ArtSEA: Seattle’s new mini-golf course channels the era of absurd

In addition to the prestigious Kennedy Center Honors, the storied Washington, D.C., venue hosts a diverse slate of performances year-round (similar to Seattle’s Paramount Theatre). Trump says he’s never been to a Kennedy Center show, but aims to revamp the programming. “We’re going to make sure that it’s good and it’s not going to be woke,” he told reporters.

Regardless of what Trump and his new Kennedy Center board deem compliant with their “Vision for a Golden Age of Arts and Culture,” as the President called it on Truth Social, this authoritarian approach to arts does not bode well for anyone who believes in the open spirit of the creative sector.

(See also the National Endowment for the Arts’ recent switch from funding projects that prioritize underserved communities to projects that “celebrate and honor the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.”)

If all this makes you want to swing a stick at something: Smash Putt is back, and well-timed. The love child of Burning Man and putt-putt golf, this Seattle-born event has been around in various incarnations since about 2010. The basic premise is a mini-golf course gone wild, courtesy of artists and gadgeteers who build madly inventive holes, some involving old-school robotics.

When I heard Smash Putt was returning I flashed back to a past event wherein I recall simultaneously attempting to navigate Mission Impossible-style red laser beams while hitting a ball and holding a beer. Try that, Tom Cruise!

It’s funny and anarchic and loud (and 21+), with many thwacks and clangs and cathoonks — this last likely from the “driving range,” where players shoot golf balls through an air cannon. (No word on whether any of the new holes celebrate the Declaration of Independence.)

Having previously taken place in a defunct post office at 23rd and Union, the Inscape building, and various empty warehouses, this time Smash Putt is happening at the ever-playful Base Camp Studios 2, in the former Bergman Luggage space Downtown (Feb. 14 - Apr. 12). Time slots must be reserved online, and this month’s are filling up fast.

Jazz has been be-bopping up a resurgence in Pioneer Square lately, with more venues offering more concerts showcasing Seattle’s all-ages array of talent. You can experience the scene for yourself at the inaugural Jazz Night in Pioneer Square (Feb. 18, free, starting at 6 p.m.).

Presented by Seattle Jazz Fellowship, 13 local bands will play 13 venues across the neighborhood. While proximity makes it easy to do a jazz walk (jazz hands encouraged), you’re going to have to make some tough choices.

Consider D’Vonne Lewis at Frederick Holmes Gallery (at 7 p.m.) or Beserat Tafesse at Long Brothers Fine & Rare Books (also at 7 p.m.). Jovino Santos Neto at new venue Baba Yaga (7:30 p.m.) or the Marc Seales trio at Seattle Jazz Fellowship (also at 7:30 p.m.)?

In the end everyone joins up for the late-night jam session at Owl N’ Thistle (9:45 p.m. - 1:30 a.m.), which has happened on Tuesday nights since 1997. 

Noir Nights 

But if your mood is feeling less jazzy than gloomy, it’s OK to lean into the dark — as long as it’s via several noir-themed happenings around town.

< Noir City at SIFF Cinema Downtown (Feb. 14 - 20). This festival of classic black-and-white flicks (corrupt cops! ex-cons! bloody murder!) marks its 17th edition by leaning into the allure of femmes fatales.

< Dial M for Murder at Village Theater in Issaquah (through Feb. 23). Based on Alfred Hitchcock’s 1954 mystery movie, this play features twists, turns and old-school telephones.

< Noir at the Can Can Cabaret (through Mar. 16). The venue is celebrating 20 years of song, dance and burlesque with a film-noir-inspired show that blends sexy and psychedelic.

Black History Month continues, and one of the ways we’re marking the occasion is by revealing the first artist in Season 4 of our Black Arts Legacies project. We’re kicking off this year’s cohort of artists with photographer Al Smith (1916 - 2008), who for much of the 20th century captured vibrant images of Black life in Seattle.

Born and raised in the Central District, Smith fell in love with his first camera (a Kodak Brownie) at age 12, and his passion for photography never faded. Over the years he amassed some 40,000 photos (an archive now maintained by MOHAI), with subjects ranging from famous jazz performers of the 1940s to family picnics and neighborhood celebrations. 

In these images you can almost hear Duke Ellington’s band jamming in the club; feel the throb of the crowd surrounding a jitterbugging couple; taste the cake awaited by the pointy-hatted kids at a birthday party. His photos are remarkable windows onto human joy and connection — and priceless historical documentation of a community largely ignored by mainstream media.

Tear yourself away from the news headlines for a few minutes to learn more about Smith’s life and work and sift through a few of these evocative photos. Also: If you know a local elder (or are one!) who might be able to help identify some of the people in Smith’s vast photo archive, MOHAI would appreciate your assistance (contact photos@mohai.org). 

And here are a few more ways to commemorate Black History Month:

< Writer Ta-Nehisi Coates will discuss his new collection of essays, The Message, with Seattle Arts and Lectures (at Benaroya Hall and live streaming, Feb. 18 at 7:30 p.m.).

< Translinear Light: The Music of Alice Coltrane (at The Moore Theatre, Feb. 26 at 7:30 p.m.) is a celebration of the beloved jazz pianist, harpist and composer, featuring Ravi Coltrane and Brandee Younger.

< South African vocal group Ladysmith Black Mambazo brings its famously resonant harmonies to The Neptune Theater (Feb. 25 at 7:30 p.m.).

< Ronald K. Brown’s Evidence (at Meany Center for Performing Arts, Feb. 27 - March 1) is a Brooklyn-based dance company that blends African dance traditions with contemporary movement and spoken word. In this performance, expect Afro-Cuban rhythms, text by Angela Davis and nods to recent events in Black American history.

Passages

We’ll end by paying respects to three Northwest cultural leaders who died in recent days, each of whom embraced the creative possibilities of the counterculture — which feels a bit endangered at the moment. 

Tom Robbins (92), the La Conner-based novelist who channeled the wonders of all things weird in popular novels like Even Cowgirls Get the Blues.

Shelley Brothers (67), LGBTQ+ community pillar and co-owner of long-running Capitol Hill mainstay The Wildrose (one of the longest-running lesbian bars in the country).

John Behnke (72), the philanthropist who championed and supported Seattle’s contemporary arts scene, including serving on the boards of On the Boards and Henry Art Gallery. 

Editor’s note: A previous version of this newsletter misstated John Benke’s age. He died at 72, not 82.