Seattle Art Museum, Author at SAM Stories

A Fire in My Belly

Seattle Art Museum on Dec 16 2010

As the director of the Seattle Art Museum, I am concerned about the recent removal of David Wojnarowicz’s film “A Fire in My Belly” from an exhibition in Washington, DC. Wojnarowicz, who died of complications from AIDS in 1992, made two versions of the film between 1986 and 1987. Holland Cotter’s thorough discussion of the history of this particular work, the sources of its imagery, and Wojnarowicz’s life, which appeared in the New York Times on Dec. 10^th, is worth reading. The decision to withdraw this politically-charged, intentionally-troubling imagery from public view in Washington DC serves to remind us that controversy can ignite at almost any time, that it is almost always painful, and that those of us who are lucky enough to work in the arts need to be prepared to stand up for what we believe is right, if we are going to maintain democracy.

My Favorite Things Tours: Where Picasso Meets Lil’Wayne

Seattle Art Museum on Dec 10 2010

So it’s a Friday night and you made it to SAM, waited in line (admiring Cai Guo-Qiang’s twinkling cars suspended above your head, of course), purchased your ticket to Picasso, followed the orange line up 2 floors, fidgeted with the audio guide while you wait in line again, entered the Picasso exhibition and you’re ready to earn your way onto Team Picasso. Normally what takes place from this point on is around an hour of doing the “museum shuffle” with your fellow audio guide aficionados. Here’s where we like to shake things up a bit.

SAM Remix: details, details, details

Seattle Art Museum on Nov 12 2010

Wow! There are a lot of you beautiful people coming to SAM Remix tomorrow. We can’t wait to see you, and we want to try to make the night as fun and hassle-free for you as possible, so we’re passing along some IMPORTANT EVENT INFORMATION.

Cleaning up

Seattle Art Museum on Nov 12 2010

Last week, on one of our 70 degree sunny days, the Olympic Sculpture Park teamed up with Puget Soundkeepers Alliance to collect and remove creosote logs from the waterfront. Bobby McCullough, SAM’s lead gardner at the park, was part of a team that removed ten tons (!) of creosote soaked wood from the Olympic Sculpture Park, Myrtle Edwards and Elliott Bay Park.

Win 2 Tickets to Remix!

Seattle Art Museum on Nov 9 2010

Our special, Picasso edition of SAM Remix is this Saturday, November 13, and we’re giving away 2 tickets to this wildly popular event. From the “party rock” sounds of Tigerbeat to artist trivia contests led by Geeks Who Drink to live figure drawing in the “Blue Studio”, performances by the Harlequin Hipsters and much, much more. You really don’t want to miss this one!

First Thursday Parking!

Seattle Art Museum on Nov 3 2010

Remember we’re open until midnight this First Thursday! Wondering where to park? Here’s information on the most convenient place to park during your visit:

Win 2 opening night tickets to
SAM Film Noir Series

Seattle Art Museum on Sep 15 2010

Hurry! You could be the winner of 2 tickets to tomorrow night’s season opening of the SAM Film Noir Series! Help SAM celebrate thirty-three years of presenting some of the world’s best films in this genre. Enjoy the feature film “Nightmare Alley” and immediately afterwards join in the special opening night festivities.

Our Summer with SAM

Seattle Art Museum on Sep 2 2010

This summer, two very bright and curious high school seniors helped out in the museum’s curatorial division. Milo and Henry spent their summer helping organize our object records, and researching several works in the SAM collection. Here, they write about their experience.

Win Tickets to SAM Remix

Seattle Art Museum on Aug 26 2010

From a crochet party to Truckasaurus – dancing under the stars to cool new art – Sam Remix is tomorrow! It’s been a year since we’ve taken the party outside, and we can’t wait for the festivities at the Olympic Sculpture Park. Take a look at the line-up.

