6, 2013. This is the largest King Tut exhibition ever shown on the West Coast, featuring more than 100 objects from both the tomb of King Tut and from royal and private tombs and temples of important rulers throughout 2,000 years of ancient Egyptian history. In addition to these artifacts, many of which have never been seen in North America, the exhibition will offer the opportunity to learn about King Tut’s life and death through recent CT scans on his mummy.

For more information visit www.pacificsciencecenter.org.

AVATAR: The Exhibition Makes Global Premiere at Seattle’s EMP Museum
Based on the highest grossing film of all time, AVATAR: The Exhibition opened at Seattle’s EMP Museum on June 4, 2011. The exhibit, developed in partnership by EMP, Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products and James Cameron’s Lightstorm Entertainment, will run through Sept.3, 2012, and will then travel to other major arts and cultural institutions in the U.S. and abroad. AVATAR: The Exhibition features authentic artifacts and props, such as the actual Armored Mobility Platform (AMP) suit used in the combat scenes, soldier uniforms and the original hand-made models of the Na’vi characters and their wardrobes. Interactive displays, concept models and sketches from the film explore the technologies used to create Pandora.

For more information visit www.empmuseum.org.

Chihuly Exhibition Breaks Ground at Seattle Center Campus
The Chihuly Garden and Glass exhibition is being built on Seattle Center’s 74-acre campus. The Chihuly exhibition, expected to open in Spring 2012, will showcase the glass sculpting of Washington-native Dale Chihuly. Artwork including a comprehensive collection of glass, sculpture and other media is slated to be displayed in both interior and exterior exhibits. The interior exhibit will highlight the wide variety of Chihuly’s work; the exterior will feature Chihuly’s Gardens and Glass exhibitions, previously presented at venues throughout the world. The exterior will also include a 40-foot Glass House structure with Chihuly artwork flowing from the ceiling.

For more information visit www.seattlecenter.com.

Seattle Center Gears Up for the 50th Anniversary of the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair
Seattle will commemorate the 50th anniversary of the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair, a cornerstone in the city’s modern development, April 21 – Oct. 21 2012. The Next Fifty celebration will feature six months of national and international touring artists and other concerts, diverse cultural displays, history and heritage exhibits and much more – all on the 74-acre campus of the Seattle Center, the legacy of the World’s Fair. Surrounding cultural institutions and the Space Needle will also plan corresponding 50th anniversary celebrations.

For more information visit www.thenextfifty.org.

Gauguin’s Exotic Works of Polynesian Art Exhibits at Seattle Art Museum in 2012
The Gauguin & Polynesia: An Elusive Paradise exhibit will be on display from Feb. 9 – April 29, 2012 at the Seattle Art Museum (SAM). This is the first exhibit to bring Polynesian studies to the center of an exploration of Paul Gauguin’s art, revealing the dynamic relationship between the work of the great European artist and the Polynesian art that he encountered when he moved to the South Pacific islands in 1891. With approximately 50 paintings, sculptures and works on paper by Paul Gauguin and works from Pacific island cultures, the exhibit will reveal the influence of Polynesian art and culture on Gauguin’s work in unique depth. At the same time, the exhibit will explore a fuller history of Polynesian art as it responded to the dynamic exchanges between Pacific Island peoples and Europeans throughout the nineteenth century. Group and individual tickets for this exhibition are now on sale.

For more information visit www.seattleartmuseum.org.

 

ATTRACTIONS & TOURS

Blake Island’s Tillicum Village Offers Visitors a Unique New Show
Visitors to Seattle can view century old traditions of Native Americans when they visit Blake Island’s Tillicum Village. Argosy Cruises, a family‐owned and locally‐operated Seattle company, recently updated its Tillicum Village experience, a boat trip from the Seattle waterfront to Blake Island in Puget Sound where guests experience Northwest Coast Salish culture in an authentic longhouse. Newly-debuted changes from the menu, stage, sets, lighting, regalia and performance offer an authentic presentation of the customs, beliefs and dances of the Northwest Coast Salish culture. To ensure that visitors have a truly authentic Coast Salish tribes experience, Argosy worked directly with tribal members from early on in the show planning process. In addition to new show content, state-of-the-art lighting and musion technology projects filmed imagery in a lifelike manner woven seamlessly with live acting to tell the story of the Coast Salish tribes. The show purposely utilizes technology and historical live dance to project the native culture as one that has thrived and will continue to thrive in the Northwest. 

For more information visit www.tillicumvillage.com.

“Chef Walks: Seattle” with Tom Douglas Now Available on Kindle
Seattle’s most famous chef, Tom Douglas, has published an eating and walking tour of Seattle, “Chef Walks: Seattle” in Amazon’s Kindle Store. “Chef Walks: Seattle” (co-written by Shelley Lance), serves as a portable guide to navigating Seattle, useful to visitors and locals alike. The guide shares Douglas’ favorite spots to eat, drink, shop and get coffee in Seattle, as well as city information, including where to catch a ferry, see a great city view, or check out the local music scene. Accessible with a Kindle device or via the Kindle app on your phone, “Chef Walks: Seattle” is lighter and more portable than most traditional printed guidebooks. The first in an intended series of city guides, “Chef Walks: Seattle” is only $3.99 exclusively in the Kindle Store.

For more information visit www.amazon.com.
 

Kitsap Tours is a new tour company that began offering tours of Bainbridge Island and the Kitsap Peninsula, located 35 minutes from downtown Seattle via ferry boat, on May 1, 2010. Kitsap Tours offers a variety of tours including a seven-hour photography tour of Bainbridge Island and the Kitsap Peninsula, where some of the best photography locations in the area will be visited, as well as a 3-hour tour of the Bloedel Reserve, a 150-acre estate garden with large areas of second growth forest, gardens, ponds and meadows. Transportation is via a 14-passenger mini bus and tours begin at the Bainbridge Island ferry terminal.

For more information visit www.kitsaptours.com.

Explore Vampire Country with EverGreen Escapes
EverGreen Escapes offers a full-day tour to Washington state’s infamous Olympic Peninsula, inspired by the best-selling Twilight book series. The tour begins with a ferry ride across the Puget Sound followed by a scenic drive to the town of Forks, home of Twilight characters Edward and Bella. Visitors and Twilight fans are invited to traverse the old growth, moss-filled Hoh Rainforest during a guided walk through the Hall of Mosses Trail. Additional tour destinations include La Push, home of the Quileute Native American Tribe and Jacob Black and First Beach, a drive-to beach known for occasional whale spotting. The tour concludes with dinner at La Bella Italia in Port Angeles where Edward and Bella had their first date.

For more information visit www.evergreenescapes.com.