ArtSEA: If you paint it, will they come? Seattle hopes so

Now muralists are being called upon again to bring energy and interest to the urban areas still dulled by the post-pandemic reality of fewer people working in offices all week long.

Part of Mayor Harrell’s Downtown Activation Plan, the Hope Corps Downtown Seattle Mural Project is funding more than 30 new artworks this summer, in SoDo, Pioneer Square, Chinatown-International District and Belltown, as well as in the retail core. As Mayor Harrell said in a press release, murals are a way to show locals and visitors that “Seattle is an art city.”

A partnership of the Office of Arts and Culture, Visit Seattle, the Downtown Seattle Association and other neighborhood associations and property owners, the Hope Corps project aims to both “support economic recovery for Seattle’s creative workforce” and “contribute to the well-being of Seattle.” Not to mention: impress the hordes of tourists who will descend on this city for the World Cup in summer 2026.

Even outside of the Hope Corps effort, I’m finding myself doing a lot of mural reportage this summer, including the Forest for the Trees mural project during Seattle Art Fair and the dubiously dubbed “largest mural in North America” on the waterfront.

photo from outside peering in thru a gallery window where a large pink-red dragon appears on a wall

Base Camp Studios celebrates the arrival of new murals with its ‘Walls Out’ exhibit, featuring smaller works by the artists featured in the Belltown Mural Festival. Seen here: a dragon by Stevie Shao. (Daniel Spils)

Forthcoming Hope Corps murals are mapped here. Four artworks have been completed so far, and you can watch a whole bunch of new ones emerge next week during the Belltown Mural Festival (Aug. 13-18). Co-produced by Belltown United, the fest features an impressive roster of Seattle artists — including Stevie Shao, Myron Curry, Aramis Hamer, Joe Nix, Craig Cundiff and Sam Sneke — who will begin painting on blank buildings Aug. 13.

The accompanying event lineup (Aug. 14-18) includes a painting jam, an outdoor film screening and Walls Out, an indoor mural show at Base Camp Studios 2 (in the old Bergman Luggage store through Sept. 14; mural party Aug. 15). Plus, an appearance by South African artist Ralph Zimon’s incredible beaded police vehicle (as seen at Seattle Art Fair), and, on the final day, a walking tour of all the new pieces created over the course of the fest.

Meanwhile up north, Bellingham hoists spray cans and paint brushes for its second annual Noisy Waters Mural Festival (Aug. 16-18), featuring 20+ artists live-painting murals on 8’ x 8’ portable walls. The public votes on favorites (see last year’s winners), and the top picks earn big money! See also spray-painting demos and a bike tour of some of Bellingham’s many murals.

photo of a native american wolf headdress carved in the traditional formline style

“Wolf Headdress,” by Quinault/Makah carver Stephan Smith, won the 2024 Honoring the Ancestors award at the ‘In the Spirit: Contemporary Native Art’ exhibit. (Washington State History Museum)

In its unofficial role as “last chance to get your summer on,” August is spooling out a slew of outdoor events. Time to go all-in on seizing the season.

In the Tacoma Museum District, the triumvirate of closely situated arts-and-culture spaces is hosting its popular annual party, which coincides with the Washington State History Museum’s In the Spirit: Contemporary Native Art exhibit (through Sept. 29), a juried show of recent sculpture, painting, carving, beadwork and textiles by Indigenous artists. While the show runs into fall, this weekend is the big celebration, marked by the In the Spirit: Arts Market and Northwest Native Festival (Aug. 10) on the plaza.

In addition to arts and craft vendors, watch for the Alaska Kuteeyaa Dancers, a reading by former Washington State Poet Laureate and Lummi writer Rena Priest and live music from Tacoma rockers Lozen.

On the same day at the Museum of Glass, Glass Fest Northwest (Aug. 10) offers glassmaking demos, artist booths and, indoors, a special appearance by acclaimed Tlingit glassblower Raven Skyriver, who makes striking facsimiles of sea creatures. And at the Tacoma Art Museum, see the annual Indigenous Fashion Show (2-3 p.m.), curated by Unangan designer Mary Kelsay (of MEKA) and featuring garments that combine ancestral motifs with contemporary style. Bonue: free admission to all three venues during the fest!

Elsewhere around the region, there’s tons of music to be absorbed outdoors. The long-running South Lake Union Block Party (Aug. 9) returns with Nite Wave, Tomo Nakayama, Thief Motif and Fleetwood Mac cover band The Little Lies. At Remlinger Farms in Carnation, The THING festival (Aug. 9 - 11) boasts a big indie lineup including St. Vincent, Black Pumas, Spoon, Pete Droge and Brittany Davis. And out at the Gorge in George, the Outlaw Music Festival features an eye-popping mix of music legends: John Mellencamp, Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson.

photo of a man and woman in the woods looking at a blank white canvas hanging from the trees

For Episode 2 of ‘Art by Northwest,’ I head to Skagit Valley to learn how artist Todd Horton is collaborating with trees. (Still from ‘Art by Northwest’)

But say the wildfire smoke rolls in and sours our outdoor frolicking. You can still immerse yourself in natural elements via several current gallery shows.

Northwest painter Ryan Molenkamp shows chunky and chiseled mountains in Chasing Ice at Patricia Rovzar Gallery (through Aug. 31). In these large-scale canvases, ice-blue glaciers seem to be running for their lives. At Harris Harvey gallery, Bainbridge artist Wendy Orville is Seeing Trees (through Aug. 31; artist talk Aug. 17) with moody monotypes that resemble black-and-white photography and convey trees as if “characters in a story.”

For an absurdist take on nature, see Seattle artist Ariana Heinzman’s Habitat for a Fake Plant (through Aug. 28 at J. Rinehart Gallery; artist talk Aug. 17). With her cartoony ceramic sculptures, Heinzman underlines the folly of trying to capture flora within the human-made setting of a gallery.

And there’s one more way to celebrate the art of the outdoors: Check out our new video series Art by Northwest. We debuted the show last week with an episode profiling Port Townsend artist Tininha Silva, whose net-like wall hangings made from natural fibers include shells and stones she found on the beach.

This Friday (Aug. 9) we’ll launch Episode 2, in which I explore the work of Todd Horton. Intrigued by the science of how trees communicate with one another, the Skagit Valley artist invented several “drawing devices,” which he affixes to tree branches hanging above canvases — enabling the trees to scribble mysterious messages as they move. This poetic combination of dendrology and dreams results in beautifully abstract works that contain multitudes and mystery.

Watch the show on Cascade PBS (Aug. 9 at 8:50 p.m.). Or stream it starting Monday (Aug. 12), when I’ll also publish a written piece telling more of Horton’s story. Thanks for watching!