I’ve got your tickets, too – one pair to be exact. Wanna win them? Read More

Yoga and drawing at the Olympic Sculpture Park

Seattle Art Museum on Aug 25 2010

Can you believe how quickly this summer is zipping by? In June, we kicked off three months jam-packed with art activities at the Olympic Sculpture Park. This Saturday, Aug. 28, will be the final day for yoga and drawing in the park for the summer. If you haven’t made it to a free outdoor yoga class yet, we hope to see you Saturday. (Class runs from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m., rain or shine.) Read More

Opening celebration for the Quileute exhibition

Seattle Art Museum on Aug 16 2010

The Brotman Forum was packed with energy Saturday for the opening celebration of Behind the Scenes: The Real Story of the Quileute Wolves. More than 1,600 people turned out to see the Quileute Nation drum circle and to hear stories from the Quileute culture.

The exhibition, which was curated by Barbara Brotherton, runs through Aug. 14, 2011.

Photo by JiaYing Grygiel

— JiaYing Grygiel, admissions representative

What about those wolves….

Seattle Art Museum on Aug 5 2010

A small Native community, knit together by ancient beliefs, living in their ancestral homelands—a remote coastal village, ringed with primordial forests and in the shadow of Mt. Olympus—seems like a fitting scenario for a supernatural story line. Cast as shape-shifting werewolves in the Twilight saga books and films, opposite a band of sophisticated vampires, the Quileute really do have ties to wolves—but not werewolves! Quileute oral traditions trace their distinguished ancestry back to myth time when the powerful transformer, Kwa-ti, changed a pair of wolves into the first Quileute people. Thus began a long association with the wolf. I don’t know if Stephenie Meyer, author of the Twilight books, knew this but her mention of the mysterious Quileute tribe and an ancient treaty with vampires catapulted their small nation into notoriety.

Special Picasso ticket offer extended to SAM’s electronic friends

Seattle Art Museum on Jul 27 2010

As a special “thank you” to our Facebook fans and Twitter followers, we’d like to let you in on an advance opportunity, otherwise only available to museum members.

You can reserve your tickets for the Picasso exhibition NOW – one week before ticket sales open to the general public! Also, for a limited time, we will waive the $3 transaction fee when you buy Picasso tickets online.

Behind the Scenes: In Space & Time with Gretchen Bennett and D.W. Burnam

Seattle Art Museum on Jun 29 2010

Two weekends ago, on the gloomiest of Saturday afternoons, I had the pleasure of participating in Gretchen Bennett and D.W. Burnam’s “Unconventional Portraits” workshop on songwriting. Created in conjunction with the Kurt exhibition and Gretchen’s video installation I don’t blame you, the artists put together a day of vigorous writing exercises for those who participated.

Yes, Party in the Park is about the music and Party in the Park is about the art. But don’t forget about the FOOD

Seattle Art Museum on Jun 23 2010

TASTE Events

And more!

And, put that wallet away! Food, beer and wine are all covered in your ticket price.

It’s not too late to buy tickets. Promo code GETOUT! gets our fans and followers 25% off.

Top photo: Maximus/Minimus (yep, the pig truck will be there)

Here it is:
The PARTY IN THE PARK ticket giveaway

Seattle Art Museum on Jun 18 2010

Mudhoney’s playing at Party in the Park at the Seattle Art Museum’s Olympic Sculpture Park next Friday and we’re getting so excited!

I just sweet-talked the party organizers into giving me a pair of tickets to give away (that’s a $200 value, folks), and I’d like to use the opportunity to spread the love to our Twitter followers and Facebook fans.

Read More

The ticket price for Party in the Park goes up June 16

Seattle Art Museum on Jun 14 2010

They’re $75 today. They’ll be $100 on Wednesday.
Buy your tickets now!

Mudhoney will be there.
We just learned Sweet Water will be there.
DJ Darek Mazzone will be there.
Nancy Guppy will be there.
Beer, wine and fabulous nibbles from TASTE Events will be there.
Beautiful art and incredible views are always there.

You should be there. You really don’t want to miss it.

Conversation with Heide Hinrichs

Seattle Art Museum on Jun 11 2010

The SAM Next Heide Hinrichs installation Borrowed tails closes this Sunday. In conjunction with the closing we wanted to publish a conversation between the exhibition curator, Marisa Sanchez, Assistant Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art and the artist Heide Hinrichs.

