It’s once again time for the First Thursday Art Walk in Pioneer Square (Aug. 7), and for one longstanding gallery, the event will serve as a last hurrah. Davidson Galleries, which Sam Davidson has owned and operated since 1973, will soon close its doors after more than 50 years.
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Recognizable by his signature blazer and bow tie, Davidson is known as much for his kindness and likability (the antithesis of an “art snob”) as for the remarkable collection he has amassed over the years. Among some 18,000 original fine art prints are etchings, lithographs, woodcuts, mezzotints and letterpress works spanning from the 15th century to present day.
Sifting through the bins of prints at the gallery always felt like an exhilarating dash through art history — vividly colored Japanese woodblock prints, disturbing Francisco Goya etchings, trippy 1970s geometries, and contemporary works by regional artists including agricultural linocuts by Christie Tirado and text-laden etchings by Ben Beres.
The current exhibit — vibrant woodcut landscapes by California artist Gordon Mortensen — showcases the vast possibilities of printmaking, with each work using as many as 64 colors and 45 press runs. At the other end of the thematic spectrum, the online exhibit features etchings by Spanish artist Juan Genovés, whose 1970s black-and-white prints were influenced by Franco’s dictatorship and scenes of people running in fear.
Davidson, 79, announced his retirement two years ago, but just a few weeks later a devastating fire in his Occidental Square space complicated those plans. While the gallery reopened in a bright nearby space on Yesler Avenue, it proved unsustainable. “I’m ready to do less,” he told The Seattle Times about the closure. The physical gallery will be open through Aug. 9 and operating online through September 1.
Since Davidson was one of the gallerists who joined forces to originate the Pioneer Square art walk in the early 1980s, tonight’s event is likely to be bittersweet. When I asked via email if he had any special plans for the evening, Davidson said no and shared a simple farewell: “Sad to leave the Seattle art scene after so many years working with great artists and collectors.”
Drumroll, please … It’s premiere day for Season 2 of Art by Northwest, the Cascade PBS television show written and hosted by yours truly. If you watched Season 1, you know the premise: I get out from behind my laptop and travel all over Washington state to meet with visual artists and find out how where they live affects the art they make.
Season 2 kicks off with an episode featuring Jennifer Angaiak Wood, a Yup’ik mask carver based in Indianola. I first encountered her work in a group show at Stonington Gallery in 2019, and was immediately drawn to the expressive faces in her masks and the curious spokes and rings around them. Then in 2020 I spotted her Yup’ik take on an N95 mask and started keeping up with her artistic endeavors — long before Art by Northwest was even a concept.
This past December, our crew (producer Brianna Dorn and director of photography Skyler Ballard) headed over to the Kitsap Peninsula to meet with Jen at her home studio. Skyler had just moved to Seattle to work at Cascade PBS, and this was her first Washington ferry ride. Pretty exciting! But it was a cold day, and her first challenge was capturing a shot in which my eyes weren’t watering from the wind whipping across the sundeck.
We pulled up in Indianola to a classic Northwest coastal scene: tall evergreens, moss galore, damp grass — and a long historic pier. But Jen and her family (who jokingly call themselves “the Wood pile”) were warm and welcoming. I always enjoy seeing artists’ homes and workspaces, and here the walls were covered with Jen’s masks made over the years — smiling, winking, surprised and serious faces keeping watch over the Wood pile.
As a person who thinks about outer space a lot, I especially loved learning about the Yup’ik tradition of adding the “universe rings” that orbit many masks. “The idea is that it places us firmly in the universe and connected to everything,” Jen explains. “It relates to how interconnected everything is, that we influence the world around us, and the world around us influences us.”
The show premieres on broadcast tonight at 8:50 p.m., or you can watch it on YouTube starting at 5 p.m. today. Or if you simply cannot wait (hi, Mom!), it’s also viewable online right now. The visuals are so lush, I encourage viewing on a screen bigger than your phone, if possible.
However you do so, thanks for watching! And stay tuned tomorrow for my written story that accompanies the video.
Yup’ik art is one of many distinct Indigenous art forms in the greater Pacific Northwest — and thanks to several current shows you can build a late-summer road trip to explore a whole range of styles.
At the San Juan Islands Museum of Art in Friday Harbor, Shapeshifters (through Sept. 15) features an impressive collection of work by artists including Rande Cook, Susan Point, Gordon Dick and Dan Friday. (Tip: The museum is close to the ferry landing, so you could leave your car at the Anacortes lot and walk on.)
Over in Spokane, the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture is showing Raven and the Box of Daylight (through Jan. 4, 2026), Preston Singletary’s highly acclaimed installation of glass figures.
In Tacoma, the Washington State History Museum presents the 20th annual edition of In the Spirit, a contemporary Native arts exhibition featuring a huge range of work, including by Carly Feddersen, Dan Friday, James P. Johnson and Sydney Akagi. And here in Seattle, Stonington Gallery just opened a new solo show of work by Kwagulth carver Jason Henry Hunt. (Aug. 7 - 30)
Of course there are still more festivals to be had before summer dances away, including the following, brought to you by Cascade PBS newsletter editor Sophie Grossman. Take us to the fests, Sophie!
< The South Lake Union Block Party is back (Aug. 8), with artisan vendors, food trucks, yoga and local bands including power pop from Hockey Teeth, indie rock from Lovely Colors and ’80s new wave from Prom Date Mixtape.
< For over 40 years, the Bainbridge Island Artist Studio Tour (Aug. 8-10) has provided the rare opportunity for a self-guided tour through local artists’ workspaces. This summer’s lineup of more than 50 artists is heavy on jewelry and other wearable art.
< At the Washington State History Museum and Tacoma Art Museum, the In the Spirit Northwest Native Festival (Aug. 9) brings together food, craft vendors, fashion designers and live music from Swinomish/Iñupiaq alt-rock powerhouse Black Belt Eagle Scout. Next door at the Museum of Glass, Glass Fest Northwest will feature a live performance in the hot shop by Coast Salish artist Joseph Seymour, Jr., in collaboration with In the Spirit.
< CatVideoFest at SIFF Cinema Uptown (Aug. 8 - 10) harkens back to a more innocent era of the internet with a 75-minute compilation reel of cat animations, music videos and memes assembled from a combo of original submissions and viral clips.
< And if the pressure to have sun-drenched social summer fun is starting to get to you, Silent Reading at Seattle Center (Aug. 9; outdoors at the Mural Amphitheater) offers a chance to catch up on your beach reads in a quiet, low-pressure communal setting.
Looking for more regional arts coverage? Check out Art by Northwest, a new television series on Cascade PBS, featuring artists from all over Washington. Season 2 episodes are releasing weekly from August 7 through October 2.
