The Seattle Art Museum (SAM) is located in Downtown Seattle, just two blocks away from Pike Place Market! Since 1933, SAM has been a center for visual arts in the Pacific Northwest. SAM is dedicated to building bridges between cultures as well as centuries, with their collections, installation, special exhibitions and programs.
SAM is open daily 10am-5pm (9pm on Thursday & Friday), and closed on Tuesday.
We recently went to Seattle Art Museum and here are our favorites:
- Middle Fork – This sculpture was created with a full plaster cast of a living 140-year-old hemlock tree from the Cascade Mountains! John Grade and many volunteers used thousands of pieces of reclaimed cedar wood to mimic the contours of the tree! This sculpture is located in the Brotman Forum.
- Puget Sound on the Pacific Coast, 1870 – Alber Bierstadt (1830-1902). We love this portrait inspired by the Columbia Gorge!
- Wayampajarti, 2001 – Mawukura Jimmy Nerrimah (1924 -). Nerrimah is an Australian Aboriginal, where the freshwater waterhole represents both one’s individual and group identity. In this painting, Nerrimah portrays the force of the waterhole to an ancestral snake. This snake relies on humans to maintain the purity of the water. We love the colors and detail in this piece!
- Thunderbird and Sisiyutl Robe, 2016 – Maxine Matilpi (1956 -) Maltipi’s practice of making button robes follows a nearly 200-year-old tradition of taking trade materials and transforming them into garments of both status and honor.
- Dream of the Language Wheel, 1962 – Guy Anderson (1906-1998) A language wheel allows the user to search, find, and see common words among different languages. Anderson’s work incorporates both Northwest Coast Native symbols, as well as early Christian symbols.
- Union, 1977 – Sam Gilliam (1933 -) We love the color and composition of this piece!
- Untitled, 1973 – Sam Gilliam (1933 -) We love the colors and vibrance in this painting!
- Rorschach, 1984 – Andy Warhol (1928-1987) What’s your interpretation of this Rorschach painting?
- Okumpa Masquerade Players, 1950-2007 – Chukwu Okoro (1910-1987). During a full Okumpa play, 100+ masked spirits invade towns and create serious and playful chaos.
- Takpekpe (Conference), 2006 – El Anatsui (1944 -). This piece uses metal tops of liquor bottles, evaporated milk cans, aluminum and copper wire! Anatsui says that these fragments explore and analyze life as it is, and not what we want it to be.
Seattle Center Monorail travels directly between Seattle Center and Westlake Mall – our Westlake Station is a short walk away from SAM! Ride the Monorail to Westlake to see some amazing art!