The Other Washington: At the Second International Mount Making Forum, Smithsonian Institution Washington D.C.

Seattle Art Museum on Jun 11 2010

Mannequin: a form representing the human figure used esp. for displaying clothes

Mountmaker: An individual who conceives, fabricates and installs specialized hardware for the display, security, and earthquake mitigation of works of art for museums, galleries, and private collections.

The need to revive our mannequin building program this last year coincided with a second meeting of museum mount makers this May in Washington D.C. A call for papers was impetus to document my first efforts and learning process within a twenty minute presentation format. Shelly Uhlir, exhibit specialist at the National Museum of the American Indian put together a two day conference involving 200 participants, presenters and posters. All of the Smithsonian Museums were available for behind the scenes tours.

June 4 SAM REMIX KEXP playlist

Seattle Art Museum on Jun 8 2010

Last Friday, June 4^th, SAM Remix was held at SAM Downtown. With a sold-out crowd of over 2,000 people (many of them in wigs), art-making, music, tours and more activated every corner of the building. All night long in South Hall, a playlist curated by Kevin Cole, senior programming manager and DJ at KEXP 90.3 FM, responded to the exhibitions kurt and love fear pleasure lust pain glamour death – Andy Warhol Media Works. Cole crafted this eclectic playlist to include everything from Grace Jones to Le Tigre, while KEXP DJ El Toro gave a “My Favorite Things” tour in the galleries and DJ Riz spun beats in the Forum. Visit The KEXP blog to see the entire tracklist and to hear a sample of the music from Friday night.

The next Remix will be held on Friday, August 27^th at the Olympic Sculpture Park from 8 pm–12 am. Buy your tickets online early before it sells out!

Caroline Walker, Education & Public Programs Coordinator

KEXP DJ Riz spinning beats in the SAM Forum. Photo: Robert Wade

Letters from the Road: Atami, Japan

Seattle Art Museum on Jun 7 2010

SAM Exhibition Designer, Chris Manojlovic, recently returned from two weeks in Japan, where he and Collection Care Manager, Julie Creahan, were traveling with SAM’s exhibition, Luminous Jewels: Masterpieces of Asian Art from the Seattle Art Museum. The show, comprising highlights from SAM’s Asian art collection, is currently on tour in Japan. As couriers, Chris and Julie’s role was to oversee the safe handling of the collection during its de-installation and packing at one venue, transportation, and installation at the next host institution. This is correspondence we received from Chris when he was on the road.

Family Fun: kids respond to Heide Hinrichs

Seattle Art Museum on May 28 2010

Family Fun workshop participants age 5-12 and their guardians explore Heide Hinrichs installation, Borrowed Tails, with teaching artist Ben Waterman. For these young people and their families this was the first time viewing and making art in response to a contemporary art installation. The potential confusion that occurs when entering an artful space such as Hinrich’s installation was short lived for these youngsters and quickly turned to wonder as they searched for clues and discovered the latent connections within the exhibition. The excitement rose as the group approached the Chase Open Studio to create their own installations.

Using similar materials as Hinrichs, children play and work at their own installations. Photo: Nate Herth

The creation of a collaborative installation asked children to consider the choices of others as well as their own. Photo: Nate Herth

Nate Herth, Museum Educator, Teen, Family & Community Programs

Top photo: “This is no ordinary school desk” Family Fun workshop participants get into Heide Hinrichs’ installation Borrowed Tails in the SAM Next Gallery. Photo: Nate Herth

K-12 Student Responses to Calder

Seattle Art Museum on May 26 2010

Nothing is more rewarding to a museum educator than seeing the positive impact of your programs on students. During the six month run of Alexander Calder: A Balancing Act more than 9,300 students visited the SAM’s galleries and experienced Calder’s work in person. Students learned about how he used geometry and math to create beautify balanced sculptures and created their own works of art out of wire and recycled materials in the museum’s art studio spaces. Here are some of our favorite thank you notes and quotes from students who visited the exhibition.

SAM’s list of must-see SIFF films

Seattle Art Museum on May 24 2010

When you are in Seattle and the weather changes from 65 and sunny to thunderstorms and lighting within the hour, you know it’s…SIFF time! Otherwise known as the time of year when you most want to go into a movie theatre and stop trying to figure out if summer has arrived yet (it hasn’t). If you are as overwhelmed as I am by the 250+ page book of films that SIFF has put out, you’ll want to peruse other people’s lists of “must-see” movies, like this one, focused on the theme of visual arts. As suspected, they mostly fall into the documentary category, but there’s at least one other mixed in. Enjoy! And let me know which ones I forgot – I got a little bleary-eyed by page 235.

Behind the Scenes: Unconventional Portrait Workshop

Seattle Art Museum on May 19 2010

As SAM’s summer exhibitions Kurt and love fear pleasure lust pain glamour death—Andy Warhol Media Works opened last week, the Adult Public Programs team has been working hard to get ready for all of the affiliated lectures, performances, tours and June 4^th SAM Remix. The simultaneity of these two exhibitions is exciting from a programmatic standpoint because we have the opportunity to use educational experiences to explore some of the conceptual connections between works in both. One of the projects I have focused on developing in recent months is a set of three classes that are part of our adult workshop series “SAM Creates.”

Why Kurt?

Seattle Art Museum on Apr 29 2010

Kurt and love fear pleasure lust pain glamour death — Andy Warhol Media Works, two upcoming special exhibitions, open two weeks from today. Here is “Why Kurt?” the first of a series of 6 videos featuring local artists whose work is central to the exhibition, as well as KEXP DJ and Seattle Weekly columnist Hannah Levin and Jacob McMurray, senior curator at EMP I SFM. This video gets to the heart of the exhibition, articulating Kurt Cobain’s historical impact on our culture, and zeroing in on the influence he has had on artists working today.

Like to vote? Make it count.
$1 million dollar grant available for local historic preservation sites.

Seattle Art Museum on Apr 23 2010

Make your voice heard – there’s a local opportunity for one of 25 eligible historic locations to be granted $1 million dollars by American Express and the National Trust for Historic Preservation through a joint initative called Partners in Preservation. The cash is distributed according to an on-line voting system – according to the PIP website, “At the end of the voting period, the site with the most votes is guaranteed funding from a total of $1 million that American Express will give away to support the preservation of historic places in the Seattle-Puget Sound area.” There are so many great projects – it’ll be hard to narrow down just one.

The Quest for Image Rights

Seattle Art Museum on Apr 9 2010

Sometimes a seemingly simple task like sending out an invitation can end up involving people on the other side of the planet.

Conversation with the Collector: Living with Mobiles

Seattle Art Museum on Apr 7 2010

Do you collect art? Why do you do it? While conversations could go around and around about potential investment value, etc., most who collect do so because they have encountered something that moves them in a way that nothing else can. And living with original works of art for which you feel such attachment enriches every day of your life.

I’ve heard Jon Shirley speak of his first encounter with the work of Alexander Calder. He was drawn to the sculptor’s work at a very young age. It was many years before he would purchase his first Calder piece, but since that first encounter he and his wife Mary have built one of the greatest collections of Calder’s works in existence and have learned a great deal about the artist’s work. (For instance, did you know that no two Calder mobiles are exactly alike?)

What happens when passion becomes a collection? What is it like to live with a house full of Calder sculptures?

You only have five more days to feel the glow of these spectacular works. Alexander Calder: A Balancing Act is gone after April 11.

– Nicole Chism Griffin, Associate Manager of PR at SAM

Hammering Man: Surgery is Underway

Seattle Art Museum on Apr 6 2010

Hammering Man went into surgery without incident this morning. The docs are hard at work , performing the delicate operation to reattach his errant arm. Despite the wind, prognosis is good, and it seems he may be re-armed and back in the swing by later this afternoon. We’ll be here in the waiting room (AKA, the SAM development department windows), and will keep you all posted on the Man’s progress.

Meanwhile, we’re completely out of fresh puns for this one and could use your help. Let us know what you can come up with.

-Nicole Chism Griffin, Associate Manager of PR at SAM